Ray Fosse

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Raymond Earl Fosse (b. April 4, 1947 in Marion, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was drafted in the first round of the 1965 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians and debuted on September 8, 1967. Fosse also holds the distinction of being the Indians' first ever draft pick, as 1965 was the first year of the Major League Baseball Draft. He batted and threw right-handed.

Arguably, Ray Fosse is most famous for being bowled over by the Cincinnati Reds' Pete Rose at home plate in the last play of the 1970 All-Star Game. Rose scored the winning run while the collision separated Fosse's right shoulder. While Fosse played nine more years, the injury limited his effectiveness, Rose asserted he was simply trying to win the game. However, Rose was widely criticized by some for over-aggressiveness in what essentially was an exhibition game. In a twist of fate, when Rose was sentenced to 5 months in prison for tax evasion, he was sent to the US penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, Fosse's hometown.

In 1974, Fosse, by now an Oakland Athletic, had an even closer brush with disaster. On June 5 he suffered a crushed disk in his neck attempting to break up a clubhouse fight between teammates Reggie Jackson and Billy North. He was on the disabled list for three months.

He played twelve Major League seasons with the Cleveland Indians (1967-1972), the Oakland Athletics (1973-1975), Cleveland again in 1976 and part of 1977, before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. He played his final season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1979.

Fosse caught Dennis Eckersley's no-hitter vs. the California Angels on May 30, 1977 as a member of the Indians.

Fosse was a member of two World Series Champion clubs: the 1973 and 1974 A's, and also a member of the inaugural Seattle Mariners team that began playing in 1977.

Ray Fosse won Gold Glove Awards in 1970 and 1971. He has served as the color analyst for the Oakland Athletics' radio and television broadcasts since 1986.

Other career highlights include:

• two 2-home run games (May 24, 1970 and August 13, 1972)
• a 23-game hitting streak (June 9, 1970 - July 2, 1970)
• three 4-hit games, the most impressive being two doubles, two singles, and 4 RBI vs. the Milwaukee Brewers (September 21, 1977)
• thirty 3-hit games, with the most impressive being a home run, a double, a single, and 4 RBI vs. the Milwaukee Brewers (June 4, 1970)
• one 5-RBI game, a grand slam and an RBI single vs. the Boston Red Sox (May 21, 1970)
• nine 4-RBI games
• hit a combined .422 (35-for-83) against All-Stars Mark Fidrych, Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Tommy John, Jerry Koosman, Sparky Lyle, and Mel Stottlemyre
• hit a combined .301 (28-for-93) against Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Palmer, and Nolan Ryan

[edit] Broadcaster

Fosse is a color commentator for the Oakland Athletics on Comcast Sports Network, KICU, and occasionally on the A's radio broadcasts.

[edit] Trivia

• Led California League catchers with 10 double plays while playing for the Reno Silver Sox in 1966
• Tied for the Pacific Coast League lead in double plays by a catcher with 14 while playing for the Portland Beavers in 1968
• Was the only career strikeout victim of Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Ray Peters {Milwaukee County Stadium -- June 4, 1970}
• Holds the Oakland A's record for consecutive starts at catcher with 50 in 1973

[edit] References

• 1971 Baseball Register published by The Sporting News

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Retrosheet