Henry Gruber

Henry John Gruber (December 14, 1863 – September 26, 1932) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played from 1885 through 1895. A right-hander, he played five years in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Wolverines (1887–88) and Spiders (1889, 1891) of the National League and the Cleveland Infants of the Players' League. He won 61 games and lost 78 in his career, and had a 3.67 earned run average (ERA). He was also the first professional coach hired by the Yale University baseball team, holding that position in 1892.

Hartford Gruber was born in Hamden, Connecticut, in December 1863. He began his professional baseball career at age 21, playing for the Hartford Babies of the Southern New England League. He compiled a 16-11 record and a remarkable 1.27 ERA in 241 innings pitched for the Babies. No records exist indicating where or whether Gruber pitched during the 1886 season. His 2.74 ERA was the lowest on a team that won the National League pennant and went on to defeat the St. Louis Browns in the 1887 World Series. Gruber did not appear in any World Series games.

In 1888, Gruber remained with the Wolverines. The team had finished in first place with a 79-45 record in 1887, Gruber improved his ERA from 2.74 in 1887 to 2.29 in 1888, ranking as the ninth lowest ERA in the National League during the 1888 season. However, as the team's fortunes declined, Gruber compiled a losing record of 11-14 in 1888.

Gruber appeared in a career high 48 games and pitched a career high 383 innings for the Infants in 1890. However, Gruber's control of the strike zone declined markedly in 1890. After walking only 94 batters in 1889, Gruber walked 204 batters in 1890—the third highest total in the Players' League. He also led the league with 36 wild pitches. Gruber finished the 1890 season as a 20-game winner, but had even more losses with a 22-23 record. Shortly after he was hired, in late March 1892, Gruber was hit in the ankle by a batted ball while training the players in Yale's gymnasium. He reportedly limped to the street and took a horse car home. Though no bones were broken, the foot became swollen, and he was unable to pitch for some time.

Gruber did not return to the major leagues after the ankle injury, his last major league game having been pitched on October 2, 1891. From 1897 to 1899, Gruber worked as an umpire in the Eastern League and the Connecticut League. In 1905, he became an umpire in the American League. Gruber died in 1932 at age 68 in New Haven, Connecticut.