Jimmie Foxx Hits for the Cycle and Drives in Nine Runs

On August 14, 1933, Philadelphia Athletics first baseman Jimmie Foxx hit for the cycle and drove in nine runs in an 11-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The nine RBIs set a new American League record, breaking the mark of eight that Roy Hartzell had held since 1911. Foxx went 4-for-5 with a single, double, triple, and home run, and his home run was a grand slam.

Foxx was 25 years old and in the middle of the finest stretch of his career. He had won the American League Triple Crown the previous season with a .364 batting average, 58 home runs, and 169 RBIs. In 1933, he was on his way to another MVP award, finishing the year with a .356 average, 48 home runs, and 163 RBIs. The August 14 performance was the kind of complete offensive display that defined "Double X" at his peak.

The cycle was the eighth in Athletics history, and it came during an extraordinary hot streak for the franchise. Just twelve days earlier, catcher Mickey Cochrane had hit for the cycle on August 2. Rookie third baseman Pinky Higgins had done the same on August 6. Three cycles by the same team in less than two weeks was unprecedented.

Foxx's power was legendary even in an era full of sluggers. He had enormous forearms and a compact swing that generated tremendous bat speed. Pitchers described the sound of his line drives as different from anyone else's, a sharp crack that carried a threat even when fielders caught the ball. Ted Williams, who later played alongside Foxx in Boston, said Foxx hit the ball harder than anyone he ever saw.

The 1933 season was Foxx's last great year in Philadelphia. Connie Mack, facing financial pressure from the Great Depression, would dismantle the Athletics roster over the next two years, selling Foxx to the Red Sox after the 1935 season. Foxx finished his career with 534 home runs and a place in the Hall of Fame's class of 1951.