Johnny Grabowski

John Patrick Grabowski (January 7, 1900 – May 23, 1946) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball for 12 years from 1922 to 1933, including seven years as a catcher in Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox (1924–1926), New York Yankees (1927–1929), and Detroit Tigers (1931). He was a member of the 1927 and 1928 New York Yankees teams that won consecutive World Series championships. Grabowski was one of a number of American athletes in the first half of the 20th century to be nicknamed "Nig", being referred to as such in newspaper reports as early as October 1924.^[1]

Early years

Grabowski was born in Ware, Massachusetts, in 1900 to a family of Polish descent.^[2]

Professional baseball

Grabowski began his professional baseball career in 1922 with the St. Joseph Saints, then spent 1923 and 1924 with the

After spending 1930 with the St. Paul Saints, Grabowski returned to the major leagues in 1931 with the Detroit Tigers.^[7] He appeared in 40 games with the Tigers, 39 as a catcher. He appeared in his last major league game in September 1931. In seven major league seasons, Grabowski appeared in 296 games, 282 as a catcher, and compiled a career .252 batting average and .295 on-base percentage.^[2]

Grabowski concluded his playing career playing for the Montreal Royals of the International League in 1932 and 1933.^[3]

Later years

After retiring as a player, Grabowski became an umpire in the