Mark Grace
From Sports Library
| Mark Grace | |
|---|---|
| First baseman | |
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| May 2, 1988 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Final game | |
| September 28, 2003 for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .303 |
| Home runs | 173 |
| RBI | 1146 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
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Mark Eugene Grace (born June 28, 1964 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) was a professional Major League Baseball player for 16 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. His defensive position was first base. He batted left handed and wore jersey number 17.
Contents |
Career with the Chicago Cubs
After playing baseball for San Diego State University, Grace was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. He spent three years playing in the Cubs farm system before making his major league debut May 2, 1988.
Mark Grace was never a flashy power hitter, and was often overlooked on Cubs teams that included Sammy Sosa, Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg. However, Grace was a consistent, steady hitter, compiling almost 2,500 hits and more than 500 doubles during his 16-year career. He also had a career on-base percentage of .383 and collected four Gold Glove Awards. He holds the distinction of collecting the most base hits (1,754) and doubles (364) in the decade of the 1990s.
He was the last Cub to have hit for the cycle, doing so in 1993.
Though most people incorrectly believe Tony Gwynn has the most hits in the 1990's, Grace did with 1,754 hits (Gwynn had 1,713). Currently Grace and Pete Rose are the only major league baseball players to lead a decade in hits and not be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Grace also had the most doubles in the 1990's, with 364; and sacrifice fly's with 73.
In 2000, Mark Grace and the Chicago Cubs management had a falling out and the Cubs decided not to renew his contract. While he was a fan favorite, he and star right fielder Sosa feuded, and some in the front office resented Grace's pack-a-day smoking habit and his hijinks while enjoying Chicago's nightlife. Young pubcrawlers in Chicago still reference the phrase 'slumpbuster' which was coined by Grace. Grace befriended young pitchers Kyle Farnsworth and Kerry Wood in the late 1990s, and some observers believe Grace's tutelage helped feed Farnsworth's affinity for the nightlife.
Career with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Upon leaving Chicago, the Diamondbacks proceeded to sign him, where he played for three more seasons, including helping the Diamondbacks to a World Series victory in 2001. Grace was responsible for leading off the bottom of the 9th inning with a single off Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera which rallied the Arizona Diamondbacks to an improbable come-from-behind victory in Game 7.
Broadcasting career
On September 26, 2003, Mark Grace announced his retirement from baseball. He continues his involvement in the game as a television color commentator for the Diamondbacks. Grace's trademark unusual style and off-the-wall terms (such as "slumpbuster" and "never-say-die-mondbacks") bring a unique quality to the Diamondbacks' broadcast team. Mark has stated a desire to coach a major league team in the future. He was considered for the Diamondbacks' managerial position following the 2004 season, but the Diamondbacks hired Bob Melvin instead.
On August 3, 2006, Mark returned to Wrigley Field and sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th-inning stretch for the first time.
He was paired with Thom Brennaman on television from 2004 to 2006 and will be paired with Daron Sutton beginning in 2007. His current contract with the Diamondbacks goes through the 2010 season.
Grace also agreed to a deal with Fox Sports in 2007. He will work on regional telecasts of Fox Saturday Baseball beginning in the 2007 season.
Personal
His ex-wife, Michelle, was also married to Ray Liotta, who played baseball player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams.
He currently resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona with wife Tanya and sons Jackson Gene and Preston Torre.
External links
- Mark Grace at Wikipedia
- Mark Grace at Baseball-Reference
- http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=4194
- The Mark Grace Website at MarkGrace.com
- The Ultimate Mark Grace Collection at gracecollector.com
| Preceded by Howard Johnson |
National League Player of the Month July, 1989 |
Succeeded by Pedro Guerrero |
| 1989 National League East Champion Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Jerome Walton CF | 2. Ryne Sandberg 2B | 3. Andre Dawson RF | 4. Mark Grace 1B | 5. Dwight Smith/Lloyd McClendon LF | 6. Luis Salazar/Vance Law 3B | 7. Shawon Dunston SS | 8. Joe Girardi/Damon Berryhill/Rick Wrona C Starting Pitchers: Greg Maddux | Mike Bielecki | Rick Sutcliffe | Scott Sanderson | Paul Kilgus |
| 1998 National League Wild Card Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Lance Johnson CF | 2. Mickey Morandini 2B | 3. Sammy Sosa RF | 4. Mark Grace 1B | 5. Henry Rodriguez LF | 6. Gary Gaetti 3B | 7. Jose Hernandez SS | 8. Scott Servais/Tyler Houston C Starting Pitchers: Kevin Tapani | Kerry Wood | Steve Trachsel | Mark Clark | Jeremi Gonzalez/Mike Morgan |
Categories: San Diego State Aztecs baseball players | National League All-Stars | Arizona Diamondbacks players | Chicago Cubs players | Major league first basemen | Gold Glove Award winners | 1964 births | Living people | Major League Baseball announcers | Major league players from North Carolina | Baseball players who have hit for the cycle | People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina | People from Chicago | People from Arizona | People from Phoenix, Arizona
