Posted By:
Glen Turner
Front cover from the December 1915 issue of the Baseball Magazine.
George Rube Foster was a friend of mine when I was a teenager. In the top newspaper (at the very top) he is the second from left next to Babe Ruth.
He was quite a pitcher the short time he was with the Red Sox. In the 1915 World Series, he pitched game 2 and won 2-1. At this game was the appearance of President Woodrow Wilson the first president to attend a World Series game.
George even drove in the winning run in the ninth inning. He told me in 1916 the Red Sox first trip to Washington that President Wilson sent an invitation to him to vist him at the White House. George told me he visited with the President for about 15 minutes in the oval office. He couldn't remember much about the conversation except it all involved baseball.
George also won Game 5 of the World Series 5-4. Oh by the way he was 4 fore 8 batting .500 for the World Series.
George also pitched a no hitter against the New York Yankees in 1916.
If you have ever checked Ty Cobb's yearly records you might have noticed that he only playes in 98 games in 1914. The reason was that George drilled him with a fastball and broke two or three of his ribs. Guess who the Tigers called up from the minors to take his place giving him his first playing time in the Major Leagues I believe at the ripe old age of nineteen. Give up? It was Harry Heilmann. George said all the Red Sox pitchers threw at Cobb everytime he came to the plate.
Best I can remember George said he hurt his knee in 1916 and never was the same.
He played with the Red Sox through 1917 and then was traded to Cincinnati. He refused to report. He said his knee was shot and he did not want to leave the Red Sox. He told me he came back to around Ft. Smith, Arkansas and played semi-pro ball for a few years. He never told me bout himself playing in the Pacific Coast League from 1923-25.
I could not ever figure out why he was not on more baseball cards because he was a star pitcher for the best team at the time the Red Sox. I have only found him on the 1913 Fatima teamcard. Just a few months ago I was able to obtain his 1924 Zeenut card. To the best of knowledge the only other thing I can find him on are the 1915 PM1 pins, but I have never seen one. If anyone has one I sure would like to see a scan of it.
The Red Sox spring training at the time was Hot Springs, Arkansas. George said they would take those hot mineral water baths. He said that when Babe Ruth came up that he was quite a physical specimen.
His best friend on the team I believer were Harry Hooper and Larry Gardner.
He said that one of their favorite past times was shooting dice. He said the player with the hottest temper whether in a ballgame or playing dice was Tris Speaker.
I hope you enjoyed this little tidbit of information.
I sure enjoyed hearing his stories when I as a kid.