George Foster
From The Met Wiki
George Foster was an outfielder for the Mets from 1982 to 1986. He hit 99 home runs and drove in 361 runs in his five seasons in New York. Foster accumulated 1007 total bases as a Met.
Foster joined the Mets after an outstanding career in Cincinnati. With the Reds, George was part of a two-time World Series winner and the 1977 National League Most Valuable Player. In '77, Foster became the only major league player to reach 50 home runs for a season (totaling 52) during the 1970s.
George's time in New York got off to a rough start. His '82 season totals of 13 homers and 70 RBIs were below expectations. Foster's lack of production created some dissention between himself and the Mets' fans.
In 1983, George had a more productive season. He led the Mets in several offensive categories, including home runs (28), RBIs (90) and total bases (252) in a team-leading 157 games played. At Shea Stadium on May 6, Foster hit a three-run homer in the 13th inning to give the Mets a 7-4 win over the Reds. Two days later, he hit another three-run homer to put the Mets ahead to stay in a come-from-behind 10-5 win over Cincinnati. George's three-run blast in the ninth inning on September 5 gave the Mets a 6-5 win against the Phillies.
In 1984 and 1985, George was a key contributor to pennant-contending Met teams. He totaled 45 home runs and drove in 163 runs as the Mets won a major league leading 188 games over the two years. In '84, Foster had four hits in a game on April 6 and July 16 (both of which were in Houston.) He had a two-run single in the 10th inning to give the Mets a 3-1 win at Pittsburgh on August 5. George drove in the winning run with a 12th-inning single fora 3-2 Mets triumph over the Padres at Shea on September 2. On June 20, 1985, he hit a grand slam to lead the Mets to a 5-3 win that completed a four-game series sweep over the Cubs at Shea Stadium. Also in '85, he had another four-hit game in Houston on July 13. Foster's batting average was .267 for the '84 and '85 seasons.
Foster hit a grand slam in an 8-1 Mets win over the Dodgers on May 27, 1986 at Shea. Following this homer, Los Angeles pitcher Tom Niedenfuer hit Ray Knight with a pitch that ignited a bench-clearing brawl. Six days later, George hit two home runs in the Mets' 11-2 win over the Padres. On June 29, Foster hit his final home run as a Met in the team's 7-4 win at Chicago.
On August 6, 1986, Foster struck out in a pinch-hitting appearance. It was his last at bat before his release the following day. George concluded his career with the Chicago White Sox in '86.
