Lumber Without Slumber

The Atlanta Braves aren't the least bit impressed with Rod Carew's pursuit of a .400 season (page 74). After all, they have Terry Forster. The lefthanded reliever got his seventh save of the year in an 8-1 win over St. Louis last week and also slapped a single through the infield to maintain his season average at 1.000 (3 for 3) and raise his career mark to .424 (28 for 66). "I'm not a good hitter. I'm lucky," Forster says. "I just try to be aggressive. At this level, the ball is always around the plate. If you're swinging, you'll get hits."

Forster has always enjoyed batting. The White Sox signed him in 1970 as a first baseman-pitcher out of Santana High in San Diego. "The Sox sent me down to their farm team in Appleton, Wisconsin, and early on we had a practice game against Duluth. I started at first base for Duluth and went 2 for 3. The last three innings I pitched for Appleton and struck out nine guys. After the game, they told me, 'You're going to be a pitcher.' "

Forster keeps his batting eye sharp in the off-season by hitting against pitching machines and he takes extra b.p. early in spring training to strengthen his left wrist and to build calluses on his left hand for—he says—pitching.