Red Foley, 79, Enduring Baseball Scribe

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The New York Sun

Red Foley, a stalwart of the New York baseball press and the most celebrated official scorer of his time in the major leagues, died yesterday at Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing. He was 79.

Between 1981 and 2001, Foley was an official scorer in 10 World Series, more than any other scorer in modern history. That included the Series of 1985, 1987, and 1991, which did not involve New York teams.

Foley was a sports writer for the New York Daily News for 34 years, before retiring in 1981. He began working as an official scorer in 1966 and continued to do so until 2002, scoring more than 3,000 games.

During his years at the Daily News, Foley covered the New York Rangers hockey team along with pro soccer, college football, and some baseball. He covered baseball almost exclusively from 1970 on, principally the New York Mets. During those years, he had a question-and-answer column entitled “Ask Red,” which ran in the New York Post for a couple of years after he left the Daily News. He also edited several books of sporting photos, cartoons, and baseball cards.

He served for many years as an officer of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and chaired the New York chapter in 1969-70.

Foley never married and is survived by a nephew and two nieces.


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