Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. Five-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion George Foster speaks at the YSU First-Pitch Breakfast on Saturday morning at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield.

CANFIELD — Although the weather outdoors certainly doesn’t scream the boys of summer, baseball was the topic of discussion Saturday morning at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield as Youngstown State’s baseball program held its annual First-Pitch Breakfast with the season less than a month away.

This year’s guest speaker was George Foster, a five-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion in 1975 and 1976 with the Cincinnati Reds. The right-handed outfielder, who also was the 1977 National League MVP, was one of the many cogs that helped the “Big Red Machine” dominate the National League in Cincinnati throughout the 1970s.

During their peak, Foster was featured in a Reds lineup that included Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr., Dave Concepción and Cesar Geronimo.

Friday evening, Foster was able to meet a handful of the Penguins and interact with fans at a dinner prior to Saturday morning’s breakfast.

“I was looking forward to this because there’s one kid on the team (Jack Johnson), I’ve known from way back, so it was good to see him,” Foster said. “Just to get a chance to interact with the kids and talk about baseball, I just feel that being able to share knowledge I know about the game, I believe that’s going to help them become better players and better people.

“Got a chance to talk — some of them were pitchers, some of them were hitters. They seemed to be receiving the message or (were) interested in asking questions. That’s the key, finding out if someone is interested.”

Foster’s time in the big leagues spanned 17 seasons. He made his debut late into the 1969 season for the San Francisco Giants, which was an opportunity that allowed him to suit up with one of his idols, Willie Mays.

“It was a dream, everybody has a dream, and my dream was to play Major League Baseball and play alongside Willie Mays because I always idolized him,” Foster said. “That opportunity came when I played with the Giants, and Mays was on the team. So I got to talk to him, and it was a dream come true.”

After the Giants traded Foster to the Reds in May of 1971, he became a mainstay at the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, where he’d play until 1981. Stints with the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox would round out his career until his retirement in 1986.

Playing alongside Hall of Famers such as Rose, Bench, Morgan and Perez is a memory that Foster looks back on fondly.

“Those guys, they were the leaders, they knew the game,” Foster said. “Just learning as we went, we got it together. You have to give a lot of credit to the general manager, Bob Howsam. He knew how to put a team together, and as it turned out, we were the last National League team to win back-to-back world championships.

“Everybody knew their role. Batting order is important, but you had everybody that had expertise in skills in whatever they did. Pete Rose was looking to lead the league in batting average, hits and doubles. Everybody in that lineup hit .300 or more except one guy and he hit .295, so that’s not too bad.”

With such a lengthy career, it’s hard to single out a single moment. But, Foster recalled a game out in Los Angeles against the Dodgers back on Aug. 2, 1975. Andy Messersmith was the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, and the Reds found themselves having a hard time scoring runs off him.

The Reds only tallied four hits, but Foster had two, including what ended up being the game-deciding solo home run in the top of the fifth inning. Cincinnati earned a 1-0 victory on the road that evening in Dodger Stadium.

“That game I could look back on to feel that intense concentration that I had that day. Now that I think about it, you say, wow, we had those Hall Famers on that team and I’m the one that got the hits. So I’m proud of the fact that I was able to be a teammate, be able to go out there and help the team out,” Foster said. “That intense concentration really helped. I see it now, when you have that great concentration, it doesn’t matter who’s out there, or how good that guy is, it’s just your best against his best.”

First-year head coach Trevor Charpie was pleased with the turnout for the event and the opportunity to have the chance to talk baseball with a Reds legend.

“It’s so exciting, and it’s such an honor and blessing to be here and have all these people come here and support us. It’s like a dream come true,” Charpie said. “It was easy to see that the minute I met (Foster) and got in the same room as him, that he was funny, he was cracking jokes, he was great. He just instantly went and started talking to the players. They’re just talking ball and talking shop, it was great to see.”

Likewise, Penguins senior starting pitcher Jacob Gehring, a South Range alum, felt honored to learn some insight from Foster with the season on the horizon.

“He said some awesome stuff. He got us in a group and talked about pitching and hitting philosophy — how to get guys out, what he was looking for as a hitter at the highest level — anytime you get a chance to talk to a legend like that, you just take in as much as you can and decipher that information,” Gerhing said. “Even as a guy like myself, you learn so much from a guy that played at the highest level. You think you know it all, but you really don’t. When you talk to him like that it reaffirms your beliefs, it’s an awesome experience.”

The Penguins open their 2025 season on Feb. 14 with a three-game series in Waco, Texas at Baylor.

“I’m really excited. I’m super pumped up for this team and these coaches and this community,” Gehring said. “I think it’s going to be a super special season and either way, however it unfolds, I think it’s going to be a team that not only makes ourselves proud, but the Youngstown community proud as well.”