Johnny Grabowski

Johnny Grabowski
Catcher
Born: January 7, 1900(1900-01-07) Ware, Massachusetts
Died: May 23, 1946(1946-05-23) (aged 46) Albany, New York
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 11, 1924 for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
September 21, 1931 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
Batting average	.252
Home Runs	3
RBIs	86
Teams
Chicago White Sox (1924 - 1926) New York Yankees (1927 - 1929) Detroit Tigers (1931)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion: 1927, 1928

John Patrick Grabowski (January 7, 1900 in Ware, Massachusetts - May 23, 1946 in Albany, New York), nicknamed "Nig", was a Major League Baseball catcher who played 7 seasons for the Chicago White Sox (1924-26), New York Yankees (1927-29) and Detroit Tigers (1931).

Born in Ware, Massachusetts to a family of Polish descent, Grabowski played 296 major league games—282 of them as a catcher. He broke into organized baseball in 1920 with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association and joined the Chicago White Sox in 1923. He had his best season for the 1927 "Murderer's Row" New York Yankees, considered by many to be the best baseball team in history. Grabowski shared the catching duty with Pat Collins and Benny Bengough in 1927. Grabowski played in 70 games for the 1927 Yankees, scoring 28 runs and 25 RBIs. Grabowski had a .350 on base percentage for the 1927 Yankees. Grabowski won two World Series rings with the Yankees in 1927 and 1928. In 1930, Grabowski was released by the Yankees and played briefly for the Detroit Tigers in 1931.

He also played with the Montreal Royals of the International League from 1932-1934 and later became an umpire in the Canadian-American League (1937), Eastern League (1938-39), and International League (1940-41). Grabowski died in Albany, New York at age 46 from burns suffered when fire destroyed his home in the nearby town of Guilderland, New York.

In the first half of the 20th Century, before the game was integrated, ball players with a dark complexion were sometimes nicknamed "Nig." [1] [2] [3] In addition to Johnny Grabowski, the following other major league players bore the nickname: Johnny Beazley (1941-49), Joe Berry (1921-22), Bobby Bragan (1940-48), Nig Clarke (1905-20), Nig Cuppy (1892-1901), Nig Fuller (1902), Nig Lipscomb (1937), Charlie Niebergall (1921-24), Nig Perrine (1907), and Frank Smith (1904-15).

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Baseball Almanac
• Find A Grave Biography and Photographs of Grabowski
• The Deadball Era Photographs of Grabowski
• NY Times Obituary

v · d · eNew York Yankees 1927 World Series Champions Benny Bengough | Pat Collins | Earle Combs | Joe Dugan | Cedric Durst | Mike Gazella | Lou Gehrig | Joe Giard | Johnny Grabowski | Waite Hoyt | Mark Koenig | Tony Lazzeri | Bob Meusel | Wilcy Moore | Ray Morehart | Ben Paschal | Herb Pennock | George Pipgras | Dutch Ruether | Babe Ruth | Bob Shawkey | Urban Shocker | Myles Thomas | Julie Wera Manager Miller Huggins Coaches: Art Fletcher | Charley O'Leary Regular season | Murderer's Row

v · d · eNew York Yankees 1928 World Series Champions Benny Bengough | George Burns | Archie Campbell | Pat Collins | Earle Combs | Bill Dickey | Joe Dugan | Leo Durocher | Cedric Durst | Mike Gazella | Lou Gehrig | Johnny Grabowski | Fred Heimach | Waite Hoyt | Hank Johnson | Mark Koenig | Tony Lazzeri | Wilcy Moore | Bob Meusel | Ben Paschal | Herb Pennock | George Pipgras | Gene Robertson | Babe Ruth | Al Shealy | Myles Thomas | Tom Zachary Manager Miller Huggins Coaches: Art Fletcher | Charley O'Leary Regular season

Persondata
Name	Grabowski, Johnny
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 7, 1900
Place of birth	Ware, Massachusetts
Date of death	May 23, 1946
Place of death	Albany, New York