""It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face, a beloved member of the Pirates family," chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. "Elroy was a pioneer of the modern relief pitcher - the 'Baron of the Bullpen' - and he played a critical role in our 1960 World Series championship, leading the league in appearances and recording three saves against the Yankees.""
""An upstate New York native, Face began his career in the Phillies organization in 1949. The 5'8\" righty, a sidearmer whose specialty was the forkball, emerged as a favorite of Hall of Fame executive Branch Rickey, who acquired him when he was Dodgers' GM over the 1950-51 offseason. Rickey took the same position with the Pirates the following year and added Face during the 1952-53 winter, at which point the pitcher was in Double-A.""
Elroy Face died at 97 after a 16-season major league career, 15 of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A 5'8" right-handed sidearmer known for his forkball, he began in the Phillies system in 1949 and was moved by Branch Rickey to the Dodgers and then the Pirates in the early 1950s. Face converted to a full-time reliever by 1956, leading the majors with 68 appearances and logging 135 1/3 innings with a 3.52 ERA. He led the National League in games finished four times between 1958 and 1962 and was retroactively credited as the NL saves leader in three seasons, including an MLB-high mark in 1958.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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