Ray Fosse

Born: 4/4/1947 in Marion, IL, USA

Died: 10/13/2021 in Diablo, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1967-09-08 | Final Game: 1979-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Raymond Earl Fosse

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Biography

Ray Fosse, born in 1947, was a notable American professional baseball player who played as a position player in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 to 1979. Over the course of his career, which spanned more than a decade, Fosse participated in 924 games, accumulating 758 hits, 61 home runs, and 324 runs batted in (RBIs), while maintaining a batting average of .256. Known for his defensive prowess and ability behind the plate, he was selected as an All-Star twice, marking his significance in an era that valued both offensive contributions and defensive skills. Fosse's career coincided with a transformative period in baseball, as the game was evolving with the emergence of power hitters and a focus on athleticism. He was particularly recognized for his aggressive playing style, which was exemplified in his famous collision with Pete Rose during the 1970 All-Star Game, a moment that intensified the discussion around player safety. Fosse's contributions to the teams he played for, including the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics, left a lasting impact, and he is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his competitive spirit and dedication to the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
924	2957	299	758	117	13	61	324	15	203	363	0.256	0.306	0.367	0.673	-1726.0

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .306 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .367 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.673 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1967	CLE	AL	7	16	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0.062	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	CLE	AL	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1969	CLE	AL	37	116	11	20	3	0	2	9	1	8	29	0.172	.248 (-31%)	.320 (-28%)	.369 (-32%)	.689 (-30%)	-591.2
1970	CLE	AL	120	450	62	138	17	1	18	61	1	39	55	0.307	.253 (+21%)	.325 (+11%)	.385 (+22%)	.711 (+17%)	1415.5
1971	CLE	AL	133	486	53	134	21	1	12	62	4	36	62	0.276	.249 (+11%)	.316 (+4%)	.365 (+9%)	.682 (+6%)	556.9
1972	CLE	AL	134	457	42	110	20	1	10	41	5	45	46	0.241	.243 (-1%)	.310 (avg)	.353 (avg)	.664 (avg)	49.8
1973	OAK	AL	143	492	37	126	23	2	7	52	2	25	62	0.256	.256 (avg)	.325 (-11%)	.378 (-7%)	.703 (-8%)	-966.3
1974	OAK	AL	69	204	20	40	8	3	4	23	1	11	31	0.196	.256 (-24%)	.324 (-26%)	.369 (-12%)	.693 (-19%)	-754.9
1975	OAK	AL	82	136	14	19	3	2	0	12	0	8	19	0.140	.257 (-46%)	.327 (-41%)	.374 (-49%)	.701 (-45%)	-1138.7
1976	CLE	AL	90	276	26	83	9	1	2	30	1	20	20	0.301	.255 (+18%)	.320 (+8%)	.360 (avg)	.681 (+4%)	225.1
1977	CLE	AL	78	238	25	63	7	1	6	27	0	7	26	0.265	.264 (avg)	.329 (-11%)	.401 (-6%)	.730 (-8%)	-383.1
1977	SEA	AL	11	34	3	12	3	0	0	5	0	2	2	0.353	—	—	—	—	-383.1
1979	ATL	AL	19	52	6	12	3	1	0	2	0	2	6	0.231	.265 (-13%)	.329 (-13%)	.397 (-18%)	.727 (-16%)	-139.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
22	58	4	10	3	0	2	7	5	14	0.172

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1975	ALCS	OAK	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.000
1974	ALCS	OAK	4	12	1	4	1	1	3	1	2	0.333
1974	WS	OAK	5	14	1	2	0	1	1	1	5	0.143
1973	ALCS	OAK	5	11	2	1	1	0	3	2	2	0.091
1973	WS	OAK	7	19	0	3	1	0	0	1	4	0.158

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	13	9	69	2	0	10
2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
C	889	796	4831	438	78	61

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1967	CLE	C	7	5	46	7	0	0
1968	CLE	C	1	0	1	0	0	0
1969	CLE	C	37	32	237	18	6	2
1970	CLE	C	120	120	854	70	10	7
1971	CLE	1B	4	5	19	0	0	6
1971	CLE	C	126	119	748	73	10	16
1972	CLE	1B	3	2	27	1	0	3
1972	CLE	C	124	121	713	70	12	9
1973	OAK	C	141	137	713	63	10	5
1974	OAK	C	68	64	299	28	9	6
1975	OAK	1B	1	0	3	0	0	0
1975	OAK	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1975	OAK	C	82	41	250	15	5	1
1976	CLE	1B	3	1	10	1	0	1
1976	CLE	C	85	78	483	42	7	9
1977	CLE	1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1977	CLE	C	77	67	426	48	8	4
1977	SEA	C	8	7	29	1	1	1
1979	ML4	1B	1	1	9	0	0	0
1979	ML4	C	13	5	32	3	0	1