George Foster: Former 1980's Mets Outfielder (1982-1986)

George Arthur Foster was born December 1, 1948, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He grew up in the outskirts of Los Angeles, attending Lawndale high school where he was a top athlete.

The six-foot one right hand hitting outfielder was drafted in the third round of the 1968 draft by the San Francisco Giants.

In 1969 he hit 14 HRs & bat .321 at A ball Fresno. 

MLB Career: Foster got a brief September call up for eight games with the Giants. Foster made just 18 appearances in two years at San Francisco due to the fact that Willie Mays & Bobby Bonds were fixtures in the Giants outfield.

Reds Career: In May of 1971 he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for short stop Frank Duffy & a minor leaguer. It was still a crowded for Cincinnati outfield when he came over to the Big Red Machine, but Foster soon got a lot of playing time when centerfielder Bobby Tolan got injured.

Foster showed power as he hit 10 HRs & 18 doubles with 58 RBIs in 104 games while batting .234. He was still a backup outfielder in 1972 playing in just 59 games batting .200.

1972 Post Season- NLCS: In the 1972 NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was on third base in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game #5, as a pinch runner.

Then Pirate pitcher Bob Moose, threw a wild pitch, allowing Foster to score the winning run, which sent the Reds to the World Series. They would the World Series in seven games to the Oakland A's, it was their second pennant in three years. Foster appeared as a pinch runner in Game #1 & a defensive replacement in Game #7.

The Reds would win the NL West five times from 1970-1976 & play in four World Series. Hence the Big Red Machine, nickname.

In 1973 Foster hit 15 HRs at AA Indianapolis seeing action in just 17 games with the Reds. 

In 1974 he played as the Reds fourth outfielder batting .264 with 7 HRs in 276 at bats. By Spring Training 1975 his hitting matured & it was getting noticed by manager Sparky Anderson, as he crushed balls in batting practice.

Anderson asked Pete Rose, who was playing left field at the time, if he wanted to play third base so they could insert Foster into the everyday lineup, Rose agreed. Foster became the Reds regular left fielder for the next six years making five All Star teams & becoming one of the league's biggest sluggers.

In the Big Red Machine's 1975 World Championship year Foster hit .300 with 23 HRs 24 doubles & 78 RBIs posting a .356 on base %. He led all NL left fielders in fielding (.995%) for the first of three straight seasons, throwing out 11 base runners on the season.

1975 Post Season: In the 1975 NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he hit .364 going 4-11 with
four runs scored. Foster collected two hits in each of the first two games.

1975 World Series: The 1975 World Series between the Reds & Boston Red Sox was a classic,
considered one of best Series of the era. In Game #1 Foster collected two hits off Luis Tiant in his complete game 6-0 shut out of the Reds. Foster collected two more hits off Tiant in his Game #4. complete game win as well.

In the classic Game #6 at Fenway Park, he broke a 3-3 tie with a two run double off pitcher Luis Tiant in the 7th inning. The Sox tied it on Bernie Carbo's 8th inning HR & won it on the classic Carlton Fisk 12th inning walk off HR.

Foster collected a hit in the Game #7 Reds 4-3 win. Overall, in the World Series he went 8-29 (.276). 

Second Reds Championship: In 1976 Foster earned the nickname “The Destroyer” as the Reds dominated the baseball world & won their second straight World Series. 

In 1976 Foster led the league in RBIs (123) bashing 29 HRs (4th in the NL) with 9 triples (5th in the NL) a .530 slugging % (2nd in the NL) while batting .306.

He made his first All Star team & came in second in the MVP voting to teammate Joe Morgan. Foster had 172 hits (10th in the league) with 86 runs scored (9th in the NL) & nine sac flies (3rd in the NL).

He also became one of the most hated hitters by opposing pitchers because he would step out of the batter's box after every single pitch, something that wasn't done much in those days. 

1976 Post Season- NLCS: In the NLCS sweep of the Phillies, Foster hit a Game #1 solo HR off Steve Carlton in the Reds 6-3 win. In his career Foster hit five & seven doubles off Carlton. In the final Game #3 the Reds were down 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning. Johnny Bench & Foster hit back-to-back HRs off Ron Reed with Foster tying the game. Ken Griffey's walk off base hit won the game & cliched the pennant.

1976 World Series: The Reds won their second.
straight World Series this time with an easy sweep over the NL New York team. Foster collected two hits in the Game #1 Reds win. 

