Rollie Fingers (1992)


Date of Birth: 8/25/1946
Birthplace: Steubenville, Ohio
College: Chaffey College

Rollie Fingers followed in his father's footsteps when he became a baseball player. His father played for four years in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.

Kansas City/Oakland Athletics

Fingers signed with the Kansas City Athletics in December, 1964. He played in the minor leagues as a starting pitcher for four seasons before joining the Athletics for one game in 1968. The following season, Fingers pitched as both a starter and a relief pitcher, playing in 60 games, with a 6-7 record, 12 saves, 61 strikeouts to 41 walks, and a 3.71 ERA. He again split his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen in 1970. He finished the season with 7 wins and 9 losses, 79 strikeouts to 48 walks, and a 3.65 ERA in a career high 148.0 innings in 19 games as a starter and 26 games in relief.

In May, 1971, Fingers became a full-time relief pitcher for the Athletics. He finished the 1971 season with 4 wins and 6 losses, 17 saves, 98 strikeouts to 30 walks, and a 2.99 ERA in 8 games as a starting pitcher and 40 games as a reliever.

Fingers pitched in 65 games in 1972. He had 11 wins and 9 losses, 21 saves, 113 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a 2.51 ERA in 111.1 innings. He had an even better season in 1973, finishing with a 1.92 ERA in 62 games.

In 1974, Fingers had a strong postseason, finishing with a 2.25 ERA. He won the World Series MVP award for pitching 12.0 innings in 6 games and giving up just 11 hits and 3 runs. He had 3 saves in the postseason.

Fingers had a career high 115 strikeouts (to 33 walks) in 1975. He finished the season with 10 wins and 6 losses, 24 saves, and a 2.98 ERA in 126.2 innings in 75 games. The next year, his ERA dropped to 2.47. He had a career high 13 wins to 11 losses, 20 saves, and 113 strikeouts to 40 walks in 134.2 innings in 70 games in 1976.

San Diego Padres

Fingers left the Athletics and the American League in 1977 and he joined the San Diego Padres of the National League. He had a strong first season with the Padres, leading all MLB relief pitchers in saves. He won the NL Rolaids Relief Man award in 1977. He had 8 wins and 9 losses, 35 saves, 113 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a 2.99 ERA in 132.1 innings in a career high 78 games.

Fingers won his second NL Rolaids Relief Man award in 1978. That year, he again led all MLB pitchers in saves. He finished the season with a career high 37 saves, 72 strikeouts to 29 walks, and a 2.52 ERA in 107.1 innings in 67 games.

Fingers struggled in 1979, finishing with a 4.52 ERA in 54 games. He came back strong, however, in 1980, winning his third NL Rolaids Relief Man award. He finished the 1980 season with 23 saves, 69 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a .280 ERA in 103.0 innings in 66 games.

Milwaukee Brewers

In 1981, Fingers returned to the American League, this time with the Milwaukee Brewers. In his first season with the Brewers, he won the American League Cy Young award, the AL MVP award, and the AL Rolaids Relief Man award. That season he led the American League in saves. He played in 47 games with the Brewers and had a 6-3 record, 28 saves, 61 strikeouts to 13 walks, and an ERA of 1.04.

Fingers pitched in just 50 games in 1982. He had 29 saves, 71 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a 2.60 ERA in 79.2 innings. He spent the entire 1983 season on the DL.

Although Fingers played in just 33 games in 1984, he pitched well in those games. He had 23 saves, 40 strikeouts to 13 walks, and a 1.96 ERA in 46.0 innings. He struggled, however, in 1985, finishing with a 5.04 ERA in 55.1 innings in 47 games. He retired after the 1985 season.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL MVP
  • AL Cy Young award
  • WS MVP
  • Rolaids Relief Man (4 times)
  • Led MLB in saves (3 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Fingers in 16 seasons (1969-1985) in the major leagues include:

  • 10 seasons with over 20 saves, with a high of 37 in 1978
  • 12 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.04 in 1982

Career pitching statistics for Fingers include:

  • 944 games played
  • 1,701.1 innings pitched
  • 341 saves
  • 1,299 strikeouts to 492 walks
  • 2.90 ERA

Postseason statistics for Fingers include:

  • 6 postseasons
  • 30 games played
  • 54.0 innings pitched
  • 4-4 win-loss record
  • 9 saves
  • 45 strikeouts to 17 walks
  • 2.50 ERA

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Fingers wrote three books - "Rollie's Follies," "More Rollie's Follies," and "The Rollie Fingers Baseball Bible" (all co-authored with Christopher Ritter).

Fingers was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992 on the second ballot with 81.2% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rollie Fingers
ESPN - Rollie Fingers
Baseball Reference - Rollie Fingers

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