Rollie Fingers
The mustachioed closer who turned relief pitching into an art form posted a microscopic 1.04 ERA in his 1981 MVP season — a mark that becomes even more absurd when you consider he threw 78 innings that year, not just a handful of appearances. Fingers became the first reliever to win both Cy Young and MVP in the same season, validating what savvy observers already knew: elite closers could be as valuable as any starter.
His 1.04 ERA translated to an ERA+ of 344, meaning he was more than three times better than the average pitcher that season. That dominant campaign capped a career that saw him save 341 games across three decades, pioneering the modern closer role alongside guys like Bruce Sutter.
Fingers proved that relief aces belonged in Cooperstown long before the ninth-inning specialist became commonplace. His handlebar mustache became iconic, but the split-finger fastball and devastating slider were what made hitters look foolish.
Career · Hitting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | ATH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1969 | ATH | 60 | 25 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .400 | — |
| 1970 | ATH | 45 | 39 | 1 | 1 | .103 | .326 | 46 |
| 1971 | ATH | 48 | 33 | 0 | 0 | .212 | .447 | 66 |
| 1972 | ATH | 65 | 19 | 1 | 2 | .316 | .789 | 119 |
| 1973 | ATH | 62 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1974 | ATH | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1975 | ATH | 76 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1976 | ATH | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1977 | SD | 78 | 20 | 0 | 2 | .050 | .100 | 14 |
| 1978 | SD | 67 | 12 | 0 | 2 | .167 | .333 | 47 |
| 1979 | SD | 54 | 12 | 0 | 2 | .083 | .167 | 23 |
| 1980 | SD | 66 | 18 | 0 | 0 | .278 | .722 | 101 |
| 1981 | ML4 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | ML4 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1984 | ML4 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1985 | ML4 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | 945 | 180 | 2 | 9 | .172 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | ATH | 1 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 | 27.00 | 11 | 0 | 3.750 |
| 1969 | ATH | 60 | 119.0 | 6 | 7 | 3.71 | 97 | 61 | 1.319 |
| 1970 | ATH | 45 | 148.0 | 7 | 9 | 3.65 | 106 | 79 | 1.250 |
| 1971 | ATH | 48 | 129.3 | 4 | 6 | 2.99 | 116 | 98 | 0.959 |
| 1972 | ATH | 65 | 111.3 | 11 | 9 | 2.51 | 130 | 113 | 1.051 |
| 1973 | ATH | 62 | 126.7 | 7 | 8 | 1.92 | 195 | 110 | 1.153 |
| 1974 | ATH | 76 | 119.0 | 9 | 5 | 2.65 | 137 | 95 | 1.118 |
| 1975 | ATH | 75 | 126.7 | 10 | 6 | 2.98 | 124 | 115 | 1.011 |
| 1976 | ATH | 70 | 134.7 | 13 | 11 | 2.47 | 142 | 113 | 1.173 |
| 1977 | SD | 78 | 132.3 | 8 | 9 | 2.99 | 133 | 113 | 1.202 |
| 1978 | SD | 67 | 107.3 | 6 | 13 | 2.52 | 146 | 72 | 1.053 |
| 1979 | SD | 54 | 83.7 | 9 | 9 | 4.52 | 88 | 65 | 1.530 |
| 1980 | SD | 66 | 103.0 | 11 | 9 | 2.80 | 137 | 69 | 1.291 |
| 1981 | ML4 | 47 | 78.0 | 6 | 3 | 1.04 | 344 | 61 | 0.872 |
| 1982 | ML4 | 50 | 79.7 | 5 | 6 | 2.60 | 148 | 71 | 1.042 |
| 1984 | ML4 | 33 | 46.0 | 1 | 2 | 1.96 | 194 | 40 | 1.109 |
| 1985 | ML4 | 47 | 55.3 | 1 | 6 | 5.04 | 77 | 24 | 1.410 |
| Career | 944 | 1701.3 | 114 | 118 | — | — | 1299 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.