Nellie Fox ☆HOF☆

JACOB NELSON FOX/ aka "MIGHTY MITE"

PLEASE NOTE: You will receive my 2-pg, double-sided write-up of this game & Nellie Fox's bio (see photos)...

On Sunday afternoon, July 25, 1965, Hall of Famer Nellie Fox played his final career game at the Houston Astrodome. Nellie Fox pinch-hit in the 8th inning & recorded his final career At-Bat (AB).

Nellie Fox Final Career Game!

• NELLIE FOX FINAL CAREER GAME
• Sunday, July 25, 1965
• Cincinnati Reds at Houston Astros
• The Astrodome - Houston, TX

Connie Mack discovered Nellie Fox as a 16‐year‐old in spring training in Frederick, MD, at a World War II baseball camp of the old Philadelphia Athletics.

Nellie Fox's trademarks were a giant‐sized chew of tobacco, defense, his bottle‐sized bat and an ability to put the ball in play and almost never strike out!

Nellie Fox ranks as one of the toughest outs in Major League history, recording only 216 strikeouts in more than 10,000 career plate appearances.  Nellie Fox struck out only once in every 48 plate appearances during his career, and never more than 18 times in a season.

Nellie Fox Ranks 5th All-Time in ABs per SO

Nellie Fox ranks 5th all-time in ABs per SO (At Bats per Strikeout), trailing only Wee Willie Keeler, Joe Sewell & Lloyd Waner (see my photos #7 & 8).

In fact, this offensive stat (AB per SO) leaderboard is so rare that in the baseball-ref. page showing all-time career leaders in ABs per SO (my photo #7), Nellie Fox is the ONLY of the 24 players pictured in a color photo (rare indeed!).

In addition to his eye at the plate, Fox was also one of the best defenders to ever play the game! The Gold Glove Awards were first handed out in 1957, and Nellie Fox was the inaugural AL second base recipient.

Long lauded for his defensive prowess, Fox would go on to win 2 more Gold Gloves in 1959 & 1960. Ranking 3rd all-time in career putouts by a 2nd baseman, Nellie Fox led the AL in putouts for 10 consecutive seasons.

Fox had arguably the best year of his career in 1959, a season in which he hit .306 and captured the AL MVP award, narrowly edging out his double play partner, Luis Aparicio.

This would be the only year Fox tasted the postseason & while the White Sox would lose to the Dodgers in the World Series, Nellie rose to the occasion, leading the Sox with a .375 batting average.

Nellie Fox led the league in singles the most consecutive seasons, seven, the most seasons overall, eight, and had the most seasons with 600 or more at bats, 12.  All these are MLB records.

Nellie Fox, who batted lefthanded but threw righthanded, also led the league 13 times with fewest strikeouts. He also held the record for the most consecutive games played at second base, 798.

Nellie Fox retired as player in 1965, having played in 2,367 games with 2,663 hits. He was born on Christmas Day 1927 in St. Thomas, PA. Nellie Fox passed away on December 1, 1975. He was elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.