Keith Foulke Talks 2004 Red Sox Title, Historic Comeback vs. Yankees in B/R AMA

Keith Foulke recorded the final three outs of the 2004 World Series as the Boston Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals.

Helping secure the title capped a terrific two-year stretch for Foulke, who led the American League with 43 saves for the Oakland Athletics in 2003. His performance with the A's earned him his only career All-Star selection and the AL Rolaids Relief Man Award.

He spoke with Bleacher Report on Tuesday for an Ask Me Anything session about the 2004 championship, coming back from a 3-0 series deficit against the rival New York Yankees in that year's ALCS and several other topics.

The following is the full transcript from the B/R AMA session.

@tjn: What emotions/thoughts were running through your head the moment the ground ball was hit back to you?

It's one of those things that everything happened so fast. Before the pitch was made I'm just concentrating on making a good pitch. The pitch was kind of a lazy fastball up out of the zone so I was really surprised that he swung at it. But as soon as I saw the ball coming back at me everything kind of went into light speed. It happened so fast and I jumped for the ball when I didn't really need to jump and I didn't really catch the ball clean. All I was thinking is 'don't throw this ball away.' But as soon as I had it and I tossed it towards first that's when everything was like 'holy cow, we actually did this.'

@LOGAN316: What did you think after winning the World Series?

It was a lifelong dream, just like pretty much every athlete on the planet. The true emotions of a long season, all the hard work that you've put in over the season. It was the justification of this is where I'm meant to be in life.

@bjf976: Who was the toughest player to pitch against?

Edgar Martinez of the Mariners. He was a very unselfish hitter and would hit the ball hard wherever you pitched it. He's definitely a Hall of Famer.

@Not_KyleLowry: Red Sox fan here. Who was your favorite teammate to play with?

Doug Mirabelli

@therealGM: Best restaurant in Boston?

That's a tough question. I love to eat. I love steak at Del Frisco's. A&B Burgers is also great. That's a tough one. I don't have just one.

@bsmitty: What are your favorite memories from the South Side?

A lot of great memories. That's where I became a big league ballplayer. Great teammates. When I first got there they were rebuilding, so we spent a lot of years with the same guys. Love the team, love the organization. I wish we could have kept it together for a couple more years, I think we could have won a World Series. Obviously they did in '05 but it would have been nice to get one there.

@Chickfilaisbetta: Chick-fil-A or Popeyes?

Chick-fil-A everyday except for Sunday. Spicy chicken sandwich, regular chicken sandwich and a Dr. Pepper.

@bostonsports37: What was your favorite part about playing for the Red Sox?

I loved the city of Boston before I came to play for Boston. It's such a unique small town, obviously playing at Fenway was incredible. I love the passion that the fans have for their teams. You get to know a lot of people, talk about the restaurants and bars, you get to know the owners. Playing for a big market team was great. I love the banter, I got to know a lot of the media guys.

@LegendBoy: Favorite MLB moment besides winning the World Series?

Maybe the All-Star Game. The 2003 All-Star Game after the White Sox traded me away. I got the save and that was great to do it there.

@noahbair: What was your favorite stadium to play in?

I love Fenway and I loved playing in Seattle. It's just a beautiful stadium.

@max716: When the Red Sox talked to you during free agency what was your first thought after the meeting?

I was overwhelmed really. When I came in, Theo [Epstein] took me to a Celtics game. We're sitting on the floor. We're walking down the aisle and everyone started hollering and cheering for me, so I thought 'this is so cool.' They knew I was a hockey fan so Bobby Orr called and left me a message. After I got off that call I was like 'I have made my decision.' I felt like it was home, it was the place to be.

@Alexshrader00: What advice would you give to kids who want to win a World Series one day like you?

This is a tough question because I'm a father of three boys so I get it. Get your education, broaden your mind, because I know every kid out there wants to be a ballplayer. But it's such a tough road. I like kids to make sure they're realistic about their dreams and have something to fall back on if it doesn't work out. Have lots of interests, play lots of sports, have options.

@rm5000: After being down 0-3 to the Yankees, who were some of the vocal leaders on the team that started the greatest comeback in pro sports history?

A lot of that stuff has been well-publicized in the media. Obviously everyone knows what [Kevin] Millar's predictions were. Once we got into the clubhouse and kind of sat down, you got your [Curt] Schilling's and your Papi's [David Ortiz] and it's not like we had a meeting, but we talked amongst ourselves and we knew we had dug ourselves in a whole. 'Ya know what? Now it's time to see what this team is made of.' Obviously that team was put together to win. We all knew what we had to do. Everybody knew the parts we had failed in. So it was like 'screw it, we're either gonna pack our stuff and go home tomorrow or we're gonna come back and play again.' So you come out and play hard, play relaxed. We took the pressure off and went out there and played our ball. Fortunately things worked out.

@BayLegend: What was your favorite moment of the World Series run?

Probably Game 1. When we came back to win Game 1 it solidified what this team was about. We did whatever we need to do to come out on top.

@GC215: Who was your favorite catcher to work with?

Doug Mirabelli. Mark Johnson was a catcher I had in Chicago. Ramon Hernandez in Oakland was another great catcher. Me being a control guy, they could sit there and let the ball get to them. That style of catching really helped me, I got a lot more calls that way.

@CWLeonard15: Who partied the hardest in 2004?

It was such a grueling run through the playoffs and after it was all done, I think we were so freaking worn out and we finally left St. Louis 'cause they ran out of beer. We got back to Boston and I was so exhausted. Signing autographs and the parade. I was so worn out I didn't really party. I think that's how it was with a lot of guys. It was an older team, guys had families. Everybody kind of just parted ways, did their own thing. I know in 2018 that team was going all out and doing their thing in L.A. but yea we were exhausted honestly.

@CRW316: Have you ever gotten a hit and who was it off of?

I have two career hits and if you gave me a billion dollars right now I couldn't tell you who they were off of. I was a pretty good hitter in the minor leagues, though.

@ericmohr: What's the most stressful situation you ever pitched in?

The '04 series against the Yankees. With the Cardinals, obviously we were in the World Series but our backs weren't against the wall.

@bloodbathwhoady: What's the favorite model of glove you played with?

Rawlings. My kids all wear Rawlings now. Nike wanted to get me when I visited there but had to stick with what I liked.

@johnnnyvv: What happened to the ball after the '04 World Series?

The story will come out one day, trust me.

Rapid-Fire Questions

Favorite play ever?

The last out in '04

Favorite movie ever?

Red Dawn

Favorite food ever?

Seafood

Foulke retired in 2009 after an 11-year career that included stops with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox in addition to his time with Boston and two stints with the A's.