Ray Fosse

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Raymond Earl Fosse (born April 4, 1947 in Marion, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was drafted in the first round of the 1965 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians and debuted on September 8, 1967. He batted and threw right-handed.

Arguably, Ray Fosse is most famous for being bowled over by the Cincinnati Reds' Pete Rose at home plate in the 1970 All-Star Game. The collision caused a separation of Fosse's right shoulder. While Fosse played nine more years, the injury limited his effectiveness. Rose asserts he was simply trying to win the game. However, he was widely criticized by some for over-aggressiveness in what essentially was an exhibition game and his perceived ignoring of an obviously injured Fosse.

In 1974, Fosse, by now an Oakland Athletic, had an even closer brush with disaster. On June 5 he suffered a crushed disk in his neck attempting to break up a clubhouse fight between teammates Reggie Jackson and Billy North. He was on the disabled list for three months.

He played twelve Major League seasons with the Cleveland Indians (1967-1972), the Oakland Athletics (1973-1975), Cleveland again in 1976 and part of 1977, before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. He played his final season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1979.

Fosse caught Dennis Eckersley's no-hitter vs. the California Angels on May 30, 1977 as a member of the Indians.

Fosse was a member of two World Series Champion clubs: the 1973 and 1974 A's, and also a member of the inaugural Seattle Mariners team that began playing in 1977.

Ray Fosse won Gold Glove Awards in 1970 and 1971. He has served as the color analyst for the Oakland Athletics' radio and television broadcasts since 1986.

Ray Fosse at right, with bill King and Lon Simmons, broadcasting A's baseball in 1988
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Ray Fosse at right, with bill King and Lon Simmons, broadcasting A's baseball in 1988

Other career highlights include:

Contents

[edit] Broadcaster

Fosse is currently the color commentator for the Oakland Athletics on Fox Sports Network Bay Area

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Reference

[edit] External links