In Game #2 he drove in the game's first run with a single off Catfish Hunter in the 2nd inning. The Reds won the game on Tony Perez walk off single. 

In Game #3, he hit a ground rule double bringing in the game's first run once again. Later he drove in Joe Morgan with an 8th inning single off Dick Tidrow. In the series finale, he drove in his 8th post season run with a single in the 4th inning.

After the Two Championships: The Big Red Machine didn’t win any more World Series after that, as the Los Angeles Dodgers two-year NL pennant reign began in 1977.

But for Foster, he went on to continue tear up the league, putting up some of the biggest power numbers the league had seen in years.

He would lead the NL in HRs in both 1977 & 1978 while leading the league in RBIs three straight years from 1976 through 1978. In 1977, he won the NL MVP Award, with an amazing 52 HRs, becoming the only player to hit over 50 HRs in the previous twenty-five years.

As mentioned, he led the NL in RBIs (149) runs scored (124) slugging (.631%) & total bases (388). He also batted .330 (4th in the league) with a .382 on base % & 31 doubles. He made ten assists in the outfield while leading all left fielders in fielding once again (.978%).

Foster followed that season up leading the league in HRs (40) & RBIs (120) in 1978. He hit 26 doubles with a .360 on base %, but his batting average dropped to .281 & him struck out 138 times (second in the NL).

George Foster Drama: By 1979 he was annoying his teammates by arriving at the ballpark in a stretch limo & strutting around with an over inflated ego. His numbers fell off, but he still had big production, 30 HRs with 98 RBIs & a .302 average.

His numbers dropped off over the next two seasons averaging 23 HRs each year, but he was still considered a top slugger, driving in over 90 runs each season. He became unhappy in Cincinnati and the Reds were unhappy with him as the days of the Big Red Machine were over. Gone too, were Pete Rose, Tony Perez & Joe

Morgan. 

Mets Career: In February of 1982 he was traded to the New York Mets for Alex Trevino, Greg Harris & Jim Kern. Foster was looked at to bring hope & excitement to a franchise that was down in the dumps, hungry for a star type player. Foster was soon given a five-year; $10 million contract.

Foster was no longer to be the superstar he was once was & although he was still a good player, he could never live up to the expectations put on him. Also, his personality was not one for that type of team leadership the Mets needed.

But in retrospect, this was still a turning point for the Mets, as the season (1983) they would acquire Keith Hernandez & start to bring up a bunch of good young players from AAA & the whole thing got better.

1982: Foster was hyped up by the organization, he & new manager George Bamberger were presented on the cover of the Mets 1982 yearbook with the words "By George, we've got it".

Foster debuted on Opening Day 1982 in the Mets 7-2 win at Philadelphia, batting third & playing left field. In his first Mets at bat, he doubled off Steve Carlton driving in Bob Bailor & scoring on a Phillies error. He also collected two walks on the day.

Later that week on the same road trip, he hit HRs in back-to-back games at Wrigley Field. In the Mets home opener, he singled in the 4th inning & scored the Mets first run on Hubie Brooks' two run single in the 5-2 win over the Phillies. Foster hit another HR the next week but at the end of the month was struggling, batting just .171.

On May 2nd he hit a two run HR scoring the only two runs of the game, as veteran Randy Jones (& Neil Allen one inning) shut out the Giants 2-0 in San Francisco. 

Foster hit .310 over the next two months but his power numbers dropped off as he hit just five HR in those months although he drove in 24 runs.

Return to Cincy: On June 4th he returned to Cincinnati & hit a two run HR off Tom Seaver, but Seaver won the game beating Mike Scott & the Reds took two of three in the series.

By the All-Star game a mid-July seven game hit streak had him raise his average to .280 but he dropped off quickly in August.

On August 13th he contributed with a game tying 7th inning single off Chicago's Mike Proly in a 6-4 win at Shea Stadium. On September 1st, he hit a two run HR off Houston's Verne Ruhle & drove in three runs in a 5-1 win over the Astros at Shea Stadium. It was the only HR he hit the entire month of September.

The Mets finished last again in 1982 going 65-97, as the arrival Foster did not change things much. He went on to bat a weak .247 with a .309 on base %.

