RIP - Wayne Granger

 

Wayne Granger, who pitched for the Reds and 6 other teams from 1968-1976, passed away on February 25, 2026 at age 81.

Granger was one of the few players I didn't get to before I shut down my 1966-70 card blogs, so more details are here.

 

He was signed by the Cardinals in 1965, and played in their farm system from 1965 until he was called up in June 1968. After posting a 4-2 record as a reliever that season, he was traded (along with outfielder Bobby Tolan) to the Reds for outfielder Vada Pinson. 

 

Granger had his best years with Cincinnati. He led the NL with 90 appearances in 1969 and 70 appearances in 1971. His career-high 35 saves in 1970 was also best in the league. 

 

After the 1971 season he was traded to the Twins for pitcher Tom Hall. Granger spent 1 season with Minnesota, then was traded back to the Cardinals for outfielder Larry Hisle and pitcher John Cumberland. 

 

In his final 4 seasons, he played for the Cardinals, Yankees, White Sox, Astros, and Expos. 

 

Granger appeared in 451 games (all in relief) over his 9-year career. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1982, the 2nd relief pitcher to be included.

                                  (There were no inductees from 1988-97) 

    .

RIP - Gary Wagner

 

Gary Wagner, a relief pitcher for the Phillies in the late-1960s, passed away on March 11, 2026 at age 85.

Wagner debuted with the Phillies in 1965. That was his career year, and he did so well that the Phillies traded their bullpen ace Jack Baldschun at the end of the season. 

 

Wagner spent most of 1966-67 in the minors, but returned to pitch a full season for the Phils in 1968, picking up 8 saves. 

 

He spent most of 1969 back in the minors, and was traded to the Red Sox in the final weeks of the season. His final MLB season was 1970 with Boston. 

 

The obituary below was obviously created with AI, with its "summary" at the end. WTF? Can't a news service write a decent obituary any more? Lazy Newsweek shows "a photo of a Red Sox cap and glove on a bench". I realize some players were obscure enough to not have lots of photos taken of them, but at least they could get off their ass and search online for a baseball card!  

 

Bridgeport (IL) Today obituary

   

Galen Cisco is 90

 

Happy 90th birthday (3/7) to Galen Cisco!

Don Schwall is 90

 

Happy 90th birthday (3/2) to Don Schwall!

RIP - Bill Mazeroski

 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost a second all-time great in one week.  

 

Bill Mazeroski, the Bucs' long-time 2nd baseman, passed away on February 20, 2026 at age 89. His death came 8 days after the passing of pitcher Elroy Face.

Maz was the Pirates' regular 2nd baseman from July 1956 through July 1970. He alternated with Dave Cash for the rest of  '70 and '71, then wrapped up his career in 1972. 

 

Between 1958 and 1967, he made 10 All-Star teams and collected 8 Gold Glove awards, but he is most remembered for his exploits in the 1960 World Series vs. the Yankees. Maz hit .320 with 2 doubles and 2 homers, including the first Game 7 walk-off home run in World Series history. He also played in the post-season from 1970-72. 

 

TribLIVE (Pittsburgh) obituary 

 

 MLB obituary 

    

RIP - Joe Nossek

 

Joe Nossek, an outfielder for the Twins and Athletics, passed away on February 12, 2026 at age 85.

 

Nossek played for the Twins from 1964-66. In May 1966 he was sold to the Athletics, and started 54 games in center field for KC that season.

 

With the arrival of rookie Rick Monday in 1967, Nossek's playing time was cut back. After spending all of 1968 and part of 1969 in the minors, the A's traded him to the Cardinals midway through the 1969 season.

 

With St. Louis, he played part of '69 and most of '70 in the minors.

 

Nossek finished his career in 1971, playing for the Brewers' AA team.

 

He later coached for the Brewers, Twins, Indians, Royals, and White Sox from 1973 to 2003.

 

Twins Daily obituary  

 

Obituary 

   

RIP - Elroy Face

 

For the second time in a week, a 1960s' sports hero in their 90's has passed.

 

Elroy Face, a longtime relief pitcher for the Pirates, passed away today, February 12, 2026 at age 97. He was the 3rd-oldest living former player, after Bill Greason (1954) and Bobby Shantz (1949-64), both over 100.  Face died 3 days before his 98th birthday.

 

Face pitched from 1953 to 1969, appearing in 802 games for the Pirates ('53-'68), 2 for the Tigers ('68), and 44 for the Expos ('69). 

 

In 1959, he posted a record of 18-1 in 57 games, all in relief.

 

In the 1960 World Series, Face pitched 10 innings over 4 games, picking up 3 saves.

MLB obituary  

 

Sports Illustrated obituary 

   

RIP - Rick Renick

 

Rick Renick, a utility infielder for the Twins in the late-1960s and early-1970s, passed away on January 31, 2026 at age 81.

Renick played 3rd base, shortstop, and left field for the Twins from 1968 to 1972. 

 

Most of his regular playing time came in his rookie season, when he started 30 games at shortstop (mostly in July), as the Twins struggled to find someone to replace the departed Zoilo Versalles, (finally solving that issue in 1969 by acquiring Chico Cardenas from the Reds) .

 

Renick caught a break in 1969, replacing Rich Rollins (who was drafted by the Seattle Pilots) as the starting 3rd baseman whenever Harmon Killebrew played 1st base. 

 

He also had significant playing time in 1970 (split across 3 positions), which tailed off in the following 2 seasons. 

 

Renick returned to the minors after the 1972 season, playing for the Twins' (1973-76) and Expos' (1977-78) organizations. 

 

From 1981 to 2002, he was a major-league coach for the Royals, Expos, Twins, Pirates, and Marlins.  

 

He also managed in the minor leagues for the Expos (1982-84) and White Sox (1991-96).  

 

Twins Daily obituary 

    

RIP - Mickey Lolich

 

Mickey Lolich, a starting pitcher for the Tigers in the 60s and 70s, passed away today, February 4, 2026 at age 85.

Lolich pitched for Detroit from 1963-75, and won 3 games in the 1968 World Series. All 3 were complete games, including the deciding game 7 against Bob Gibson. 

 

He also pitched for the Mets (1976) and Padres (1978-79). 

 

His 2,679 strikeouts is the second-most in AL history by a left-hander.

 

Lolich's 376 innings pitched in 1971 is the second highest in the majors since 1917. 

 

His 29 complete games in 1971 was the highest in the AL since Bob Feller's 36 in 1946. 

 

From 1965–74, he struck out 2,245 batters, more than any other pitcher during the same period. He also had more wins (172) and more complete games (155) than any other AL pitcher during the same time. 

 

He is the only left-hander with three complete World Series games in the same Series.  

 

MLB.com obituary  

 

New York Post obituary 

 

(Sorry, both Detroit newspapers have a pay wall.)

   

RIP - Wilbur Wood

 

Long-time White Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood passed away on January 17, 2026 at age 84.

Wood played for the Red Sox (1961-64) and Pirates (1964-65) before spending the last 12 seasons of his career with the White Sox. 

 

With Chicago, he was a reliever from 1967 to 1970, and led the AL in appearances from 1968 to 1970. His heavy workload could be attributed to primarily throwing the knuckleball, which he learned from teammate Hoyt Wilhelm in 1967. 

 

Converted to a starter in 1971, he led the league in starts from 1972-75. He also led the AL with 24 wins in both 1972 and 1973.  

 

MLB.com obituary  

 

Yahoo Sports obituary