Link to the Show / Show NotesRollie Fingers is known for his handlebar mustache that was the signature of many Oakland A's players during their amazing run of World Series Championships in 1972, 1973, & 1974. Charles O. Finley, owner of the A's in Kansas City and Oakland offered players an extra $300 if they would grow the outrageous mustache.
Fingers is regarded as a pioneer of modern relief pitching, essentially defining the role of the closer for years to come. Fingers was one of the first players groomed in his minor league career to be a relief pitcher once he reached the majors. Prior to this, most pitchers were starters first and foremost and usually ended up in the bullpen by either necessity or afterthought.
When Fingers reached the major leagues, the role of relief pitchers was limited, as starting pitchers rarely left games while holding a lead; but as team offense increased following the 1968 season, and especially with the American League's introduction of the designated hitter in 1973, managers became more willing to replace starters in the late innings with a lead in order to forestall any late rallies by opponents. Through the 1960s, both leagues' annual saves leaders tended toward totals of 20–25 saves; few pitchers remained in the role more than two or three years, with significant exceptions such as Roy Face and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm. But in the 1970s, in an era allowing for greater opportunities for closers than had previously been available, Fingers' excellence in relief allowed him to gradually increase his annual saves totals past 30. In 1980 he broke Wilhelm's record of 227 saves, and eventually finished with 341, a record that stood until Jeff Reardon passed it in 1992.
This episode originally aired October 10, 1987.
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