Rollie Fingers Mustache Gang
Rollie Fingers was the quintessential reliever of his time, used when the situation demanded. He would often enter the game as early as the fifth inning, throwing as many as 120-130 innings in relief for a season. He was known for his handlebar mustache, which he first grew as a member of the Oakland A’s “Mustache Gang” in response to owner Charlie Finley’s cash incentive.
Facing the Cincinnati Reds on June 7, 1980, he recorded his 228th career save to break Hoyt Wilhelm‘s lifetime record. He would tally 341 over his career and hold the all-time mark for 11 years. ( Jeff Reardon would pass him in 1992, and it is currently held by Mariano Rivera.)
Rollie was a 7-time AS, WS MVP, AL MVP & Cy Young Award winner, and 4-time relief pitcher of the year. He is also a 3 Time World Champion, and in his team’s 12 WS wins, he had a save or win in 8 of them in the close-out game; he pitched in all three, hurling 7 total innings and giving up one unearned run, and just four hits. He was elected into the HOF in 1992 his second year of eligibility. He is a member of the Milwaukee Brewers/Miller Park Walk of Fame and the Oakland A’s Hall of Fame, with each team also retiring his #34. He is the only Hall of Fame pitcher with a losing record (114-118). He is considered one of the ten best relievers of all time and for being the most dominant reliever of his era.
With the A’s, he pitched in 16 of the 19 World Series games from 1972-1974. His team played 44 post-season games, and Fingers pitched in 30 of those games. His Oakland A’s were the only team other than the Yankees to ever win three consecutive World Series.
Fingers struck out Johnny Bench in the 1972 World Series after duping the Reds’ slugger into thinking he was intentionally walking him. This trick had been used before in baseball history, but never in such a pivotal game. His Oakland A’s are the only team other than the Yankees to win three consecutive World Series.
Strange Deals
Rollie Fingers was part of a few historic deals and non-deals during his career. On June 18, 1976, A’s owner Charlie Finley announced he had swapped Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Boston Red Sox and had sold Vida Blue to the New York Yankees. However, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn voided the deals, citing that they were “not in the best interest of baseball.” At the same time, an enraged Finley sued MLB, the A’s sat Fingers, Rudi, and Blue on the bench until the issue was resolved in Kuhn’s favor in June.
Fingers was briefly a St. Louis Cardinal. On December 8, 1980, the San Diego Padres dealt their star reliever to St. Louis in an 11-player trade that brought Terry Kennedy to San Diego. Just four days later, Whitey Herzog, having already acquired Bruce Sutter to be his closer from the Chicago Cubs, sent Fingers packing again. The Cards’ mastermind sent Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich to the Milwaukee Brewers for Lary Sorensen, Sixto Lezcano, and minor leaguers David Green and Dave LaPoint. In so doing, Herzog traded the next two winners of the AL Cy Young award to Milwaukee. But he got the last laugh, defeating Milwaukee in the 1982 World Series in seven games.
The Rollie Fingers Teammate Team
C: Ted Simmons
1B: Cecil Cooper
2B: Paul Molitor
3B: Sal Bando
SS: Robin Yount
LF: Joe Rudi
CF: Billy North
RF: Dave Winfield
DH: Reggie Jackson
SP: Catfish Hunter
SP: Vida Blue
SP: Ken Holtzman
SP: Randy Jones
SP: Pete Vuckovich
RP: Darold Knowles
M: Dick Williams
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1968
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Dusty Baker
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Rollie Fingers
Andy Messersmith
Freddie Patek