50 Years in 50 Days: 1963

Fifty years ago, the Foxes joined the Midwest League. As part of 50 Years in 50 Days, Rattler Radio is counting down to April 5 with a look back at each season of Appleton Professional Baseball team since 1962.  The countdown to Opening Day, 2012 has reached 49.

Stats and reference material are from MWLGuide.com & baseball-reference.com.

49 Years Ago:
The 1963 Foxes had a new manager in their fourth season as an Orioles affiliate and their second season in the Midwest League.

Cover of the 1963 Fox Cities Foxes program

FOXES INFORMATION:
Team Name: Fox Cities Foxes
MLB Affiliate: Baltimore Orioles
Manager: Billy DeMars
1st Half Record: 28-32 (5th)
2nd Half Record: 27-33 (8rd)
Overall Record: 55-65

Future Major League Players:
Pitcher – Tom Fisher (10-4, 2.50ERA) 24 games, 19 starts 133 innings pitched
Pitcher – Dave Leonhard (1-0, 3.86ERA) 2 games, 2 starts, 14 innings pitched
Outfielder – Dave May Hit .310 with four homers in 71 games
Pitcher – Jim Ray (0-1, 0.00) 1 game, 1 start, 2 innings pitched
Infielder – Ron Stone; Hit .286 with no homers in 78 games

Future Major League Coach: Billy DeMars

Category leaders:

Dave May played for the Foxes in 1963. This is his Topps card from 1980.

Hitting:
Average: Dave May – .310
Homers: Theodore Richardson – 10
RBI: N/A
OPS: N/A
SB: N/A

Pitching:
Wins: Tom Fisher – 10
ERA: Hank King – 1.92
Innings Pitched: Paul Campbell – 174.0
Strikeouts: – N/A

Hey, You Look Familiar Stat: Arne Thorsland was an Orioles bonus baby who played with the Foxes during the 1960 season. He returned to start two games for the Foxes in 1963. He went 0-2 and allowed eight earned runs over eight innings.

No…Seriously Stat: In 120 Midwest League games, the Foxes hit a total of 37 home runs. Theodore Richardson accounted for 27% of his team’s homers in 1963.

Need more details stat(s): There are a lot of blanks on the Foxes’ baseball-reference page for 1963.

MIDWEST LEAGUE 1963:
Fox Cities Foxes, Burlington Bees, Cedar Rapids Red Raiders, Clinton C-Sox, Decatur Commodores, Dubuque Packers, Quad Cities Angels, Quincy Jets, Waterloo Hawks, Wisconsin Rapids Senators

MWL POSTSEASON:
There was no MWL postseason in 1963. The Clinton C-Sox won both halves (1st half: 44-18; 2nd half: 39-23) to claim the championship.

MWL ALUM OF NOTE FROM 1963:

Paul Lindblad had a great season for the Burlington Bees in 1963. This is his 1974 Topps baseball card

Paul Lindblad was a member of the Burlington Bees in 1963 and went 10-2 with a 1.58ERA in 14 starts.  Lindblad spent 14 seasons in the big leagues and appeared in 655 games (32 starts) with the Athletics, Senators, Rangers, & Yankees.  He pitched in the World Series with Oakland in 1973 and New York in 1978.  Lindblad was the winning pitcher for the A’s in Game Three of the 1973 World Series at Shea Stadium.  Oakland beat the Mets 3-2 in 11 innings.  Lindblad pitched two scoreless innings despite allowing three hits and a walk.

MWL NEWS OF NOTE: Welcome to the Midwest League Wisconsin Rapids Senators!

Opening Day is April 5, 2009. Get here soon.