Jason Grimsley
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{{Infobox MLB retired|
name=Jason Grimsley|
position=[[Relief pitcher]]|
birthdate={{birth date and age|1967|8|7}}|
bats=Right|
throws=Right|
debutteam=[[Philadelphia Phillies]]|
debutdate=[[September 8]]|
debutyear={{by|1989}}|
finaldate=[[May 31]]|
finalyear={{by|2006}}|
finalteam=[[Arizona Diamondbacks]]|
stat1label=[[Win (baseball)|Win-Loss]]|
stat1value=42-58|
stat2label=[[Earned run average]]|
stat2value=4.77|
stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s|
stat3value=622|
highlights=|
teams=<nowiki></nowiki><!--This forces MediaWiki to recognize the first bullet. Kind of a workaround to a bug.-->
*[[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{by|1989}}-{{by|1991}})
*[[Cleveland Indians]] ({{by|1993}}-{{by|1995}})
*[[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|California Angels]] ({{by|1996}})
*[[New York Yankees]] ({{by|1999}}-{{by|2000}})
*[[Kansas City Royals]] ({{by|2001}}-{{by|2004}})
*[[Baltimore Orioles]] ({{by|2004}}-{{by|2005}})
*[[Arizona Diamondbacks]] ({{by|2006}})
}}
'''Jason Alan Grimsley''' (born [[August 7]], [[1967]] in [[Cleveland, Texas]]) was best known as a professional [[relief pitcher]]. He made his [[Major League Baseball]] debut on [[September 8]], {{by|1989}}, and pitched for the [[Philadelphia Phillies]], [[Cleveland Indians]], [[Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim|Anaheim Angels]], [[New York Yankees]], [[Kansas City Royals]], [[Baltimore Orioles]], and most recently, the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]]. The Diamondbacks released him at his request shortly after it became public in June {{by|2006}} that he had admitted using performance enhancing drugs.<ref name = "Smokinggun"> {{cite web
|title=Pitcher Spills Steroid, Speed Secrets
|work=[[The Smoking Gun]]
|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0607061grimsley1.html
|accessdate=2006-06-09
}}
</ref> On [[June 12]], 2006, Grimsley was suspended for 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. This penalty would take effect if Grimsley ever signs a contract with a major league team and is placed on a 40-man roster.<ref>
{{cite web
|title=Grimsley suspended 50 games for doping violation
|work=Reuters
|url=http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyID=2006-06-12T225154Z_01_N12347264_RTRUKOC_0_US-BASEBALL-GRIMSLEY.xml
|accessdate=2006-06-12
}}
</ref> He is the fourteenth [[List of Major League Baseball players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs|Major League Baseball player to be suspended for use of performance-enhancing drugs]].
Like many relief pitchers, Grimsley began his career as a [[starting pitcher]], but he became a full-time reliever while a member of the Yankees. As a Yankee he was a member of the team that won the [[1999 World Series|1999]] and [[2000 World Series]].
Grimsley is also infamous for his leading role in the [[1994 Bat Burglary]] involving [[Albert Belle]] and an allegedly [[corked bat]] that was taken away by umpires for examination by the league. Grimsley was the player who crawled through a [[Comiskey Park]] [[air conditioning]] duct to reach the room where the confiscated bat had been secured. He took the corked bat and replaced it with a clean bat. The incident made ESPN.com's "Biggest Cheaters in Baseball" list at number 4<ref name = "ESPNcheaters">
{{cite web
|title="Biggest Cheaters in Baseball" list
|work=ESPN.com
|url=http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/cheaters/ballplayers.html
|accessdate=2006-06-09
}}
</ref> and Foxsports.com list of [http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6091988?FSO1&ATT=HCP>1=8705 the biggest cheaters in baseball history] at # 5.
The [[Tarkington Independent School District]] named the high school baseball field in his honor, being the school he graduated from.
On [[January 21]], [[2005]], a small plane crashed into the back of Grimsley's house in [[Overland Park, Kansas]]. Grimsley was not home at the time, but his wife, daughter, and nanny were; they escaped unharmed. The pilot and four passengers were killed.<br>
==Illicit drug use==
On [[June 6]], 2006, it was reported that Federal officials had raided Grimsley's home looking for evidence that he was a distributor of [[human growth hormone]] and other performance-enhancing drugs.<ref name = "NYDaily">
{{cite news
| first=T.J.
