Kevin Foster Dies

[David]

RIP

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-14-foster-cubs-chicagooct14,0,6542461.story

 

 

Former major league pitcher Kevin Foster, who fulfilled a lifelong dream by playing for the Cubs, died Saturday at the age of 39.

 

The former Evanston High star died in an Oklahoma City hospital after a six-month bout with renal cell carcinoma, his brother, Mark Foster, said.

 

Kevin Foster spent five seasons with the Cubs after being acquired from Philadelphia for Shawn Boskie in 1994, going 32-28 from 1994 to '98.

 

Foster grew up playing all sports in Evanston, and even lived at home with his family early in his Cubs career.

 

"Kev was just a nice, humble kid," Mark Foster said. "Just a regular guy. It was like a dream for him when he got to play for the Cubs. We used to come down on the L to watch games at Wrigley Field as kids, and now he's pitching there.

 

"But he never got starry-eyed. He'd just come home after playing in a game, just the same as he did when he played in high school. Everything was just normal to him."

 

 

 

Kinda shocked to hear it. He was my favorite pitcher on those bad mid 90s teams when I first started watching the Cubs. He was also the first guy to win a game after the 0-14 start in 97.

[third eye]

RIP

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-14-foster-cubs-chicagooct14,0,6542461.story

 

 

Former major league pitcher Kevin Foster, who fulfilled a lifelong dream by playing for the Cubs, died Saturday at the age of 39.

 

The former Evanston High star died in an Oklahoma City hospital after a six-month bout with renal cell carcinoma, his brother, Mark Foster, said.

 

Kevin Foster spent five seasons with the Cubs after being acquired from Philadelphia for Shawn Boskie in 1994, going 32-28 from 1994 to '98.

 

Foster grew up playing all sports in Evanston, and even lived at home with his family early in his Cubs career.

 

"Kev was just a nice, humble kid," Mark Foster said. "Just a regular guy. It was like a dream for him when he got to play for the Cubs. We used to come down on the L to watch games at Wrigley Field as kids, and now he's pitching there.

 

"But he never got starry-eyed. He'd just come home after playing in a game, just the same as he did when he played in high school. Everything was just normal to him."

 

 

 

Kinda shocked to hear it. He was my favorite pitcher on those bad mid 90s teams when I first started watching the Cubs. He was also the first guy to win a game after the 0-14 start in 97.

 

Oh that is really sad to hear. :( Condolences to his friends and family.

 

I used to really enjoy watching him and Jim Bullinger pitch on that 95 team that got off to the surprisingly strong start after the strike.

[David]

That was the first season I watched the Cubs and the wild card chase that year is what got me into baseball.

[cl smooth]

i'll always remember him tossing the baseball up and down while sitting in the dugout while never actually looking at the ball...just looking straight ahead. and he never dropped it.

[Derwood]

I always liked him and had wondered what had happened to him when he left baseball. Sad story.

[erik316wttn]

You know how you don't think about someone for years, and then they just pop into your head for no reason one day? I thought about Kevin Foster last week out of the blue and thought "Whatever happened to that guy?"

 

Wish it would have turned out better for him. :(

[C.C.]

39! How very sad. Godspeed...

[Jon]

That's terrible.

 

I didn't realize he pitched that well for the Cubs in '94. A 145 ERA+ in 13 starts.

 

He may not have pitched much in '98, which was the first year that I really got into the Cubs, but I'll always remember him from Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for the N64.

[VicCub]

Very sad. He was like me or you who lived out a dream of playing for the Cubs.

[Wilson A2000]

Great picture on the chicagotribune.com front page. He has a can of chew in his back pocket. Couldn't they find a better one?

[Yanksfan1523]

4 kids. Terrible news.

 

 

R.I.P and condolences to his family!

[Derwood]

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/kevin_foster_autograph.jpg

 

he always struck me as a guy just happy to be playing in the majors

[SouthSideRyan]

Wow.

[Sammy Sofa]

Man, that's terrible. One of the few enjoyable guys on the team in the dark days of the mid-90's.

[cubsfan5150]

Sad to here, hopefully he saved some money from his playing days and his family is taken care of.

[Guest]

Damn, I heard a rumor about that yesterday morning but couldn't find anything about it so I was glad.

 

He was my favorite Cub in the mid-90s...well he and Jeremi/Geremi Gonzalez (geez...).

 

RIP.

[Ivy.n.Denver]

I played HS ball with Kevin, nice guy, great athlete.

[swordsman]

Yeah, I went to High School with him too.

 

 

Note to self: never pop into Eric316wttn's head. Seems like a deathtrap.

[Post Count Padder]

RIP

[erik316wttn]

Yeah, I went to High School with him too.

 

 

Note to self: never pop into Eric316wttn's head. Seems like a deathtrap.

 

So I was thinking about Swordsman the other day......

 

;)

[TarzanJoeWallis]

I remember that great game he pitched shortly after his father died. I think it was in San Francisco. It happened shortly after the death of my father and really touched me.

[snoodmonger]

my sister was friends(ish) with him and his brother. She saw his bro at their high school reunion recently, and he said things were pretty grim. Very sad.

[Guest]

Yeah, I went to High School with him too.

 

 

Note to self: never pop into Eric316wttn's head. Seems like a deathtrap.

 

Or be one of my favorite players from my teenage years.

[Garwilly]

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/1014/mlb_g_foster1_sw_200.jpg

[erik316wttn]

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/1014/mlb_g_foster1_sw_200.jpg

 

That's a kickass uni. I'd like to see that one again on throwback day.