Former longtime reliever Bill Campbell has died at the age of 74.
According to reports, Campbell died Friday after a battle with cancer.
Campbell, a right-hander, pitched 15 seasons from 1973-87 and was a two-time Fireman of the Year. He was an All-Star for the Boston Red Sox in 1977 when he had a career-best 31 saves while winning his second straight AL Fireman award.
Campbell spent his first four seasons with the Minnesota Twins and went 17-5 with 20 saves and 3.01 ERA in 167 2/3 innings of relief in 1976. He led the American League with 78 appearances and placed seventh in AL Cy Young voting.
In 2022, Joe Ryan led the Twins with 147 innings pitched. In 1976, Bill Campbell pitched 167 2/3 innings....out of the Twins bullpen! We lost Bill today after a long battle with cancer. I can honestly say, he was one of the nicest men I've ever met. RIP Soup!
— Dick Bremer (@dbremer_pxp) January 7, 2023
He joined the Red Sox as a free agent and the following season went 13-9 in 140 innings of relief. He was fifth in AL Cy Young balloting.
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Campbell also led the majors with 83 appearances in 1983 as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Overall, Campbell went 83-68 with a 3.54 ERA and 126 saves in 700 appearances (nine starts) with the Twins (1973-76), Red Sox (1977-81), Cubs (1982-83), Philadelphia Phillies (1984), St. Louis Cardinals (1985), Detroit Tigers (1986) and Montreal Expos (1987).
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