Former All-Star reliever Al Holland, best known for his tenure with the Phillies, has died at 73, both Philadelphia and North Carolina A&T confirmed.
Al Holland Jr., told North Carolina A&T that his father died on Saturday at Fort Mill, S.C. The elder Holland was a star pitcher for the school from 1972-75.
The left-handed Holland shared National League Fireman of the Year honors in 1983 with now-Hall of Famer Lee Smith of the Chicago Cubs when he saved 25 games. He finished sixth in Cy Young Award balloting and ninth in the MVP race.
Holland also recorded the final out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to push the Phillies into the World Series that year. He made four postseason appearance and didn’t allow a run while striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings.
In 1984, Holland had a career-best 29 saves and made the National League All-Star team.
Overall, Holland went 34-30 with a 2.98 ERA and 78 saves in 384 appearances (11 starts) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1977, 1985), San Francisco Giants (1979-82), Phillies (1983-85), the then-California Angels (1985) and New York Yankees (1986-87).
At North Carolina A&T, Holland threw a no-hitter in all four of his college seasons. He was inducted into the NC A&T Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. His No. 17 was retired in 2020.
