Pete Fox
A spark plug at the top of the Tiger lineup in the mid-1930s, Ervin "Pete" Fox was a daring baserunner and a career .298 hitter in 13 seasons. He had 10 hits and batted .385 in the 1935 World Series as Detroit won their first championship. Shuttled in and out of a four or five man outfield rotation for much of his career, Fox always managed to get playing time due to his range in the outfield and aggressive baserunning. He was at his best in 1937, when he batted .331 and smashed 208 hits.
Played For
Detroit Tigers (1933-1940)
Boston Red Sox (1941-1945)
Best Season: 1937
Fox was 10th in the league in batting and sixth in hits.
Factoids
On August 14, 1937, in a doubleheader sweep of the Browns, Pete Fox scored eight runs for the Tigers.
Born
Ervin Fox was born on March 8, 1909, in Evansville, IN.
Died
July 5, 1966, Detroit, MI
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: DET
Major League Debut
April 12, 1933
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1933
Bob Johnson
Lonny Frey
Dolph Camili
Pete Fox
Cecil Travis
Hal Trosky
Dutch Leonard
Schoolboy Rowe
Elden Auker
Post-Season Appearances
1934 World Series
1935 World Series
1940 World Series
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Fox suffered from a bout of lumbago early in 1936 that hampered him all season. He appeared in just 73 games.
Hitting Streaks
29 games (1935)
All-Star Selections
1944 AL
Replaced
Gee Walker in center field in 1933, and in 1935, he became the Tigers starting right fielder, supplanting Jo-Jo White. In the first few weeks after Mickey Cochrane placed Fox in right field in 1935, Pete was red-hot, stringing together a hitting streak, hitting a grand slam,a nd raising his batting average 60 points to .345.
Replaced By
In January of 1940, Detroit acquired veteran outfielder Bruce Campbell from Cleveland. Fox and Campbell were platooned during the 1940 season, and in December, the Tigers released Fox.
Best Strength as a Player
Baserunning
Largest Weakness as a Player
His throwing arm was notoriously erratic. For a leadoff batter, he also didn't walk much, but that wasn't terribly important in the 1930s.
Learn More about Pete Fox
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