Larry Foss

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Larry Curtis Foss (April 18, 1936 – June 15, 2019) was an American right-handed pitcher who played in eight Major League Baseball games for the 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1962 New York Mets. He was born in Castleton, Kansas, stood 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 187 pounds. Foss went to Wichita West High School and attended Wichita State University.

He began his pro career with the Pirates in 1955 and spent seven seasons in the minor leagues before being called up in September 1961. He made his MLB debut on September 18, 1961, starting for the Pirates against the St. Louis Cardinals at Forbes Field. He pitched seven innings, giving up five hits and one earned run as Pittsburgh won 8–6, earning Foss his first major league win. He earned a no-decision in his next start on September 24 against the Phillies and took his first MLB loss five days later to the Cincinnati Reds, finishing his 1961 season with the Pirates.

Foss spent 1962 in the minor leagues and was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets on September 6, 1962. He appeared in five more National League games for the Mets, including one start on September 18, 1962—the anniversary of his win over Bob Gibson—that ended in an 8–6 loss. The Mets that year finished 40–120, the worst record for a post-1900 team at the time.

In his eight MLB games, four as a starter, Foss went 1–2 with a 5.33 ERA. He gave up 32 hits and 18 walks in 27 innings and had 12 strikeouts. Foss left baseball after the 1963 minor-league season and died on June 15, 2019, in Wichita, Kansas, at age 83.