Nellie Fox

Quotes About Fox
"Of all the players of my time, only Jackie Robinson could beat you in more ways than Nellie Fox could." — sportswriter Joe Falls

Played For
Philadelphia Athletics (1947-1949)
Chicago White Sox (1950-1963)
Houston Astros (1964-1965)

All-Time Rankings
Nellie Fox ranks #22 among the Top 50 all-time at 2B. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1959
Batted .306 with a .380 OBP and played every game for the pennant-winning Sox. He was named MVP largely based on his defense. Fox had better or equal offensive years, but '59 was his magical season.

Earthling Make Me Sooo Angry!
Few owners in baseball history have been as clever or PR-conscious as Bill Veeck. The man who once sent a midget to the plate, involved his star double play combo in a stunt in 1959. On May 26, Veeck enlisted Eddie Gaedel (the midget who had batted for him earlier) and two other "little people" to emerge from a hovering helicopter in short center field at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The midgets were dressed in silver "Martian" uniforms and carried toy "ray-guns." They quickly apprehended White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio (height 5'7") and second baseman Nellie Fox (5'7"), offering to "save them from the giants of the earth."

Game-Winner Under the Dome
The first game ever played in the Astrodome (officially known at the time as Harris County Domed Stadium), was an exhibition game between the Astros and the New York Yankees. Mickey Mantle blasted the first home run in the stadium, which was the first indoor venue in baseball history and first to use Astroturf. The Astros won the game in 12 innings when Nellie Fox stroked a single to score the winning run. The final score was 2-1

Near-Miss for Cooperstown
In January 1985, Fox was named on 295 of the 395 Hall of Fame ballots (74.7%), but the BBWAA and the Hall of Fame committee refused to round the number up to the required 75%. It would be 12 years before the veterans committee would elect Fox.

One Run, No Hits, One Error
On April 23, 1964, Houston starter Ken Johnson did something no other pitcher had ever done. He lost a nine-inning no-hit game, partly because of a Nellie Fox fielding error. In the ninth, with Pete Rose on second, Fox threw wildly, allowing Rose to score the lone run in a 1-0 Cincinnati victory. Joe Nuxhall pitched a four-hitter for the win.

Born
Jacob Nelson Fox was born on December 25, 1927, in St. Thomas, PA.

Died
December 1, 1975, Baltimore, MD

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  2B

Primary Team:  CHA

Major League Debut
June 8, 1947

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1947
Nellie Fox
Duke Snider
Larry Doby
Jackie Robinson
Curt Simmons
Mel Parnell
Vic Wertz
Ted Kluszewski
Ferris Fain

Similar Players
Buddy Myer was similar, but a better hitter than Fox. Steve Sax was a decent match offensively, but Nellie was far better with the glove.

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1971 BBWAA 39 10.8% 1972 BBWAA 64 16.2% 1973 BBWAA 73 19.2% 1974 BBWAA 79 21.6% 1975 BBWAA 76 21.0% 1976 BBWAA 174 44.8% 1977 BBWAA 152 39.7% 1978 BBWAA 149 39.3% 1979 BBWAA 174 40.3% 1980 BBWAA 161 41.8% 1981 BBWAA 168 41.9% 1982 BBWAA 127 30.6% 1983 BBWAA 173 46.3% 1984 BBWAA 246 61.0% 1985 BBWAA 295 74.7% 1997 Veterans %

Post-Season Appearances
1959 World Series

Awards and Honors
1957 ML Gold Glove
1959 AL Gold Glove
1959 AL MVP
1960 AL Gold Glove

Feats
From May 19 through August 28, 1958, Fox went 98 games without striking out, an American League record.

Notes
At one time, Fox owned the bowling establishment "The Nellie Fox Bowl" in Chambersburg, PA.

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Fox set a record for consecutive games at second base, playing 798 straight from August 7, 1956, through September 3, 1960. The record still stands. Fox had played 274 straight games prior to resting on August 5, 1956. Thus, he played in 1,072 of a possible 1,073 games from late 1952 through September, 1960. His 798-game streak stopped in 1960 when he was hospitalized with a stomach virus. Over the next two seasons (1961-1962), he sat out seven games.

Hitting Streaks
19 games (1962)

Transactions
On October 29, 1949, the White Sox sent catcher Joe Tipton to the A's for young Jacob Nelson Fox. A's owner/GM/manager Connie Mack signed off on the deal, sending the future Hall of Fame second baseman to Chicago. Tipton was a 27-year old catcher with very little up-side. It's hard to look back on the trade many years later and see why the A's would want Tipton. Even if you concede that Fox hadn't shown any signs of being the player he eventually became, why would anyone take Tipton in a straight trade for a 21-year old second baseman who had just fielded a nifty .982 in 77 games? The A's were left to watch Fox for the next decade-and-a-half as he manned the keystone bag. He was a 12-time All-Star, and won the MVP Award in 1959.

All-Star Selections
1951 AL
1952 AL
1953 AL
1954 AL
1955 AL
1956 AL
1957 AL
1958 AL
1959 AL
1960 AL
1961 AL
1963 AL

Learn More about Nellie Fox
Search Amazon.com for Books about Nellie Fox ⇒
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View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