Although he was second on the club to Dave Kingman in HRs (13) it was the first time in seven years he personally did not hit 20 or more HRs. His average (.247) on base% (.309) were his worst since his first full season in 1971. Foster drove in 70 runs, hit 23 doubles with two triples & struck out 123 times (4th most in the NL). These were certainly not anywhere near the numbers he had posted with the Big Red Machine & the New York fans were disappointed.

1983: The next season had some bright spots to it, starting out with the return of Tom Seaver in New York. Young Darryl Strawberry went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award & the team showed improvement, especially with the arrival of Keith Hernandez in June.

Foster began with two hits on Opening Day in Seaver's 2-0 win over Steve Carlton & the Phillies. He hit a solo HR off John Denny the next day in a 6-2 win. Foster hit three HRs in April as his average fell to .220. 

Walk Off HR: On May 6th, he came to bat in the bottom of the 13th inning, with two men on & two men out in a 4-4 tie with the Reds. Foster blasted a three-run walk off HR off Frank Pastore, giving the Shea Faithful a dramatic 7-4 victory.

Player of the Week Award: Two days later he hit his fifth HR of the season, while gathering up three hits & three RBIs in a 10-5 Mets win over the Reds. That week he won the NL Player of the Week Award.

On May 14th, George hit a three run HR in Pittsburgh off Larry McWilliams leading to a 6-2 win. In his career he hit six HRs off McWilliams.

On May 23rd at Shea Stadium, his 4th inning HR off the Giants Andy McGaffigan put the Mets ahead. The Giants tied it up, but in the 8th inning Foster's sac fly off Greg Minton scored Hubie Brooks & proved to be the game winning run. 

In a five-game span that week he hit HRs in three games with five RBIs. Overall, he had a good May, with six HRs & 19 RBIs raising his batting average thirty points. 

He started out June driving in the only two Mets runs in a 4-2 loss at San Francisco. The next night he hit a three run HR off Fernando Valenzuela at Dodger Stadium but the Mets lost 5-4. He drove in a run the next night as the Mets won just their second game on that nine game California trip.

Walk Off Hits: From July 25th to August 8th, Foster was involved in three walk off Mets
victories. On July 25th, he doubled off the Braves Steve Bedrosian scoring Keith Hernandez for the 5-4 win.

On July 31st, in the second game of a double header he brought in Mookie Wilson while grounding out in the bottom of the 12th inning of a scoreless game against the Pirates. 

On August 8th, another infield grounder scored the game winning run against Jeff Reardon the Montreal Expos. 

Grand Slam HR: On August 14th, he hit a 3rd inning grand slam HR off the Cubs Chuck Rainey helping Ed Lynch to a 5-2 win over Chicago at Shea Stadium. In Lynch's next start on August 20th, Foster hit another Grand slam, this one off the Giants Mike Calvert in a 7-2 Mets win in San Francisco.

HRs in Three Straight Games: The Mets swept that series at Candlestick Park, beginning on August 19th Foster hit HRs in three straight games, including the grand slam driving in seven runs in those games.

Walk Off HR: On September 5th, the Mets & Phillies went into the 9th inning in a 3-3 tie. The Phillies came up with two runs off Jesse Orosco in the top half of the inning. In the bottom of the 9th, with Hubie Brooks & Keith Hernandez aboard, Foster he hit a walk off game winning HR, off Al Holland beating the eventual NL Champs 6-5.

On September 15th Foster broke a 4-4 tie in the home 7th inning, with a two run HR off the

Cardinals Dave Lapoint. The Mets went on to the 6-4 win. 

Multi HR Game: On September 25th he hit a pair of HRs off the Cubs' Reggie Patterson at Wrigley Field, driving in three runs in a losing effort.

On October 1st he hit a three run HR off Montreal's Bill Gullickson for his 28th HR of the year, leading the Mets to a 5-4 win at Shea Stadium.

On the year Foster put up better numbers than his first year in New York. He led the team with 28 HRs (6th in the NL) & 90 RBIs (8th in the NL).  He hit 19 doubles with 145 hits & a .708 OPS. He batted just .241 with a poor .289 on base % & 111 strike outs.

1984: By 1984 the Mets where true contenders in the NL. The mix of veterans like Foster, Mookie Wilson & Keith Hernandez, with the excitement of young players like Strawberry, Wally Backman & pitchers Dwight Gooden, Ron Darlins & Sid Fernandez won 90 games, the Mets first winning season in eight years. 

