Keith Foulke’s run as manager of the Boston Hunters in the Women’s Pro Baseball League ended almost before it had a chance to begin.
The former Red Sox closer was let go after just three games, and the Hunters moved quickly to replace him with former MLB infielder Jemile Weeks, who had brief stops with the Red Sox in 2014 and 2015.
The league framed the decision as a baseball move. WPBL commissioner Justine Siegal told Boston.com, “It was really about just the connection he had with the players and finding a coach who was better with a younger team,” and added, “It’s not that deep.”
Siegal also pointed to Foulke’s lack of experience working with younger players. “We needed someone with the experience with a younger age group to give them the confidence and give them very specific skills in real time on how they could get better,” she said.
Foulke saw it differently. He said he believes the issue may have been his commute from Arizona, even though that setup was supposed to be part of his coaching agreement. He missed two days of training and one practice after the season began, and he said that was because of medical appointments for his wife.
“Did they convey that to the commissioner? Did they convey that to the assistant coaches that they provided for me?
I do not believe they did,” Foulke said to Boston.com. “So when I wasn’t there, I think that was a big shock.
Like nobody else knew the plan that we had in place."
All of the WPBL games are being played in Springfield, Illinois, and Foulke said he wanted to keep time available for his family before taking the job.
The firing came a day after the Hunters picked up their first win, making the move even more unexpected this early in the inaugural season.
Foulke spent more than 10 years in the majors, was an All-Star with the Athletics, and served as Boston’s closer during the Red Sox’ 2004 season. He finished his career with 191 saves and spent three seasons with the Red Sox.
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