Charles Richard Maxwell (April 8, 1927 – December 27, 2024), sometimes known as "Sunday Charlie", "the Sabbath Slugger", and "Ol' Paw Paw", was an American left-handed professional baseball left fielder. A native of Michigan, he played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Boston Red Sox (1950–52, 1954), Baltimore Orioles (1955), Detroit Tigers (1955–62), and Chicago White Sox (1962–64).
Maxwell was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1956 and 1957. In 1956, he finished among the American League (AL) leaders with a .534 slugging percentage (third in the AL behind Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams); a .326 batting average (fourth in AL behind Mantle, Williams, and Detroit teammate Harvey Kuenn); a .414 on-base percentage (fourth in the AL); and 96 runs (fourth in the AL). He led all American League outfielders in fielding percentage in 1957 (.997) and 1960 (.996), committing only one error in each year. He also finished among the top five home run hitters in the American League in 1956 (28) and 1959 (31).
For his 14 years in the major leagues, Maxwell compiled a .264 batting average, a .360 on-base percentage, and a .451 slugging percentage with 148 home runs, 484 walks, and 532 RBIs. He appeared in 1,133 games, including 781 in left field, 56 in right field, and 43 at first base. He posted a .988 career fielding percentage.
Maxwell learned to play baseball in an open field with stones to mark the bases. He attended Lawton High School where he played both baseball and basketball. He then attended Western Michigan College of Education (now known as Western Michigan University), playing college baseball as a pitcher in 1945. He struck out 15 batters in a game against Central Michigan in June 1945.
At the end of his freshman year at Western Michigan, Maxwell was inducted into the United States Army, serving as a sergeant in the infantry. He spent most of his time in army camps in the Southern United States. After his military service, Maxwell played amateur baseball for the Kalamazoo Bears. At Wellsville, Maxwell was converted into an outfielder. After a month with the club, Wellsville manager Tom Carey told Maxwell "your control's pretty bad, kid, but you hit a long ball. How about trying the outfield?"
In 1948, Maxwell returned to Roanoke. He started fast at Roanoke, but injuries hampered his performance, and he ended the 1948 season with a .294 batting average with 12 home runs. but he was optioned back to Roanoke in early May. On his return to Roanoke, Maxwell won the Piedmont League Triple crown with a .345 batting average, 29 home runs, and 112 RBIs. He also led the league with 164 hits and 297 total bases. On May 25, 1949, Maxwell capped a comeback from a 13–4 deficit with a two-out, three-run homer in the ninth inning.
Maxwell spent most of the 1950 season with the Double-A Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association. He compiled a .320 batting average (.422 on-base percentage, .604 slugging) with 25 home runs in 192 games during the regular season.
Boston and Louisville (1950–1955)
Maxwell was called up to Boston for the last week of the 1950 season. He made his major league debut on September 20, 1950, appeared in three games, and went hitless with a walk in nine plate appearances.
Maxwell's batting average in 1951 was .188 (15 hits in 80 at bats). He compiled a .272 batting average with 21 home runs and 85 RBIs for the Colonels in 1952. He also drew a career-high 102 walks for a .410 on-base percentage. He played the full 1953 season for the Colonels, compiling a .305 batting average, .405 on-base percentage, 93 walks, 23 home runs and 107 RBIs.
Maxwell's strong performance in Louisville and Ted Williams' broken collarbone gave Maxwell additional playing time at the start of the 1954 season. In mid-May, Williams returned to the lineup, and Maxwell returned to a backup role. Maxwell appeared in 74 games for the Red Sox in 1954, 12 as a starter in left field, but his batting average remained underwhelming at .250. Maxwell appeared in only four games for the Orioles, tallying four pinch-hit at-bats without a hit. During the 1955 season, he was the Tigers' backup left fielder behind Jim Delsing.
Early in the 1956 season, Maxwell took over Delsing's spot as the Tigers' starting right fielder. In his first season as an every-day player in the major leagues, Maxwell appeared in 141 games (130 as a starter in left field) and won a spot on the 1956 American League All-Star team. During the 1956 season, Maxwell finished among the American League (AL) leaders in most batting categories with a .534 slugging percentage (third in the AL behind Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams); a .326 batting average (fourth in AL behind Mantle, Williams, and Detroit teammate Harvey Kuenn); a .414 on-base percentage (fourth in the AL); 96 runs (fourth in the AL); 28 home runs (5th in the AL); and 87 RBIs (fifth in the AL). Maxwell also excelled in the field in 1956, with a .987 fielding percentage. On October 4, 1956, Maxwell's hometown of Paw Paw observed Charlie Maxwell Day with a banquet in his honor, a parade, and presentation of a key to the city.
In 1957, Maxwell was named to the American League All-Star team for the second straight year. Having committed only four errors in 1956, Maxwell improved his performance in 1957, committing only one error in over 300 chances. He led all American League outfielders with a .997 fielding percentage, and his 2.36 Range factor was 0.39 points above the average for all outfielders. Maxwell also continued his strong hitting in 1957. Though his batting average dipped by 50 points to .276, he finished with a .377 on-base percentage (eighth best in the AL) and 24 home runs (seventh in the AL).
After a decline in Maxwell's performance in 1958 (13 home runs and 65 RBIs), He joined Ted Williams Bill Nicholson, Hank Greenberg, Jimmy Foxx, and Lou Gehrig as the only modern major leaguers to hit home runs in four consecutive official at bats.
Over the course of his career, Maxwell hit 40 of his 148 home runs (27%) on Sundays. When asked how he was able to hit so many home runs on Sundays, Maxwell replied, "I don't know how but I sure wish I could find out so I could do it on the other days of the week."
Maxwell was also given the nicknames "Ol' Paw Paw" (owing to Maxwell's home town) and "Sunday Punch" by the Detroit Tigers announcer Van Patrick. He was also sometimes known as "The People's Choice" due to his friendliness with fans and his pregame entertaining of busloads of kids (known as the Knothole Gang) seated in the leftfield stands on Saturdays, including "catch[ing] fly balls behind his back, or between his legs, and then toss[ing] them to the youngsters."
Maxwell was offered a job by the White Sox as a minor-league hitting instructor, but declined, opting instead to return to his home in Paw Paw, Michigan. His 10-year-old son, Jeff, was about to undergo surgery, and he noted: "It took about three days to decide I had enough. I never knew how much fun it was to stay around the house in the summer. We went fishing and swimming and went on picnics." They were married for over 70 years and had four children: Charles Richard Jr. (born c. 1951), Jeffrey (born c. 1954), Cindy (born c. 1956), and Kelle (born c. 1967). Maxwell lived for many years on Maple Lake in Paw Paw, Michigan. He noted in 1981 that he "enjoys Maple Lake. We have a paddleboat and speedboat that we use on the lake." He later worked as a sales representative for Hayes-Albion Corp. and Paramount Diecasting, companies that supplied parts to automobile manufacturers.
In 1997, Maxwell was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
The Village of Paw Paw Historical Commission sponsored "Charlie Maxwell Days" on August 7 and 8, 2010. The event included a display of memorabilia from Maxwell's playing career, the dedication of a two-sided monument stone honoring Maxwell, a public reception where the public could meet Maxwell, a parade following the dedication ceremony, and the renaming of the local baseball field as "Charlie Maxwell Field." Maxwell also served as the honorary manager of the Paw Paw Corkers for an 1860s style baseball game against the House of David Echoes.
The Paw Paw Brewing Company produced a "Mr. Sunday Hopped Up Amber Ale" featuring Maxwell's name and likeness.
Maxwell's wife died in 2021. Prior to his death, he was the oldest living alumnus of the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox.