Foulke Done With Baseball

February 16, 2007 at 9:35 AM

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I heard some news just now that greatly saddened me - Keith Foulke is finished with baseball. Apparently, Foulke recently experienced pain in his elbow in recent days and decided to retire rather than struggle through a third consecutive injury-plagued year. Those injuries all cropped up after his sensational 2004 campaign for the Red Sox, and I will never forget what Keith Foulke did for us in 2004. Ever. In my opinion, he had the greatest relief season in Red Sox history in 2004. Take a ride back in history to October 2004 and read this article that I wrote. (It looks like the table got stripped out in the conversion to MVN.com: you can find his 2004 postseason statistics (along with all his other ones) here. "In the 2004 postseason, Foulke appeared in 11 of 14 games, throwing 257 pitches over 14 innings. He would rack up 19 strikeouts, and over the entire stretch, allow exactly one earned run.")

Happy trails in retirement, Keith. I don't think of 2005 or 2006 when I see your name. I think of 2004.

Categories: 2004 World Series, Keith Foulke

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7 Comments on "Foulke Done With Baseball"

Posted by David Hannes, February 16, 2007 12:46 AM

Man, this bummed me out as well...he was one of my sleeper picks for my fantasy league.

Posted by Jeff Kallman, February 16, 2007 1:04 PM

Maybe Foulke really did leave everything he had and beyond on the mound in the 2004 postseason . . .

Posted by mouse, February 16, 2007 3:16 PM

This makes me sad. For the past two years, I've wondered a great deal about the toll 2004 took on Keith's body. I guess now we know the answer without doubt.

I wih him well and hope he enjoys retirement. And that he'll come back to Fenway someday when we celebrate the ten year anniversary of the '04 championship and get a long and loud standing o.

Posted by Daniel Rathman, February 16, 2007 3:41 PM

Side-note:

KNBR in San Francisco reports that the Red Sox have reached a 1-year deal with Wily Mo Pena, avoiding arbitration. The terms were not announced, but it's believed that they agreed on a salary around $2 million.

Nice to hear that's out of the way.

Posted by Knuckle Curve » Foulke Retires, February 16, 2007 4:16 PM

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Posted by Sean O, February 16, 2007 7:48 PM

God bless you Keith Foulke, you striking out Tony Clark to end game 6 is one of the best moments of my life. Mainly because if you'd walked him, my heart probably would have exploded.

Good night, funny man.

Posted by jvwalt, February 18, 2007 1:46 PM

Reminds me a lot of Willie Hernandez, closer for the 1984 World Champion Tigers. He didn't have the overwhelming postseason workload that Foulke did, but he pitched almost 150 innings of high-pressure relief in '84. He was never the same after that. He had a couple of decent seasons, but was out of baseball within a few years.

I will also remember Foulke fondly, for his key role in the 2004 title -- and his willingness to put it all on the line when it mattered most. He may not have worn a bloody sock, but he was just as heroic as Schilling.

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