Shohei Ohtani Can Tie A 100-Year Old Mark With A Win Today

Wow. I never thought I’d live to see the day when someone would tie Jim “Grunting Jim” Shaw’s mark of 3 HRs and 2 Wins within a team’s first 10 games, but that’s exactly what could happen today. History potentially unfolding before our very eyes when Shohei Ohtani toes the rubber against Oakland this afternoon.

Jim “Grunting Jim” Shaw, as we all know, got his nickname because of the Serena Williams-esque grunt he would let out whenever he threw a pitch. But why was he grunting, hundreds of thousands of human beings have thrown a pitch sans-grunt before, was this dude throwing so much gas that he was physical unable to hold in grunts when he reached back? He sure wasn’t!

According to SABR: ol’ Gruntin’ Jim was out rabbit hunting during a crisp November’s eve. He walked over to a pile of rocks to sift through and see if there were any pesky rabbits in there, naturally using the handle of the shotgun for his prodding. Unbelievably, this early-1900s shotgun went off while being used for its non-intended purpose. And since the barrel of this shotgun was aimed DIRECTLY at Gruntin’ Jim’s face, guess where those shotgun pellets landed? Yep, you guessed it! Directly in his throat and jaw. This is less the story of an old timey baseball player, and more the source material for Elmer Fudd.

Grunting Jim’s legal middle name was Aloysius. He did legitimately work at a steel mill in the offseason. The largest deal he ever signed with the Washington Senators was $6,000 per season over two years. He had no clue how to handle a shotgun. Early-1900s baseball will never not be funny.