Foulke makes a striking first impression

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Earlier this week, when asked what he hoped to accomplish in his first spring outing, Keith Foulke said, ''Go out and strike three guys out on 12 pitches and call it day."

Yesterday, in his spring debut, albeit against Baltimore's top minor league club, the Red Sox closer did what he said he would, except he needed one additional pitch. His line: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K's, and a ''W." He got those three whiffs on three types of pitches (high fastball, low splitter, diving changeup) on a total of 13 pitches.

''He was phenomenal," said Curt Schilling, who after his seven innings (8 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 10 K's) remained in the dugout to watch Foulke. ''That's as good as I've seen him look since October of 2004. That's exciting."

''It makes me feel good," said Foulke, who wowed a crowd of about 350 at City of Palms Park with his effectiveness but not his velocity (all his fastballs registered at 85 or 86 miles per hour). ''Kind of settles me a little bit. It's nice to come in the dugout and see that Curt stayed out and watched that.

''I have to prove myself to my teammates. Most of them know that I am a pretty good pitcher and last year was just something in the past. But it'll be nice when they have that confidence in me again, when I come running out on the mound, you can almost put it in the books."

Foulke will face major league hitters about four times -- the Blue Jays today, and probably three more teams next week, leading up to the April 3 opener at Texas. (''Let's call it a controlled cram," he said.)

General manager Theo Epstein, sitting behind home plate yesterday, is not usually given to overstatement, and even he sounded pleased.

''Foulke pitched extremely well," Epstein said. ''His velocity will improve with time. It was his first spring outing, he had great command, he had a much better changeup than he had last year. He had good shape to his pitches. Velocity is not the most important element."

However, it is an important element, and even Foulke acknowledged it must pick up.

''I've probably got a little more in the tank," he said. ''I could definitely throttle it up a little bit more, but that'll come as we start getting in the groove a little bit."

As much as he appeared to be in a groove yesterday, Foulke sounded like he was in one.

For instance, he was asked whether he recorded the first and third strikeouts with changeups (he didn't, one was a fastball, one a changeup).

''Were you even watching the game?" Foulke responded. ''The first one was a high fastball. There's an ophthalmologist down the street if you need one."

He was asked what he learned about himself last season, when he went 5-5 with 15 saves and a 5.91 ERA.

''One season I went to the top and the very next season I was Public Enemy No. 1," he said. ''But I learned about myself. It's one of those deals where I'm going to fight. I fought all winter to get back. I'll continue to fight for the rest of my career."

Foulke was asked whether it feels good to know that manager Terry Francona said Thursday he will be his closer when the season opens, regardless of his linescore this week.

''That's the first I heard of it, but you guys know me," Foulke said. ''I don't need him to come to tell me, 'You're the closer Keith,' and, 'Go get 'em.' I don't give a [expletive] if I pitch in the fifth inning or the ninth inning. I'm still going to go out there and do my job.

''I guess it makes me feel good, but, you know . . . I enjoy making closer money. But I'm here to pitch and I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team, and if they want me to be the closer, so be it."

He was asked what happens if he falls on his face the first two weeks of the season. Will he be looking over his shoulder?

''I don't want people to think the wrong thing, but I have nothing to look over my shoulder about," he said.

Two things he contends he won't worry about are his surgically repaired left and right knees. Foulke said as much despite the ice wraps he wore on those knees yesterday, and despite the six injections of Synvisc (three in each knee) he's received this month. Synvisc is artificial joint fluid that can provide relief for up to six months. In fact, he's been told he might feel better as the Synvisc spends more time in his knees.

''The way I feel," Foulke said, ''[is] if it continues to get better that's just money in the bank. I have no doubt in my mind that the way my legs feel right now I can go out and pitch in big league ballgames."

Those knees, he said, are the key to his season.

''If I don't have my legs under me, I'm a Tuesday night softball guy," he said. ''Without being able to bend my knees and drive, I was nothing. I proved that I can't pitch on arm alone. If my knees are better, hopefully when we talk in seven months or so, I'll say, 'See, I told you so.' "

Though he lacked ideal velocity yesterday, Foulke was pleased with the movement (late and downward) and location (on the edges) of his changeups.

''And hitters reacted how I want them to react to my changeup," he said. ''They don't recognize it till the last second, and that's encouraging to me."

Today, Foulke will stare down another hurdle: pitching in games on back-to-back days.

''I'm sure it's a hurdle," he said. ''I don't think it's very high. I don't need a ramp."

He sure sounded mentally strong yesterday, but he balked when asked whether he feels his mind is sharper, and his resolve greater, this year.

''I'm not going to say I'm stronger mentally," he said. ''I've always been very mentally strong. That's one thing that's helped me get by going on nine years now with mediocre stuff, being able to go out there and compete and think under pressure and make your pitches."

And that, it seems, is why Schilling endorsed Francona's decision to return Foulke to his former job.

''I'm not sure who else you'd give the job to other than Foulkie," Schilling said. ''It's his job. It's what they pay him to do. If he's healthy he's the best guy down there to do it."