Nellie Fox facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nellie Fox |
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Fox in 1960
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| Second baseman | |||
| Born: December 25, 1927 St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Died: December 1, 1975 (aged 47) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 8, 1947, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 24, 1965, for the Houston Astros | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .288 | ||
| Hits | 2,663 | ||
| Home runs | 35 | ||
| Runs batted in | 790 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1997 | ||
| Vote | Veterans Committee | ||
Jacob Nelson Fox (born December 25, 1927 – died December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. Many people consider Fox one of the best second basemen ever. He was also one of the hardest players to strike out in Major League Baseball (MLB) history.
Nellie Fox played in the big leagues from 1947 to 1965. He spent most of his career with the Chicago White Sox. He also played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Houston Astros. Fox was an All-Star for 12 seasons. He won the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award once. He also won the AL Gold Glove three times.
He had a career batting average of .288. He made 2,663 hits, 35 home runs, and 790 runs batted in. Fox hit over .300 six times. He led the AL in singles eight times. He also led in fielding average six times as a second baseman. His career fielding percentage was .984. In 1959, he helped the "Go Go" White Sox win the AL pennant. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
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Nellie Fox's Early Life
Nellie Fox was born on Christmas Day in 1927. He grew up in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania. This was a small, country area near Chambersburg. He was the youngest of three sons. His father was a carpenter who loved playing town baseball.
Even though Nellie was not very tall, he was a great baseball player from a young age. He even played on the St. Thomas team with his father. When he was 16 in 1944, Nellie thought he could play professional baseball. This was because many players were away fighting in World War II.
His mother wrote a letter to Connie Mack. Mack was the owner and manager of the Philadelphia Athletics. This letter helped Nellie get a tryout with the Athletics. Connie Mack was impressed and signed Nellie to a professional contract.
Nellie Fox's Baseball Career
Starting in the Minor Leagues
Nellie Fox began his professional baseball journey in the minor leagues. He played for the Lancaster team in the Pennsylvania Interstate League. He also played for the Jamestown Falcons, where he hit .314. He played many different positions in the infield and outfield. Eventually, he became a second baseman.
In 1945, he returned to Lancaster. He was known as the best second baseman in the league. The Philadelphia Athletics bought his contract that year. But Nellie could not play for them right away. He was called to serve in the military and was stationed in Korea in 1946.
Playing in the Major Leagues
Nellie Fox started his major league career in 1947 with the Philadelphia Athletics. However, he mostly played in the minor leagues during 1947 and 1948. In 1949, the Athletics set a record for most double plays in a season, with 217. Fox played in 88 games that year and helped with 68 of those double plays.
On October 29, 1949, the Athletics traded Fox to the Chicago White Sox. He played for the White Sox for the next 14 seasons. During this time, he was chosen for the AL All-Star team 12 times. From 1951 onwards, he was selected for 15 out of 16 AL All-Star Games. In 1951, he batted .313. The White Sox finished in third place from 1952 to 1956. Then they finished second in 1957 and 1958.
His Amazing 1959 Season
Nellie Fox had his best season in 1959. He won the AL Most Valuable Player award. This was a huge honor for a second baseman. The White Sox also won their first AL pennant in 40 years that season.
Fox batted .306 and led the AL in singles. He also had four hits in two All-Star games that year. He won his second Gold Glove award too. The White Sox, managed by Al López, had the best record in baseball. They won 94 games and lost 60. They finished five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians. They were also 15 games ahead of the New York Yankees. This was one of only two seasons the Yankees did not win the pennant between 1949 and 1964.
In the World Series, Fox batted a team-high .375. He hit three doubles. However, the White Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. This was Fox's only time playing in the postseason. The White Sox did not return to the World Series until they won it in 2005.
Later Years as a Player
Fox played his last two seasons (1964–65) with the Houston Colt .45s and Astros. Joe Morgan, a future Hall of Famer, looked up to Fox. Morgan was a rookie with the Astros. Both Fox and Morgan were smaller second basemen. Fox convinced Morgan to use a bat with a thinner handle. This helped Morgan hit with more power.
Nellie Fox was 5 feet 9 inches tall. He didn't hit many home runs, only 35 in his whole career. But he was great at hitting the ball and rarely struck out. He struck out only 216 times in his career. This means he struck out once every 42.7 times he batted. This is the third-best rate in baseball history! He led the league in most at-bats per strikeout 13 times. In 1951, he hit more triples (12) than he had strikeouts (11).
He was a very consistent hitter with a .288 career batting average. He batted over .300 six times. He had 2,663 hits, 355 doubles, and 112 triples. He also led the league in singles for seven years in a row. He led in triples once and in hits four times.
Amazing Defensive Skills
Nellie Fox was one of the best second basemen in baseball. He played alongside two excellent shortstops from Venezuela: Chico Carrasquel (1950–55) and Luis Aparicio (1956–62).
He was the first second baseman to win a major league Gold Glove Award in 1957. He won two more Gold Gloves in 1959 and 1960. Between August 1956 and September 1960, Fox played a record 798 games in a row at second base. In 1959 and 1960, Fox and Aparicio both won Gold Gloves. They were the first shortstop-second baseman pair to do this in the same season.
Fox led all second basemen in games played defensively every year from 1952 to 1959. He also led in putouts from 1952 to 1961. He led in assists several times. Fox was always among the top five second basemen in fielding percentage. He is currently second all-time in career double plays as a second baseman.
Coaching After Playing
After his playing career, Fox became a coach. He coached for the Houston Astros (1965–67). He also coached for the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1968–72).
Nellie Fox's Later Years and Legacy
After he stopped playing baseball, Nellie Fox lived in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania. He also owned and managed a bowling alley called Nellie Fox Bowl. In 1973, he was diagnosed with skin cancer. In October 1975, he was treated for cancer in Baltimore. Nellie Fox died on December 1, 1975, at age 47. He was buried in St. Thomas Cemetery in his hometown.
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| Nellie Fox's number 2 was retired by the Chicago White Sox in 1976. |
Jim Lemon, who played with Fox, said that Nellie's cancer "had to be incurable – because if it wasn't, Nellie would have beat it." Former White Sox manager Al López said that Fox succeeded through hard work. He said, "He wasn't fast and didn't have an arm, but he worked hard to develop what he needed to make himself a good all-around ballplayer."
On May 1, 1976, the White Sox retired Nellie Fox's uniform number 2. He was the second White Sox player to have his number retired.
Fox was not chosen for the Hall of Fame right away. In 1985, he got 74.7% of the votes from baseball writers. This was just shy of the 75% needed. However, in 1997, the Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee elected him. Before he was elected, a group of fans formed the Nellie Fox Society. They wanted to help him get into the Hall of Fame. This group grew to 600 members.
In 2001, a historical marker was placed in Pennsylvania to honor Fox. In 2006, bronze statues of Fox and Aparicio were put up at U.S. Cellular Field. Fox's statue shows him throwing a baseball to Aparicio. Aparicio's statue shows him getting ready to catch the ball.
See also
- Houston Astros award winners and league leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career triples leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
- Major League Baseball consecutive games played streaks
