Elias Sosa

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Elias Sosa Martinez (born June 10, 1950 in La Vega, Dominican Republic), is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent on March 4, 1968. He played for the Giants (1972–1974), St. Louis Cardinals (1975), Atlanta Braves (1975–1976), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–1977), Oakland Athletics (1978), Montreal Expos (1979–1981), Detroit Tigers (1982), and San Diego Padres (1983).

Sosa was used almost exclusively in relief during his 12-year MLB career. He appeared in 601 games, just three as a starter, and performed as both a closer and a long man.

He had several excellent seasons in the big leagues. He twice had an earned run average below 2.00 (1977 and 1979), and in his rookie year, 1973, he won 10 games, saved 18, and pitched in 71 games, all of which would become career highs.

Also of note in 1973, he saved nine of teammate Ron Bryant's major league-leading 24 wins, including #20.

He finished in the American League or National League TOP TEN four times for games pitched and games finished, three times for saves, and once for winning percentage.

Other career highlights include:

3 scoreless innings to earn a save against the Philadelphia Phillies (June 2, 1973)
won games on two consecutive days vs. the Atlanta Braves, pitching a combined 4 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts, no walks, and giving up just one hit (September 1 and 2, 1973)
4 scoreless innings to earn a save against the Cincinnati Reds ((July 26, 1974)
4 innings, allowing just one run (unearned), to earn a save against the San Francisco Giants (May 23, 1976)
4.1 scoreless innings, with a career-high 6 strikeouts, for a no decision vs. the San Diego Padres (July 10, 1977)
3 perfect innings to earn a save against the Toronto Blue Jays (May 2, 1978)
4 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, to earn a save against the San Diego Padres (July 15, 1979)
held All-Stars Dusty Baker, César Cedeño, George Hendrick, Davey Johnson, Dave Kingman, Dale Murphy, Andre Thornton, and Jimmy Wynn to a .126 collective batting average (15-for-119)
held Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Lou Brock, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Willie McCovey, and Eddie Murray to a .114 collective batting average (8-for-70)

Sosa did not get taken deep too often, giving up just 64 home runs, or one for every 14.1 innings pitched. But one of those home runs became quite famous, for it was the second home run of three hit by Reggie Jackson of the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. For his career, he finished with 59 wins, 51 losses, 83 saves, 330 games finished, and an ERA of 3.32.

In 1989 he played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.