Bill Foster (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill FosterWillie Foster |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 12, 1904 Calvert, Texas |
|||
| Died: September 16, 1978 (aged 74) Lorman, Mississippi |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| 1923, Memphis Red Sox | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| 1937, Chicago American Giants | |||
| Career statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 143–69 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.40 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|||
| Induction | 1996 | ||
| Election Method | Veterans Committee | ||
William Hendrick Foster (born June 12, 1904 – died September 16, 1978) was an amazing left-handed pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played in the 1920s and 1930s. He won 143 games and lost only 69 in his career.
Bill Foster was so good that he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also the younger half-brother of Rube Foster. Rube was another famous Negro League player and a Hall of Famer too!
Contents
Bill Foster's Early Life
Bill Foster was born in 1904 in a town called Calvert, Texas. His father was also the father of Rube Foster. Rube was a very important person in baseball. He helped start the Negro National League.
Sadly, Bill's mother passed away when he was only four years old. After that, his grandparents raised him in Rodney, Mississippi. He didn't even meet his famous older half-brother, Rube, until he was a teenager.
Playing Professional Baseball
Bill Foster played for several teams during his baseball career. He started with the Memphis Red Sox in 1923 and 1924. Then he joined the Chicago American Giants for many years. He also played for the Homestead Grays, Kansas City Monarchs, and Pittsburgh Crawfords.
Winning Championships
Foster was a key player for the Chicago American Giants. His team won the Negro National League championship in 1926 and 1927. They also won the Negro League World Series in those same years.
In 1932, his team won the Negro Southern League title. They won the Negro National League again in 1933. In 1930, Bill even got to be the player-manager for the team.
Foster's Amazing Pitching
In 1926, Bill Foster had an incredible season. He won 23 games in a row! He finished the year with 26 wins overall.
One of his most famous moments was in the playoffs that year. His team needed to win two games in a row to get to the World Series. Bill pitched both games of a doubleheader and threw a complete game shutout in each one! He helped his team win 1–0 and 5–0.
In 1931, playing for the Homestead Grays, Bill had a great record of 10 wins and 2 losses against other top teams. Later that year, he joined the Kansas City Monarchs. On October 4, 1931, he pitched against a team of famous major league players. These included stars like Babe Herman and the Waner brothers, Lloyd and Paul. Bill Foster led his team to a 4–3 victory!
During 1931, he struck out ten or more batters in nine different games. He even struck out 16 batters in one game on August 6. He also pitched four shutouts that season. He ended 1931 with an impressive 23 wins and 5 losses.
All-Star Appearances
Bill Foster was chosen for the very first East-West All-Star Game in 1933. He was the top vote-getter and the winning pitcher in that game. He was also selected for the All-Star team again in 1934.
What Made Him Great?
Bill Foster had many different pitches. He threw a fastball, an overhand curve, a slider, a sidearm curve, and a changeup.
Many baseball experts thought Bill Foster was one of the best players ever. Umpire Jocko Conlan said Bill had perfect pitching form. He also said Bill was faster than many other great pitchers and had excellent control.
Even a famous white major league player, Charlie Gehringer, told Bill, "If I could paint you white I could get $150,000 for you right now." This shows how highly he was valued, even though players of color were not allowed in the major leagues at that time. Another Negro League legend, Dave Malarcher, said Bill Foster was the greatest pitcher of their time, even better than Satchel Paige.
Bill Foster's Later Life
After he stopped playing professional baseball in 1936, Bill Foster moved to Tarboro, North Carolina. He married his childhood sweetheart, Thelma Quigless, in 1941. He also played some semi-professional baseball in 1940.
Later, he worked selling insurance policies. He eventually divorced and married again, moving back to Mississippi.
From 1960 to 1977, Bill Foster worked at his old college, Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College. He was a dean and also coached the baseball team there. Bill Foster passed away in Lorman, Mississippi, in 1978.
Bill Foster's Legacy
Bill Foster's impact on baseball is still remembered today. The baseball field at Alcorn State University, where he coached, is named after him: Foster Baseball Field at McGowan Stadium.
In 1996, Bill Foster was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is one of the highest honors in baseball. The next year, he was also elected to the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. In 2003, he was voted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
