Dennis Eckersley Marquee Hall of Fame 2004

He finished with 197 wins, 390 saves, 2,401 strikeouts, 100 complete games and a 3.50 earned run average, the first twelve of his twenty-four seasons as a starter and the last twelve in the bullpen. He threw a no-hitter for Cleveland on May 30, 1977, and went 20-8 for Boston the following year.

Oakland acquired him in 1987, after a winter he spent in treatment for alcoholism, and moved him to the end of games when the job came open. He led the American League with 45 saves in 1988 and 51 in 1992. In 1990 he saved 48 games with a 0.61 earned run average and walked four batters all year.

Kirk Gibson's home run off him in the 1988 World Series, hit by a man who could barely walk, is the pitch he is best remembered for. Oakland won the championship the next season. In 1992 he took the Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player award, and the writers elected him in 2004 with 421 votes of 506, on his first ballot.