George Foster (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Foster |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Foster in 2012
|
|||
| Left fielder | |||
| Born: December 1, 1948 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| September 10, 1969, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 6, 1986, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .274 | ||
| Home runs | 348 | ||
| Runs batted in | 1,239 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
George Arthur Foster (born December 1, 1948) is a former American professional baseball player and scout. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1969 to 1986. He is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, where he helped the team win two World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. He also played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and Chicago White Sox.
George Foster was chosen for the All-Star Game five times. He was known as a powerful hitter, leading the National League in home runs twice (1977 and 1978) and in runs batted in (RBI) three times (1976, 1977, and 1978). In 1977, he won the National League's Most Valuable Player Award, and in 1981, he received a Silver Slugger Award. In 2003, George Foster was honored by being added to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Contents
George Foster's Early Career with the Giants
George Foster was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He went to Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California. After just one year at El Camino College, the San Francisco Giants picked him in the third round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.
After playing two seasons in the Giants' minor league teams, he made his MLB debut at age 20 on September 10, 1969. In that game, he got two hits and one run batted in (RBI). Later that month, on September 22, baseball legend Willie Mays hit his 600th career home run while pinch-hitting for Foster.
Foster returned to the Giants in September of the next year, hitting his first career home run. In 1971, he made the team's opening day roster as a fourth outfielder. However, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 29, 1971.
Joining the Cincinnati Reds
When George Foster joined the Cincinnati Reds, he immediately became the starting center fielder. This happened because the regular center fielder, Bobby Tolan, was injured. In 104 games with the Reds that year, Foster hit .234 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI.
In 1972, he became a backup player, sharing time in right field. He had a tough season, hitting only .200 with two home runs. However, the Reds team, known as the "Big Red Machine," started to become very strong that year. They made it to the playoffs. Foster played in the 1972 National League Championship Series as a pinch runner and scored the winning run in Game 5. He also appeared in the World Series but did not get to bat.
Foster spent most of the 1973 season playing for the Reds' top minor league team, the Indianapolis Indians. He played well there, hitting .262 with 15 home runs. He returned to the Reds in September and played 17 games. In 1974, Foster, along with Merv Rettenmund and rookie Ken Griffey, took turns playing in right field. Foster hit .264 with seven home runs and 41 RBI in 106 games.
Becoming Part of the "Big Red Machine"
In 1975, the Reds' manager, Sparky Anderson, moved star player Pete Rose to third base. This opened up a spot in left field, which Foster soon earned as his full-time position. He had a great year, hitting .300 with 23 home runs and 78 RBI. With Foster in left field, the "Big Red Machine" team was complete. The Reds won 108 games that year, which was the most wins by any team in that decade.
The Reds easily won the 1975 National League Championship Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Foster played well, hitting .364. The Boston Red Sox were a much tougher opponent in the World Series. The Reds needed seven games to win their first World Series title since 1940. In the exciting Game 6, Foster made a key defensive play. With the bases loaded and no outs in the ninth inning, he caught a fly ball and then threw the runner out at home plate, saving the game from ending.
In June 1976, Foster had a 17-game hitting streak, and his batting average reached .343. He was moved to the cleanup spot in the batting order. With 17 home runs and 71 RBI by the All-Star break, he was chosen to start his first All-Star Game. He was named the MVP of the All-Star Game, hitting a two-run home run. He finished the season hitting .306 with 29 home runs and a league-leading 121 RBI. He finished second in the voting for the National League MVP award, right behind his teammate Joe Morgan.
The Reds won their division by 10 games. They then became the only team to go undefeated in the playoffs since 1969, sweeping both the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1976 National League Championship Series and the New York Yankees in the World Series. Foster hit well in the World Series, with a .429 batting average.
Winning the National League MVP Award
George Foster had an amazing season in 1977, which led to him winning the National League's Most Valuable Player Award. On July 14, he hit three home runs in one game against the Atlanta Braves. The next day, he hit another home run, bringing his total to 29 before the All-Star break. He started his second All-Star game in a row.
On September 23, Foster hit his fiftieth home run of the season. He was the first player to hit 50 home runs since Willie Mays in 1965. He was also the first player in Cincinnati Reds history to reach this mark. In 158 games, he hit .320 with 52 home runs and 149 RBI, leading all of baseball in home runs and RBI. He also led the NL in slugging percentage (.631), runs scored (124), and total bases (388).
