Terry Fox (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Terrence Edward Fox is a former right-handed Major League Baseball
relief pitcher
/closer who played seven seasons from to . He played for the Milwaukee Braves
, Detroit Tigers
and Philadelphia Phillies
.
Standing at 6'0" and weighing 175 pounds, Fox found his way into the Braves organization before the season. The New Iberia Pelicans
(or Indians) of the Evangeline League sent Fox to the Braves in an unknown transaction. He made his big league debut for the Braves on September 4, at the age of 25 and wearing the number 36, pitching two-thirds of an inning against the Cincinnati Reds
. He gave up one hit and walked a batter, but came away otherwise unscathed. He ended up pitching in a total of 5 games for the Braves in his rookie season, posting a 4.32 ERA.
He was traded along with Dick Brown
, Bill Bruton
and Chuck Cottier
from the Braves to the Tigers for Frank Bolling
and Neil Chrisley
. The Tigers would end up getting the better of the deal—although Cottier didn't amount to much with the Braves, Brown and Bruton both had the best seasons of their careers when it came to home run output, but the real gem of the trade was Fox himself.
In his first two seasons with the Tigers, he led all pitchers on the team with over 20 appearance in ERA each season with marks of 1.41 and 1.71. Also their main closer those two years, he posted marks of 12 and 16-which were a lot back in the day. His 12 put him at fifth most in the league in , while his 16 put him at 3rd most in the league in . One interesting note about his 1961 season is that he surrendered Roger Maris
' 58th home run of that year. Here is the tale, according to BaseballLibrary.com:
" September 17, 1961: In Detroit, Roger Maris triples off Terry Fox in the 7th to put the Yanks ahead, Detroit ties it and, then in the 12th, Maris faces Fox again with Tony Kubek
on 2B. Maris steps out of the box to watch a long skein of Canadian geese fly over Tiger Stadium, then steps in a belts the first pitch for his 58th homer of the year." http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/F/Fox_Terry.stm
His season was not nearly as stellar, but still worth noting-he again led his team in saves with 11, and also posted a respectable 3.59 ERA. He was not the team's leading save-getter in . In fact, he was third on the team, with 5 saves. He trailed both Larry Sherry
(11) and Fred Gladding
(7). His ERA was 3.39.
He was again the team's leading closer in , collecting 10 saves. He also posted a nice 2.78 ERA, which tied him for second among all relievers who had over 20 appearances on the team.
His career took a total turn-for-the-worst in . He started the season off with the Tigers, but after posting a 6.30 ERA in the first four games of the season, he parted from the them after being signed by the Phillies. In his final 36 games with them that season, he posted a 4.47 ERA. He ended his big league career on September 25, . While with the Tigers he wore number 18. In his short time with the Phillies, he wore 34 and 19. While with the Phillies, he earned $19,000.
Overall, he went 29 and 19 in his career with 59 saves and a solid 2.99 ERA. He was a horrible batter, striking out in 40 of his 65 career at-bats (3 of his 8 career hits were for extra-bases, though). He committed 7 errors in his career for a .942 fielding percentage.
Baseball-Reference.com says his career statistics are most similar to those of Minnie Rojas
and Chuck Taylor
.
Fox has lived in New Iberia, Louisiana
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
/closer who played seven seasons from to . He played for the Milwaukee Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Standing at 6'0" and weighing 175 pounds, Fox found his way into the Braves organization before the season. The New Iberia Pelicans
New Iberia Pelicans
The New Iberia Pelicans, located in New Iberia, Louisiana, were a minor league baseball team that played in the Evangeline League in 1948, from 1951 to 1952 and from 1954 to 1955. In 1948, they were affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates and from 1954 to 1955 they were affiliated with the Atlanta...
(or Indians) of the Evangeline League sent Fox to the Braves in an unknown transaction. He made his big league debut for the Braves on September 4, at the age of 25 and wearing the number 36, pitching two-thirds of an inning against the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. He gave up one hit and walked a batter, but came away otherwise unscathed. He ended up pitching in a total of 5 games for the Braves in his rookie season, posting a 4.32 ERA.
