Paul Eugene Foytack (November 16, 1930 – January 23, 2021) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

and

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who appeared in 312 games in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

between 1953 and 1964 for two

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

clubs, the Detroit Tigers and the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

. He also played one season in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

for the 1965

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011) ...

. Born in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

, Foytack was listed as tall and .

Biography

Foytack signed with the Tigers in 1949 after graduating from Scranton Technical High School. He spent four years in the Detroit farm system before his first trial in the majors at the outset of the 1953 season. He made the Tigers' pitching staff in 1955, and from 1956–59, he won 15, 14, 15, and 14 games respectively, averaging 40 games pitched and 33

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is li ...

. During that time, he was among the top ten pitchers in the American League in fewest hits allowed per nine innings three times, and also among the top ten in innings pitched (three times), strikeouts (three times), complete games (twice), and fewest walks per nine innings (once). In 1959, he led his league in games started in with 37. Over his 11-year

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

career, he posted a won–lost record of 86–87 with a 4.14

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in 1,498 innings pitched, allowing 1,381 hits and 662 bases on balls and striking out 827. He notched 63 complete games and seven career

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

as a starting pitcher, along with seven saves coming out of the bullpen. On June 15, 1963, he was traded to the Angels with

Frank Kostro Frank Jerry Kostro (born August 4, 1937) is a retired American professional baseball player. The native of Windber, Pennsylvania appeared in 266 games over seven seasons (1962–65; 1967–69) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels and Minnes ...

for George Thomas and a minor league player to be named later. A month and a half later, on July 31, 1963, during the sixth inning of a game against 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) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, Foytack became the first pitcher to give up

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s to four consecutive batters ( Woodie Held,

Pedro Ramos Pedro Ramos Guerra (born April 28, 1935), is a Cuban former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and the expansion Washin ...

Tito Francona John Patsy Francona (November 4, 1933 – February 13, 2018) was a Major League Baseball player. As a child, he was nicknamed "Tito" by his father. His son, Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona, is also sometimes referred to as "Tito." Bal ...

, and Larry Brown). He was the only pitcher to suffer this distinction until

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

rookie pitcher Chase Wright gave up four consecutive home runs to the

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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

on April 22, 2007. Foytack was released by the Angels on May 15, 1964, ending his major league career. He spent the rest of that season at Triple-A Syracuse, back in the Tigers' organization, before his lone season in Japanese baseball. Foytack died on January 23, 2021, in

Spring Hill, Tennessee Spring Hill is a city in Maury and Williamson counties, Tennessee, located approximately south of Nashville. Spring Hill's population as of 2020 was 50,005. Spring Hill is recognized as the 4th fastest growing city in Tennessee by the U.S. C ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foytack, Paul 1930 births 2021 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Pennsylvania Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Butler Tigers players Chunichi Dragons players Detroit Tigers players Los Angeles Angels players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Scranton, Pennsylvania Syracuse Chiefs players Thomasville Tigers players Toledo Mud Hens players Williamsport Tigers players

Biography

See also

References

External links