View source for Freddie Fitzsimmons

{{short description|American baseball player and manager (1901-1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Freddie Fitzsimmons
|image=FreddieFitzsimmonsGoudeycard.jpg
|caption=Fitzsimmons on a 1933 [[Goudey]] baseball card
|position=[[Pitcher]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1901|7|28}}
|birth_place=[[Mishawaka, Indiana]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1979|11|18|1901|7|28}}
|death_place=[[Yucca Valley, California]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=August 12
|debutyear=1925
|debutteam=New York Giants
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=July 16
|finalyear=1943
|finalteam=Brooklyn Dodgers
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=217–146
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.51
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=870
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{mlby|1925}}–{{mlby|1937}})
* [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1937}}–{{mlby|1943}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1943}}–{{mlby|1945}})
'''As coach'''
* [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1940}})
* [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] ({{mlby|1948}})
* [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{mlby|1949}}–{{mlby|1955}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1957}}–{{mlby|1959}})
* [[Kansas City Athletics]] ({{mlby|1960}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1966}})
|highlights=
* 2× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1933}}, {{wsy|1954}})
}}
'''Frederick Landis Fitzsimmons''' (July 28, 1901 – November 18, 1979) was an [[Americans|American]] professional [[baseball]] right-handed [[pitcher]], [[Manager (baseball)|manager]], and [[Coach (baseball)|coach]], who played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) from {{by|1925}} to {{by|1943}} with the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] and [[Brooklyn Dodgers]]. Nicknamed '''''Fat Freddie''''' (he carried as much as {{convert|205|lb}} on his {{convert|5|ft|11|in}} frame),<ref>{{cite book|last1=Spink|first1=J. G. Taylor|last2=Rickart|first2=Paul A.|last3=Abramovich|first3=Joe|title=The Sporting News 1958 Official Baseball Register|year=1958|publisher=[[The Sporting News]]|location=St. Louis, Missouri|page=273}}</ref> and known for his mastery of the [[knuckle curve]], Fitzsimmons' 217 [[win (baseball)|wins]] were the third most by a [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) right-hander in the period from {{by|1920}} to {{by|1955}}, trailing only [[Burleigh Grimes]] and [[Paul Derringer]]. In {{by|1940}} he set an NL record, which stood until {{by|1959}}, with a single-season winning percentage of .889 (16–2). He was an agile fielder in spite of his heavy build, holding the major league record for career [[double play]]s (79) from {{by|1938}} to {{by|1964}}, and tying another record by leading the league in [[putout]]s four times; he ranked eighth in NL history in putouts (237) and ninth in [[fielding percentage]] (.977) when his career ended.

==Playing career==
Born in [[Mishawaka, Indiana]], Fitzsimmons broke in with the Giants in August 1925, posting a 6–3 record over the rest of the year. After seasons of 14 and 17 wins, he earned a career-high 20 victories in 1928, a year which saw the arrival of teammate [[Carl Hubbell]]; until Fitzsimmons' departure in {{by|1937}}, the two formed a formidable left-right combination at the heart of the Giants' staff. In {{by|1930}} he led the NL in winning percentage for the first time with a 19–7 record (.731), and an 18–11 season followed in {{by|1931}}. In {{by|1933}}, the first full season after [[Bill Terry]] took over from [[John McGraw]] as manager, he won 16 games with a 2.90 [[earned run average]] as the Giants won the NL pennant; in the [[1933 World Series]] against the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]], he suffered a 4–0 defeat in Game 3, though it was New York's only loss as they captured their first title since {{by|1922}}.

Fitzsimmons had another 18-win season in {{by|1934}}, and led the NL in putouts for the fourth time, tying [[Grover Cleveland Alexander]]'s major league mark. However, his career then began to plateau. He had years of 4–8 and 10–7 in {{by|1935}} and {{by|1936}}, with the Giants winning the NL pennant again the latter year; he led the NL in [[shutouts in baseball|shutout]]s in {{by|1935}}, blanking opponents in all 4 of his victories. His troubles returned in the [[1936 World Series]] against the [[New York Yankees]]; he lost Game 3 by a 2–1 score, and was bombarded in the final Game 6 loss, leaving in the fourth inning while trailing 5–2. After a 6–10 start in {{by|1937}}, he was traded to the Dodgers in June for reliever [[Tom Baker (1930s pitcher)|Tom Baker]], who made only 15 appearances for the Giants. Brooklyn shortstop [[Leo Durocher]] praised his new teammate's competitiveness, saying, "I wish we had nine guys like Fitz. We'd never lose." Though his record in {{by|1938}}–{{by|1939}} totaled only 18–17, in {{by|1938}} he tied Grimes' mark of 74 career double plays, passing him the following year; [[Warren Spahn]] broke his record in {{by|1964}}. He came back in {{by|1940}} with a 16–2 campaign, finishing fifth in the [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] voting. His .889 winning percentage broke the NL record of .842 (16–3) shared by [[Tom L. Hughes]] ({{by|1916}} [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]]) and [[Emil Yde]] ({{by|1924}} [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]), and stood until [[Roy Face]] posted an 18–1 mark (.947) with the {{by|1959}} Pirates.

