RIP, Kevin Foster
October 14, 2008 – 3:02 pm by Hick Flick
Growing up a Cubs fan in the ’90s was sort of like growing up on welfare. There wasn’t much good on the table, but whatever you got, you appreciated.
And there were few pitchers that I appreciated more than Kevin Foster, who passed away this weekend of cancer at the age of 39.
Foster, an Evanston native, had his breakthrough year with the Cubs in 1995 after being traded from the Phillies for the legendary Shawn Boskie. No one in the league gave up more homers than Foster — 32 — but he still finished with a 12-11 record while striking out 146 opposing batters. Every time he pitched, you felt the Cubs had a chance to win. It was a nice change of pace.
Foster’s greatest feat occurred in the ’97 season, when he took the hill and brought an end to the Cubs’ 14-game losing streak to open the year. Despite the utter crappiness of that team, Foster finished the year with a 10-7 mark. In fact, he was an above-.500 pitcher despite generally being on lousy teams, retiring with a career record of 32-30.
I’ll always remember one game in particular — I can’t quite picture who it was against, but the Cubs were certainly overmatched — where Foster got a huge ovation as he exited the game. I think he had thrown his career high in strikeouts or something, but what made it memorable was the angle that WGN shot his exit from. The camera was behind him, and a sea of fans was standing and cheering as he walked into the dugout. I don’t know why that always stuck with me, but I guess it made me think “That’s the way you’re supposed to send a pitcher out.” (It’s also safe to assume that Mel Rojas blew the save and Foster got a no decision that day.)
There is never a normal year for Cubs fans, but this one had been particularly odd. In addition to everything that happened with the 2008 Cubs, we’ve now lost the two most promising pitchers from the ’97 team in the same year.
Geremi Gonzalez, who finished his rookie season with an 11-9 record for a 94-loss team, was killed by a lightning bolt in May. And now Foster succumbing to cancer at 39.
They weren’t All-Stars. But for anyone who loves the Cubs, they won’t be forgotten.
6 Responses to “RIP, Kevin Foster”
Wasn’t Rod Beck on that team too? That would make it a trifecta.
By Joe on Oct 14, 2008
Shooter didn’t join the Cubs until ’98. Foster and Gonzalez were both on that team too, but both had their years cut short by injuries and were out of the picture well before the playoff push. Also, Beck died last year. But you still do raise a valid point. And all three seem to have been pretty well-loved by fans and teammates.
By Hickey on Oct 14, 2008
If I recall, Foster was one hell of a hitter too. Not in the mold of Jim Bullinger, but decent nonetheless. He’ll be missed.
By TheBaker on Oct 14, 2008
I saw tears coming out of my Kevin Foster baseball card this morning after reading this post.
By TheRiot on Oct 15, 2008
It was truly a sad day. October is my favorite month, but so far it has been an awful one.
Kev was my favorite Cub pitcher during his short time with the Cubbies. I will always remember the way he used to toss/flip the ball up and down while sitting in the dugout between innings or when he wasn’t pitching. And in my pre/early teen years, I always loved when he took the mound. I can even remember and am still able to emulate his pitching motion/windup.
He’ll be missed. R.I.P Kevin.
By AK47 on Oct 15, 2008