Fothergill was an outstanding line-drive hitter more famous for his girth than his
hits. Charitably listed at 230, the 5'10" outfielder was sensitive about his size
and preferred Bob or Roy (his middle name) to Fat. The stories were told in every
dugout: Leo Durocher once complained it was illegal to have two men in the batter's
box; during a crash fasting program, Fothergill supposedly bit an umpire after a
called third strike; there were several accounts of his shattering outfield fences
in pursuit of fly balls. But he could hit. In 1927, his top year, he batted .359
with 114 RBI for the Tigers. Eventually relegated to pinch hitting, he led the AL
with 19 in 1929. Of those with more than 200 pinch-hit at-bats, only Fothergill has
posted a .300 career
average.
(DB)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»May 5, 1922:
Pitching against the Tigers, Browns Bill Bayne takes a no-hitter into the 8th inning. Detroit manager Ty Cobb then sends up five straight pinch hitters, the first of whom in the 9th breaks up the no-hitter. One of the pinch hitters Cobb inserts is Bob Fothergill, who bats for Cobb and strikes out, but becomes the only man ever to pinch hit for the Georgia Peach. The Browns win, 6–1.
»July 28, 1931:
The White Sox record an AL-record 12 hits in the 8th inning against the Yankees. They score 11 runs
as Bob Fothergill homers and triples to win 14-12.
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