Boston Red Sox: 10 greatest hitters in franchise history
By Sean Penney
Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx
Jimmie Foxx was already an established superstar when he joined the Red Sox, earning a pair of MVP awards and a Triple Crown with the Philadelphia A’s, but he had plenty left in the tank when he arrived in Boston in 1936.
The Red Sox capitalized on A’s owner Connie Mack’s financial woes stemming from the Great Depression and bought Foxx’s contract for $150,000. If the A’s were still in Philadelphia, their fans would be haunted by losing Foxx in much the same way that Red Sox fans will never forgive selling Ruth to the Yankees.
The Beast hit .320/.429/.605 during his seven seasons in Boston. He’s tied for 10th in franchise history in batting average while ranking second in OBP and SLG.
Before Ortiz broke the single-season franchise home run record in 2006, Foxx held the honor for nearly seven decades. Foxx hit 50 home runs in 1938 while driving in 175 RBI, which remains the franchise single-season record. He won the MVP that year and nearly had another Triple Crown, only to fall short to Detroit’s Hank Greenberg in the home run category.
Foxx was an All-Star in each of his first six seasons in Boston. His health deteriorated in 1942 and his production fell off a cliff. The Red Sox dealt him to the Chicago Cubs and his career was never the same again.