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Keith Foulke had just returned home from his first visit to Boston and was still undecided about re-signing with the Oakland Athletics or joining the Red Sox.
A call from hockey great Bobby Orr helped nudge the right-hander to the East Coast.
``He left a message
saying that you win in this town and you are forever idolized,'' Foulke said
on Friday during a visit to Fenway Park.
The call from the Bruins great wasn't the main reason Foulke, a longtime hockey
fan, selected Boston, but it was ``another selling point,'' he said Friday.
The Red Sox also offered Foulke a four-year contract that guaranteed him $24 million and a chance to win a World Series.
``Just the excitement of playing for a team with this heritage and this history is something I want to do before I retire,'' he said.
And the fact the Red Sox have not won a World Series title since 1918?
``I haven't won one either, so we have something in common,'' Foulke said.
Foulke's agreement last week came after a season in which the Red Sox tried various pitchers in the closer's role, with varying degrees of success. Foulke's 43 saves with Oakland last season were more than the entire Red Sox bullpen.
``We went after Keith so hard because we really think he's one of the best pitchers in baseball,'' Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said.
``We told Keith we see him as a real weapon in helping us win games, and we told him we're going to pitch you as much as possible, in the most important innings as possible and have you impact as many games as possible,'' Epstein said.
Foulke's contract guarantees him $20.25 million if the deal ends after three seasons.
He gets a $1.5 million signing bonus, $3 million next season, $7 million in 2005 and $7.25 million in 2006. The Red Sox have a $7.5 million option for 2007 with a $1.5 million buyout. If the team elects to give him the buyout, Foulke gets a $3.75 million player option.
The option would become guaranteed if Foulke finishes 45 games in each of the first three seasons or a total of 95 games in 2005 and 2006, and if he finishes at least 53 games in 2006, the price increases to $7.75 million. The option also becomes Foulke's at $7.75 million if he finishes in the top five in Cy Young Award voting in any of the first three seasons.
Foulke, 31, was 9-1 with 43 saves and a 2.08 ERA for Oakland last season, when he earned $6 million. He has 143 saves in a career that started with San Francisco in 1997; he was traded to the Chicago White Sox later that season and went to Oakland for the 2003 season.
Leaving Oakland was a difficult decision, but playing for the Red Sox allows Foulke ``the pursuit of bigger dreams.''
Epstein refused to comment on whether the Manny Ramirez for Alex Rodriguez trade was still a possibility, a deal that could lead to Nomar Garciaparra getting traded to the Chicago White Sox.
``The way I see it, you have four all-stars involved, and no matter what happens, I'll have two great players behind me,'' Foulke said.