Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is a former
relief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, ejection from the game, or fatigue...
in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
for the
Oakland AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the Oakland Coliseum....
(1968–76),
San Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times.The Padres are one of four teams...
(1977–80) and
Milwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1981–85). Fingers attended
Upland High SchoolUpland High School is a public, four year secondary school located in the city of Upland, California. The school was established in 1955 as part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District, and since 1991 it has been a member of the Upland Unified School District.-History:Just prior to the City...
in the city of
Upland, CaliforniaUpland is a city in San Bernardino County, California with an elevation of . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 68,393. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:...
.
Fingers and modern relief pitching
Fingers was a starter throughout his minor league career. He had started 19 games in 1970. But a May 15, 1971 start against the Royals in Kansas City would be his last in regular rotation (he would give up one run on four hits in five full innings; final score Royals 5 - A's 4). He would come in on May 21, 1971 in the first inning, after Blue Moon Odom gave up three runs and three walks facing eight batters, against the Minnesota Twins in Oakland, and pitch 5-1/3 allowing three hits and two runs (Twins 10 - Oakland 1). After that the earliest he would enter a game would be the sixth inning for the rest of the season, and that would only be three times, mainly he came in the seventh, eighth, or ninth (he came in once in the eleventh and once in the twelfth).
By the end of May 1971 his manager with the Athletics,
Dick WilliamsRichard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams is a former left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967-69 and 1971-88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National League...
, had made up his mind that Fingers would be the late inning closer. The following season, 1972, Fingers would enter the game in the fifth four times, otherwise it was the sixth or later. He did start two games in 1973 (April 21 versus the California Angels at Oakland and May 7 against the Orioles at Baltimore; His May 7, 1973 start would be the last of his career), other than that he came in to the game no earlier than than the sixth on three more occasions. After that he would rarely enter a game before the seventh inning for the rest of his career.
When Fingers reached the major leagues, the role of
relief pitcherA relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, ejection from the game, or fatigue...
s was limited, as
starting pitcherIn baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
s rarely left games while holding a lead; but as team offense increased following the 1968 season, and especially with the
American League'sThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, that eventually aspired to major league...
introduction of the
designated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
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
savesIn baseball, a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain prescribed circumstances. The number of saves, or percentage of save opportunities successfully completed, is an oft-cited statistic of relief pitchers...
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 FaceElroy Leon Face is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played almost his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
and
knuckleballA knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
er
Hoyt WilhelmJames Hoyt Wilhelm was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985....
. But in the 1970s, in an era allowing for greater opportunities for
closersIn baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game...
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 ReardonJeffrey James Reardon , nicknamed "The Terminator", is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.In 1992 he became the all time saves leader in Major League Baseball with 342, breaking Rollie Fingers previous record. Reardon's record was broken the next season by Lee Smith...
passed it in 1992.
Fingers is regarded as a pioneer of modern relief pitching, essentially defining the role of the closer for years to come. As had generally been true in baseball through the 1960s, Fingers was originally moved to the bullpen—and eventually to his role as a closer—due to struggles with starting. Before Fingers' time, a former starter's renewed success in the bullpen would have led back to a spot in the starting rotation; but since the successes of not only Fingers but also contemporaries such as
Sparky LyleAlbert Walter "Sparky" Lyle is an American former left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania.-Early career:...
and
Goose GossageRichard Michael "Goose" Gossage is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played 22 seasons from 1972 to 1994 for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres. The nickname "Goose" is a play on his surname...
, it has been widely accepted that an excellent pitcher might actually provide a greater benefit to his team as a closer than as a third or fourth starter. (Gossage, for example, was moved to the starting rotation after a first few seasons in relief—and he got clobbered despite pitching 17 complete games and was then moved back to the bullpen to stay.) As a result, later teams have been more willing to move successful starters—notably
Dennis EckersleyDennis Lee Eckersley , nicknamed "Eck," is a former American Major League Baseball player. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career .He...
,
Dave RighettiDavid Allan Righetti is a former American left-handed pitcher for various Major League Baseball teams. He is currently the pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants and was the first player in history to both pitch a no-hitter and also lead the league in saves in his career. Dennis Eckersley...
, and
John SmoltzJohn Andrew Smoltz is a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in...
—to the
permanent role of closer, with no plans to bring them back to the rotation (although Smoltz bucked that trend by successfully returning to the rotation in
2005-Headline events of the year:*Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Astros to win the World Series.*2005 also marked the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals, who relocated from Montreal and were formerly known as the Expos.*Chris Burke ended the 2005 NLDS....
). In 2006,
Bruce SutterHoward Bruce Sutter is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who was arguably the first pitcher to make effective use of the split-finger fastball, which he called "The Jewel"....
became the first pitcher in baseball history elected to the Hall of Fame who never started a game in his major league career.
Moustache
In addition to his pitching ability, he was noted for his waxed
handlebar moustacheA handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy, often graspable, extremities. They are named for their resemblance to the handlebars of a motorcycle or bicycle. This effect is usually achieved by the use of moustache wax although it can be a hereditary trait as well...
which he originally grew to get a $300 bonus from Athletics owner
Charles O. FinleyCharles Oscar Finley , nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who is best remembered for his tenure as the owner of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team...
.
On the first day of
spring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to audition for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
for the 1972 season
Reggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder who played for five different teams from to and currently serves as a special advisor to the New York Yankees...
showed up with a beard. In protest Fingers and a few other players started going without shaving to force Jackson to shave off his beard. They thought that management would also want Jackson to shave. Finley, ever the showman who would do anything to sell tickets, then offered the prize money to the player who could best grow and maintain their facial hair until
Opening DayOpening Day is warmly regarded in North American tradition as the beginning of a new Major League Baseball season. It falls annually around the beginning of April, signaling such a generational feeling of rebirth for some that the writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book titled, Why Time Begins On...
