As a measure of how highly regarded Foote was as a catcher, in 1975, the Expos shifted future Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter to right field.[9] Foote's performance suffered in his sophomore year of 1975, as his batting average fell dramatically to .195 in 118 games.[1] In September, Foote suffered a torn cartilage and underwent knee surgery after the season ended.[10] In 1976, he split catching duties with Gary Carter and by the 1977 season, Carter had replaced Foote as the Expos' starting catcher.[11][12]
Foote was then traded to the Chicago Cubs for catcher Dave Rader in 1979.[1] The Cubs immediately made Foote their starting catcher.[15] He was the Cubs' catcher in a memorable game at Wrigley Field on May 17, 1979 when his former team, the Phillies, defeated the Cubs by a score of 23 to 22.[16] He ended the 1979 season having played in a career-high 132 games and hit 16 home runs, also a career high.[1] On April 22, 1980, during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, Foote had eight runs batted in, including a game-winning grand slam home run.[17] A back injury curtailed Foote's playing time in 1980 and, he appeared in only 63 games.[1][18]
The New York Yankees traded Tom Filer for Foote on April 27, 1981 to fill the gap left by injured catcher, Rick Cerone.[4] Foote hit a home run in his first at bat for the Yankees and hit five home runs in his first seven games with the team.[19][20] The 1981 season was then halted when the Major League Baseball Players Association voted unanimously to strike on May 29. The season resumed on August 9 after the All-Star game, but Foote was used sparingly for the remainder of the season. He played in the 1981 World Series for the Yankees, but struck out in his only at-bat.[14] Foote went on the injured reserve list in June 1982 after suffering back spasms.[21] He was assigned to the Columbus Clippers in July 1982 to make room on the roster when Rick Cerone returned from an injury.[22] Foote played in his final major league game on August 8, 1982 at the age of 30.[1] On March 25, 1983, he was released by the New York Yankees on the last day of spring training.[4]
Career statistics
In a ten-year major league career, Foote played in 687 games, accumulating 489 hits in 2,127 at bats for a .230 career batting average along with 57 home runs and 230 runs batted in.[1] As a catcher, he had a .986 career fielding percentage.[1] Former all-time leader in career stolen bases, Lou Brock, considered Foote one of the toughest catchers on which to attempt a steal of second base.[23]
Coaching career
Following his playing career, Foote signed a four-year contract with the Yankees to work as a scout.[24] He later became a manager in the Yankees and the Blue Jays organizations.[25] Foote was named Manager of the Year with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees of the Florida State League in 1984, and Manager of the Year with the Myrtle Beach Blue Jays of the South Atlantic League in 1987.[26] Both teams won their respective league championships. Foote also served as a coach for the Chicago White Sox in 1990 and 1991 and the New York Mets in 1992 and 1993.[27]
^ abKuenster, John (March 1973). Warm Up Tosses. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
