Evanston’s Kevin Foster showed flashes of excellence, but not a lot of consistency, during parts of five Cubs seasons (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Cubs).
By George Castle – CBM Historian on January 12, 2017
The Chicago Baseball Museum is presenting classic interviews from the archives of CBM historian George Castle’s “Diamond Gems” syndicated weekly baseball radio show, which aired from 1994 to 2010.
This edition features a 1994 interview with Kevin Foster, one of the few Evanston natives to make the majors. Foster had just been called up to the Cubs, for whom he pitched in the starting rotation for all or parts of five seasons. With his proud parents chiming in on another phone connection, Foster talked about his aspirations. He would become a little better than a .500 pitcher, prone to the home-run ball, through 1998. Foster died too young, of renal cancer, at 39 in 2008. He was one of three members of the 1997 Cubs rotation to die at young ages. Frank Castillo and Jeremi Gonzalez died via a drowning accident and lightning strike, respectively.
“The Diamond Gems Flashback” also features photos of the interviewees from the one-of-a-kind Leo Bauby Photo Collection, emphasizing Chicago baseball. Many photos are available to the general public directly on Ebay via seller name Soxphotos soxphotos | eBay.
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