Harry Grundy (2008)

Harry Grundy (Class of 1942) made his mark in Ridgewood High School athletics in baseball, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner and a co-captain his senior year. A pitcher, Grundy won 28 of 31 varsity games pitched, the most wins by any RHS baseball player in school history. He hurled four shutouts his senior year versusLyndhurst, St. Cecelia of Englewood, Hackensack and Bogota, tossing 34 straight scoreless innings. Against Lyndhurst, he pitched a perfect game, striking out 12 batters. Grundy averaged giving up only four hits a game (seven innings) and walked just four of 107 batters faced in the first half of the 1942 season. In both the 1941 and 1942 seasons, he was named first team All-League and first team All-County. His 1941 team won the Group 3 state championship. After high school, Grundy had tryouts with the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. He signed a professional baseball contract with the Dodgers in 1942 and was assigned to play Double A ball in Mobile, Alabama, where he pitched for two seasons. In 1942, Grundy was drafted into the U.S. Army and served four years. He fought in the European Theatre in 1944 and 1945 and received the Bronze Star for distinguished served. Honorably discharged in 1946, he resumed his professional baseball career for the Dodgers. He retired from playing professional baseball in 1948. Grundy played with Gil Hodges, Chuck Connors (the actor) and Clem Labine. The Dodgers held on to his baseball contract for a number of years after he retired in case he ever changed his mind.