All-Star Reliever Al Holland, Key to Phillies’ 1983 Pennant Run, Dies at 73

Al Holland, the hard-throwing reliever who helped carry the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1983 World Series, died Monday at age 73. The team announced his passing but did not release a cause of death.

Holland didn’t take a traditional path to big league stardom. The Roanoke, Virginia native was a two-sport standout at North Carolina A&T, where he led the football team in rushing as a sophomore. But on the mound, he was almost unhittable. As a freshman, he led the nation with 143 strikeouts and a 0.54 ERA. He never posted an ERA above 1.03 in any of his four college seasons, and he threw a no-hitter every single year.

That ridiculous college run still wasn’t enough to get him drafted early. The Rangers and Padres both picked him late, but he didn’t sign until the Pirates grabbed him as an undrafted free agent in 1977. He debuted that September, and after a trade to the Giants in 1979, he turned into a reliable bullpen arm.

His best years came in Philadelphia. The Phillies traded for Holland before the 1983 season, and he responded with a 2.26 ERA, 25 saves, and a National League championship. He locked down saves in Games 1 and 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers, then closed out Game 1 of the World Series against the Orioles. He didn’t allow a single earned run across 6 2/3 postseason innings that October.

The breakout nobody saw

Holland shared the 1983 Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award with Lee Smith. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting and ninth in MVP voting. Not bad for a guy who bounced around as a minor league afterthought a few years earlier.

He made his only All-Star team in 1984 after notching 29 saves. He pitched for the Pirates a second time, then finished up with the Angels and Yankees before retiring after 1987.

Over 384 career appearances, Holland posted a 2.98 ERA with 513 strikeouts and 78 saves. After baseball, he coached at the high school and minor league levels. His No. 17 jersey was retired by North Carolina A&T in 2020, and he’s in the College Baseball Hall of Fame along with the MEAC and North Carolina A&T sports halls.

He was 73.