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Elroy Face, an All-Star reliever who played a key role in the Pittsburgh Pirates World Series victory over the New York Yankees in 1960, has died at 97, the team announced Thursday.
Face was eight days away from his 98th birthday. Team historian Jim Trdinich said the club was contacted by Face’s son, Elroy Jr., who told the team that Face died earlier in the day at an independent senior living facility outside Pittsburgh in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. No cause of death was provided.
“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,” Pirates team Chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement.
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Elroy Face acknowledges the crowd after being inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2023 before the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 26, 2023. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
“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.”
In his 16-year career, Face appeared in 848 games and had a record of 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA. He started just 27 of his appearances and racked up 191 career saves – although saves didn’t become an official statistic until 1969.
In 1959, Face went 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 10 saves. That was the first of three consecutive seasons that he was named to the All-Star team. He led the National League in saves three times in his career.
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Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face follows through after serving up a ninth-inning pitch against the New York Yankees in the fifth World Series game at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York, on Oct. 10, 1960. (AP Photo, File)
Face led the National League with 68 appearances and 61 games finished in 1960, when the underdog Pirates stunned Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and the mighty Yankees on Bill Mazeroski’s famous home run that won Game 7 of the World Series at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
Face made four relief appearances in the Series, posting a 5.23 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He closed out Pirates wins in Games 1, 4 and 5.
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Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face acknowledges the crowd during a ceremony for players who are part of the team’s Hall of Fame class before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)
Inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023, he is the club’s career leader in appearances with 802. The team noted that if saves had been an official stat before 1969, he also would hold that franchise record with 188.
Face was born in Stephentown, New York, on Feb. 20, 1928. He is survived by his three children, Michelle, Valerie and Elroy Jr., and his sister Jacqueline, the Pirates said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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