Foster was now in the shadows of second year slugger Daryl Strawberry 26 HRs 97 RBIs & All-Star Keith Hernandez .311 average 15 HRs 94 RBIs. 

On April 6th, Foster hit his first HR of the season, a three-run shot, as he had himself a season high four RBI Day in the 8-1 win over the Astros. 

On April 8th at Houston, with the Mets down 1-0 in the top of the 8th inning, Foster singled with the bases loaded off Vern Ruhle, driving in two runs leading the Mets to a 3-1 win over the Astros.

On April 25th, Keith Hernandez led off the top of the 11th inning with a double off Greg Harris in Montreal. Foster hit a base hit to score him in what was the games winning run, 2-1 over the Expos. 

He closed out April by driving in runs in seven of his last ten games.

 On May 7th he hit an 8th inning HR off the Cubs Warren Brusstar, tying the game & leading up to a Keith Hernandez walk off single. On May 12th he homered off the Dodgers Alejandro Pena in a 4-3 Mets in at Dodger Stadium. He would hit two more HRs on the West Coast Road trip in games at San Diego & San Francisco.

On May 25th, he hit a solo HR off the Dodgers Rick Honeycutt in A 2-1 Dwight Gooden win at Shea Stadium, in a game where Gooden struck out 14, allowing just three hits over eight innings. Foster homered again two games later in the Mets loss to L.A. In May he hit six HRs but batted just .191. In June the slump continued as he went 18-84 batting .214 with just one HR all month.

In July he hit two HRs in the first three games of the month, which were both one run Mets victories. That month he hit safely in 20 of 22 games & drove in twenty runs as well. He hit .337 & raised his average up thirty points to .254 by months end.

From July 8th to July 16th, he collected 12 hits with a HR as well as a double, driving in runs in five straight games, totaling nine RBIs in that span. On July 12th, in the Mets five run 9th inning at Atlanta Foster's RBI single off Donnie Moore tied the game at six. He then scored on Mike Fitzgerald's two run double. Foster hit his 13th HR of the season, the next night in a 5-4 Mets win.

In August he hit six HRs with back to backs in a pair of games mid-month, in the heat of the pennant race. On August 3rd, he hit a two run HR off the Pirates John Candelaria in a 4-1 win at Pittsburgh. When the Pirates came to Shea, he homered in two more Mets wins in that three-game series.

Game Winning HR Off Fernando: On August 15th, Foster broke a 2-2 tie at Dodger Stadium, when he homered off Fernando Valenzuela in the 7th inning, leading the Mets to the 3-2 win.

On September 2nd he hit a game winning base hit off the San Diego Padres, Rich Gossage bringing the Mets within five games of the first place Chicago Cubs.

Gooden's One Hitter: On September 7th, there was a lot of excitement around Shea as the Mets rookie phenom Dwight Gooden went against the first place Cubs. centerfieldmaz was there in the crowd of 46,301 to witness Dr. K throw a one hit, eleven strike out shutout that night. Foster led the offense with a three-run 3rd inning HR off Dick Ruthven, his 20th HR of the season, in the big 10-0 Mets win.

The Mets fell out of the race in the next few weeks but there was a lot of promise for the future of the team, the most optimism since the mid-seventies. Foster hit four more HRs in the month, ending the season hitting his 24th HR of the year in the last game of the season.

He batted .269 the best average in his Mets career, with 149 hits 22 doubles a triple 24 HRs & 86 RBIs (third most on the club) a .311 on base % & .754 OPS. He struck out 122 times (5th most in the NL) his third straight season with 100 or more strike outs. In the outfield he made seven errors & the Mets had better outfielders around him.

1985: In the Mets off season, they acquired All Star catcher Gary Carter & after winning 90 games the previous year, expectations were high.

On Opening Day 1985 Foster broke a 2-2 tie in the 3rd inning, with a HR off the Cardinals Joaquin Andujar. The Mets went on to win the game on a walk off HR by Gary Carter. 

On April 21st, he hit next HR, a three-run shot off former Mets star Jerry Koosman in a loss to the Phillies. The next day he homered again, in a 7-6 win over the rival Cardinals at St. Louis.

On May 29th, he completed a four run Mets comeback in San Francisco, with a top of the 8th inning RBI single off Scott Garrelts which proved to be the game winning run.

