Tom Foley’s numbers against the Cubs aren’t particularly good. Of course, Foley’s numbers against everyone else aren’t particularly good, either. But anyone who followed the Cubs in the 80s and early 90s remembers what a pain in the ass the pesky little shortstop was. Pain enough to come in at #64 on the Top 79 Cub Killers of My Time.
Foley was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh round of the 1977 draft. He spent his entire Major League career in the National League, giving him plenty of opportunities to torment the Cubs. 125 games, to be exact.
The career utility player compiled a paltry .244/.303/.344 line in the course of his thirteen seasons. Against the Cubs, he wasn’t much better, but his numbers did surge to .269/.321/.380 against the Northsiders. His 87 hits against the Cubs caused his batting average against them to be higher than it was against any other team.
He hit 5 of his 32 career home runs, more than against any other team, off Cub pitching. His 31 RBIs against the Cubs are second only to his 36 against the San Francisco Giants. He scored 38 runs against the Cubs, more than against any other team.
But the numbers don’t truly tell the tale of how the annoying Foley somehow always managed to be right in the middle of rally after rally against the Cubs. So, let’s just get to that, shall we?
Why You Should Hate Him: I’m sure someone with a better memory than I have can remember a long list of reasons to hate Foley. But one memorable one was September 25, 1989 in Olympic Stadium. The Cubs were in Montreal trying to clinch the NL East title over the St. Louis Cardinals. They sent Rick Sutcliffe to the mound against Bryn Smith. The Cubs had a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the 5th inning. That was when Foley, hitting only .228 on the season, drilled the first pitch he saw from Sutcliffe into the right field seats to bring the Expos within one run. In the bottom of the 6th inning, Foley had another chance to ruin the Cubs’ day. With the bases loaded, one out, and the Expos still down a run, Foley hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Marquis Grissom and tie the game. The Cubs rallied for a run in the top of the 7th inning to take a 3-2 lead. But in the bottom of the 9th, with the Expos still trailing by a run, Foley led off with a base hit. He was lifted for Otis Nixon, who stole second base, was bunted to third, and scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game. The Expos, of course, won the game in the bottom of the 10th inning. And the legend of Tom Foley grew and grew.
Did You Know? Foley is currently the third base coach for the Tampa Bay
