Nellie Fox | |||
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Fox in 1960
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Second baseman | |||
Born: St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania |
December 25, 1927|||
Died: December 1, 1975 Baltimore, Maryland |
(aged 47)|||
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MLB debut | |||
June 8, 1947, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
July 24, 1965, for the Houston Astros | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .288 | ||
Hits | 2,663 | ||
Home runs | 35 | ||
Runs batted in | 790 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Member of the National | |||
Baseball Hall of Fame | |||
Inducted | 1997 | ||
Vote | Veterans Committee |
Jacob Nelson "Nellie" Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. Fox was one of the best second basemen, and the third most difficult hitter to strike out in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and Houston Astros, from 1947 through 1965.
Fox was an American League (AL) All-Star for twelve seasons, an AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) for one season, and an AL Gold Glove winner for three seasons. He had a .288 major-league career batting average with 2663 hits, 35 home runs, and 790 runs batted in. He hit .300 or more six times, and led the AL in singles eight times (seven consecutive seasons) and in fielding average six times as second baseman. In 1959, when the "Go Go" Chicago White Sox won the American League Pennant championship, he hit .306 with 149 singles and 70 RBI. He coached for the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers after his playing career. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Fox was born on Christmas Day 1927 in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania, a rural area in the south central portion of Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of three sons born to a carpenter who grew up on a farm and liked to play town baseball at St. Thomas. Despite his short stature, with the help of his father, he distinguished himself as a baseball player at a young age, even playing with his father on their St. Thomas team.