Rollie Fingers

Rollie Fingers, born in 1946, American baseball player, who was the top relief pitcher for the powerful Oakland Athletics teams of the 1970s. During his 17 years in the majors, Fingers compiled a major league career record of 341 saves—games in which he successfully protected his team’s lead. Fingers’s 341 saves place him in the top five for all-time career saves. In 1981 Fingers won both the Cy Young Award—presented annually to the outstanding pitcher in each league—and the most valuable player (MVP) award with the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched in three World Series and his six saves in postseason play set a major league record.

Born in Steubenville, Ohio, Roland Glen Fingers began his major league career in 1969 pitching for the Athletics (A’s). In his rookie year he appeared in 60 games and led the A’s with 12 saves. In 1970 he pitched in 45 games, 19 as a starter. The A’s won their first divisional title in 1971 behind Fingers’s 4 wins and 17 saves. In 1972 the A’s won the pennant and Fingers topped American League (AL) relief pitchers with 11 wins. Fingers appeared in a league-high 76 games in 1974, recording 9 wins and 18 saves, and then earned the World Series MVP award as the A’s defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in 5 games. Appearing in a league-leading 75 games and earning 24 saves in 1975, Fingers helped the A’s win their fifth-straight division title. In 1976 he won a career-high 13 games and earned 20 saves.

Fingers signed a free-agent contract with the National League’s (NL) San Diego Padres in 1977, where he worked in a league-high 78 games and led the NL with 35 saves. With the Padres, Fingers continued to set the pace for relief pitchers by leading the NL the next year with 37 saves. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1980 and then sent to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1981, when he led the league with 28 saves and recorded an earned run average of 1.04 on the way to the MVP and Cy Young awards. He retired in 1985 and was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.