Long road brings Foster back to Braves

ATLANTA - John Foster had been working out for months, but his shoulder wasn't getting any better. Every time he threw, the pain shot through his arm. Spring training was approaching, and no team was interested in damaged goods.

So, at 26, Foster decided it was time to look for another job. He thought about getting into coaching. He even called his former college coach, looking for a few leads.

Suddenly, the pain went away. Foster called up the Atlanta Braves, pitched well enough in a tryout to be invited to spring training, and drove 32 hours from California to Florida to restart his pitching career.

Less than two months later, Foster is back in the major leagues, holding a key role in the Braves' bullpen.

"This has been a total wake-up call for me," he said. "Now I know that everything can be taken away just like that."

Foster has pitched well the second time around for Atlanta. He hasn't allowed a run in four appearances, earning his first career save last week by getting the Mets' Cliff Floyd to pop out with two runners aboard in New York.

"To be able to come into that situation in New York, his first outing, not having thrown in a game in two weeks, to have him get out one of their hottest hitters, he didn't show any fear," catcher Johnny Estrada said.

Foster started his career with the Braves, making it to the majors briefly in 2002. He went on the disabled list with vertigo-like symptoms and was traded to Milwaukee after the season. The dizziness went away after about six months, but Foster lasted only one year with the Brewers.

Picked up by the Chicago Cubs, he finally revealed a long-running secret in spring training: His shoulder was hurting.

"I had been playing hurt for almost two years," Foster said. "In 2002, I kind of felt it, but it was tolerable. In 2003, it got worse. The next year, I started dropping about 4 mph on my pitches."

He finally saw a doctor, who found that Foster's shoulder was a mess. The labrum was torn. The rotator cuff was frayed. The shoulder socket was loose. Bone spurs were making matters worse.

If Foster had tried to pitch in 2004, he probably would have done career-ending damage. As it was, recovery was no slam dunk.

Dr. James Andrews, the touted sports surgeon, fixed all the problems on the operating table. But Foster read in one publication that only 60 percent of the pitchers who underwent such a major procedure made it back to the mound.

Undeterred, he began rehabbing his shoulder. Living in New York at the time, he worked out alone on a handball court, throwing the ball off the wall and catching it on the rebound. Then he went back to his old school, Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho, so he could do supervised training seven days a week. For nearly a year, the results weren't promising.

"I was in constant pain for 10 months," Foster recalled. "You think you're never going to play again."

Spring training was two weeks away when Foster - already pondering a new line of work - tried to throw again. Suddenly, the pain was gone. He threw again the next day. No pain.

"Maybe I'm not finished," he said to himself.

Foster excitedly called up the Braves, wondering if they'd give him another look. He was visiting his parents in California, but the team sent a scout to watch him throw. The report was promising enough for Atlanta to offer a minor-league contract. Spring training had already started, so he had to get to Florida in a hurry.

"I had a friend who wasn't working at the time, so I asked him to go with me," Foster said. "I drove while he slept, he drove while I slept. At one point, we were both so tired we just stopped at a rest stop and slept in the car."

Thirty-two hours later, Foster arrived at the Braves' spring training complex near Orlando. He worked himself into playing shape, managed to pitch 10 innings and was assigned to Triple-A Richmond.

Foster had only three games in the minors (he allowed two hits and a run in 5 2-3 innings) when the big league team called him up. He didn't even have a suit to wear on the road, so he made a detour to a clothing store before joining the Braves in Philadelphia.

Foster quickly realized just how good this second chance was. The Braves had released Tom Martin, the only left-hander in their bullpen.

"I was trying to be modest, but it was pretty self-explanatory," Foster said. "As long as I do well, I can stay up here."

Several of Foster's teammates were caught off guard by his return to the Braves.

"I didn't even know we had signed him until late in spring training," said outfielder Ryan Langerhans, who played with Foster in the minors.

So far, Foster is pitching like someone who knew how close he came to losing it all.

"He ain't scared of any situation," pitching coach Leo Mazzone said.