Terry Forster

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Terry Forster on an autographed 1974 Topps baseball card
Terry Forster on an autographed 1974 Topps baseball card

Terry Jay Forster (born January 14, 1952 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) is a retired left-handed relief pitcher who played for 16 seasons in the Major Leagues. He played for five teams in his career and recorded 127 saves during his time in the majors.

Forster grew up in California and attended to Santana High School in Santee, California. A talented pitcher at the high school level, he was made a second round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox in the 1970 MLB Amateur Draft.

Forster rapidly ascended to the big league level, making the White Sox's opening day roster in 1971 after only 10 games at the single-A level in the minor leagues.[1] He recorded a 3.99 ERA as a 19-year-old. He became Chicago's top relief pitcher and saved 29 games, which ranked second in the American League that season. After splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation in 1973, Forster returned primarily to the bullpen in 1974 and led the American League in saves with 24. He then missed most of 1975 with an arm injury, which allowed teammate Rich Gossage to become the league leader in saves that season.

In 1976, new White Sox manager Paul Richards decided to put Forster in the starting rotation. The experiment backfired, as Forster responded with a 2-12 record. At the end of the season, he was traded, along with Gossage, to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in exchange for Richie Zisk and Silvio Martinez. Forster was subsequently reunited with Chuck Tanner, who had managed him while with the White Sox.

In the 1977 season, Forster compiled a 4.43 ERA with Pittsburgh. After the season, Forster became a free agent, eventually signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Terry Forster on a 1987 Topps baseball card
Terry Forster on a 1987 Topps baseball card

He recorded a 1.93 ERA while saving 22 games for Los Angeles. He appeared in the World Series for the Dodgers, as they lost to the New York Yankees. After the Series, he had bone chips removed from his elbow and had his next three years shortened by injuries. He was healthy, however, for the Dodgers' postseason run in 1981, which culminated in his winning a World Series ring after the Dodgers defeated the Yankees.

Fully healthy in 1982, he pitched well coming out of the bullpen, before leaving L.A. via free agency. Forster signed with the Atlanta Braves for the 1983 season, and had an efficient three seasons, compiling an ERA of under 3.00 in each of those seasons.

While with the Braves, he began gaining notice for his weight problems. The 6'3" Forster reportedly weighed 270 pounds while with Atlanta. David Letterman gave the left-hander national notoriety in 1985, when he referred to the lefty as a "fat tub of goo" on his Late Night show. Forster later appeared as a guest on Letterman's show following the comments and even recorded a novelty song called "Fat Is In".[2]

The Braves released Forster shortly before the start of the 1986 season, but he was signed by the California Angels two weeks after his release. He finished the year with a 3.51 ERA in 41 appearances, but was not part of the Angels' roster for the ALCS. This was Forster's last season in the major leagues, although he did play minor league baseball in the Minnesota Twins organization in 1987.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lindberg, Richard C. Terry Forster. BaseballLibrary.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.
  2. ^ Rogers, Thomas (1985-11-14). Fat Is Now Out. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.
  3. ^ Rogers, Thomas (1987-07-13). Weighty Problem. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.

[edit] Other Sources

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