Keith Foulke, baseball player, 1997-2008

Keith Foulke

Born: 10/19/1972 in Ellsworth Air Force Base, SD, USA

MLB Debut: 1997-05-21 | Final Game: 2008-09-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Keith Charles Foulke

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Biography

Keith Foulke, born in 1972, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2008. Known for his effectiveness and versatility on the mound, Foulke finished his career with a record of 41-37 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.33. Over the span of his career, he recorded 718 strikeouts and achieved 191 saves, showcasing his ability to perform in high-pressure situations. Foulke's tenure in baseball coincided with a transformative era that saw the evolution of pitching strategies and the increasing emphasis on bullpen roles, contributing to the rise of specialized relief pitchers in the game. Foulke earned an All-Star selection during his career, which highlighted his status as one of the top closers of his time. His contributions were especially notable during the postseason, where he played a crucial role in helping the Boston Red Sox clinch the 2004 World Series title, ending an 86-year championship drought for the franchise. Foulke's unique pitching style and resilience on the mound left a lasting impact, making him a respected figure in baseball history and a key player in the narrative of the Red Sox's resurgence in the early 2000s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
41 37 619 8 0 0 191 786.7 652 291 94 194 718 3.33 0

Career ERA 3.33 vs. league average 4.45 across their career seasons — 25.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1997 SFG NL 1 5 11 8 0 0 0 44.7 60 41 18 33 8.26 4.39 (-88%) -
1997 CHW AL 3 0 16 0 0 0 3 28.7 28 11 5 21 3.45 4.39 (+21%) -
1998 CHW AL 3 2 54 0 0 0 1 65.3 51 30 20 57 4.13 4.43 (+7%) -
1999 CHW AL 3 3 67 0 0 0 9 105.3 72 26 21 123 2.22 4.71 (+53%) -
2000 CHW AL 3 1 72 0 0 0 34 88.0 66 29 22 91 2.97 4.77 (+38%) -
2001 CHW AL 4 9 72 0 0 0 42 81.0 57 21 22 75 2.33 4.42 (+47%) -
2002 CHW AL 2 4 65 0 0 0 11 77.7 65 25 13 58 2.90 4.28 (+32%) -
2003 OAK AL 9 1 72 0 0 0 43 86.7 57 20 20 88 2.08 4.40 (+53%) 2126.7
2004 BOS AL 5 3 72 0 0 0 32 83.0 63 20 15 79 2.17 4.46 (+51%) 2758.3
2005 BOS AL 5 5 43 0 0 0 15 45.7 53 30 18 34 5.91 4.29 (-38%) -1185.1
2006 BOS AL 3 1 44 0 0 0 0 49.7 52 24 7 36 4.35 4.53 (+4%) -87.3
2008 OAK AL 0 3 31 0 0 0 1 31.0 28 14 13 23 4.06 4.32 (+6%) -1259.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
619 16 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.125 0.125 0.125 0.250 0.0

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 53.0% below league average.

Career OBP .125 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 62.8% below league average.

Career SLG .125 vs. league average .425 across their career seasons — 70.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.250 vs. league average 0.760 across their career seasons — 67.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1997 SFG NL 11 13 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1997 CHW AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 CHW AL 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1999 CHW AL 67 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2000 CHW AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2001 CHW AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2002 CHW AL 65 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2003 OAK AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2004 BOS AL 72 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2005 BOS AL 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 BOS AL 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 OAK AL 31 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2004 ALCS BOS 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2004 ALDS1 BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2004 WS BOS 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2003 ALDS2 OAK 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2000 ALDS2 CHA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 16 0 3 21.3 15 6 12 24 2.53

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2004 ALCS BOS 0 0 5 0 1 6.0 1 0 6 6 0.00
2004 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 2 0 1 3.0 2 0 1 5 0.00
2004 WS BOS 1 0 4 0 1 5.0 4 1 1 8 1.80
2003 ALDS2 OAK 0 1 3 0 0 5.0 4 2 2 3 3.60
2000 ALDS2 CHA 0 1 2 0 0 2.3 4 3 2 2 11.57

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 619 8 44 83 6 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1997 SFN P 11 8 5 7 2 0
1997 CHA P 16 0 1 4 0 1
1998 CHA P 54 0 1 8 2 0
1999 CHA P 67 0 5 13 1 0
2000 CHA P 72 0 7 3 0 1
2001 CHA P 72 0 7 11 0 0
2002 CHA P 65 0 6 6 0 1
2003 OAK P 72 0 3 12 0 1
2004 BOS P 72 0 5 11 0 1
2005 BOS P 43 0 0 3 0 0
2006 BOS P 44 0 1 5 1 0
2008 OAK P 31 0 3 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 619

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2004 Babe Ruth Award P
2003 Reliever of the Year Award
2003 TSN Reliever of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2008 OAK AL $700,000
2006 BOS AL $7,750,000
2005 BOS AL $7,500,000
2004 BOS AL $3,500,000
2003 OAK AL $6,000,000
2002 CHA AL $4,000,000
2001 CHA AL $3,100,000
2000 CHA AL $375,000
1999 CHA AL $255,000
1998 CHA AL $185,000
1997 CHA AL $150,000
Total Career Earnings $33,515,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Lewis-Clark State College Lewiston ID 1994
Galveston College Galveston TX 1992, 1993

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2003 Cy Young Award AL 7th 1.0 140 0
2003 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 20.0 392 0
1999 Cy Young Award AL 10th 1.0 140 0