Roy Face ✝

Face was the first major leaguer to save 20 games more than once, leading the league three times and finishing second three times; in 1959 he set the still-standing major league record for winning percentage (.947), and single-season wins in relief, with 18 wins against only one loss. He held the NL record for career games pitched (846) from 1967 until 1986, and the league record for career saves (193) from 1962 until 1982; he still holds the NL record for career wins in relief (96), and he held the league mark for career innings pitched in relief (1,211​1⁄3) until 1983. On his retirement, he ranked third in major league history in pitching appearances, behind only Hoyt Wilhelm and Cy Young, and second in saves behind Wilhelm. Nicknamed "The Baron", he holds the Pirates franchise records for career games (802) and saves (188).\n', ' Originally signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1949, Face was twice drafted by Branch Rickey, first for the Brooklyn Dodgers before the 1951 season, and again in 1952 for Pittsburgh. He made his debut in April 1953 and set a modern Pirates record for games pitched (68) in 1956, leading the league and breaking the club mark of 59 set by Bill Werle in 1951. In 1957 he saved 10 games for the first time, finishing fifth in the NL. In 1958 the team finished in second place, the first time in his five years they had placed better than seventh. Face led the NL with 20 saves, and posted his best earned run average to date with a 2.89 mark. He achieved his success almost exclusively with the forkball, which he had learned from Yankees reliever Joe Page.\n', ' In 1959 Face posted an 18–1 record, including 17 victories in a row to begin the year after ending 1958 with five in a row; he did not surrender a run in the entire month from June 11 to July 12. He was named the Player of the Month for June after posting a 5–0 record with four saves and a 0.38 ERA. Face finished the year with an ERA of 2.70, and finished eighth in the MVP voting, although he did not receive any votes for the Cy Young Award that year. (At the time, only first-place votes were cast for the award.) His 18 relief wins remains the major league record, topping Jim Konstanty\'s previous mark of 16 set in 1950. Face\'s .947 winning percentage exceeded the previous record .938 (15–1), set by Johnny Allen in 1937. In 1960 he had his second 20-save season, placing second in the league with 24, which equalled the previous NL record as Lindy McDaniel set a new mark with 26. With the Pirates winning their first pennant since 1927, he also led the league in games again, tying his own team record of 68; the mark would be broken when teammate Pete Mikkelsen appeared in 71 games in 1966.\n', '