Vean Gregg

Sylveanus Augustus Gregg

• Bats Right, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School South Dakota State University
• High School Clarkston Commercial School
• Debut April 12, 1911
• Final Game August 25, 1925
• Born April 13, 1885 in Chehalis, WA Chehalis, Washington Territory
• Died July 29, 1964 in Aberdeen, WA USA

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Biographical Information

Sylveanus "Vean" Gregg pitched eight seasons in the majors and enjoyed great success in his first three big league campaigns.

A Washington state native, Gregg pitched for South Dakota State University (and as of 2009 was the only big leaguer to come out of the school) although he seemed to have done so as a hired gun and not as an actual student; his own education ended after a couple of years of high school. He began his pro career in the Northwestern League in 1909. The following year, he won 32 games and threw 14 shutouts for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League.

Gregg burst onto the major league scene in 1911 with the Cleveland Naps. As a rookie, he led the American League with a 1.80 ERA and had a win-loss record of 23-7 for a team that went 80-73. He won 13 games in his first 22 appearances in the majors; it would be 98 years before another left-hander, Matt Harrison, matched that feat. The next summer, 1912, he again went 20-13 for a sub-.500 Naps club. The following year, 1913, he posted an identical record while his team improved to third in the American League. During that campaign, he also struck out Ty Cobb three times in one game, and was joined by his brother Dave Gregg on Cleveland's roster for one game.

Although Gregg started 1914 with a 9-3 record, he was traded in July to the Boston Red Sox, where he joined 19-year-old rookie Babe Ruth on the team's pitching staff. The Red Sox won the World Series in both 1915 and 1916 while Gregg was on the club, but he saw limited action during both summers and did not appear in either Series.

After winning 21 games for the Providence Grays of the International League in 1917, Gregg returned to the majors in 1918 with the Philadelphia Athletics, for whom he made 25 starts. Struggling with arm troubles, he spent 1922 through 1924 back in the Pacific Coast League. He was back in the majors at age 40 in 1925, appearing in 26 games for the pennant-winning Washington Senators. He ended his playing career following a third stint in the PCL in 1927.

Gregg is a member of the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.

Notable Achievements

• AL ERA Leader (1911)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1911-1913)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 3 (1911-1913)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1911-1913)
• Won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox (1915 & 1916; he played in neither World Series)

Related Sites

• Vean Gregg at the SABR Bio Project