ROY FACE






Born; February 20, 1928 Stephentown, Pennsylvania


Elroy Face was tauted as being the best relief pitcher in history. He was signed by the Phiadelphia Phillies as an amateur freeagent in 1949. He played with the Pittsburg Pirates from 1952-1968. In 1968 he signed with the Detroit Tigers and in 1969 with the Montreal Expos.

Today he lives in Pennsylvania and oversees the annual Elroy Face Forkball Golf Tournament at the Champion Lakes Golf Course in Ligonier, PA., which benefits the Parent Infant Program at the Western Pennsylvania School of the Deaf.

Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; his first 14+ years were in Pittsburgh. Roy had a short stint with Detroit, before finishing up with Montreal in 1969.

Roy Face was 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA. He appeared in 848 games (8th on the all-time list). He was 96- 82 out of the bullpen with 193 Saves; he is in the Major League Top 10 list in both bullpen wins and saves. Face led the league in game appearances in two years (1956 and 1960) with 68. He led the league in Saves three times (1958 - 20, 1961 - 17, and 1962 - 28). Roy was a 3-time All-Star. He leads the team in Game Appearances and Saves.

His 18 wins out of the bullpen in 1959 (17 in a row) still stands as a Major League record. His .947 winning percentage is still number one on the Major League All-Time list. He posted a 2.70 ERA that year in 57 appearances and collected 10 Saves. Face collected 22 consecutive wins in relief during the 1958 and 1959 seasons.

There is a chapter in Twin Killing about ElRoy Face. It is one of the best in the book. Roy was known for his forkball; he credits pitcher Joe Page for introducing him to the pitch. Face could effectively throw the forkball on any count. Face also prided himself on his pick-off move. Roy recounts one game in Cincinnati where he came into the game with runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out; Face picked off the runner at second, and then picked off the runner at first before ever throwing a pitch to the batter. Now that is what I call pitching out of a jam!

Roy also relates a story about his first All-Star Game. As the NL took the field for infield practice, the AL stars were throwing near the 3rd base dugout. As Bill Mazeroski started practicing his double play pivot, all the AL All-Stars stopped throwing and stared in amazement at Maz. They hadn't had a chance to see Maz play, but they had sure heard about him.

ElRoy used to park at an Esso station near Forbes Field. It cost him a dollar a day. In 1959, when Roy had won 4 or 5 games without a loss, the owner told Face he could park for free until he lost. That was the summer that Roy Face won 17 games in a row, so he didn't have to pay for parking until September.

Roy faced Ted Williams in the 1959 All-Star game and ended up walking him. Roy said, "If Ted didn't swing at a pitch, the umpire figured it must have been a ball."