(April 15 versus Minnesota). Fingers went all out for the monetary incentive offered by Finley and patterned his moustache after the images of the players of the late 1800s. Taking it even further, Finley came up with "Moustache Day" at the ballpark, where any fan with a moustache could get in free.
Catfish HunterJames Augustus "Catfish" Hunter , was a Major League right-handed starting pitcher between and . He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in .-Hunting accident:...
and
Ken HoltzmanKenneth Dale Holtzman is a left-handed former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics....
also went for the bonus, but Fingers with his
Snidely WhiplashSnidely Whiplash is the cartoon archvillain to Dudley Do-Right in the tongue-in-cheek Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties segments of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show by American animation pioneer Jay Ward....
took the prize. He would say later: "Most of us would have grown one anywhere on our bodies for $300". The players would become known as the "Moustache Gang".
Although most former A's players shaved their handlebar moustaches off after the team traded most of their players in 1975–76, Fingers maintained it after signing with the
San Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times.The Padres are one of four teams...
as a free agent in 1977, and still has the moustache today.
At the end of his career, after being released by the
Milwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
the previous season, he was offered a contract by
Pete RosePeter Edward Rose is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from to , and is best known for his 19 years with the Cincinnati Reds....
to play for the
Cincinnati RedsThe Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. They are members of the Central Division of the National League....
for , but owner
Marge SchottMargaret Unnewehr Schott was the former managing general partner, president and CEO of the National League's Cincinnati Reds franchise from 1984 to 1999. She was the first woman to buy a baseball team rather than inheriting it...
had a "clean cut" policy for her players (all players must be clean shaven). Fingers reply to Reds
general managerIn Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
Bill BergeschLouis William Bergesch is an American Major League Baseball executive. He is a former front office executive for several teams. He began with the Omaha Cardinals farm team in the 1950s. He then Assistant GM of the Kansas City Athletics in 1961 and organized the New York Mets farm system in 1962,...
: "Well you tell Marge Schott to shave her Saint Bernard, and I'll shave my moustache".
Awards
Fingers won both the
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, that eventually aspired to major league...
MVPThe Most Valuable Player Award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball...
and
Cy Young AwardThe Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
in 1981 while with Milwaukee. In 1974 he was given the
World Series MVP AwardThe final round of the Major League Baseball postseason is known as the World Series. This series has a best-of-seven playoff format, and currently follows the Division Series and the League Championship Series , The World Series is played by the winners of the National League Championship Series...
while with Oakland, earning two saves and one win. Rollie Fingers was on the Oakland A's team that accomplished the first modern-day "three-peat," winning the World Series in '72, '73 and '74. Fingers won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1977, 1978, and 1980 with the Padres and in 1981 with the Brewers. He saved 29 games for the 1982 Brewers, but he pitched most of the season in pain and was forced to miss the Brewers' first trip to the World Series—where they were beaten in seven games by the Cardinals—and any prospect of a showdown or two with Bruce Sutter, who proved vital to the Cardinals' winning effort.
In 1992 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Wilhelm to become only the second reliever inducted (Eckersley, Sutter, and Gossage have since followed). In 1999, he ranked Number 96 on
The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest PlayersIn 1998, The Sporting News compiled a list of Baseball's Greatest Players. A committee of twelve Sporting News editors reviewed the players to determine a master list. Then, each editor was asked to pick his/her Top 10, without rankings. Those players receiving the most votes were ranked in the...
, and was nominated as a finalist for the
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
All-Century Team. Fingers later pitched a season in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball League.
Fingers is one of only eight players who have had their numbers retired from more than one team.
In 2000, Fingers was also inducted by the
San Diego Hall of ChampionsThe San Diego Hall of Champions is an American multi-sport museum founded in 1959 in San Diego, California. Located in the Federal Building in Balboa Park, the 70,000 square foot facility recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and traditions involving more than forty-two sports...
into the
Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.
http://www.sdhoc.com/awards/hall-of-fame/baseball/rollie-fingers/
Books
On April 1, 2009 Fingers and his co-author Yellowstone Ritter released
Rollie's Follies: A Hall of Fame Revue of Baseball Lists and Lore, Stats and Stories (ISBN 9781578603350). The work is a non-fiction baseball book that combines elements of humor, anecdotal storytelling, odd lists and historical trivia.
Television appearances
Rollie Fingers and 4 other members of his family appeared on a 1983 episode of the
game showA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
Family FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show that pits two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100 people...
. After the opening theme, to honor Fingers, host
Richard DawsonRichard Dawson is a British-born American actor, comedian, game show panelist, and host. He is best known for his role as Bob Crane's British non-commissioned officer, Corporal Peter Newkirk, on the World War II situation comedy Hogan's Heroes, and as the original host of the Family Feud game show...
led the crowd in a chorus of "
Take Me Out to the Ball Game"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is an early-20th century Tin Pan Alley song which became the unofficial anthem of baseball although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game...
".
Income tax controversy
Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
reported on January 2, 2007 that Fingers owes Wisconsin (in 2007) more than $1.4 million in income taxes and is the seventh biggest tax delinquent in the state. Fingers disputes the claim, saying he was shocked when he learned of it and that taxes were properly withheld from his Brewers paychecks.
On August 15, 2007, the Associated Press reported that Fingers' name had been removed from Wisconsin's delinquent tax list the previous month. "That's all been taken care of," he told the AP. "I've had more people try to tell me, 'You know, you owe 1.4 million dollars.' I said, 'No, I don't.' We got all that squared away. I had to go all the way back to 1981 on my income taxes. That's all been taken care of, and I did pay my taxes back then, so there's no problem. The revenue department's happy with me right now, so it's all been resolved."
See also
External links