System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Jimmy Foxx, Baseball hall of Famer
October 22, 1907 - July 21, 1967
Born on October, 22, 1907, in Sudlersville, MD, (James E.) "Jimmie" Foxx was 6-foot and 195 pounds, but he seemed bigger, probably because he could hit the ball so far. He joined the AL's Philadelphia Athletics in 1925 as a catcher, but didn't play much during his first few seasons because Philadelphia already had the best catcher in baseball, Mickey Cochrane.
In his infrequent appearances, Foxx showed that he could hit, and in 1929 he became Philadelphia's starting first baseman. He hit .354 with 33 home runs and 117 RBI. It was the first in a record streak of twelve years in which he hit 30 or more home runs and drove in 100 or more runs.
Foxx had a .335 average with 37 home runs and 156 RBI in 1930, then batted .291 with 30 homers and 120 RBI in 1931, as the Athletics won their third straight pennant. In their three World Series appearances, Foxx hit .344, with 4 home runs, 11 runs scored, and 11 RBI.
Philadelphia owner-manager Connie Mack began to dismantle the team in 1932 because of financial problems. The Athletics started to slide, but Foxx didn't. He led the AL with 58 home runs and 169 RBI, batting .364. Foxx lost two home runs that were hit in games called by rain before they became official, which kept him from tying Babe Ruth's famous record of 60 in a season. He was also deprived of the triple crown because the batting title was awarded to Dale Alexander, even though Alexander didn't have the required 400 at-bats for the season.
In 1933, Foxx did win the triple crown, batting .356 with 48 home runs and 163 RBI. He won his second MVP award that season. Despite a pay cut, he hit .334 with 44 homers and 130 RBI in 1934. Foxx ended his career with Philadelphia by tying Lou Gehrig for the home run lead with 36 in 1935, when he hit .346 and had 115 RBI.
Mack then sent him to the Boston Red Sox in a trade that brought $150, 000 to the Athletics, along with two inconsequential players. Foxx was an immediate favorite among Boston fans. He hit .338 with 41 home runs in 1936. After slipping to a .285 average and 36 home runs in 1937, he won his third most valuable player award in 1938 with a .349 average, 50 home runs, and 175 RBI. He led the league in average and RBI, but finished second to Hank Greenberg in homers.
After leading the league in home runs with 35 in 1939, Foxx hit 36 in 1940, then declined to 19 in 1941. He got off to a poor start the following season and was released. The Chicago Cubs picked him up, but he was no more successful there, and he announced his retirement. The Cubs talked him into coming back in 1944, when players were scarce because of World War II, but he played in only 15 games, mostly as a pinch-hitter. After appearing in 89 games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945, he retired for good.
He later coached and managed for a few years in the minor leagues. Known for drinking and for buying other people drinks, Foxx had little money left from his glorious baseball years. He suffered a heart attack in 1963 and choked to death while eating at his brother's house in Miami four years later, on July 21, 1967
In 2, 317 games, Foxx batted .325 with 2, 646 hits, including 458 doubles, 125 triples, and 534 home runs. He drove in 1, 922 runs and scored 1, 751.
