Leo Alexander Fohl (November 28, 1876 – October 30, 1965) was an American

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

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for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

, St. Louis Browns, and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Biography

Born in Lowell, Ohio, Fohl's involvement in professional baseball began in the early 1900s, when he served as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for minor-league clubs in Ohio. His subsequent major-league playing career consisted of just five games as a catcher and 17 at-bats over two seasons. In 1915, he took over as manager of the Indians, with his best finish coming in

1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...

when the Tribe finished in second place behind the Red Sox. He never made an important move, however, without consulting

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder from 1907 to 1928. Considered one o ...

, who arrived via a trade with Boston in the same year Fohl took over. In 1919, Fohl resigned as the Indians' manager after 78 games, and Speaker stepped in as manager for the remainder of the season. Fohl resurfaced in

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

with the Browns, where in 1922 the team was only eliminated from the pennant race on the penultimate game of the season, finishing just one game behind the New York Yankees. When the 1923 Browns fell back closer (but still above) .500, he was fired in midseason. In 1924, he joined the Red Sox, where he finished his managerial career on a dismal note; his Red Sox teams never finished higher than seventh place. (In fact, he was the only man to manage in the American League between 1924 and 1926 and not be enshrined in the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

.) He finished with a 713-792 (.474 winning percentage) as manager. He managed the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

in 1927, but was fired mid-way through the season. He died in

Brooklyn, Ohio Brooklyn is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,359 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is a part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History Brooklyn was home to the first seat belt law in 1966 an ...

at age 88.Ex-Indians Manager, Fohl, dies
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Managerial record

References

External links

Baseball-Reference.com
– career managing record * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fohl, Lee 1876 births 1965 deaths Baseball managers Cleveland Indians managers St. Louis Browns managers Boston Red Sox managers Pittsburgh Pirates players Cincinnati Reds players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) managers Ohio State League managers Des Moines Undertakers players Binghamton Bingoes players Youngstown Ohio Works players Columbus Senators players Lima Cigarmakers players Akron Champs players Akron Rubbermen players Huntington Blue Sox players Waterbury Contenders players People from Brooklyn, Ohio Baseball players from Cuyahoga County, Ohio People from Washington County, Ohio Baseball coaches from Ohio