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Lee Fohl

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Lee Fohl
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1876-11-28)November 28, 1876
Lowell, Ohio, U.S.
Died: October 30, 1965(1965-10-30) (aged 88)
Brooklyn, Ohio, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 29, 1902, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1903, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Batting average.294
Home runs0
Runs batted in3
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

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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

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Team Year Regular season Postseason
Games Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
CLE 1915 124 45 79 .363 7th in AL
CLE 1916 154 77 77 .500 6th in AL
CLE 1917 154 88 66 .571 3rd in AL
CLE 1918 127 73 54 .575 2nd in AL
CLE 1919 78 44 34 .564 resigned
CLE total 637 327 310 .513 0 0
SLB 1921 154 81 73 .526 3rd in AL
SLB 1922 154 93 61 .604 2nd in AL
SLB 1923 101 52 49 .515 fired
SLB total 409 226 183 .553 0 0
BOS 1924 154 67 87 .435 7th in AL
BOS 1925 152 47 105 .309 8th in AL
BOS 1926 153 46 107 .301 8th in AL
BOS total 459 160 299 .349 0 0
Total 1505 713 792 .474 0 0

References

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  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
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