Can't Get No Relief
By Brian Mason
I’m going to come right out and say it. Whenever the Red Sox hand over the ball to reliever Keith Foulke, I get the s*** scared out of me.
Even last October, when Foulke rivaled Derrick Jeter for the month’s namesake, I was panic-stricken whenever a game was turned over to him. The All-Star closer is supposed to be able to take the ball in the ninth and end the game. And last fall, despite his flare for dramatics, that is exactly what he did.
Last fall, I came to terms with the fact that it was in Foulke’s very nature to load the bases with no outs and somehow come away without a run. I rejoiced when he closed out the series against the Yankees only to find my fingernails torn to shreds. And I gasped — presumably along with every other Red Sox fan — when he held on to the final out for an eternity to end Game 4 of the World Series.
It was because of his heroics last fall (plus the whole elation of a Red Sox title) that I was prompted to believe that he would pick up this spring right where he left off. I expected Foulke to have an absolutely stellar year, closing out games with machine-like efficiency. I wanted Keith Foulke to be Boston’s answer to Mariano Rivera.
But Keith Foulke has not had any answers this spring. Foulke’s E.R.A. has skyrocketed from 0 in the A.L.C.S and 1.80 in the World Series to an atrocious 7.29. Every time he takes the mound, I’m still petrified.
After two months of baseball, Foulke has already blown three games for the Red Sox. I expected him to blow three games over the course of the entire season…at most! Along the way, he has given up six home runs and far too many hits and walks.
According to Manager Terry Francona, Foulke is "not locating." Well, DUH! I could have told him that. When your fastball is only 85 miles per hour and you can’t find the edges of the plate, today’s juiced hitters are going to crush it out of any park.
Over the past two seasons, the former being Foulke’s All-Star year in Oakland, the closer has posted one of baseball’s lowest E.R.A.’s. Foulke was in the company of Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson. But this year is different. This year, Foulke is throwing too many pitches into the dirt, over hitters' heads, and left lingering in the strike zone.
Perhaps hitters are finally wising up to the fact that Foulke throws neither powerful, nor crafty stuff. His fastball is slow, and his changeup is good, but overused.
Maybe Foulke was just getting lucky all of those cold October nights. Let’s be rational now — we’re talking about the same closer who shut down the two most potent offenses in baseball last year over a span of roughly two weeks. Foulke denied runs to Jeter, A-Rod, Sheffield, Matsui, and rarely let one slip against Rowland, Edmonds and Pujols. This same pitcher should not have blown two saves against the A’s this spring, currently one of baseball’s most pathetic offenses. At the time, no one in Oakland’s starting lineup was batting over .300.
I’ve heard the argument that relievers who work deep into the post season typically have bad springs. But this has not assuaged my fears. Granted, Foulke was utilized for all his strength last fall, but he should be back by now. It’s nearly June and Foulke is still giving up runs.
My Red Sox heart tells me not to worry about Foulke. He did not have a consistent start last season, either, and look where he ended up. But as true as that may be, it does not change the fact that the very heart telling me to have faith in the proven closer skips several beats every time he takes the mound.
