Johnny Grodzicki

A top pitching prospect before the outbreak of World War II, he would pitch in 24 games (23 in a relief role) for the Cardinals, winning 2 and losing 2, with an earned run average of 4.43. He allowed 31 hits and 34 bases on balls in 40​2⁄3 MLB innings pitched, with 20 strikeouts.\n', '

Grodzicki\'s baseball career was interrupted by four years of military service. He served in the United States Army\'s 17th Airborne Division and became a paratrooper. In combat in Germany on March 29, 1945, Grodzicki sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs. He was awarded a Purple Heart, and required surgery and extensive rehabilitation to resume his baseball career after the war\'s end.\n', '

Grodzicki\'s professional playing career — spent entirely in the Cardinal organization — stretched from 1936 through 1952, including 11 years in minor league baseball. He later managed in the Redbird farm system,…