01:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, May 25, 2004

BOSTON -- It's not just Keith Foulke's arm that has impressed Red Sox pitching coach Dave Wallace.

It's also his head, his heart, and his intestinal fortitude.

"There's no substitute," Wallace said, "for what's inside a guy's stomach and heart. Keith thrives on competition."

"And he's a smart pitcher. He has a good cutter, a good change, and he understands the importance of location -- moving the ball in, out, up and down."

Ah, yes, the importance of location.

Foulke's relocating from Oakland to Boston this season has had a significant effect on the fortunes of both the A's and the Red Sox bullpens, as well as his personal fortune.

The American League leader last year in saves (43), relief wins (9), and games finished (67) for Oakland, Foulke signed a four-year deal worth $32 million last December with the Sox.

After you've pored through the pages of "Moneyball" and pondered the pitching stats in Bill James' "Baseball Abstract," what it all boils down to is this: The Red Sox could afford Foulke, the A's couldn't.

File it under the heading of "The rich get richer, and the poor get hammered in the late innings."

The cash-strapped A's have gone the rent-a-reliever route in recent years, and have done it successfully, first with Billy Koch, then last season with Foulke.

But the loss of Foulke has proved costly for the A's, whose bullpen ranks next-to-last in the A.L. this season with seven blown saves.

From Boston's standpoint, Foulke could be considered a bargain, considering that he's a perfect 9-for-9 in save situations and has a miniscule earned-run average of 0.39, having allowed just one run in 20 appearances covering 23 1/3 innings.

"That's what they pay me for," Foulke said Sunday, after the Red Sox completed a three-game sweep of Toronto in which he was credited with a save on Saturday.

He's counting on adding to his save total against his former teammates, as Oakland opens a three-game series tonight at Fenway Park.

Not that he harbors any ill will against the A's.

"I liked it in Oakland," he said, "but I wasn't there long enough to have a whole lot of ties. So, for me, this is just another series."

Foulke doesn't need any extra motivation when he's summoned from the bullpen to preserve a victory.

"A pitcher is what I am," he said. "I want to pitch. It takes someone who's a little different to be a closer. Someone who can deal with the game when the intensity goes to a different level.

"There are guys who are better pitchers than me. But I don't think there are many who are better in save situations."

Foulke would get no argument from Red Sox fans. Nor, probably, from anybody in Oakland, either.

He hasn't allowed a run in his last 13 outings, covering 14 1/3 innings. The only run he has given up all season came in a mop-up appearance April 17 against the Yankees, when he began the ninth inning with a 5-1 lead and the runner who came home was allowed to advance into scoring position on defensive indifference.

There was no indifference on Foulke's part when he was deciding where he wanted to pitch this season.

"I wanted to come to a big market," he said. "I knew some of the guys here, and they had nothing but good things to say about Boston.

"I thought it might be a tough place to play. But it's been a fun place to play. I love the city, and my teammates and the fans make it fun to come to the park.

"It's been even better here than I thought it was going to be. I've felt more comfortable sooner than I thought I would. We have a great bunch of guys in the bullpen. We have a good time. And this team has a lot of potential."

Foulke, 31, was the closer for the White Sox from 2000-2002. His best season in Chicago was 2001, when he had 42 saves, with an E.R.A. of 2.33 and a record of 3-0.

Traded to Oakland with a year remaining on his contract, he was spectacular last season for the A's, with an E.R.A. of 2.08 and 88 strikeouts, compared to just 20 walks, in 86 2/3 innings.

Foulke thrives in pressure situations. In part because, as he said: "I don't put pressure on myself. I just go out and try to help the team win."

He is very much a team guy. Unlike some closers who are reluctant to pitch if the game isn't hanging in the balance, Foulke is ready to come in whenever he's called upon.

"A couple of times already this year, when games were completely out of hand, one way or the other, both he and Alan Embree let us know they were available," Wallace said. "They knew the staff was struggling, and just wanted to help out.

"You can't say anything better about a guy," said Wallace, who then proceeded to do exactly that.

"No matter how well Keith pitches," Wallace said, "he's never satisfied."