Orval Grove - Later Career

Later Career

During the off-season, while preparations were underway for the 1947 season, Grove was the subject of trade discussions. Most notably, White Sox manager Ted Lyons and Cleveland Indians president Bill Veeck discussed trading him for Indians pitcher Steve Gromek, but the deal was nixed when they could not come to an agreement. As the season began, Grove remained part of the rotation, which was led by Lopat and included Joe Haynes and Frank Papish. While Grove started off the season well, he struggled through the middle of the year, going from May 18 to August 2 without winning a game. As a result, he was benched, and finished the season with 19 starts in 25 pitching appearances. For the first time, Grove finished a full season with an ERA above 4.00. He ended the season with six wins, eight losses, a 4.44 ERA, and six complete games. Grove spent the off-season working in the men's furnishings department of Henry C. Lytton's department store in Chicago.

In the 1948 season, the White Sox faced difficult decisions regarding their pitching staff and starting rotation. In the midst of Caldwell's departure and Papish's absence for most of the preseason, Grove remained a starter heading into the season, having pitched decently during spring training. In his final exhibition matchup of the season against Johnny Schmitz, Grove pitched the full nine innings and the White Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs 1–0, making Grove the only White Sox pitcher to throw a complete game during the preseason. By the end of May, Grove was the lone White Sox pitcher with a complete game through the first several weeks of the season. However, Grove eventually lost his starting job, and by the end of the season, he had two wins, 10 losses, a 6.16 ERA, and had started 11 games out of 32 total pitching appearances.

As the 1949 season began, Grove was again the subject of trade rumors. The Detroit Tigers agreed to trade an outfielder, presumably Don Lund or Jimmy Outlaw, in exchange for Grove, although the Tigers denied the existence of such a deal, stating "We need pitching, but I don't think Grove would help us." Grove pitched one game during the season on April 27, 1949, allowing four runs in two-thirds of an inning. In his one appearance against the Indians, he hit Lou Boudreau with a pitch, which prompted concern until X-rays revealed Boudreau's left elbow was only bruised.

Shortly afterward, Grove was demoted to the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League, having pitched his final major league game. During his inaugural season at Sacramento, he was part of a pitching quartet that included Ken Holcombe, Bob Gillespie, and Frank Dasso, and was declared by Sporting News sportswriter John B. Old as "the best any Coast League club ever had." Over the course of the next three seasons, Grove continued to pitch for the Solons. He was one of the workhorses of the 1950 squad, finishing the season with 17 victories.

His contract with the Solons promised him part of the purchase price if he was sold to the majors. When this did not occur, he considered quitting baseball and devoting himself full-time to his uncle's trucking business. However, Grove continued to play, and pitched 159 innings in 1951, compiling an 8–9 record. There was talk of his retiring in the off-season; however, Grove ended up playing part of the 1952 season, making his season debut on June 10 and playing for the rest of the season. After the season ended, Grove was traded to the Portland Beavers, and refused to report, choosing instead to pitch at the semi-pro level. Grove stated, "I'm now pitching for Earl Smith Motors Pontiac sales service," signaling the end of his professional baseball career.