Mark Grace

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Grace was drafted by the Cubs in the 1985 draft. After spending three years in the minor leagues, he became the starting first baseman of the team in the 1988 season, and he batted .296 in 134 games of his first season to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting. He had his first of nine seasons hitting .300 the following year and soon became a reliable hitting presence for the Cubs. He won four Gold Glove awards (1992, 1993, 1995, 1996) and led the NL in doubles in 1995 with 51. In the decade of the 1990s, he collected 1,754 hits, more than any other player in that same time. He signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent prior to the 2001 season. In the 2001 postseason, only his third appearance as a player, Grace batted .286 and played an integral part of the run to the World Series, which saw him hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 7, where Arizona eventually rallied to win the championship. He played two further seasons with the team before retiring in 2003. The Cubs inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 2024.

In Their Own Story

The 2001 postseason marked only Grace's third appearance as a player in such high-stakes games. In Game 4 against the New York Yankees, having never even visited Yankee Stadium before, he belted a home run there. But it was Game 7 that cemented his legacy. With Arizona trailing, Grace led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a single—his third of the game—off legendary pitcher Mariano Rivera. This hit sparked a rally that saw the Diamondbacks win their first championship in franchise history. Earlier in his career, on May 9, 1993, he hit for the cycle at Wrigley Field; no other Cub would achieve this feat until Carson Kelly did so on March 31, 2025. Grace also displayed his versatility and humor during a 19–1 defeat by the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 2002, where he pitched one inning of relief, surrendering a run on David Ross's first career home run, while impersonating teammate Mike Fetters from the stretch.

Reader's Guide

Grace batted and threw left-handed; he wore jersey number 28 and 17 during his rookie season of 1988. He kept number 17 for the remainder of his career. After his playing career ended, he became a television commentator.

Did You Know?

• Grace finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1988.
• Grace led the National League in doubles in 1995, but Edgar Martinez had more doubles in the 1990s overall.
• Grace batted .647 (11-for-17) with one home run and two doubles in the 1989 NLCS.
• In Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Tony Womack led off the bottom of the 9th with a single; Grace singled later in the inning.
• Grace wore number 28 for the first 10 games of his rookie season, then switched to number 17 for the rest of his career.