Biography.guide
Home › People › Baseball player › Steve Grilli
Portrait of Steve Grilli

Steve Grilli

b. 1949

American baseball player

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Steve Grilli

Born 1949. Steve Grilli is an American baseball player.

Stephen Joseph Grilli (born May 2, 1949) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. Grilli played for six seasons in baseball, but only played in the major league for parts of four seasons. After graduating from Gannon University, Grilli was signed as an undrafted amateur free agent by the Tigers in the middle of the season, although he didn't make his major league debut until five years later at the age of twenty-six on September 19, 1975 as a reliever in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Tiger Stadium in which he pitched three innings and allowed one hit without surrendering a run. Plagued by control problems with his pitches and walking more batters than he struck out, he worked out of the bullpen for the next two years until being purchased by the Blue Jays before the season.

Wearing uniform number 45, a change from the number 49 he wore in Detroit, Grilli made his final major league appearance on September 17, 1979 in a loss against the Boston Red Sox at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.

He was traded to the Orioles organization during the 1981 season, and played for their AAA affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. There, on June 23, 1981, he pitched the 33rd inning of the longest professional baseball game, a game whose first 32 innings were played in April, before he'd even joined the team. He faced three batters and gave up one run without recording an out against the Pawtucket Red Sox, recording the loss.

Grilli retired after the 1981 season at the age of thirty-two, with a 4–3 win–loss record in seventy appearances over four seasons in the majors. Grilli also is the owner of a bar in the city of Syracuse, New York, called "Change of Pace”.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Sanford H. Calhoun High School, Gannon University
Also known as
Stephen Joseph Grilli

People in Steve Grilli's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Steve Grilli's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Steve Grilli?

American baseball player

When was Steve Grilli born?

Steve Grilli was born on 3 May 1949 in Brooklyn.

What is Steve Grilli's occupation?

Steve Grilli is a baseball player.

What nationality is Steve Grilli?

Steve Grilli is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Steve Grilli

· Wikidata: Q7612718

· DBpedia: Steve Grilli

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Steve Grilli. https://biography.guide/steve-grilli/

MLA: "Steve Grilli." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/steve-grilli/.

Chicago: "Steve Grilli." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/steve-grilli/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:26 UTC