Rollie Fingers
The modern structure of MLB bullpens may look completely different if it were not for Rollie Fingers. He ushered in a new era of pitching by leading the way to create what is now the closer role in Major League Baseball.
Fingers started his career with the Oakland Athletics. He joined the team in 1968, but became a key player the following year. In 1969, he appeared in 60 games, pitching to a 3.75 ERA. He appeared as both a starter and a reliever in his time with the A’s.
From 1969-1972, he pitched to a 3.24 ERA in 507 2/3 innings. He appeared in 218 games. He started 35 of those games and finished 198 of them. He also threw four complete games in that span. He had 52 saves as well.
In 1973, he was named an All-Star for the first time. He had a 1.92 ERA in 62 games and notched 22 saves. It was the start of what became a dominant stretch for the team. In 1974, he was once again an All-Star and led the American League in games. In 1975, another All-Star season, he led all of baseball in games and games finished.
From 1973-1976, he was an All-Star every year. He earned Cy Young Award votes in two of those seasons and received MVP votes in three of them. In 1977, he joined the Padres after winning three World Series with the A’s. He was the World Series MVP in 1974, picking up a win and three saves.
When Fingers joined the Padres, he started making serious noise. He led the big leagues in saves with 35 in his first season. The following year, he tied the major league record for saves in a single season with 37.
Fingers was changing the way pitchers could be used out of the bullpen, establishing a role for himself mostly in the ninth inning. He was an All-Star in his second season with the Padres, but was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers after the 1980 season.
In 1981, during the trike-shortened season, Fingers put together one of the most memorable seasons in Brewers history. Not only did he help the team reach the postseason for the first time, but he also won the American League MVP Award and Cy Young Award.
He had a 1.04 ERA and a league-best 28 saves. He allowed just nine runs in 78 innings of work and became a legend for the Brewers in the process. By the end of his career, he had set franchise records for saves with all three of the teams he played on. While the records were eventually broken, he paved the way by creating the modern closer role.
In 1992, Fingers was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was just the second reliever after Hoyt Wilhelm. Fingers passed Wilhelm for the major league record in saves in 1980. His jersey is retired with both the A’s and Brewers.
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