| Al Holland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1952-08-16)August 16, 1952 (age 73) Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 5, 1977, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 9, 1987, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 34–30 |
| Earned run average | 2.98 |
| Strikeouts | 513 |
| Saves | 78 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Alfred Willis Holland (born August 16, 1952) is an American former professionalbaseballrelief pitcher, who playedMajor League Baseball (MLB) for thePittsburgh Pirates,San Francisco Giants,Philadelphia Phillies,California Angels, andNew York Yankees, from1977 to1987.
He was traded along withEd Whitson andFred Breining from thePirates to theGiants forBill Madlock,Lenny Randle andDave Roberts on June 28,1979.[1] He was acquired along withJoe Morgan by thePhillies from theGiants forMike Krukow,Mark Davis and minor-league outfielder C.L. Penigar on December 14, 1982.[2]
Holland finished seventh in theNational LeagueRookie of the Year voting for 1980 but his best season was with the Philadelphia Phillies in1983 when he won theRolaids Relief Man of the Year Award[3][4] andTSN Fireman of the Year Award[5] while finishing in the top ten in voting for both theCy Young Award andNational League MVP. He then saved Game 1 of the1983 National League Championship Series, and struck out three batters in two innings to finish Game 4, clinching the pennant for the Phillies. He also saved Game 1 of the1983 World Series. In Game 3 of the World Series, Holland was pitching in the seventh inning when anerror allowed the go-ahead run to score. Although Hollandstruck out four batters in the eighth and ninth innings, he and the Phillies lost in the last postseason game of his career. They then lost Games 4 and 5 as well to give theBaltimore Orioles the championship.
In1984, Holland was selected to his onlyAll-Star Game but did not play. He was involved in a pair of trades during the1985 campaign. The first one on April 20 had him returning to thePirates along with minor-league left-handed pitcher Frankie Griffin from thePhillies forKent Tekulve.[6] Then he was dealt along withJohn Candelaria andGeorge Hendrick from the Pirates to theAngels forPat Clements andMike Brown on August 2 in a transaction that was completed two weeks later on August 16 whenBob Kipper was sent to Pittsburgh.[7][8] He then hit a low point by being called to testify at thePittsburgh drug trials. After admitting tococaine abuse, he was suspended for sixty days of the 1986 season.
Holland's and ten other players' suspensions were reduced to anti-drug donations andcommunity service, but Holland's career was nearly at an end. He was signed as afree agent by the New York Yankees,released by the Yankees, re-signed by the Yankees and then re-released by the Yankees — all in 1986. The Yankees signed him for the third time in 1987 but, after three games, hisearned run average (ERA) was at 14.21. Holland was released by the Yankees a third time after the season and his major league career was over.
In 1989, the age 35-and-olderSenior Professional Baseball Association began operation inFlorida and Holland was a member of both theSt. Petersburg Pelicans andSt. Lucie Legends. The league folded in December 1990. Since then, Holland has spent time as aminor leaguepitching coach, as recently as 2006 for the Rookie-levelAppalachian League'sJohnson City Cardinals.[9]