Obituary: Larry Foster (1937-2023)

RIP to Larry Foster, a former Lutheran pastor and a well-regarded counselor for families, couples and clergy alike. And for 2 innings in a game in September of 1963, he was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. Foster died on May 7 at the age of 85. The native Michigander was buried in Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery in New Era, Mich., where he and his wife Ginny were long-time parishoners.

Larry Lynn Foster was born in Lansing on December 24, 1937. He was a fine pitcher and hitter for Lansing Sexton High School as well as summer league teams in Michigan. He had strikeout stuff, even if he didn’t always have the best run support. Foster led the 1955 summer city baseball league with 111 strikeouts, more than 20 ahead of the nearest pitcher — and his record was only 5-7. Foster pitched regularly for Schmidt’s Super Markets in the city league. He nearly threw a no-hitter in 1956, but his gem was broken up by a Sexton High teammate, playing for the rival team. He finally got his no-no in 1957, beating Shaver Clinic by a score of 10-0, with 9 strikeouts and 4 walks in the 7-inning game.

Source: *The Knoxville News Sentinel,* August 11, 1960.

Foster moved upon to Michigan State University and pitched for the baseball team for two seasons. He signed a professional contract with the Detroit Tigers on June 28, 1958, for a reported $25,000 bonus. He joined the Lancaster Red Roses of the Eastern League and went 1-2 in 8 games. Foster saw much more action in 1959, starting with the Class-A Knoxville Smokies and then the Class-B Durham Bulls. In his Durham debut on May 19, Foster threw a 3-0 no-hitter against Greensboro. He struck out 6 in the game but walked 10. Control issues continued to be problematic in the minors. Foster had a solid 1960 season with Knoxville, turning in a 13-11 record and 3.04 ERA. He also struck out 147 batters, but he walked 119. To help with his control problem, Knoxville groundskeeper Jim McCarter constructed a new pitching mound in the right field corner so Foster could have better warm-ups prior to his starts. “I’ve been warming up on the level ground in front of our dugout, then going to the mound and trying to adjust in time to start the game. This may be the answer to those bases on balls,” he said.

Foster missed most of 1962 due to deployment in the Army at Fort Lewis, Wash., and he was not on the Tigers’ radar when he showed up to training camp in 1963. He wasn’t on the roster either, but he had some good performances, including a stint against the visiting Hanshin Tigers of Japan. He impressed Tigers manager Bob Scheffing. “Foster has a good fastball and a lot of poise. I’ll bet that he makes it with us someday,” the skipper said. Foster split 1963 with two Triple-A teams in Seattle and Syracuse. While his stats don’t look great — a combined 6-11 record and 4.17 ERA — there was some improvement. Foster was on the winning end of two 1-0 shutouts, including a 1-hitter against Portland. He fanned 12 and walked 2 in that game, showing that he could be extremely tough to hit when his control was good. That September, Detroit brought the 25-year-old to the major leagues.

As a Tiger, Foster was roommates with another rookie pitcher, 19-year-old Denny McLain. Manager Chuck Dressen, who had replaced Scheffing, opted to use McLain as a starter and Foster as a reliever. Foster’s one appearance in the majors came on September 18 against the Minnesota Twins. Phil Regan started the game and was taken out after failing to retire any of the first four batters. He would be charged with 3 earned runs when the inning was over. Willie Smith came in the game and worked 5 innings, allowing 3 runs as well. He was removed in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Foster making his major-league debut. He struck out Rich Rollins to start the inning, but then Jimmie Hall walked, Harmon Killebrew singled and Don Mincher hit a 2-run double. After Bob Allison flew out, Earl Battey drove in Mincher with the third run of the inning. Bernie Allen hit a comebacker to Foster to end the frame. Foster’s second of inning was much better. He retired Twins starter Camilo Pascual and Johnny Goryl on grounders. Rollins hit a 2-out single, and Hall reached on an error by second baseman Don Wert to put two runners on base. Killebrew then hit a ground ball to third baseman Bubba Phillips, who stepped on third base for the inning-ending force out. Detroit reliever Bob Anderson finished off the game with 1 run allowed in the ninth, making the final score 10-0 Twins. Foster worked 2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk. He also struck out a batter. It left him with a 13.50 ERA.

Source: *Lansing State Journal*, March 24, 1963.

Dressen remained enthusiastic about Foster going into the 1964 season but added that the young pitcher needed to overcome his control problems. Realistically, the Tigers already had an established starting rotation, with returning pitchers Regan, Hank Aguirre, Mickey Lolich and McLain, as well as Dave Wickersham, who was acquired in a big trade with Kansas City. Foster came down with a sore arm in training camp and wasn’t able to throw as hard as he usually did, so he was sent to the minor leagues and used mainly as a long reliever. The transition to the bullpen didn’t suit him, as he was hit hard while pitching for Double-A Knoxville and (for one appearance) Triple-A Syracuse. In 113 innings of work, Foster gave up 125 hits and 11 home runs, and his ERA soared to 4.70. He was released as the end of the season and signed with the Cleveland organization. Foster pitched very well in 9 starts for Class-A Salinas of the California League (5-3 record, 2.75 ERA, 58 strikeouts in 59 innings) but he did not fare as well when promoted to Double-A Reading of the Eastern League. He finished the year with a 9-10 record and 3.56 ERA and retired from baseball. Over his 8 seasons in the minor leagues, Foster had a 49-63 record.

Foster returned to Lansing and, once again, became a star in the city’s local league. He also pursued a higher calling. In the offseasons, Foster had earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Michigan State and then a Master of Divinity degree at Chicago’s Lutheran School of Theology. He was then ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church to start his second career. In a 1969 interview with the Lansing State Journal, Foster said that the church had always been a part of his life. He was disappointed that a sore arm hastened the end of his playing career, but the transition to the church was a natural one. “I continuously asked myself if [baseball] was worth it,” he explained. “This is where my connection with the church was valuable. In bad times and losing streaks, even on the road, I could attend church, become involved and become accepted.”

Larry Foster, center, talks with Tigers star **Al Kaline** and manager Chuck Dressen. Source: *Lansing State Journal*, January 16, 1964.

Foster served as the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in his hometown of Lansing before moving to Lebanon Lutheran Church. He was the pastor there from 1976 to 1993. He also served as a licensed family therapist. After several pastorates, Foster put all of his skills together to create ClergySeminars. He worked around the country, helping and mentoring church leadership. He also worked with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s presiding bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, on the ELCA Systems Academy. Per the White Lake Beacon, it is a “four-year structured engagement that enables participants to enhance their own ministry work.

Trinity Lutheran pastor Sarah Samuelson said that she knew Foster as a colleague, a friend, a mentor and as a member of her congregation. “I knew him in many different roles, which is a real treat for me. What’s interesting to me is that everybody I’ve talked to has a special and meaningful relationship with Larry. I can’t stress that enough. Larry impacted people’s lives everywhere and with everyone he met.”