32 Facts About Rollie Fingers

Roland Glen Fingers was born on August 25,1946 and is an American former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1968 and 1985, when his effectiveness helped to redefine the value of relievers within baseball and to usher in the modern closer role.

Rollie Fingers first gained prominence as a member of the Oakland Athletics championship teams of the early 1970s, when his flamboyant handlebar mustache made him perhaps the most identifiable member of The Mustache Gang which led Oakland to become the only non-New York Yankees team ever to win three consecutive World Series titles.

Rollie Fingers was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1974 World Series after earning a win in the opener and saves in the last three games to secure the title.

Rollie Fingers joined the San Diego Padres as a free agent after the 1976 season, and led the major leagues with 35 saves in 1977 before tying the National League single-season record with 37 saves the following year.

Rollie Fingers helped them reach the World Series in 1982, the team's only appearance to date.

Related searches

Rollie Fingers set franchise records for career saves for all three of his teams, holding the Athletics mark from 1973 to 1990, the Padres record from 1977 to 1997, and the Brewers record from 1984 to 1989.

Rollie Fingers is particularly remembered for his "long saves" of two or more innings, for which he still holds the record of 135.

Rollie Fingers was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, making him just the second reliever elected after Wilhelm.

Rollie Fingers attended Upland High School in nearby Upland, and later, he attended one semester at Chaffey Junior College.

Los Angeles Dodgers offered Rollie Fingers a signing bonus of $20,000, but Rollie Fingers thought he had no chance to reach the major leagues for years because the Dodgers had a solid pitching staff including Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, they were already winning pennants, and their farm system appeared to be full of talented players.

Rollie Fingers turned down the Dodgers' offer and signed with the Kansas City Athletics for less money on Christmas Eve 1964.

Rollie Fingers's jaw was wired shut for five weeks, and when he returned to action, Fingers jumped every time the ball was hit; it took him about half the remaining season to get used to being on the mound again.

Rollie Fingers was a starting pitcher throughout his minor league career.

Rollie Fingers joined the Athletics late in the 1968 season, their first after relocating to Oakland, and made his major league debut in relief on September 15 in a road game against the Detroit Tigers.

Rollie Fingers started 19 games in 1970; however, a May 15,1971 road start against the Kansas City Royals was his last in regular rotation.

Rollie Fingers did start two games in 1973—April 21 at home versus the Angels and May 7 on the road against the Orioles, the latter being the final start of his career.

Rollie Fingers usually entered in the seventh, eighth, or ninth innings.

Rollie Fingers was part of the Oakland Athletics team that accomplished the first modern-day "three-peat, " winning the World Series in 1972,1973, and 1974.

Rollie Fingers won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1977,1978, and 1980 with the Padres.

In 1981, Rollie Fingers won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award, the American League Most Valuable Player Award, and the AL Cy Young Award, as the Brewers reached the playoffs for the first time in their 13-year history.

Rollie Fingers saved 29 games for the 1982 Brewers, but pitched most of the season in pain and was forced to miss the Brewers' first trip to the World Series, where they were beaten in seven games by the Cardinals.

Rollie Fingers missed the 1983 season with injury, and had a laminectomy to remove a herniated disk from his back in August 1984.

When Rollie Fingers reached the major leagues, the role of relief pitchers was limited, as starting pitchers rarely left games while holding a lead; but as team offense increased following the 1968 season, and especially with the American League's introduction of the designated hitter in 1973, managers became more willing to replace starters in the late innings with a lead in order to forestall any late rallies by opponents.

Rollie Fingers is regarded as a pioneer of modern relief pitching, defining the role of the closer for years to come.

Rollie Fingers went all out for the monetary incentive offered by Finley and patterned his moustache after the images of the players of the late 19th century.

Related searches

In 1992, Rollie Fingers was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Wilhelm to become only the second reliever inducted.

In 1999, Rollie Fingers ranked 96th on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Rollie Fingers later pitched a season in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association.

Rollie Fingers is one of only ten players who have had their numbers retired from more than one team.

In 2000, Rollie Fingers was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions, honoring that city's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.

Rollie Fingers disputed the claim, saying he was shocked when he learned of it in 2005 and that taxes had been properly withheld from his Brewers paychecks.

Rollie Fingers appeared in a pair of commercials for Pepsi Max, playing himself in a Field of Dreams setting along with other legendary players.