Pre-war (1940-41) In 1940, Cox signed to play for the independent
Class-B Harrisburg Senators of the
Interstate League. Playing shortstop for the 1940 Senators, he had a .288
batting average, with eight
home runs, five
triples and twenty-four
doubles in 120 games; and was named an all-star. Cox was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1941, after the Pirates paid the Senators $20,000.) Cox made his MLB debut with the Pirates on September 20, 1941, playing in ten games at shortstop that season. These would be his last games with the Pirates until 1946.
World War II service Cox entered military service on February 9, 1942. He did have the opportunity to play organized baseball at times in the military, and he was once allowed to play for the Pirates in an exhibition game against the Harrisburg Senators in 1942. Soon after, he was sent overseas as part of the 814th
Signal Corps, the role of which was to follow front line troops and lay wire to set up communication centers. He served in
North Africa,
Sicily,
Italy,
France and
Germany. He also served 18 months on
Guadalcanal. He was discharged from the service in November 1945. Although he had missed four years of major league baseball, he hit .290, and was 27th in
Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting. In 1947, he hit .274, with career highs in home runs (15), triples (7), doubles (30),
hits (145),
runs batted in (RBI) (54), and
runs scored (75). His fielding percentage at shortstop went from .935 in 1946 to .968 in 1947. Roe would go on to have a 93–37 won–loss record for the Dodgers over seven years, including 15, 19, and 22 win seasons as a starting pitcher; and Cox became an important player for the Dodgers at third base, also playing seven years in Brooklyn. After seeing Cox field in the
1952 World Series, Hall of Fame third baseman
George Kell said, "'I never dreamed third base could be played with such artistry until I saw Cox in that Series.'" In 1950, he led National League third baseman with a .957 fielding percentage, and was second in 1951 (.967). His fielding percentages at third base were similar in his other Dodger years (1948/.958, 1949/.964, 1952/.970, 1953/.974, and 1954/.961). From 1949-53, seasons in which he had at least 371 plate appearances, Cox hit between .233 and .291. His best Dodgers hitting year came in 1953, in only 327 at bats. Cox hit .291, with 10 home runs, 18 doubles, 44 RBIs, 44 runs scored and an .806 OPS (
on-base plus slugging). In the
1953 World Series, Cox had a two-run double in Game 2 and a three-run home run in Game 5 against the
New York Yankees. Cox was an infield starter (principally at third base) and
leadoff hitter with the Orioles during the first half of 1955, starting at third base and hitting leadoff in the Orioles opening game that year. He started 34 games at third base, and twelve more between shortstop and second base. A number of other Orioles played third base that year, including future Hall of Fame third baseman
Brooks Robinson who was in his first year as an Oriole. Two months into the 1955 season, on June 15, he was traded along with
Gene Woodling from the Orioles to the
Cleveland Indians for
Dave Pope,
Wally Westlake and cash before the trade deadline on June 15, 1955. was Cleveland's general manager who had traded for Cox. He would not report to his new team. Even after a meeting with Indians' manager
Al López, Cox resolved to retire and did so on June 17. Cox told López and Greenberg that he had a bad leg, and was suffering form an
inguinal hernia, and did not believe he could go on playing. == Legacy ==