Bill Foxen
William Aloysius Foxen (born May 31, 1879 in Tenafly, New Jersey; died April 17, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York) was a left-handed pitcher for the Birmingham Barons from 1911 to 1913, having previously spent four seasons in the Major Leagues.
Foxen attended St Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey. He made his professional baseball debut with the Hartford Senators in the Class D Connecticut League in 1902. He led the league with 180 strikeouts that season and moved up the following year to pitch for the New Bedford Whalers of the New England League. Over the next few seasons he spent some time with the Jersey City Skeeters and the Portsmouth Truckers before making his Major League debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on May 5, 1908.
He spent two and a half seasons in Philadelphia, going 15-19 with an earned run average of 2.48 in 56 appearances with 32 starts. He walked 125 and struck out 122 as a Phillie, and also earned a reputation as quick to argue with umpires and fellow players. On July 29, 1910 Foxen was traded to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Eddie Stack and Fred Luderus, a first basemen who batted .301 and hit 16 home runs in for Philadelphia in 1911.
Meanwhile Foxen wallowed for the next season and a half with the Cubs. He took the mound only five times with one start, going 1-1 with a .500 ERA while allowing 15 walks and striking out eight batters. He was released in 1911 and came South, playing the rest of the year with three different Southern Association teams, including the 1911 Birmingham Barons.
Foxen returned to form with Carleton Molesworth's 1912 Barons. He went 19-9 as a starter for the pennant-winning squad. He returned for the 1913 season and went 15-14 that year. In 1914 he dropped down to Class C, pitching for the Richmond Colts of the Virginia League. He made 19 appearances that season before ending his professional career.
Foxen died in 1937 and is buried with his wife, Mae, in his home town of Tenafly, New Jersey.
External links
- Bill Foxen at baseball-reference.com