Lee Fohl
PositionCatcher / Manager
BatsLeft
ThrowsRight
Birth dateNovember 28, 1876
Birth placeLowell, Ohio, U.S.
Death dateOctober 30, 1965 (aged 88)
Death placeBrooklyn, Ohio, U.S.
DebutleagueMLB
DebutdateAugust 29
Debutyear1902
DebutteamPittsburgh Pirates
FinalleagueMLB
FinaldateSeptember 27
Finalyear1903
FinalteamCincinnati Reds
StatleagueMLB
Stat1labelBatting average
Stat1value.294
Stat2labelHome runs
Stat2value0
Stat3labelRuns batted in
Stat3value3
Teams

As player

As manager

Leo Alexander Fohl (November 28, 1876 – October 30, 1965) was an American manager in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and Boston Red Sox.

Biography

Born in Lowell, Ohio, Fohl's involvement in professional baseball began in the early 1900s, when he served as a catcher for minor-league clubs in Ohio.[1] 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 when the Tribe finished in second place behind the Red Sox. He never made an important move, however, without consulting Tris Speaker, who arrived via a trade with Boston in the same year Fohl took over.[citation needed] In 1919, Fohl resigned as the Indians' manager after 78 games, and Speaker stepped in as manager for the remainder of the season.[2]

Fohl resurfaced in 1921 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.) He finished with a 713-792 (.474 winning percentage) as manager. He managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League in 1927, but was fired mid-way through the season.

He died in Brooklyn, Ohio at age 88.[3]

Managerial record

TeamYearRegular seasonPostseason
GamesWonLostWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
CLE12445797th in AL
CLE15477776th in AL
CLE15488663rd in AL
CLE12773542nd in AL
CLE784434resigned
CLE total63732731000
SLB15481733rd in AL
SLB15493612nd in AL
SLB1015249fired
SLB total40922618300
BOS15467877th in AL
BOS152471058th in AL
BOS153461078th in AL
BOS total45916029900
Total150571379200

References

  1. ^ "News Notes". Sporting Life. December 16, 1905. p. 9.
  2. ^ "Lee Fohl Resigns as Indians' Boss: Tris Speaker Appointed to Manage Cleveland Club for Remainder of Season". The New York Times. July 20, 1919. p. 17.
  3. ^ Ex-Indians Manager, Fohl, dies