The Philadelphia Athletics Slugger Jimmie Foxx

The imposing figure on the mound was familiar to the Shibe Park faithful, but not in the uniform he currently wore and not in the position he was playing.  It was 1945.  Jimmie Foxx had returned to Philadelphia, but this time with the Phillies (who were calling themselves the Blue Jays informally).

World War II was still raging.  Although President Franklin Roosevelt insisted that baseball continue during the war, it ranks had been depleted.  With the likes of Ted Willliams, Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio joining the war effort, many teams struggled to put players on the field.  Many older players, like Foxx, found their career extended as a result.

Foxx, known in his prime as The Beast or  Double X, saw his skills begin to diminish around 1941.  He played for the Cubs for a few years mostly as a pinch hitter, before joining the Phillies.  Now he was being asked to round out the Phillies' pitching staff as the season, and Foxx's playing career, wound down.

The pride of Sudlersville, Maryland acquitted himself well.  Appearing in twenty-two and two-thirds innings over nine games, Foxx boasted an ERA of 1.59.  In two starts, his record was 1-0, his win coming in an August 19th game against the Reds.

HIs success on the mound should come as no surprise.  Foxx was a star pitcher in high school.  Indeed, he was an all-around player, having come to the attention of the Philadelphia Athletics' Connie Mack as a catcher at age seventeen.  In 1925, Foxx played for Frank "Home Run" Baker, former Athletic and Yankee, now managing a minor league team on Maryland's Eastern Shore.  Baker had contacted Mack about Foxx, and sold his contract to the A's.  It was a transaction that cost Baker his job, as the team's owner thought he could have gotten more for Foxx.

Arriving in Philadelphia, Foxx found that the Athletics already had a star rookie catcher in twenty-two year old Mickey Cochrane.  Cochrane batted .331 in 1925, relegating Foxx to a back-up role.  In 1926, Foxx saw some playing time in left field.  He began playing first base in 1927, but still appeared in only sixty-one games.

The break-out year for Foxx occurred in 1928, when he split time between first base, third base and catcher.  He hit .328 with thirteen home runs and seventy-nine RBIs.

As a slugger, Foxx's career took off in 1929.  He hit 33 home runs that year, and knocked in 118 runs.  In the World Series, Foxx hit two home runs, and drove in five.  Only Mule Haas had more RBIs in the Series, with six.

Foxx improved on his offensive performance in 1930, hitting thirty-seven home runs, and driving in 156.  His .333 batting average during the World Series helped the A's capture their second World Championship in a row.

In 1932, Foxx showed that he could rival Babe Ruth in the home run category, hitting fifty-eight during the season. Foxx would have tied the Bambino's single season record, had it not been for two home runs erased due to rain shortened games.  1932 was his best season as an Athletic, posting 169 RBIs and a batting average of .364.

Philadelphia celebrated a rare occurrence in 1933, as the city boasted a Triple Crown winner in both leagues.  While Foxx led the America League in bating average, home runs and RBIs, a few blocks away, Chuck Klein of the Phillies accomplished the same task in the National League.

The Great Depression hit Connie Mack hard, however.  With little money to pay his players, Mack sold off the pieces of his Athletics' dynasty one at a time.  After the 1935 season, Mack sold Foxx's contract to the Red Sox.  Jimmie continued to post big numbers until 1942, when he was traded to the Cubs.

In his eighteen year career, Foxx became only the second player to hit 500 career home runs.  He ended his career with 524.  He had been an all-star nine times, and won the MVP award three times.  Foxx was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Versatile and powerful, Jimmie Foxx left his mark as one of the greatest hitters to wear an A's uniform.

William J. Kovatch, Jr.