Mike Grace
Michael James Grace (born June 20, 1970 in Joliet, IL) is a former starting pitcher who played 11 professional seasons, 4 of which were at the Major League level for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Grace was a 10th round draft pick for the Phillies in 1991 and began his career in Class A Batavia (NY/Penn), where he went 4-3, 1.67 ERA. An elbow injury in early 1992 almost ended his career, as he missed 2 full seasons after undergoing 4 surgical procedures.
Grace recovered and regained his earlier promising form in the 1995 season, going 15-6, 3.54 ERA for the class AA Reading Phillies. He won the Reading pitcher of the year award while helping his team win the Eastern League Championship. He made his Major League Debut that September, earning his first Major League win with a 1-0 victory over the LA Dodgers.
The 1996 season was bittersweet, as he started the year 6-0, only to have his All-Star bid fall short due to a sudden season ending shoulder injury on June 2nd. He was 7-2, 3.45 ERA at the time of the injury, including a complete game shutout vs. defending World Champion Atlanta Braves (6-0) on May 12th.
Although he managed to rehabilitate from his shoulder set back to return to action ‘97, injuries finally took their toll on the right handed pitcher and ended his Major League career after the ‘99 season. He went 16-16 with a 4.96 ERA over 4 seasons with the Phillies; a record that included 2 complete game shutouts.