Former MLB relief pitcher Bill Campbell passed away on Friday of cancer. He was 74.
A native of Michigan who began playing baseball after moving to California, Campbell had the unusual distinction of being among the few MLB players who saw combat duty serving in Vietnam.
After his tour of duty in Vietnam, Campbell played semi-pro baseball and was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Twins late in the 1970 season at the relatively advanced age of 22. Campbell would make his big-league debut with the Twins in 1973 finding his niche out of the bullpen.
Campbell's breakout season was in 1976 when he went 17-5 with a 3.01 ERA with 20 saves in a league leading 78 appearances. Back then relievers pitched multiple innings. In all, Campbell tossed 167.2 for the Twins in 1976 earning him the inaugural AL Rolaids Relief Award.
On the strength of this performance, Campbell would sign a free agent contract with the Boston Red Sox for $1 million over 5 years. At the time, Campbell was only the third free agent in MLB history after Catfish Hunter and Andy Messersmith.
In 1977, Campbell would earn his second consecutive AL Rolaids Relief Award when he saved a league leading 31 saves along with record of 13-9 with a 2.96 ERA. Unfortunately for Campbell, the heavy workload took a toll on his arm and he was never a dominant pitcher again.
However, Campbell would remain in the majors for another decade reinventing himself as a dependable middle reliever with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers before finishing his career with the Montreal Expos. In 1982, while with the Cubs, Campbell would lead in the NL in appearances with 82 and would pitch in the World Series for the 1985 NL champion Cardinals.
In exactly 700 MLB appearances, Campbell went 83-68 with a 3.54 ERA with 126 saves. R.I.P.
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