PITTSBURGH (AP) — Elroy Face, an All-Star reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates who saved three games in the 1960 World Series to help them upset the New York Yankees, has died. He was 97.
In a news release Thursday, the Pirates announced they confirmed Face's death. Team historian Jim Trdinich said the club was contacted by Face's son, Elroy Jr., and informed the former pitcher died earlier in the day at an independent senior living facility outside Pittsburgh in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.
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FILE - Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Roy Face, follows through after serving up a ninth pitch against the Yankees in fifth World Series game at Yankee Stadium, Oct. 10, 1960, in New York. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face acknowledges the crowd during a ceremony for players that are part of the team's Hall of Fame class before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)
FILE - Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face throws a ceremonial first pitch before the Pirates' home opener baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Minnesota Twins, April 2, 2018, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
No cause of death was provided. Face was 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, a beloved member of the Pirates family,” team chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement.
“Elroy was a pioneer of the modern relief pitcher — the ‘Baron of the Bullpen’ — and he played a critical role in our 1960 World Series championship."
Selected to six All-Star teams, Face went 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA in 16 major league seasons with Pittsburgh (1953-68), Detroit (1968) and Montreal (1969). He pitched in 848 games, starting only 27, and compiled 191 career saves — although saves didn't become an official statistic until 1969.
The 5-foot-8 right-hander holds the National League record for wins in relief with 96 and the major league mark for relief wins in one season after going 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 1959.
He topped the National League with 68 appearances and 61 games finished in 1960, when the underdog Pirates stunned Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and the mighty Yankees on Bill Mazeroski's famous home run that won Game 7 of the World Series at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
Face made four relief appearances in the Series, posting a 5.23 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He closed out Pirates wins in Games 1, 4 and 5.
Inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023, he is the club's career leader in appearances with 802. And the team noted that if saves had been an official stat before 1969, he also would hold that franchise record with 188.
Face was born in Stephentown, New York, on Feb. 20, 1928. He is survived by his three children, Michelle, Valerie and Elroy Jr., and his sister Jacqueline, the Pirates said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Roy Face, follows through after serving up a ninth pitch against the Yankees in fifth World Series game at Yankee Stadium, Oct. 10, 1960, in New York. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face acknowledges the crowd during a ceremony for players that are part of the team's Hall of Fame class before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Aug. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Freed, File)
FILE - Former Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Elroy Face throws a ceremonial first pitch before the Pirates' home opener baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Minnesota Twins, April 2, 2018, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
BUDAPEST (AP) — European leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his stunning election victory in Hungary, not just for what the vibrant campaigner and the country's next premier might do but who he is not — long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to the continent's peace and prosperity.
The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orbán across the 27-nation European Union and its institutions.
“Today Europe wins and European values win,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a post on X on Sunday night. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk exclaimed on social media: “Back together! Glorious victory, dear friends!”
Orbán's 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the ravages of the world wars. Claiming he sought to advance Hungarian’s national interests over strategy forged in Brussels, Orbán time and again vetoed collective action such as support for Ukraine following Russia's all-out invasion.
Recently, the far-right leader's government outraged EU leaders and officials when it admitted to providing a backchannel to Russia during summits.
In a recent interview, Magyar told The Associated Press that if elected, he would repair Hungary’s relationship with the EU. However, he has carefully avoided taking firm positions on a number of divisive issues during the election campaign — including Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies and whether Hungary should extend more support to Ukraine. “All Hungarians know that this is a shared victory. Our homeland made up its mind. It wants to live again. It wants to be a European country,” Magyar said during his victory speech from the banks of the Danube River in Budapest, the capital.
Magyar said he received calls on Sunday night — before he took the stage to announce his victory — from French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Online, congratulations also flowed in from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and European Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Romanian President Nicușor Dan and European Council President António Costa also posted their well-wishes for Magyar.
“This is an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy," Starmer said.
“France welcomes the victory of democratic participation, the Hungarian people’s commitment to the values of the European Union, and Hungary’s commitment to Europe,” Macron said.
Merz said, “Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe.”
Kristersson referenced both the EU and NATO in his congratulation note to Magyar: “I look forward to working closely with you — as Allies and EU Members. This marks a new chapter in the history of Hungary.”
Slovenia’s liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob congratulated Magyar, saying his “victory over right-wing populism is also a great victory for the EU and its future.”
“Only a more united and more effective EU will be able to respond to the extremely serious challenges of the times ahead,” Golob said.
Israeli opposition figure Yair Lapid, himself a descendent of Hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust, also congratulated Magyar.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni congratulated Magyar but also thanked Orbán for “intense collaboration for these years."
Far-right French politician Jordan Bardella, seen as a nationally competitive politician in the 2027 French elections, praised Orbán's record on populist causes in a post on X. He made no mention of Magyar.
Even Orbán's staunchest allies in Europe congratulated Magyar.
Populist Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that in the election, "facing such a strong opponent as Viktor Orbán was never easy, yet he earned the trust of the majority of Hungarians and carries great hopes and expectations. He must not disappoint.”
Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico congratulated Magyar and said he was “ready for intensive cooperation with the new Hungarian Prime Minister.”
Referencing the Druzhba pipeline shuttered since an attack in Ukraine — an issue Orbán campaigned on and one exacerbated by rising energy prices over the Iran war — Fico said Slovakia is “interested in friendly and mutually beneficial relations with Hungary and in the above-standard status of national minorities living on the territories of our countries,.” Both Babiš and Fico vowed to work with Hungary's next leader.
Von der Leyen, who had like many EU officials avoided any public position on the Hungarian election, posted on X that "Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country returns to its European path. The Union grows stronger.”
Orbán had vilified the Brussels-based EU executive and frequently stymied her agenda.
European People's Party President Manfried Weber, also a frequent Orbán target, said on social media that "Hungary is back at the heart of Europe."
German lawmaker Daniel Freund said that “Hungarians are sending a signal to the world" — and warned that Orbán’s election loss will reverberate among populist leaders world over.
“The icon of illiberal anti-European forces has now failed - brought down by a disastrous economy, corruption, and his own unfair electoral system," Freund said.
Ukraine's posted congratulations to Magyar on its X account, referencing two historic rivers of Ukraine and Hungary.
“The Dnipro and the Tisza flow through a shared home — Europe,” it said.
Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, center, speaks to his supporters following the announcement of the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party waves a national flag after claiming victory in a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, waves the Hungarian flag following the announcement of the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Supporters of Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party celebrate after a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, center, celebrates with his party colleagues following the announcement of the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
