Chad Fox
Encyclopedia
Chad Douglas Fox is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
. Fox played for the Atlanta Braves
, Milwaukee Brewers
, Boston Red Sox
, Florida Marlins
, and the Chicago Cubs
. He won the 2003 World Series
championship as a member of the Marlins. He is also known for his injuries that have set him back in his career, undergoing Tommy John surgery
twice, including having been injured in the and seasons. He has reached 50 innings - the minimum standard for a rookie season - only twice in his career, and threw less than 11 innings in the majors nine times between 1999 and 2009.
drafted Fox in the 23rd round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft
. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves
in 1996 with a player to be named later
(Ray King
) for Mike Kelly
.
Fox's best season came in 2001, after not pitching in the majors at all the year before. Fox was voted the Brewers Most Valuable Pitcher. Taking on a setup role, Fox threw a career-best 66 2/3 innings, posting a 5-2 record and 1.89 ERA while striking out 80. This would be his last injury-free season in the majors.
. He went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning but gave up a 2-run home run
in the 11th inning to take the loss.
He would go on to make appearances on May 5 and May 11, throwing two scoreless innings before returning to the disabled list on May 20 with ulnar neuritis. Fox opted to rest rather than undergo another surgery on his elbow, but was ultimately transferred to the 60-day disabled list on September 2, ending his season. In the offseason, he was re-signed by the Cubs to a minor league contract for .
On May 9, 2009; in the top of the 8th inning in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Fox threw a wild pitch and, coming up in obvious pain, was removed from the game. He retired as a result.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe 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 a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. Fox played for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
, and the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. He won the 2003 World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...
championship as a member of the Marlins. He is also known for his injuries that have set him back in his career, undergoing Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
twice, including having been injured in the and seasons. He has reached 50 innings - the minimum standard for a rookie season - only twice in his career, and threw less than 11 innings in the majors nine times between 1999 and 2009.
Professional career
The Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
drafted Fox in the 23rd round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft
1992 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1992 Major League Baseball draft.-Other notable players:*Raúl Ibáñez, 36th round, Seattle Mariners...
. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in 1996 with a player to be named later
Player to be named later
The concept of the "player to be named later" is most often associated with Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball trades.-Description:...
(Ray King
Ray King
Raymond Keith King is a retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher. King stands at 6'0" tall and weighs 265 pounds. Because of his large size, former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog playfully referred to King as The Hefty Lefty...
) for Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly is a columnist for The Record, a newspaper serving Bergen County, New Jersey. He is also the author of Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town, a book about the 1990 shooting in Teaneck, New Jersey of Phillip Pannell, an African-American teenager, by Gary...
.
Milwaukee Brewers
Fox was traded to the Brewers for Gerald Williams in 1997.Fox's best season came in 2001, after not pitching in the majors at all the year before. Fox was voted the Brewers Most Valuable Pitcher. Taking on a setup role, Fox threw a career-best 66 2/3 innings, posting a 5-2 record and 1.89 ERA while striking out 80. This would be his last injury-free season in the majors.
Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins
Fox would face rehab stints in 2002 with the Brewers and 2003 with the Red Sox, though he managed to stay healthy after signing with the Florida Marlins in August 2003, posting a 2.13 ERA in 21 appearances and adding nine more outings in the postseason to help them to a World Series title. He returned to the Marlins in 2004, but was ineffective in 12 April appearances before being shut down the rest of the season with ulnar neuritis. He was equally ineffective trying to return the following season with the Chicago Cubs, this time throwing just eight innings before reinjuring his throwing elbow on April 26, 2005. This injury would temporarily end his career.Chicago Cubs
On January 11, 2008, he signed a one-year minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs hoping to make a comeback. After several rehab starts with the Cubs' A and AA affiliates, Fox was added to the 25-man major league roster on May 2. After a three year absence he made his major league comeback debut on May 2, 2008 against the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. He went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning but gave up a 2-run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in the 11th inning to take the loss.
He would go on to make appearances on May 5 and May 11, throwing two scoreless innings before returning to the disabled list on May 20 with ulnar neuritis. Fox opted to rest rather than undergo another surgery on his elbow, but was ultimately transferred to the 60-day disabled list on September 2, ending his season. In the offseason, he was re-signed by the Cubs to a minor league contract for .
On May 9, 2009; in the top of the 8th inning in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Fox threw a wild pitch and, coming up in obvious pain, was removed from the game. He retired as a result.