Rollie Fingers
Baseball Hall of Famer
Rollie Fingers 17-year career stands out as one of the finest for any pitcher in Major League Baseball. The highly decorated relief pitcher currently ranks fifteenth among all-time career save leaders. In 1992 Fingers was honored with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fingers is regarded as a pioneer of modern relief pitching, essentially defining the role of the closer for years to come. After watching him post inconsistent results as a starter, the A’s moved Fingers to the bullpen. He excelled quickly and frequently in his new role, relying on a sharp slider. Fingers went on to notch 341 career saves. Known for his handlebar mustache, Fingers became a familiar site during the post-season. He won three World Series rings, and appeared in 16 World Series games over his career. He also won both the American League MVP and Cy Young Award with the Brewers in 1981. In 1980 as a member of the San Diego Padres, Fingers recorded his 227th career save, breaking the all-time record set by Hoyt Wilhelm in 1972. Fingers had such an impact on both the Oakland Athletics and the Milwaukee Brewers, that both teams have retired his number 34.
Fingers has co-authored two non-fiction baseball books, Rollie's Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Baseball Lists and Lore, Stats and Stories, and most recently, The Rollie Fingers Baseball Bible. Since retiring from baseball in 1985, Fingers has become very involved with community work, often hosting event and auctions on behalf of local charities. Fingers, an avid golfer lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Lori, and their two children. He takes part in fantasy camps for the Brewers and the Athletics, makes personal appearances for various corporations and hits the road every few weeks to golf on the Celebrity Players Tour. Recently asked what his saves total might be had he been used like the closers of today, Fingers says, "I could have had 650 or 700 saves."
