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Elroy Face dies at 97: Pirates Hall of Famer pitcher helped club win 1960 World Series

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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday that Elroy Face, a member of the club’s Hall of Fame and the franchise’s all-time leader in games pitched, had died at the age of 97.

“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,” Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said in a team-issued statement. “I was fortunate to get to know Elroy personally, and I will always be proud that we had the chance to honor him with his induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame.”

Face pitched in parts of 16 big-league seasons (1953, 1955-69) after being selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Brooklyn Dodgers. He would subsequently make the leap from Double-A to the majors, flourishing after developing one of the best forkballs in the sport’s history. 

“When he had that great year in 1959 you had to wonder how he did it, but he did, had that great forkball and I don’t think he weighed more than 145 pounds,” a bullpen catcher said of Face.

Face then spent 15 of those 16 seasons with the Pirates (he would suit up for the Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos before retiring after the 1969 season). Overall, he logged a 3.48 ERA (109 ERA+) and a 2.42 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 848 appearances, all the while recording 191 saves (the statistic did not become official until most of the way through his career) and 21.1 Wins Above Replacement. He helped the Pirates win the 1960 World Series, notching three saves in the Fall Classic against the New York Yankees.

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Face made three All-Star Games while pitching in six total — Major League Baseball played multiple Midsummer Classics for a time as a means of raising funds for the players’ pension funds. Face also received Most Valuable Player Award consideration on three occasions, including after his remarkable 1959 season that saw him post an 18-1 record across 57 relief appearances.

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Maria Sakkari stuns Swiatek to reach Doha Semifinal

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Maria Sakkari delivered one of the biggest wins of her career by defeating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek 2–6, 6–4, 7–5 to reach the semifinals of the Qatar Open.

The victory ended a difficult run for Sakkari, who had lost four straight matches and nine consecutive sets to Swiatek.

It was her first win over Swiatek since 2021, her first win over a world No. 2 since 2022, and her first WTA 1000 semifinal since Indian Wells 2024. She also became the first player ever to beat Swiatek at a WTA 1000 event after losing the opening set.

  • Elena Rybakina beats Zheng to reach Doha QuarterfinalsElena Rybakina beats Zheng to reach Doha Quarterfinals

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After dropping the first set, Sakkari found her rhythm in the second, closing it out 6–4 before holding her nerve in a tight deciding set to seal the upset.

Speaking after the match, Sakkari opened up about the mental struggle behind the result.

“I’m speechless because it’s been a while since I’ve had a big day like today. When you drop in the rankings and you’re not playing good tennis, you start doubting yourself. You’re thinking you’re never gonna beat those players again. It’s a huge process that you have to go through in your head that you can do it. Last year in the second round against her, I was not confident. I was not believing in myself. This year it’s different. I have to say I feel a lot better.”

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The win marks the 30th top-10 victory of Sakkari’s career and a major boost in confidence as she moves into the Doha semifinals.

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Ghost Golf Brush: Is it the new king of golf club brushes?

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Cam Newton makes his feelings known after Randy Moss calls for Hall of Fame voting committee to be reset

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Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s exclusion from the NFL Hall of Fame 2026 class has become a topic of discussion among former players and coaches.

Former Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss weighed in on Belichick and Kraft not making the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Moss said the voting process should only involve people from football.

“If you didn’t play it, if you didn’t coach it, you shouldn’t have a vote,” Moss said.

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Former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton discussed the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s comments on his “4th&1 With Cam Newton” podcast.

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“That ain’t right,” Newton said (Timestamp 1:05:00 onwards). “Because flip side, when we suffer a defeat, we have to talk to you… Bring all selection committees. Don’t matter if it’s the college football, committee. Doesn’t matter if the Hall of Fame committee, doesn’t matter if the All-American committee bring them all to the forefront.

“We live in a world of content. Somebody buy that right to showcase how they do it with juries… It was an ultimate sign of disgrace to not have those specific guys. I don’t care what Deflategate was. I don’t care if you think they cheated.”

Also Read: “How is this clown on TV” “He is just salty”: NFL fans rip Cam Newton for doubling down on “fool’s gold” take for Drake Maye

Also Read: “You guys got it wrong”: Rodney Harrison calls out Tony Dungy and Hall of Fame voters head-on for Bill Belichick’s first ballot snub

Cam Newton’s former Panthers teammate makes Hall of Fame case for ex-MVP

Cam Newton is one of the first-time eligibles on next year’s Hall of Fame ballot. Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, made a case for Newton.

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“That’s what everybody needs to really think about (with) the Hall of Fame, Kuechly said. “And the dominance (with) which he played the game is what I think needs to be talked about the most. He was just so much better than everybody else on the field. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do.”