#545 Wayne Granger

Tall and lanky, at 6’2” and 165 pounds….The previously St. Louis farmhand was once the all time record holder for games played in season by a pitcher….set the mark of 90 games in 1969 as a Cincinnati Red….held record for 4 years….then along came Mike Marshall who continues to hold the record for over 40 years….Under Sparky Anderson was more a pure closer in 1970 holding the top honors for saves for two years running….In 1971 ERA rose and saves dropped by two thirds….still had league best mark with 70 appearences….Traded to Minnesota….did OK garnering 19 saves but stayed only one season….his trade back to St Louis his career never materialized into a comeback to his Reds performance…pitched OK but unspectacularly for NYY, ChiSox, Houston, and Montreal in years 1973-76…made a brief resurface in AAA level Inter-American League along with several ex MLB players.