Freddie Fitzsimmons

Frederick Landis Fitzsimmons (July 28, 1901 – November 18, 1979) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, manager, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. Nicknamed ''Fat Freddie'' (he carried as much as on his frame), and known for his mastery of the knuckle curve, Fitzsimmons' 217 wins were the third most by a National League (NL) right-hander in the period from to , trailing only Burleigh Grimes and Paul Derringer. In he set an NL record, which stood until , with a single-season winning percentage of .889 (16–2). He was an agile fielder in spite of his heavy build, holding the major league record for career double plays (79) from to , and tying another record by leading the league in putouts four times; he ranked eighth in NL history in putouts (237) and ninth in fielding percentage (.977) when his career ended.

Playing career

Born in Mishawaka, Indiana, Fitzsimmons broke in with the Giants in August 1925, posting a 6–3 record over the rest of the year. After seasons of 14 and 17 wins, he earned a career-high 20 victories in 1928, a year which saw the arrival of teammate Carl Hubbell; until Fitzsimmons' departure in , the two formed a formidable left-right combination at the heart of the Giants' staff. In he led the NL in winning percentage for the first time with a 19–7 record (.731), and an 18–11 season followed in . In , the first full season after Bill Terry took over from John McGraw as manager, he won 16 games with a 2.90 earned run average as the Giants won the NL pennant; in the 1933 World Series against the Washington Senators, he suffered a 4–0 defeat in Game 3, though it was New York's only loss as they captured their first title since .

Fitzsimmons had another 18-win season in , and led the NL in putouts for the fourth time, tying Grover Cleveland Alexander's major league mark. However, his career then began to plateau. He had years of 4–8 and 10–7 in and , with the Giants winning the NL pennant again the latter year; he led the NL in shutouts in , blanking opponents in all 4 of his victories. His troubles returned in the 1936 World Series against the New York Yankees; he lost Game 3 by a 2–1 score, and was bombarded in the final Game 6 loss, leaving in the fourth inning while trailing 5–2. After a 6–10 start in , he was traded to the Dodgers in June for reliever Tom Baker, who made only 15 appearances for the Giants. Brooklyn shortstop Leo Durocher praised his new teammate's competitiveness, saying, "I wish we had nine guys like Fitz. We'd never lose." Though his record in – totaled only 18–17, in he tied Grimes' mark of 74 career double plays, passing him the following year; Warren Spahn broke his record in . He came back in with a 16–2 campaign, finishing fifth in the MVP voting. His .889 winning percentage broke the NL record of .842 (16–3) shared by Tom L. Hughes ( Boston Braves) and Emil Yde ( Pittsburgh Pirates), and stood until Roy Face posted an 18–1 mark (.947) with the Pirates.

Fitzsimmons made only 12 starts in , going 6–1 as the Dodgers won their first pennant since . He almost earned his long-elusive World Series victory against the Yankees, holding them to four hits through seven innings in Game 3. But he was forced to leave with a 0–0 score after being struck in the kneecap by a line drive hit by Marius Russo, which caromed into Pee Wee Reese's glove to end the inning. His replacement surrendered two runs in the eighth, and New York triumphed 2–1.

Fitzsimmons compiled a 217–146 (.598) record with an ERA of 3.51 and 870 strikeouts in 513 games and 3,223 innings pitched. According to Durocher, Fitzsimmons would tell hitters in advance that he was going to throw a brushback pitch. Offensively, he was a better than average hitting pitcher in his career. He compiled a .200 average (231–1155) with 112 runs, 103 RBI and 14 home runs. In , , and as a member of the New York Giants, he drove in 13, 18, and 10 runs respectively. In four World Series appearances, he batted .375 (3–8).

Manager and coach

Following his knee injury, Fitzsimmons made only one start in and served as a coach on player-manager Durocher's staff. He then returned to the active list and made nine appearances for the Dodgers before Brooklyn released him July 27. The following day, the tail-ending Philadelphia Phillies tabbed him as their manager, replacing Bucky Harris and ending Fitzsimmons' playing career.

He managed the Phillies through the middle of the season, compiling only 105 wins against 181 losses (.367). In and , he also served as general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the All-America Football Conference. After World War II, Fitzsimmons became a coach with the Boston Braves (), Giants (–), Chicago Cubs (–; ), and Kansas City Athletics (). He also managed in minor league baseball. On Durocher's Giants staff, Fitzsimmons finally earned a championship as a coach for the 1954 World Series team.

Bob Lemon broke the major league mark shared by Fitzsimmons by leading the American League in putouts five times between and ; Greg Maddux eventually broke the NL record.

Fitzsimmons died of a heart attack at age 78 in Yucca Valley, California. He was buried at Montecito Memorial Park, in Colton, California.

See also

* List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders

References

External links

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Freddie Fitzsimmons Interview
(sound recording) by Eugene C. Murdock, Ph.D., on June 16, 1978, in Yucca Valley, California (1 hr.). Available on the Cleveland Public Library's Digital Gallery.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimmons, Freddie
1901 births
1979 deaths
Baseball players from Indiana
Binghamton Triplets managers
Boston Braves coaches
Brooklyn Dodgers coaches
Brooklyn Dodgers players
Chicago Cubs coaches
Indianapolis Indians players
Kansas City Athletics coaches
Major League Baseball first base coaches
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball pitching coaches
Minneapolis Millers (baseball) managers
Minor league baseball managers
Muskegon Muskies players
New York Giants (NL) coaches
New York Giants (baseball) players
Sportspeople from Mishawaka, Indiana
Philadelphia Phillies managers
20th-century American sportsmen