Hank Foiles
| Hank Foiles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catcher | |||
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Born: June 10, 1929 Richmond, Virginia |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 21, 1953, for the Cincinnati Redlegs | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 2, 1964, for the Los Angeles Angels | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .243 | ||
| Home runs | 46 | ||
| Runs batted in | 166 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Henry Lee Foiles, Jr. (born June 10, 1929) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball between 1953 and 1964. Although Foiles didn't produce impressive offensive statistics, he was a capable defensive catcher with a strong throwing arm, enabling the journeyman player to sustain an eleven-year career for seven different teams in Major League Baseball. He was notable for being the first player in major league history to use contact lenses.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Foiles' family moved to Norfolk, Virginia where he attended Granby High School and excelled at football and track as well as baseball. In 1946, he was named All-Southern in football and starred in the inaugural Oyster Bowl held in Foreman Field in Norfolk. He attended the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team.
In November 1947, Foiles was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent. He spent four years playing in the minor leagues before being selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1951 Rule 5 draft. He made his major league debut on April 21, 1953 at the age of 24, starting at catcher for the Redlegs (as the Reds were known from 1953–58) in a 4–3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. After playing only five games with Cincinnati, his contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians on May 13, 1953. He appeared in seven games with the Indians before the team sent him back to the minor leagues.
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