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Closer Keith Foulke Announces Career Closure

Relief pitcher Keith Foulke, 34, announced on Friday that he has decided to retire from baseball and will not appear in Cleveland Indians uniform this year, opting out of the one year, five million dollar contract he had signed with the club in January. In a statement released by Foulke, he said ?Over the last few weeks, while preparing for the 2007 season, my body has not responded as it has in years past.? The player had suffered from several injuries in the past years, including injuries in his elbow, back and knee.

The Boston Red Sox, for which he had won a historical World Series ? Foulke pitched for the final out in the final fourth game, was replaced in Boston by rookie Jonathan Papelbon. In Cleveland, Foulke was to compete for the role with Joe Borowski, who was brought in December from Florida, on a one year contract as well, worth $4.25 million. In 43 chances last year, Borowski had 36 saves.

Playing for the Oakland A?s and the Boston Red Sox, Foulke has played eight professional seasons in which his record was 41-34 record with 190 saves. He has had five consecutive seasons until 2004 without committing a single error, held a 3.32 ERA and threw a fastball that clocked at over 90 MPH. The Indians would have wanted to see him compete for the role while wearing Indians uniform, but will not have to honor the deal and pay the player since he did not report for training camp and has instead announced his retirement prior to joining the team.