Ray Fosse

Raymond Earl Fosse

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.
• High School Marion (IL) High School
• Debut September 8, 1967
• Final Game September 30, 1979
• Born April 4, 1947 in Marion, IL USA
• Died October 13, 2021 in Diablo, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"I've got to split it up and give part, a big part, to my catcher, Ray Fosse. He kept pushing me in games when I didn't have good stuff. He'd come out and show me that big fist of his when I wasn't bearing down the way he thought I should." - Gaylord Perry, thanking Ray for pushing him to the 1972 American League Cy Young Award with the Indians

Ray Fosse played 12 seasons in the majors, winning two Gold Gloves at catcher, appearing in the 1973 and 1974 World Series with the Oakland Athletics, and being named to the All-Star team in 1970 and 1971, both times as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

Ray is best remembered for being bowled over at home plate by Pete Rose in the 1970 All-Star Game. Legend has it that Fosse was never the same afterwards, but his season splits show him hitting very well through the entire summer. 1970, his first full season in the majors, was in fact his best year with the bat, as he hit .307, good for seventh in the American League. He added 18 home runs, his personal high and had a 23-game hitting streak.

After being the first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians in the 1965 amateur draft, Fosse had two stints in the majors with the Indians, spending parts of eight seasons with them. Fosse broke in with the Indians in 1967, when they were managed by Joe Adcock in his only season as a major league manager. His two World Series appearances were both with Oakland. He was also part of the inaugural season of the Seattle Mariners in 1977, having been traded there in September.

Fosse spent three months on the disabled list during the 1974 championship season with the A's when he suffered a crushed disk in his neck attempting to play peacemaker during a fight between Reggie Jackson and Billy North.

He was a broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics starting in 1986. In August of 2021, he stepped down as he was fighting cancer, a condition that had affected him on and off for 16 years. He passed away the following October, at age 74.

Notable Achievements

• 2-time AL All-Star (1970 & 1971)
• 2-time AL Gold Glove Winner (1970 & 1971)
• Won two World Series with the Oakland Athletics (1973 & 1974)

Further Reading

• Matt Kelly: "2-time champ, A's broadcaster Fosse dies", mlb.com, October 13, 2021. [1]
• Joseph Wancho: "Ray Fosse", in Chip Greene, ed.: Mustaches and Mayhem, Charlie O's Three-Time Champions: The Oakland Athletics 1972-74, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2015, pp. 414-418. ISBN 978-1-943816-07-1

Related Sites

• Ray Fosse at the SABR Bio Project