He was traded along with Dick Brown
Dick Brown (baseball)
Richard Ernest Brown was a catcher in American Major League Baseball during the 1950s and 1960s. The native of Shinnston, West Virginia, attended Florida State University and batted and threw right-handed...
, Bill Bruton
Bill Bruton
William Havon Bruton was a Major League Baseball center fielder who played for the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 through 1960, and for the Detroit Tigers in 1961 through 64. Bruton batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
and Chuck Cottier
Chuck Cottier
Charles Keith Cottier is a former second baseman, manager, coach and scout in American Major League Baseball. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager of the Washington Nationals....
from the Braves to the Tigers for Frank Bolling
Frank Bolling
Frank Elmore Bolling is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Detroit Tigers and with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves . Bolling batted and threw right-handed...
and Neil Chrisley
Neil Chrisley
Barbra O'Neil Chrisley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1957 to 1961 with the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Braves. He was 6'3" tall, weighed 187 pounds and he threw right and batted left-handed.He was originally signed by the Boston Red Sox as a...
. The Tigers would end up getting the better of the deal—although Cottier didn't amount to much with the Braves, Brown and Bruton both had the best seasons of their careers when it came to home run output, but the real gem of the trade was Fox himself.
In his first two seasons with the Tigers, he led all pitchers on the team with over 20 appearance in ERA each season with marks of 1.41 and 1.71. Also their main closer those two years, he posted marks of 12 and 16-which were a lot back in the day. His 12 put him at fifth most in the league in , while his 16 put him at 3rd most in the league in . One interesting note about his 1961 season is that he surrendered Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
' 58th home run of that year. Here is the tale, according to BaseballLibrary.com:
" September 17, 1961: In Detroit, Roger Maris triples off Terry Fox in the 7th to put the Yanks ahead, Detroit ties it and, then in the 12th, Maris faces Fox again with Tony Kubek
Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher "Tony" Kubek is a retired American professional baseball player and television broadcaster....
on 2B. Maris steps out of the box to watch a long skein of Canadian geese fly over Tiger Stadium, then steps in a belts the first pitch for his 58th homer of the year." http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/F/Fox_Terry.stm
His season was not nearly as stellar, but still worth noting-he again led his team in saves with 11, and also posted a respectable 3.59 ERA. He was not the team's leading save-getter in . In fact, he was third on the team, with 5 saves. He trailed both Larry Sherry
Larry Sherry
Lawrence Sherry was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers...
(11) and Fred Gladding
Fred Gladding
Fred Earl Gladding is a former professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of thirteen seasons with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. For his career, he compiled a 48-34 record and 109 saves in 450 appearances, all but one as a relief pitcher, with an 3.13 earned...
(7). His ERA was 3.39.
He was again the team's leading closer in , collecting 10 saves. He also posted a nice 2.78 ERA, which tied him for second among all relievers who had over 20 appearances on the team.
His career took a total turn-for-the-worst in . He started the season off with the Tigers, but after posting a 6.30 ERA in the first four games of the season, he parted from the them after being signed by the Phillies. In his final 36 games with them that season, he posted a 4.47 ERA. He ended his big league career on September 25, . While with the Tigers he wore number 18. In his short time with the Phillies, he wore 34 and 19. While with the Phillies, he earned $19,000.
Overall, he went 29 and 19 in his career with 59 saves and a solid 2.99 ERA. He was a horrible batter, striking out in 40 of his 65 career at-bats (3 of his 8 career hits were for extra-bases, though). He committed 7 errors in his career for a .942 fielding percentage.
Baseball-Reference.com says his career statistics are most similar to those of Minnie Rojas
Minnie Rojas
Minervino Alejandro "Minnie" Rojas Landin was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels from through . Rojas batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Remedios, Villa Clara, Cuba....
and Chuck Taylor
Chuck Taylor (baseball)
Charles Gilbert "Chuck" Taylor is a former right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played from 1969 to 1976 for the St...
.
Fox has lived in New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
.
See also
- Best pitching seasons by a Detroit Tiger
- List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders