Minor leagues In 1998, Grabow was hit on the ear by a
foul ball while sitting in the dugout and spent some time on the
disabled list. Grabow matched the
Altoona Curve record for career wins, with 24. Until 2003, he had pitched only 10 times in relief as a pro. That season Altoona manager
Dale Sveum and pitching coach
Jeff Andrews asked Grabow to make the switch, suggesting it might be a good career move.
Major leagues Pittsburgh Pirates Grabow was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2003, after having spent six years playing in the minor leagues. It was the most memorable moment of his life. Grabow appeared in 68 games in his first year with the Pirates, a team record for the number of appearances by a rookie left-hander. Used both in short stints and long ones, Grabow said: "That stuff where there are guys in certain roles, yeah, there are some guys who have roles set, but I don't think I'm one of them. I just pitch when they tell me to. Whether it's one or two innings, or to one batter, it doesn't matter to me." In February 2005 Grabow signed a contract pursuant to which he would make $327,000 in the majors, but $240,000 if he pitched at Class AAA Indianapolis. He was a workhorse in the Pittsburgh bullpen in 2005, appearing in 63 games in his second full major league season. He held opposing batters to a .186 batting average and a .186 slugging percentage when there were runners in scoring position. He stranded a major-league best 89.7% of his inherited runners, allowing just 4 of 39 inherited runners to score. In 2006, he appeared in 72 games. He held opposing batters to a .217 batting average when there were runners in scoring position. Grabow stranded 82.5% of the runners he inherited, the best in the National League. In February 2007, Grabow and the Pirates avoided
arbitration, and agreed to a 1-year contract for $832,500. Grabow was also in a position to make $10,000 to $70,000 in incentive bonuses if he finished 20–35 games, but was not able to cash in as he only finished 14 games. He was also in a position to make an additional $10,000 to $45,000 in incentive bonuses if he made 75–85 appearances, but again was not able to cash in as he made only 63 appearances. Grabow was 3–2 with the Pirates, with a 4.53 ERA. He had held batters to a .215 batting average and a .231 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position, while leading the team by only allowing 5.3% of batters he faced to get extra base hits. Grabow initially planned to have minor surgery after the 2007 season to remove
bone chips in his left elbow. But after receiving a
cortisone shot in August, he changed his mind. "I've been symptom-free for the past few weeks", Grabow said. "I want to see what my options are. I don't think I'll really need to have surgery. Maybe I can manage it, and pitch through it." He had his left elbow examined by
Los Angeles Angels orthopedist Lewis Yocum, who suggested that rest would be an effective alternative to
arthroscopic surgery. Grabow then decided against surgery, and instead followed a program of rest and rehabilitation, extending his period of rest from three to eight weeks, and concentrating his workouts more on strengthening his legs and shoulders. Grabow earned $1.135 million in 2008. He also had the potential to earn an additional $75,000 based on appearances. In 2008, he had the third-lowest ERA of all NL left-handed relievers (2.84), and stranded all but 8 of his 33 inherited runners (76%). Batters hit only .215 against him (and only .146 with runners in scoring position), and he struck out a team-best 19.3% of all batters he faced, while leading the team by only allowing 5.6% of batters he faced to get extra base hits. He also pitched in 74 games, four short of the record for left-handed pitchers, set by
Scott Sauerbeck in 2002. Grabow agreed to a one-year deal for $2.3 million, with an additional $75,000 possible in incentives, in early January. Despite Grabow being eligible to become a
free agent at the end of the season, the Pirates did not engage in contract talks beyond 2008. Grabow accepted an invitation to play for Team USA in 2009 in the second
World Baseball Classic. He was the first member of the Pirates to represent the US in the WBC. "It's just a thrill, a real honor", he said. "When I got the call, I couldn't believe it. Hopefully, I can help them win some games." On July 20 Grabow became the all-time appearances leader at
PNC Park with his 189th, and was tied for ninth all-time on the Pirates' appearance list (385) with
Rip Sewell. In July 2009 the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers had all expressed interest in trading for Grabow. Asked about the possibility of the Pirates trading him, Grabow, failing to stifle a grin, responded "I'm untouchable, dude. No way they're trading me." On July 30, Grabow was traded to the Chicago Cubs along with fellow left-handed pitcher
Tom Gorzelanny for right-handed pitchers
Kevin Hart and
José Ascanio and minor league third baseman
Josh Harrison.
Chicago Cubs Grabow began his Cubs career with 16 consecutive scoreless appearances (over 13.0 innings), and stranded his first 11 inherited runners. He pitched 30 games for the Cubs, ending the season with a career-high 75 games pitched. On November 20, 2009, he signed a two-year extension with the Cubs worth $7.5 million. General Manager
Jim Hendry said: "It was really imperative we re-sign Grabow, because he's not only our kind of guy and very successful, but has some experience and some savvy to him and can pitch seventh, eighth, ninth, matchups, righties, lefties. It doesn't matter." Grabow said he had no preference as to how he was used: "If it's the sixth inning or if it's the ninth inning, it doesn't matter. Your job is to go in there and get guys out." He became a free agent following the 2011 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers On December 19, 2011, Grabow signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers. He opted out of his contract on March 26, 2012 and became a free agent. ==Pitching style==