Fitzsimmons, Fat Freddie

Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons, byname of Frederick Landis Fitzsimmons, (born July 28, 1901, Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S.—died November 18, 1979, Yucca Valley, California), professional right-handed baseball pitcher for the National League who was famous for his windup, in which he rotated his pitching arm while twisting his body so that he faced second base before turning to deliver the pitch. His best pitches were a knuckle ball and a curve ball.

Fitzsimmons played minor league baseball from 1920 at Muskegon, Michigan, and Indianapolis, Indiana, before joining the New York Giants in 1925; he pitched for them through the 1937 season and for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1937–43). His career record was 217 wins and 146 losses. In 1940 he won 16 and lost 2 games, for a winning percentage of .889, a record that stood until 1959, when Roy Face had .947. After retiring as a player, he managed the Philadelphia Phillies (1943–45) and coached for the Boston Braves (1948), the New York Giants (1949–55), and the Chicago Cubs (1957–58 and 1966).