Solid opener for closer

Published 12:17 pm Friday, April 17, 2026

By Jim Gazzolo

Cameron Foster always wanted the ball in his hand when the game was on the line.

“I like being on the big stage,” Foster once said when he was the closer for McNeese State. “It is where you want to be, to have the game in your hands.”

Thursday night, Foster found himself on the biggest of stages. The former Cowboy All-American right-hander made his Major League debut as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in Cleveland.

The 27-year-old had an eventful first outing as a major leaguer. He worked 1⅔ scoreless innings against the Guardians, allowing two hits and a walk but also striking out three. Foster also nearly got his head taken off by Steven Kwan, who hit a line drive single back up the middle. It forced Foster to hit the dirt.

Foster called his day “exciting.”

With his family on hand, Foster got the chance to live out his dream after a lifetime of work.

“I’m proud of him,” McNeese’s coach, Justin Hill, said by telephone Friday. “He put in a lot of work to earn that opportunity.”

Hill remembers Foster as one of the players who stuck with the program after the shortened 2020 season due to COVID. He also stayed after Hurricane Laura and helped keep the program going. 

Foster was the Cowboys’ closer in each of his last two years with the program before being drafted in the 14th round by the New York Mets in 2022. That year, he earned both Southland Conference Reliever of the Year honors, along with being named the Louisiana Pitcher of the Year.

“He did whatever we asked of him,” said Hill. “He would throw as many innings as we needed, depending on the situation.”

Foster compiled a 4-2 record with a 1.86 earned run average, 12 saves, and a 0.87 WHIP in 2022. His saves total matched a single-season school record. He struck out 84 batters in 63 innings while making a team-high 29 appearances.

Foster led the conference in six categories that season, including saves, ERA, strikeouts, batting average against (.164), hits allowed (35), and runs allowed (17). He ranked second in the conference in walks allowed with 20.

After working mostly as a reliever his first two years in the Mets organization, Foster was traded to the Orioles last July and moved into the bullpen. Before this season began, he had a big spring training for Baltimore, where he made a strong impression. 

Over five spring appearances, Foster didn’t allow a run. In six innings this year at Triple A, he had a 10.60 ERA. 

“The first thing that stands out is the stuff,” Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz told MLB.com. “The stuff is real. It’s a real, quality heater, and his slider is elite. Cam, just like any other pitcher, it’s the efficiency of his pitches, especially in the bullpen. He has to attack the strike zone. Where Cam gets into trouble is just like any pitcher, where you’re inefficient and fall behind guys. So when Cam is relentless in the strike zone, that’s where he’s at his best.”

Now Foster will be pitching against the best, which is where he always wanted to be.