Lesson plan
Roy Face
ElRoy Leon Face (February 20, 1928 – February 12, 2026), nicknamed "The Baron of the Bullpen", was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1969, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he made the forkball pitch famous. A pioneer of modern relief pitching in the archetype of what came to be known as the closer, he was the standard for National League relievers at the time of his retirement and set numerous records along the way. While Face stood only 5 ft 7½ in (1.71 m) and weighed 150 pounds (68 kg), he overcame any physical shortcomings with a bulldog mentality, rubber arm and forkball that was the talk of baseball. The diminutive reliever also relied on consistent control of his pitches, which he said came naturally but teammates attributed to hard work. A converted starter, Face held the National League records for career games pitched (846) from 1967 to 1986 and career saves (191) from 1962 to 1982. He still owns the NL record for career wins in relief (96) and held the league mark for career innings pitched in relief ( ) until 1983. Upon retirement, Face ranked second to Hoyt Wilhelm in saves in major league history and third in games pitched behind Wilhelm and Cy Young. He is the all-time leader in games pitched (802) and saves (188) in Pirates history.…
Article summary
ElRoy Leon Face (February 20, 1928 – February 12, 2026), nicknamed "The Baron of the Bullpen", was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1969, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he made the forkball pitch famous. A pioneer of modern relief pitching in the archetype of what came to be known as the closer, he was the standard for National League relievers at the time of his retirement and set numerous records along the way. While Face stood only 5 ft 7½ in (1.71 m) and weighed 150 pounds (68 kg), he overcame any physical shortcomings with a bulldog mentality, rubber arm and forkball that was the talk of baseball. The diminutive reliever also relied on consistent control of his pitches, which he said came naturally but teammates attributed to hard work. A converted starter, Face held the National League records for career games pitched (846) from 1967 to 1986 and career saves (191) from 1962 to 1982. He still owns the NL record for career wins in relief (96) and held the league mark for career innings pitched in relief ( ) until 1983. Upon retirement, Face ranked second to Hoyt Wilhelm in saves in major league history and third in games pitched behind Wilhelm and Cy Young. He is the all-time leader in games pitched (802) and saves (188) in Pirates history.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.