Nellie Fox's Career

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Lore & Background

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 a second baseman. His career fielding percentage was .984. In 1959, when the 'Go Go' Chicago White Sox won the American League pennant, 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.

In Their Own Story

The 1959 season marked the pinnacle of Fox's career when the Chicago White Sox won the American League pennant under manager Al López. Fox batted .306 with an on-base percentage of .380, leading the AL in singles for the seventh consecutive year. His performance earned him the AL MVP award, a rare honor for a second baseman not matched until Dustin Pedroia in 2008. In the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fox batted a team-high .375 with three doubles. The series featured a unique moment in Game 5 where Fox scored the only run of the game when Sherm Lollar hit into a double play; it was only the second time in World Series history that a game ended without an RBI. Although the Sox lost in six games, Fox's steady presence defined the team's success.

Reader's Guide

Fox was born on Christmas Day 1927 in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of three sons born to a carpenter. At age 16 in 1944, his mother wrote a letter to Connie Mack, enabling him to attend an open tryout for the Philadelphia Athletics, and Mack signed him. Fox started his professional career with the Lancaster team of the Pennsylvania Interstate League and the Jamestown Falcons, hitting .314. He settled at second base. The Athletics bought his contract in 1945, but he was called to service and stationed in Korea in 1946. His major league career began in 1947 with the Athletics, but he appeared in only ten MLB games in 1947 and 1948. In 1949, the Athletics set a major league team record of 217 double plays; Fox appeared in 88 games and contributed to 68 double plays. The Athletics traded Fox to the Chicago White Sox for Joe Tipton on October 29, 1949. He spent the next 14 seasons with the Sox, making 12 AL All-Star teams and 15 of 16 AL All-Star Game selections beginning in 1951. His best season came in 1959, when he received the AL MVP award on a White Sox team that won its first AL pennant in 40 years. He batted .306, led the AL in singles, and won his second Gold Glove. In the World Series, Fox batted .375 with three doubles, but the Sox lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. Fox played his final two seasons (1964–65) with the Houston Colt .45s and Astros. He was a coach for the Houston Astros (1965–67) and the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers (1968–72). Fox lived in St. Thomas Township after playing, co-owned and managed Nellie Fox Bowl, and died of cancer on December 1, 1975, at age 47. His uniform number 2 was retired by the White Sox on May 1, 1976.

Did You Know?

• Fox led the AL in singles eight times, including seven consecutive seasons.
• He led the league in most at-bats per strikeout 13 times in his career.
• Fox was the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in MLB history.
• He played a major-league record 798 consecutive games at second base between August 1956 and September 1960.
• Fox was the first major league Gold Glove Award winner for a second baseman in 1957.

The Pennant-Driving MVP Season

In 1959, Nellie Fox delivered his best season, earning the AL Most Valuable Player award as the "Go Go" Chicago White Sox won their first American League pennant in 40 years. The team finished with a 94-60 record, five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians and 15 ahead of the New York Yankees. Fox batted .306 with an on-base percentage of .380 and led the league in singles for the seventh straight year. He also won his second Gold Glove and started in two All-Star games, recording four hits total. In the World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fox hit .375 with three doubles. His only postseason run included scoring the game's sole run in Game 5, a rare feat where no player recorded an RBI.

A Contact Hitter Defined by Patience

Nellie Fox was the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in MLB history, striking out only 216 times in his career. This averages to one strikeout every 42.7 at-bats, and he led the league in this category 13 times. His career batting average stood at .288 with 2,663 hits, 35 home runs, and 790 RBIs. He hit .300 or better six times and led the AL in singles eight times (seven consecutively). In 1951, he recorded more triples (12) than strikeouts (11). Despite his small stature and minimal power—never hitting more than six homers in a season—he was a solid contact hitter who accumulated 355 doubles and 112 triples over his tenure.

Defensive Excellence at Second Base

Fox is considered one of the best second basemen ever, winning three Gold Glove Awards (1957, 1959, 1960). He was the first second baseman to win the award in 1957. Between August 1956 and September 1960, he set a major-league record by playing 798 consecutive games at second base. He led AL second basemen in defensive games played every season from 1952 to 1959 and in putouts from 1952 to 1961. His career fielding percentage was .984, and he currently ranks second all-time in career double plays as a second baseman. He formed the first shortstop-second base duo to win Gold Gloves simultaneously with Luis Aparicio in 1959 and 1960.

From Rural Pennsylvania to the Hall of Fame

Born on December 25, 1927, in St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania, Fox was the youngest of three sons. At age 16, his mother wrote to Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics, securing him a tryout that led to a contract. He served in Korea in 1946 before playing for the Athletics (1947–1949) and then the Chicago White Sox (1950–1963). He finished his career with the Houston Colt .45s/Astros (1964–1965). Fox coached for the Astros and Rangers before dying of metastatic cancer on December 1, 1975, at age 47. Although he fell short in 1985, the Veterans Committee elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.