Rollie Fingers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves

With his waxed handlebar mustache, Rollie Fingers always stood out from other relief pitchers.

But on Aug. 21, 1982, Fingers added an even more impressive distinction to his resume when he became the first MLB pitcher to reach the reach the 300-save plateau.

On that summer day in Seattle’s Kingdome, Fingers would be called upon for two innings of work. He would shut the door on the Mariners comeback chances and earn his 300th save in the process, writing his name in baseball lore by becoming the first reliever to do so.

Since Fingers’ 300th save, more than two dozen others have joined him to form the back-end of the bullpen’s elite club.

“The relief pitcher has been elevated in status during the years I’ve been playing,” Fingers said. “Whether I had anything to do with it or not, I’ll leave that up to others to determine. But when I came through the minors, everybody wanted to be a starter. If you were a reliever, you weren’t very highly regarded.”

“As a closer, your best asset is control,” said Fingers, whose legendary slider served as a strikeout pitch for his entire career. “If you don’t know where you’re going to throw the ball, you’re dead.”

Like any great player, Fingers thrived when the lights were brightest – in the postseason. Fingers was a part of six postseason teams and pitched in 30 games, recording nine saves. His postseason ERA was 2.35.

During his time in Oakland, Fingers was a key contributor on the Athletics team that three-peated as world champions from 1972-74, highlighted by his World Series MVP honor in 1974 – a series that would see Fingers rack up two saves in addition to a win. In four games, Fingers would record an ERA of 1.93 and send down six batters via the strikeout in 9.1 innings of work.

Ending his career with 341 saves, Fingers retired atop the all-time list. “What they start, I finish,” said Fingers.