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The Stars had picked him up after the Seattle Mariners had released him just before the '89 season began. Once a Stars opponent with the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1987 who led the Southern League in triples that year with 10, Fox was a speedster who stole 145 bases in his first four professional seasons, peaking with the Stars in '89 when he stole 49........ He also hit .251 with 15 HRs and 51 RBIs mostly in the leadoff role, and drew 85 walks. In the field, he led SL outfielders in putouts with 306, DPs, and total chances, and is one of only four outfielders who ever played for the Stars to record 300 or more putouts in a season........ To have seen him play and use his speed to make some impossible Krynzel-like catches was enough to convince me to this day that he was one of the best centerfielders ever to play for Huntsville.

After a promotion to Tacoma, injuries starting in June 1990 took effect on his career, and eventually the A's sent him back down to Huntsville after a two year absence. Those who remembered were excited to have him back. On May 8, 1992, he woke up those who forgot.

The Orlando Sun Rays entered this Friday game as the top hitting team in the league, boasting a .296 average, but the pitching staff was starting a roll, recently --- a scoreless inning string of 8 innings from yesterday's 14-inning, 8-7 victory over Orlando, won by right fielder Mike Conte, who until 1996 would be the only position player to ever win a game from the mound. Manager Casey Parsons went with Steve Phoenix, whose last start was in 1991 at Modesto. Casey told him, "As far as you're concerned, this is a middle relief appearance. Go as hard as you can for as long as you can."

Continuing a nearly scoreless string of five innings the previous day, Huntsville and Orlando were scoreless for nine more. Over what would be this 19 2/3 inning shutout string, the Sun Rays managed just two bad-hop singles and an infield hit. The Stars had held this team to a .210 average, the staff holding them to seven walks and striking them out 35 times.

But the Stars were themselves stymied at the plate by Al Newman. In his last start (vs. Knoxville), he went 7 1/3 perfect innings........ Facing the Stars this day, he would scatter five singles and allow two walks, while striking out eight. The only chance the Stars had was in the 7th when they put two runners on with nobody out. A double play ended the threat.

Fox, who had just come into town at 5 pm, went 2-for-4 and stole a base in his return. He broke the scoreless 10-inning tie in the 11th inning.

Leading off the 11th, Fox grounded the ball to third. It was fielded cleanly by 3rd baseman Paul Russo, but Fox and his speed beat the throw to first. After Kevin Dattola struck out, Dave Jacas looped a single to right. Fox read it right off the bat. As soon as he saw his hit fall into right, he took off, surprising Parsons who had thrown up the stop sign, but when he slid into third, Fox told Parsons in the coaches box, "Ain't no way I'm stopping at second. Let's win this thing and go eat."

Craig Paquette was walked to load the bases and then Marcos Armas shattered his bat in driving a 1-0 pitch over the head of Ray Ortiz in left field, going all the way to the warning track in left to score Fox with the game-winning run, a 1-0 victory, the Stars' 39th hit in their last 32 innings.

Eric Fox was never the same after his 1990 leg injury. He never came close to the 49 stolen bases he had the previous season. In 59 games for the Stars in 1992, he hit .271 and was promoted to Oakland on July 6. After hitting .238, .143, and .205 in three call-ups to Oakland, he was signed as a free agent by the Texas Rangers at the end of the 1994 season. He was hitless in 15 at-bats in 1995, his last major league season.

Foxy today is with the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A-California League as a coach.

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