On This Day In Alabama History: Major Leaguer Alex Grammas Was Born

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

April 3, 1926

Alexander Grammas was the second son born to a Greek-immigrant father and an American-born daughter of Greek immigrants. (Most accounts put his birth year as 1926, although some say 1927.) His father, Peter Grammatikakis, arrived in the Magic City early in the 20th century, trimming his name to Grammas. Brothers Alex and Cameron loved baseball; they both served in World War II before playing ball at Mississippi State University. Alex entered pro ball through the Chicago White Sox organization, playing in the minors before making his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954. He also played for Cincinnati and in Chicago for the Cubs, where he ended his pro career in 1963. After managing in the minors for a year, Grammas began a 25-year career as a major league third-base coach. He also had brief stints as manager in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. His last stop as a coach was in 1991 in Detroit. He retired after 37 years as a player, manager or coach, returning home to Birmingham. In 1993, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Read more at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Society for American Baseball Research. For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.

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