One-of-a-kind film negative picturing Lefty Grove’s pitching grip produced by renowned Chicago baseball photographer George Burke. The photo made from this negative is featured on page 36 of The Game That Was by Richard Cahan and Mark Jacob (Contemporary Books, Illinois, 1996), which is a compilation of Burke’s finest baseball photos. In their commentary for this image, the authors explain its rarity by referencing a statement made by Charles Conlon in The Sporting News in 1937:

In photographing ball players, you run into a lot of difficulties, mainly because they are so superstitious. Lefty Grove still is one of the most persistent believers in that sort of thing. If you don't believe me, try to get him to pose his pitching hand holding the ball. Nobody has ever got that picture, and I guess nobody ever will. Lefty thinks this picture would reveal the secret of his skill.

Conlon was known for his relationships with McGraw, Mathewson, and Wagner, but, as this negative shows, George Burke had some strong relationships as well. Burke and Grove were close hunting buddies, and it was that friendship that allowed Burke to take the only known image of Grove’s pitching grip. The negative, which was most likely taken between the years 1937 and 1939, measures 4x5” and is in Excellent to Mint condition.