Roy Face, baseball player, 1953-1969

Roy Face

Born: 2/20/1928 in Stephentown, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1953-04-16 | Final Game: 1969-08-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 155 lbs

Full name: Elroy Leon Face

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Biography

Roy Face, born in 1928, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1953 until his retirement in 1969. Known for his exceptional skill on the mound, Face compiled a career record of 104-95 with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.48. He recorded 877 strikeouts and secured 193 saves over his career, showcasing his ability to both start and close games effectively. Face's contributions to the game were recognized with six All-Star selections, affirming his status as one of the leading pitchers of his era. Playing primarily during the 1950s and 1960s, Face emerged as a key figure in the evolving role of relief pitchers, helping to shape the modern bullpen strategy. His effectiveness in high-pressure situations made him a reliable asset for his teams, particularly the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he spent the majority of his career. Face's legacy is marked not only by his impressive statistics but also by his influence on the way pitching was approached in the late 20th century, as the role of the relief pitcher became increasingly vital to team success.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
104 95 848 27 6 0 193 1375.0 1347 531 141 362 877 3.48 0

Career ERA 3.48 vs. league average 3.69 across their career seasons — 5.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1953 PIT NL 6 8 41 13 2 0 0 119.0 145 87 30 56 6.58 4.14 (-59%) -1205.4
1955 PIT NL 5 7 42 10 4 0 5 125.7 128 50 40 84 3.58 4.00 (+10%) 3155.8
1956 PIT NL 12 13 68 3 0 0 6 135.3 131 53 42 96 3.52 3.96 (+11%) 1823.8
1957 PIT NL 4 6 59 1 0 0 10 93.7 97 32 24 53 3.07 3.83 (+20%) 1095.0
1958 PIT NL 5 2 57 0 0 0 20 84.0 77 27 22 47 2.89 3.86 (+25%) 1689.0
1959 PIT NL 18 1 57 0 0 0 10 93.3 91 28 25 69 2.70 3.90 (+31%) 3112.2
1960 PIT NL 10 8 68 0 0 0 24 114.7 93 37 29 72 2.90 3.82 (+24%) 1586.9
1961 PIT NL 6 12 62 0 0 0 17 92.0 94 39 10 55 3.82 4.03 (+5%) 1391.3
1962 PIT NL 8 7 63 0 0 0 28 91.0 74 19 18 45 1.88 3.96 (+52%) 1624.0
1963 PIT NL 3 9 56 0 0 0 16 69.7 75 25 19 41 3.23 3.46 (+7%) 158.9
1964 PIT NL 3 3 55 0 0 0 4 79.7 82 46 27 63 5.20 3.58 (-45%) -591.5
1965 PIT NL 5 2 16 0 0 0 0 20.3 20 6 7 19 2.66 3.50 (+24%) 601.5
1966 PIT NL 6 6 54 0 0 0 18 70.0 68 21 24 67 2.70 3.52 (+23%) 243.9
1967 PIT NL 7 5 61 0 0 0 17 74.3 62 20 22 41 2.42 3.30 (+27%) 198.5
1968 PIT NL 2 4 43 0 0 0 13 52.0 46 15 7 34 2.60 2.98 (+13%) 834.9
1968 DET AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 0 1 1 0.00 — 0.0
1969 WSN NL 4 2 44 0 0 0 5 59.3 62 26 15 34 3.94 3.61 (-9%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
853 194 9 31 3 0 0 7 0 2 47 0.160 0.168 0.175 0.344 0.0

Career AVG .160 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 36.6% below league average.

Career OBP .168 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 47.2% below league average.

Career SLG .175 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 53.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.344 vs. league average 0.699 across their career seasons — 50.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1953 PIT NL 43 30 1 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 10 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1955 PIT NL 43 26 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 0.115 — — — — 0.0
1956 PIT NL 69 26 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.192 — — — — 0.0
1957 PIT NL 59 16 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1958 PIT NL 57 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1959 PIT NL 58 13 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.231 — — — — 0.0
1960 PIT NL 68 17 3 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.412 — — — — 0.0
1961 PIT NL 62 11 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1962 PIT NL 63 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.083 — — — — 0.0
1963 PIT NL 56 8 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1964 PIT NL 55 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1965 PIT NL 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 PIT NL 54 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1967 PIT NL 61 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1968 PIT NL 43 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1968 DET AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1969 WSN NL 44 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS PIT 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 4 0 3 10.3 9 6 2 4 5.23

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1960 WS PIT 0 0 4 0 3 10.3 9 6 2 4 5.23

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 848 14 104 212 14 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1953 PIT P 41 0 11 12 0 1
1955 PIT P 42 10 14 13 1 1
1956 PIT P 68 3 10 25 1 2
1957 PIT P 59 1 4 9 0 0
1958 PIT P 57 0 6 18 0 0
1959 PIT P 57 0 7 12 1 0
1960 PIT P 68 0 12 21 0 1
1961 PIT P 62 0 13 22 3 2
1962 PIT P 63 0 4 12 2 3
1963 PIT P 56 0 6 17 3 1
1964 PIT P 55 0 8 11 0 1
1965 PIT P 16 0 0 1 0 0
1966 PIT P 54 0 2 15 2 1
1967 PIT P 61 0 2 10 0 1
1968 PIT P 43 0 2 7 1 1
1968 DET P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1969 MON P 44 0 3 7 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 848

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1962 TSN Fireman of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 47.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 67.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 8.0 336 0