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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 age 97, the team announced Thursday.
Face was eight days shy of his 98th birthday. Team historian Jim Trdinich said the club was contacted by Face’s son, Elroy Jr., who told the team that Face had died earlier in the day at an independent senior living facility outside Pittsburgh, north of Versailles, Pennsylvania. No cause of death was provided.
“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of beloved Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face,” Pirates team president Bob Nutting said in a statement.
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Elroy Face waves to 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 August 26, 2023. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
“Elroy was a pioneer of the modern relief pitcher – the ‘Baron of the bullpen’ – and he played a vital role in our 1960 World Series championship.”
During his 16-year career, Face appeared in 848 games and had a record of 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA. He started only 27 of his appearances and made 191 career saves – although saves did not become an official statistic until 1969.
In 1959, Face went 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 10 saves. It was the first of three consecutive seasons in which he was named to the All-Star team. He led the National League in saves three times during his career.
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Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face follows up after serving out a pitch in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York, October 10, 1960. (AP photo, file)
Face led the National League with 68 appearances and 61 games completed 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. It closed out the Pirates’ victories in Games 1, 4 and 5.
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Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face waves to 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, August 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, file)
Inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023, he is the club’s career leader with 802 appearances. The team noted that if saves had been an official statistic before 1969, he would also 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., as well as his sister Jacqueline, the Pirates said.
