Elroy Face, the legendary All-Star relief pitcher who helped lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a stunning World Series victory in 1960, has died at the age of 97, the team announced Thursday.

The Pirates confirmed Face’s passing after being contacted by his son, Elroy Jr. He died earlier in the day at an independent senior living facility in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. No cause of death was disclosed. Face was just eight days shy of his 98th birthday.

“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “Elroy was a pioneer of the modern relief pitcher — the ‘Baron of the Bullpen’ — and played a critical role in our 1960 World Series championship.”

Face was selected to six All-Star teams and spent the bulk of his 16-year major league career with Pittsburgh, also pitching briefly for Detroit and Montreal. He finished with a 104–95 record and a 3.48 ERA, appearing in 848 games while starting only 27. Although the save was not an official statistic until 1969, Face recorded 191 career saves.

He holds the National League record for wins by a reliever (96) and the major league record for relief wins in a single season, going an incredible 18–1 with a 2.70 ERA in 1959. In 1960, he led the NL with 68 appearances and 61 games finished as the underdog Pirates upset the New York Yankees in the World Series, capped by Bill Mazeroski’s iconic walk-off home run in Game 7.

Face appeared in four games during that Series and earned saves in Games 1, 4, and 5. He was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023 and remains the franchise leader in appearances with 802. The team noted that had saves been officially tracked earlier, Face also would hold the Pirates’ career record in that category.

Born Feb. 20, 1928, in Stephentown, New York, Face is survived by his children Michelle, Valerie, and Elroy Jr., as well as his sister Jacqueline.