Don Gross

Who is Don Gross?

Donald John Gross is a retired American baseball player whose 13-year professional career included all or parts of six seasons of Major League Baseball with the Cincinnati Redlegs and Pittsburgh Pirates. A left-handed pitcher, Gross stood 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 186 pounds. He attended Michigan State University.

Gross appeared in 145 games over his MLB career, including 37 games as a starting pitcher. Overall, he won 20 of 42 decisions, striking out 230 batters and giving up 400 hits in 398 innings of work. His career earned run average was 3.73. He had a stellar record in minor league baseball, compiling a won-lost record of 68–39.

After the 1957 season, Gross was traded to the Pirates for right-handed pitcher Bob Purkey. It proved to be an uneven swap. Gross went 6–8 in 66 games for the Pirates, while Purkey blossomed into a three-time National League All-Star, winning 103 games for Cincinnati over seven seasons, including a 23–5 campaign in 1962.