Gene Garber

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Gene Garber
Pitcher
Born: November 13, 1947 (1947-11-13) (age 60)
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 17, 1969
for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Final game
July 1, 1988
for the Kansas City Royals
Career statistics
Win-Loss     96-113
Saves     218
ERA     3.34
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • Finished 19th in voting for NL MVP and 7th in voting for NL Cy Young Awards in 1982
  • Led the NL in Games Pitched (71) and Games Finished (47) in 1975
  • Ranks 17th on the MLB All-Time Games Pitched List (931)
  • Ranks 32nd on the MLB All-Time Saves List (218)
  • Ranks 14th on MLB All-Time Games Finished List (609)
  • Atlanta Braves All-Time Games Finished Leader (388)

Henry Eugene Garber (born November 13, 1947 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is a former sidearm relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 1965 amateur draft, and pitched for the Pirates, the Kansas City Royals, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Atlanta Braves.

Upon his retirement in 1988, his 931 career pitching appearances ranked 5th in major league history, trailing Hoyt Wilhelm (1070), Kent Tekulve (1013), Lindy McDaniel (987), and Rollie Fingers (944).

He holds the distinction of ending Pete Rose's 44-game hitting streak. He ranks second on the Atlanta Braves all time save list, behind John Smoltz.

His most effective pitch was a change-up, which he effectively delivered from an unusual, herky-jerky motion in which he would almost completely turn his back to the batter before delivering the ball in a side-arm, "submarine-style" manner.

His best season came for the 1982 Atlanta Braves' National League West-division winning team. He recorded a career-high 30 saves, along with a 9-10 won-lost record, and finished seventh in the Cy Young Award balloting.

In 1979, for the Braves, he recorded 25 saves, but also 16 losses, an unusually high number for a closer.

Garber owns a farm in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, where he and his wife raise emus. He has also served as a member of the Lancaster County Agricultural Preservation Board. He is a 1969 graduate of Elizabethtown College.

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