#8 Eli Grba

1961 Topps

Eli Grba
Pitcher
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" , Weight: 207 lb.
Born: August 9, 1934 in Chicago, IL

Drafted 1st overall by the Los Angeles Angels from the New York Yankees in the 1960 expansion draft.

ANGELS DEBUT:
Opening Day starting pitcher at Baltimore April 11, 1961. Went on to get a complete game victory 7-2.
Later played in the minors.

ANGELS RECORD:
1961-1963
20-24 with a 4.40 ERA. He threw 9 complete games and had 200K in 405.1 innings.
1st pitcher, 1st win in Angels history.

baseball-reference
After appearing in the 1960 World Series with the New York Yankees after going 6-4 in the regular season, Grba was the first pick by the Los Angeles Angels in the 1960 expansion draft and threw the first pitch in franchise history. He spent his last two seasons in the majors with the Angels.
He was a pretty good hitter for a pitcher, with a lifetime batting average of .219. In 160 career at-bats in the majors, he had 5 doubles and 4 home runs.
On Opening Day, 1961, the bespectacled Grba defeated Baltimore in the first game ever played by the expansion Angels.