| last=Quinn
| title=Feds raid D-Back hurler
| date=June 6, 2006
| publisher=New York Daily News
| url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/424308p-358021c.html }}
</ref>
The day after the report surfaced, Grimsley asked the Diamondbacks for his unconditional release from his contract, and the ball club granted his request.<ref name = "ESPNcontract">
{{cite web
|title=Arizona reliever's home searched in steroids probe
|work=ESPN.com
|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2473485
|accessdate=2006-06-09
}}
</ref> On [[June 10]], 2006, the Diamondbacks announced they would not pay the rest of the 2006 $875,000 salary, Grimsley's agent Joe Bick stated that Grimsley would contest the decision. Michael Weiner, general counsel to the [[MLBPA|players union]] stated that the union would file a grievance on his behalf.<ref name = "ESPNsuspension">
{{cite web
|title=MLB slaps Grimsley with 50-game suspension
|work=ESPN.com
|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2481144
|accessdate=2006-06-13
}}
</ref>
ESPN reported that court documents showed that Grimsely had failed an MLB-administered drug test in {{by|2003}}; he subsequently confessed to the use of human growth hormones, amphetamines and steroids.<ref name = "ESPNprobe">
{{cite web
|title=Report: Feds wanted Grimsley to help implicate Bonds
|work=ESPN.com
|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2474291
|accessdate=2006-06-09
}}
</ref>
His drug use began in {{by|1998}} while in [[Buffalo, New York]]. After a nine year MLB career, he was in the minors trying to get back to the majors after a shoulder injury. Among the drugs he has used are [[nandrolone|Deca-Durabolin]], [[amphetamines]], [[human growth hormone]] and [[Clenbuterol]]. Prior to the use of performance enhancing drugs he had earned a total of [[United States dollar|$]]1 million; subsequently he earned $9 million. His [[Earned run average|ERA]] dropped by a run.<ref name = "Verducciarticle">
{{cite web
|title=Tom Verducci: Grimsley scandal to have major ramifications
|work=Sports Illustrated
|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/tom_verducci/06/07/grimsley.steroids/index.html
|accessdate=2006-06-09
}}
</ref>
On [[September 30]], 2006, without any substantiation, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that Grimsley told federal agents investigating steroids in baseball that [[Houston Astros]] pitchers [[Roger Clemens]] and [[Andy Pettitte]] were users of [[performance enhancing drugs]] and that [[Baltimore Orioles]] [[Miguel Tejada]], [[Jay Gibbons]], and [[Brian Roberts]] were users of quote '[[anabolic steroids]]'. The ''Times'' wrongly reported that they were the names that were blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court. Clemens and Pettite both denied the statement.
On [[October 3]], 2006, the ''[[Washington Post]]'' reported that [[San Francisco]] United States attorney Kevin Ryan said that the ''Los Angeles Times'' report contained "significant inaccuracies."<ref name = WashingtonPost>
{{cite news
| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/02/AR2006100201054.html
| title = U.S. Attorney Says Report Alleging Drug Use Contains 'Inaccuracies'
| publisher = [[Washington Post]]
| page = E02
| date = [[2006-10-03]]
| accessdate = 2006-10-04
}}</ref> All five players named (Clemens, Pettitte, Tejada, Gibbons, and Roberts) denounced the story, with Clemens calling it "dangerous and malicious and reckless." Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons was later implicated in the steroid scandal by Sport Illustrated, who uncovered receipts issued by a Florida steroid mail order company in his name.<ref name = WashingtonPost/>
On [[December 13]], {{by|2007}}, he was cited in the [[Mitchell Report (baseball)|George Mitchell's report]] to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation Into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball.<ref>{{cite news | last = Mitchell | first = George | url = http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf | title = Mitchell Report on Steroid Use in Baseball | date = [[2007-12-13]] | accessdate = 2007-12-13}}</ref>
On [[December 20]], 2007, the report was unsealed by a US magistrate, who harshly criticized the LA Times for what he called "irresponsible reporting"...or "manufacturing of facts." Neither Clemens nor Pettitte's names were mentioned by Grimsley in any context whatsoever. The LA Times announced that it would publish a correction and apology for their misrepresentation of the facts.<ref name = LATimes> {{cite news
|url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003687948
|title='L.A. Times' Will Run Correction on Roger Clemens Drug Report on Friday
|last=E&P Staff and The Associated Press
|accessdate=2007-12-21
|date=[[2007-12-21]]
|publisher=[[Editor & Publisher]]
}}</ref> Grimsley had told investigators that he got amphetamines, anabolic steroids and human growth hormone from someone recommended to him by former Yankees trainer [[Brian McNamee]]. The fact that McNamee was a personal strength coach for Clemens and Pettitte apparently prompted the Times to leap to the erroneous conclusion that Grimsley had implicated them in his statement.<ref name = LATimes/>
==See also==
*[[List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{baseball-reference|id=g/grimsja01}}
*[http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/G/Jason-Grimsley.shtml Career Statistics] at The Baseball Cube
*[http://www.azcentral.com/pdfs/060706grimsley.pdf Grimsley affidavit]
{{1999 New York Yankees}}
{{2000 New York Yankees}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimsley, Jason}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Major league pitchers]]
[[Category:Arizona Diamondbacks players]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Royals players]]
[[Category:California Angels players]]
[[Category:Major league players from Texas]]
[[Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses]]
[[Category:People from Houston, Texas]]
[[Category:American sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:Utica Blue Sox players]]
[[Category:Charlotte Knights players]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players]]
[[Category:Omaha Royals players]]