Foster continued his strong hitting in 1978, with 18 home runs and 63 RBI in the first half of the season. He earned his third straight All-Star start. For the whole season, he played in 158 games and hit .281, leading the NL again in both home runs (40) and RBIs (120). He was chosen for his fourth All-Star team in 1979, but had to leave the game early due to a thigh injury. The Reds lost Foster for a month, but they still managed to stay in the race for their division title.
After Foster returned, the Reds went on an eight-game winning streak and took first place. They won their division but were swept by the Pirates in the 1979 National League Championship Series. Foster hit a game-tying home run in Game 1 of that series.
After the 1979 season, key players like Joe Morgan, Tony Pérez, and Pete Rose left the team. The "Big Red Machine" was breaking up, and the Reds finished in third place in 1980. Foster still played well, leading the team with 25 home runs and 93 RBI. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, the Reds had the best record in baseball, winning 66 games. However, due to a special split-season format that year, they missed the playoffs. Foster had a great season, finishing second in the NL's RBI race.
Moving to the New York Mets
George Foster wanted a new five-year contract with the Reds. Since the Reds didn't want to meet his demands, they traded him to the New York Mets on February 10, 1982. The next day, Foster signed a five-year, $10 million contract with the Mets.
While the Reds had been a top team, the Mets were struggling when Foster joined them. The team hoped Foster would help them improve, but his power numbers dropped. He hit only .247 with 13 home runs and 70 RBI in 151 games, his lowest numbers since 1974.
The Mets added Keith Hernandez and brought up young star Darryl Strawberry during the 1983 season. With more good hitters around him, Foster improved, hitting a team-best 28 home runs and 90 RBI. As the Mets became a stronger team in 1984, Foster hit .269 with 24 home runs and 86 RBI.
The 1985 season was a close race between the Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals. On September 10, when the two teams were tied for first place, there was an argument between Foster and a Cardinals pitcher that caused both teams to come onto the field. The race stayed tight, and the Cardinals took a three-game lead as the Mets went to play them in St. Louis on October 1. The Mets won the first game in extra innings.
In the second game, Foster led off the second inning with a hit and later scored a run. In the seventh inning, he hit a home run that gave the Mets a 4–1 lead. Foster had a great game, getting three hits, and the Mets won 5–2, pulling within one game of the division lead. However, the Mets lost the next day, and the Cardinals went on to win the division.
Final Year in Baseball
In 1986, George Foster was 37 years old and in the last year of his contract. While he had been a good player for many years, his age was starting to affect his performance. He hit 13 home runs and had 38 RBIs, but his batting average was .237, and he wasn't as fast in left field. The Mets manager, Davey Johnson, wanted to give more playing time to utility player Kevin Mitchell.
When the Mets played in Cincinnati on July 21, Foster mostly sat out the series. One game in that series had a big argument on the field. Foster stayed out of the argument, saying it set a bad example for children. After the series, manager Johnson officially announced that Mitchell would be the everyday left fielder.
Foster was released by the Mets on August 7, 1986. On August 18, he signed with the Chicago White Sox. He started well with his new team, hitting a home run in his first game. But his performance quickly declined, and he was released on September 7 after playing only 15 games. When the Mets won the World Series in 1986, they gave Foster a World Series ring because he had been part of the team for most of the season. He tried to sign with another team in 1987 but was not successful.
George Foster's Career Statistics
In 1,977 games over 18 seasons, George Foster had a .274 batting average. He hit 348 home runs and had 1,239 runs batted in (RBI). He also had a .338 on-base percentage and a .480 slugging percentage. He was a good fielder, with a .984 fielding percentage in the outfield. In 23 playoff games, he hit .289 with three home runs and 12 RBI.
Life After Major League Baseball
After his MLB career, George Foster played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association from 1989 to 1990. In 2010, he was hired as a scout advisor for a baseball team in Japan.
George Foster's Personal Life and Legacy
George Foster has two daughters, Shawna and Starr.
He started an online baseball radio show called "The George Foster Diamond Report," where he talks about how athletes develop. Foster also spends time teaching baseball to young players and works as a motivational speaker. He runs a non-profit organization that helps children from military families and those living in inner city neighborhoods. He also sponsors baseball training camps for kids and a youth baseball team called Foster's Force.
George Foster was on the ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame for four years but was not elected. In 2003, he was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. He often returns to Cincinnati for special events and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders
- List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders
- San Francisco Giants all-time roster
- Cincinnati Reds all-time roster
- New York Mets all-time roster
- Chicago White Sox all-time roster
- 50 home run club
