keith foulke

Widely considered one of the top closers in baseball, MLB All-Star Keith Foulke enjoyed a stand-out playing career. Between 1997 and 2008 he pitched for the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. With an effective 93 MPH fastball and what many thought to be one of the best ever changeups in the game, Foulke was solid against right-handed batters and incredibly lethal against left-handed hitters. The legendary pitcher earned the final out of the 2004 series and was an All-Star in 2003.

Born at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, Foulke kicked off his playing career in the San Francisco Giants’ minor league system. During the 1997 season he was traded to the White Sox whre he found a home in the bullpen. By the 1999 season he had established himself as one of the best relief pitchers in the league, and in 2000 he inherited the closer’s role and began to flourish, becoming a major reason for the team to with the Al Central title after saving 34 games.

After being traded to Oakland Athletics he went on to distinguish himself as a closer during the 2003 season, also winning the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award and being named to the All-Star team.

Since retiring Foulke spent time back at Red Sox as a coach, and appears regularly in the media and on podcasts discussing the ins and outs of the game.