The next day he hit a HR off Jim Gott, driving in the first run of a 2-1 Dwight Gooden victory over the Giants as well.

By late May he was struggling to keep his average above .200 but a six-game hit streak with thee multi-hit games got him to 220. 

On June 1st he had a bases loaded RBI in the first game of a double header at San Diego, leading New York to a 5-3 win. 

Grand Slam HR: On June 20th, in a game with the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Foster hit his 12th career grand slam HR, his third with the Mets. In the top of the 3rd inning, he connected off Ray Fontenot giving the Mets a 5-1 lead in what would be a 5-3 win.

In the month of July, Foster drove in 23 runs having his most run productive month of the year. 

Two Four RBI Games: On July 9th he hit a solo HR, collected a two-run single & walked with the bases loaded for a four RBI game in a 11-2 win over the Reds. He matched that feat on July 13th in Houston, with a season best four hit game, as he hit two doubles driving in four in the 10-2 Mets victory.

Five RBI Game: On July 21st in a wild 15-10 win at Fulton County Stadum, Foster hit a three run HR off Rick Camp & added a two-run 7th inning double off Terry Foster in his three hit, season high five RBI game.

In August the Mets went 17-10 took over first place for four days & were two games behind St. Louis at the start of September. In September Foster hit four HRs driving in eleven runs as the Mets chased the Cardinals for the NL East title. 

In a big three game series in St. Louis the final week of the season, Foster went hitless in two of the games in which the Mets lost. In the second game of that series, he had three hits with a solo HR off Joaquin Andujar in the Mets 5-2 win. 

In 1985 Foster played fewer games (129) as Danny Heep, a young Lenny Dykstra, John Christensen & Tom Paciorek all got to see some more time in the outfield. 

Foster batted .263 with 24 doubles 21 HRs 21
& 71 RBIs. He struck out 87 times which was the least number of times, since he had come to New York. He also drew 46 walks an improvement from the 30 he drew the previous season. He posted a .331 on base% & 792 OPS.

Unpopularity: On the negative side, with such a talented & exciting new Mets team, Foster was becoming very unpopular. He wasn't hitting as many HRs or driving in as many runs as expected. His lackadaisical outfield play & poor attitude angered the fans. The boos directed at him at Shea Stadium only got louder & more intense.  He was wearing out his welcome as he became less valuable to a Powerhouse championship caliber team.

1986 Championship Season: By 1986 he became a target of constant booing whenever he came to bat or even walked onto the field. Things were coming to an end for Foster in New York.

He was the Opening Day left fielder & batted sixth. In the sixth inning he doubled driving in Daryl Strawberry with the third run of a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit well enough to be at .300 by the end of April which kept the fans happy for a while. 

On April 24th he drove in the winning run in the top of the 10th inning, with a base hit off Todd Worrell in St. Louis. 

Multi HR Game: On May 18th, he had a big day hitting a pair of HRs, off the Dodgers Jerry Ruess while bringing in four runs in the 8-4 win against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It was his first multi-HR game in three years.

By now the first place Mets were already gaining a reputation for their attitude & the Shea curtain calls were irking other teams. 

Grand Slam HR & Brawl with L.A.: On May 27th, the Dodgers came to Shea Stadium for a three-game series. Before the game Steve Saxx & Greg Brock got into a shoving match that was broken up by relief pitcher Tom Niedenfuer. He would have a busy night.  In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Mets collected five singles to take a 3-1 lead. Foster came to bat with the bases loaded facing Tom Niedenfuer. Foster lined a grand slam HR down the left field line, for his 14th & final career grand slam. At that point he was second among active players, to former teammate Dave Kingman in career slams. He put the Mets up 7-1 over a frustrated Dodgers team.

Niedenfuer didn't move on the mound, clearly angered over the moment. The Shea crowd roared & Foster came out for a rare curtain call on his part, smiling enjoying the moment. Niedenfuer proceeded to hit the Mets next batter, Ray Night with a pitch.

Knight the most aggressive fighter on that Mets team charged the mound igniting a bench clearing brawl. Foster is remembered as being one of the last Mets on the field to join in that fight, which didn't make him the most popular guy in the clubhouse.

The Mets swept that series over the Dodgers, as centerfieldmaz was in attendance on the next nights4-2 win. On May 29th, Foster hit another HR, this one a 2nd inning solo shot off Fernando Valenzuela. The next night he hit a two run HR off the Giants Mike Lacoss in an 8-7 Mets win, that featured a 9th inning two run Mets come from behind win.

