All-Brewers Team: The Pitchers

Closing Time

There is something so iconic about the closer – the closer coming into a game is like everything amazing about baseball wrapped up into one moment. Imagine the stones you need to have in order to perform under the pressure of holding a win in your hands. It’s enough to make me pee in my pants, and I’m just watching the games. So my hat goes off to the closer, and in particular to this one:

Rollie Fingers (1981-82, ’84-85)

Come on, who else were we going to pick? That iconic high kick, delivery, and of course the mustache made him a living legend in the Brew City. Rollie had 97 saves in Milwaukee, a 1.08 WHIP and 196 strikeouts in 259 innings of work. Not a bad resume off the bat, but then add 7 All Star Nods (2 in Milwaukee) and the fact that he is 10th all time in saves. He ought to be baseball’s All-Time closer, not just for the Brewers.

Not sure how it could have been anyone else.  Rollie had a mustache that could kill a jackal.  1981, his first season in Milwaukee he does not do too much…oh wait, he wins the AL MVP award as a closing pitcher!!!!!!  He received 81% of the vote.  Oh, he won the Al Cy Young, too.  Sadly for us, he is enshrined in Canton, Ohio as a member of the Oakland A’s (it’s cool, he won a world series there).  We retired his number (34) in 1992.  Truly one of the greatest Brewers ever.

Well there’s the bullpen, all filled out and ready to start tossing. Think we did a good job? Think we messed up? Let us know in the comment board. Keep an eye out for the All-Time Utility team coming up soon, and check out the All-Time Positional Team as well. I need to go ice up before I start typing again.