Fitzsimmons made only 12 starts in {{by|1941}}, going 6–1 as the Dodgers won their first pennant since {{by|1920}}. He almost earned his long-elusive [[1941 World Series|World Series]] victory against the Yankees, holding them to four [[hit (baseball)|hits]] through seven innings in Game 3. But he was forced to leave with a 0–0 score after being struck in the kneecap by a line drive hit by [[Marius Russo]], which caromed into [[Pee Wee Reese]]'s glove to end the inning. His replacement surrendered two runs in the eighth, and New York triumphed 2–1.

Fitzsimmons compiled a 217–146 (.598) record with an ERA of 3.51 and 870 [[strikeout]]s in 513 games and 3,223<small>{{Fraction|2|3}}</small> [[innings pitched]]. According to Durocher, Fitzsimmons would tell hitters in advance that he was going to throw a [[brushback pitch]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dark|first1=Alvin|last2=Underwood|first2=John|title=When in Doubt, Fire the Manager: My Life and Times in Baseball|publisher=E. P. Dutton|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-525-23264-8|page=51}}</ref> Offensively, he was a better than average hitting pitcher in his career. He compiled a .200 average (231–1155) with 112 runs, 103 RBI and 14 home runs. In {{by|1930}}, {{by|1931}}, and {{by|1932}} as a member of the New York Giants, he drove in 13, 18, and 10 runs respectively. In four World Series appearances, he batted .375 (3–8).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/Pfitzf101.htm|title=Freddie Fitzsimmons Career Statistics at Retrosheet|website=retrosheet.org|accessdate= February 10, 2025}}</ref>

==Manager and coach==
Following his knee injury, Fitzsimmons made only one start in {{by|1942}} and served as a coach on player-manager Durocher's staff. He then returned to the active list and made nine appearances for the {{by|1943}} Dodgers before Brooklyn released him July 27. The following day, the tail-ending [[Philadelphia Phillies]] tabbed him as their manager, replacing [[Bucky Harris]] and ending Fitzsimmons' playing career.

He managed the Phillies through the middle of the {{by|1945}} season, compiling only 105 wins against 181 losses (.367). In {{by|1943}} and {{by|1944}}, he also served as general manager of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC)|Brooklyn Dodgers]] in the [[All-America Football Conference]]. After [[World War II]], Fitzsimmons became a coach with the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] ({{by|1948}}), Giants ({{by|1949}}–{{by|1955}}), [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{by|1957}}–{{by|1959}}; {{by|1966}}), and [[Kansas City Athletics]] ({{by|1960}}). He also managed in [[Minor League Baseball|minor league baseball]]. On Durocher's Giants staff, Fitzsimmons finally earned a championship as a coach for the [[1954 World Series]] team.

[[Bob Lemon]] broke the major league mark shared by Fitzsimmons by leading the [[American League]] in putouts five times between {{by|1948}} and {{by|1954}}; [[Greg Maddux]] eventually broke the NL record.

Fitzsimmons died of a heart attack at age 78 in [[Yucca Valley, California]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fTweAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ir8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4282,4856185&dq=freddie+fitzsimmons+dies&hl=en |title=Fitzsimmons Dies Of Heart Attack |agency=[[Associated Press]] (AP) |newspaper=Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune |date=December 16, 1979 |page=4-C |access-date=February 18, 2019}}</ref> He was buried at [[Colton, California#Cemeteries|Montecito Memorial Park]], in Colton, California.<ref name=sabr>{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/freddie-fitzsimmons/ |title=Freddie Fitzsimmons |first1=Gregory H. |last1=Wolf |website=sabr.org |publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]] |access-date=August 6, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Baseballstats |mlb=114203 |espn=21599 |br=f/fitzsfr01 |fangraphs=1004122 |brm=fitzsi001fre |retro=F/Pfitzf101 }}
*{{Baseball-reference manager|fitzsfr01}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|5a7df0b9}}
*{{Find a Grave|6819127}}
*[https://cdm16014.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll27/id/5/rec/34 Freddie Fitzsimmons Interview] (sound recording) by [[Eugene Murdock|Eugene C. Murdock, Ph.D.]], on June 16, 1978, in Yucca Valley, California (1 hr.). Available on the [[Cleveland Public Library]]'s Digital Gallery.

{{1933 New York Giants}}
{{1954 New York Giants}}
{{San Francisco Giants Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies managers}}
{{Navegantes del Magallanes managers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimmons, Freddie}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Indiana]]
[[Category:Binghamton Triplets managers]]
[[Category:Boston Braves coaches]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers coaches]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs coaches]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Indians players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Athletics coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball first base coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
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[[Category:Minneapolis Millers (baseball) managers]]
[[Category:Minor league baseball managers]]
[[Category:Muskegon Muskies players]]
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[[Category:Sportspeople from Mishawaka, Indiana]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies managers]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]