Multi HR Game: On June 2nd, Foster hit two HRs off the San Diego Padres, Lama Hoyt in a 11-2 Doc Gooden Mets win. It was his second multi-HR game of the year & his third as a Mets player.

After hitting six HRs in the month of June he didn't hit any in July and went just 7-47. His average fell to .232, he had lost the confidence of his team, his manager & the fans. With the emergence of versatile rookie Kevin Mitchell & the home coming of the popular Lee Mazzilli, Foster was expendable. 

Brawl In Cincinnati: On July 22nd, 1986, in the 10th inning of a tie game in Cincinnati, the Reds Eric Davis stole third base with a pop slide into Ray Knight. A pushing, shoving match started between the two. For Ray Knight the former boxer, it was another time to fight. 

He clocked Davis in the face & the benches cleared in another Mets brawl. This was an ugly one that led to ejections & fines.

After all was settled, it is noted that Foster, the former Red was the only player or coach, who did not to come out of the dugout to join in near the melee. He later said he didn't come out because it would have been a bad example for children. This didn't go over well with his teammates or his manager.

By August 6th he had been benched & only played in two full games since the Brawl in Cincinnati two weeks earlier. He had just one hit in 13 at bats in that time. 

On August 7th, the Mets released him outright. In a statement that he had made that month which came out the same day, he accused manager Davey Johnson favoring the white players. He accused the team of racism saying they'd rather promote a Gary Carter or Keith Hernandez as a role model instead of him, Darryl Strawberry or Dwight Gooden. He explained to his team, the comments were taken of context. But all in all, Foster's comments didn't get much support, especially as his replacement in left field was Kevin Mitchell.

 

Two Years later he told the press: ''What I said wasn't intended to be racial at all''. 

Quotes- George Foster: ''I was just saying the team was showing favoritism to Dykstra, who had just come up. But I never got a chance to explain what I meant. The next day, Davey told Frank Cashen that Foster goes, or I go, And the I was gone. "

''Some people expected me to hit a home run every time I got up. I think it was because a lot of them looked at me and saw a dollar sign. I only wish they knew how hard I tried to succeed in New York, If anything, I may have tried too hard and put too much expectations on myself."

Post Mets Career: Foster was picked up by the Chicago White Sox & hit a HR in his Sox debut. But he would only play in 15 games for them, batting just .216 overall with no more HRs.  He ended his MLB career at the end of the season.

Mets All Time List: Foster has played the third most games for the Mets in left field with 617. In his five-year Mets career, he played in 655 games (37th on Mets all-time list) with 602 hits. Foster hit 99 HRs (16th on the Mets All-time list) with 361 RBIs (19th on the Mets All Time list). He had 94 doubles with 7 triples while batting .252 with a .422 on base % & a .728 OPS. Foster struck out 496 times (22nd on the Mets all-time list).

All Time Stats: Overall, in his 18-year career Foster hit .274, with 348 HRs (100th all time) &
1239 RBIs (140th all time). 

He had 1925 hits, 702 extra base hits, 307 doubles, 47 triples, 666 walks, 106 intentional walks, and 986 runs scored in 1977 games played. He posted a .338 on base & & .818 OPS. Foster struck out 1419 times (98th all time) & he grounded into 196 double plays (121st all time).

Foster played 1880 games in the outfield (69th most all time). In left field he has played in 1549 games (19th most all time) while making 97 assists (39th all time) with his strong arm, committing 50 errors.

Retirement: After his retirement, he lived in Greenwich Conn. & helped coach kids play baseball.
Foster is now a born-again Christian, motivational speaker, and still spends time instructing youth baseball. 

He has been a scout advisor for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Pro Baseball League. 

Foster has done his own online baseball show "The George Foster Diamond Report." 

Charity: Foster has raised money for military families & children in inner city neighborhoods.

Honors: In 2008 he returned to the Mets for the closing ceremonies of Shea Stadium, receiving a nice ovation.

2013 All Star Game at Citi Field: He was one of many players representing the Mets in New York at the All-Star Game Fan Fest.

Foster was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2003. He has appeared at many reunions honoring the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati.

Foster is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. 

Family: George & his wife Sheila (Roberts) were married in November 1977. Together they have two daughters, Starrine & Shawna.