Danny Cox (baseball)
A hard-throwing right-hander who became a postseason hero for the Cardinals and later a key arm in the Blue Jays' back-to-back championship runs.
Born 1959 (age 67)·Anglo-American baseball player·Birthday: September 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Danny Cox's journey to the mound was unconventional, beginning in Northampton, England, where he was born on a US Air Force base. Discovered playing American football, his powerful arm translated to a baseball career defined by resilience and clutch performances. He burst onto the scene with the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming a mainstay of their rotation and a central figure in their 1985 and 1987 National League pennant-winning teams. His bulldog mentality was on full display in the postseason, where he delivered gritty starts under pressure. A serious knee injury derailed his career for two full seasons, but Cox fought his way back, reinventing himself as a reliever. This second act culminated with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he provided valuable innings out of the bullpen for the 1992 and 1993 teams that won the World Series, securing his place as a winner on both sides of the border.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Danny was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Danny Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Danny's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two World Series championships as a relief pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.
- Started and won the decisive Game 7 of the 1985 NLCS for the St. Louis Cardinals, sending them to the World Series.
- Finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1983 after winning 12 games for the Cardinals.
- Pitched over 200 innings in three separate seasons during his peak with St. Louis.
Did You Know?
He was originally scouted as a quarterback prospect before focusing on baseball.
He missed the entire 1989 and 1990 seasons recovering from a devastating knee injury suffered during a baserunning drill.
He is one of a small number of players born in England to have played in Major League Baseball.
“I just reared back and threw it as hard as I could.”
