Philadelphia lost one of its most beloved relief pitchers this week. Al Holland, one of baseball’s top relief pitchers of the early 1980s and a Phillies postseason hero, died on July 4 surrounded by family at his home in Fort Mill, South Carolina. He was 73. While his major league career spanned parts of ten seasons and five organizations, Holland’s brief but brilliant stint in Philadelphia cemented his legacy as one of the most important bullpen arms in franchise history.
Born Alfred Willis Holland on August 16, 1952, in Roanoke, Virginia, Holland attended Lucy Addison High School before enrolling at North Carolina A&T State University in 1971. His college numbers border on the unbelievable: he led the nation in strikeouts as a freshman with 143 while posting a 0.54 ERA, and he threw a no-hitter in each of his four collegiate seasons, including a 25-strikeout performance against North Carolina Central. He never recorded a season ERA above 1.03 and finished his career as a two-time NAIA All-American. Remarkably, Holland was drafted by the Rangers in 1974 and the Padres in 1975, but opted to stay in college in both instances. After graduation, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as a free agent, and his No. 17 was later retired by his alma mater.
Breaking Into the Majors with Pittsburgh and San Francisco
Holland made his big-league debut on September 5, 1977, appearing in just two games for the Pirates. It took two more years before he stuck at the highest level, this time with the San Francisco Giants, for whom he pitched from 1979 through 1982. Holland quietly established himself as a reliable bullpen arm during his four seasons in the Bay Area, finishing seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1980. Those years built the foundation for what would become his finest professional stretch.
Arriving in Philadelphia and the 1983 Pennant Run
The Phillies acquired Holland in a December 1982 trade, and the move proved to be one of the shrewdest of the era. The left-hander became Philadelphia’s closer almost immediately, and his 1983 season remains one of the great relief performances in club history. He set what was then a franchise saves record with 25, struck out 100 batters, and finished sixth in Cy Young voting and ninth in MVP balloting. For his efforts, Holland won the National League’s Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award.
Holland’s dominance carried into the postseason, where he became a central figure in Philadelphia’s run to the World Series. Holland saved Games 1 and 4 of the NL Championship Series as Philadelphia knocked out the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games. The Phillies advanced to face the Baltimore Orioles in the Fall Classic, and Holland earned the save in Game 1 before Philadelphia ultimately fell in five games. Even in defeat, Holland’s fingerprints were all over the Phillies’ success in 1983.
An All-Star Season in 1984
Holland followed his signature 1983 campaign with an even better one statistically in 1984, when he set a career high with 29 saves across 98.1 innings, posting a 3.39 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. That performance earned him his only career All-Star selection. Across those two seasons combined, Holland won 13 games and saved 54, anchoring a Phillies bullpen that had become one of the most feared units in the National League.
The Trade for Kent Tekulve and Final Seasons
In 1985, the Phillies moved on from Holland, dealing him along with a minor leaguer to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for veteran sidearm reliever Kent Tekulve. Holland also pitched for the California Angels that same season before finishing his career with two years in the Bronx as a member of the New York Yankees. He last appeared in the majors in 1987, closing out a career that spanned parts of ten seasons.
Career Totals and Lasting Legacy
When it was all said and done, Holland retired with a career record of 34-30, a 2.98 ERA, and 78 saves across 384 appearances — all as a reliever, a role he embraced with a toughness that became his calling card. According to those who knew him at North Carolina A&T, Holland’s trademark phrase, “Give me the ball,” came to define both his competitive spirit and his approach to pitching under pressure.
Beyond his major league résumé, Holland was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015 and is also a member of the North Carolina A&T Sports Hall of Fame and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their three children.
For Phillies fans of a certain generation, though, Holland will always be remembered as the fireballing lefty who slammed the door during that magical 1983 pennant chase — a reliever whose two dominant seasons in Philadelphia helped define an era of Phillies baseball.
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