Sports Americana

There have been great relief pitchers.

There have been intimidating relief pitchers.

And then there was Rollie Fingers.

Born on August 25, 1946, Fingers became one of baseball’s first true superstar closers — and he did it while sporting a mustache that looked like it had its own Hall of Fame plaque.

Fingers won three World Series, an MVP award, a Cy Young Award and finished his career with 341 saves. He was a key piece of the Oakland A’s championship teams of the early 1970s before becoming a star with the Brewers.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

In an era when pitchers were expected to finish what they started, Fingers helped redefine what a relief pitcher could be. When he walked toward the mound, games suddenly got a lot shorter.

And yes, there was the mustache.

It became so famous that when Fingers signed with the Brewers in 1981, he reportedly refused to shave it despite a team policy requiring players to be clean-shaven. Milwaukee eventually made an exception.

Good decision.

Because some baseball players have a signature swing.

Some have a signature pitch.

Rollie Fingers had a signature face.

Happy birthday to one of baseball’s original closers — and quite possibly its greatest mustache.