Thank You, Keith Foulke

With Keith Foulke declining arbitration, his Red Sox career is likely over.

His shitty treatment by the Boston media is a darker stain than most on those writers' dubious resumes. And the lemming fans who followed suit and booed him throughout 2005 should have all but the first three games of the 2004 ALCS wiped from their memories.

Without his amazing bullpen work, that glorious October would have been yet another Yankee nightmare. In the process of bringing us what we wished for all our lives, he ruined his career:

                IP  H  R  BB  K  PIT
ALDS 1 10/05
ALDS 2 10/06 - 1.1  0  0   0  2   14
10/07
ALDS 3 10/08 - 1.2  2  0   1  3   37
10/09
10/10
10/11
ALCS 1 10/12 -  .1  0  0   0  0    5
ALCS 2 10/13 -  .2  0  0   1  1   17
10/14
10/15
ALCS 3 10/16
ALCS 4 10/17 - 2.2  0  0   2  3   50
ALCS 5 10/18 - 1.1  1  0   1  0   22
ALCS 6 10/19 - 1.0  0  0   2  2   28
ALCS 7 10/20
10/21
10/22
WS 1   10/23 - 1.2  2  0   1  3   36
WS 2   10/24 - 1.1  0  0   0  2   19
10/25
WS 3   10/26 - 1.0  1  1   0  2   14
WS 4   10/27 - 1.0  1  0   0  1   14
  
11 of 14 gms  14.0  7  1   8 19  256    0.64)

The moment I remember best (not counting the WS-ending underhand toss to Malphabet): the bottom of the 9th of ALCS 6 in Yankee Stadium. The Bloody Sock Game.

Boston had led 4-0, but New York scored once in the 7th (Bernie HR off Schilling), once in the 8th (Jeter single off Arroyo, followed by the Slappy slap), and had the tying runs on (two Foulke walks) in the bottom of the ninth.

The inning: Matsui walks. Williams strikes out. Posada pops to third. Sierra walks. Thermos (bbcfb) struck out swinging.

It capped a stretch of 5 innings and 100 pitches in the amazingly short time span of 48 hours. In the celebration on the mound, Foulke is absolutely beaming, and after hugging Arroyo, he says, in a very hoarse voice: "Gotta make it interesting".