Bill Campbell, Former Red Sox All-Star, Dies at 74

The former reliever led the league in saves during the 1977 season.

Former MLB reliever Bill Campbell died on Friday following a battle with cancer at the age of 74, per multiple reports.

Campbell played 15 years in the major leagues, primarily with the Twins and Red Sox. During his career, Campbell established himself as a reliable reliever, appearing in 700 games with a 3.54 ERA. He led the league twice in appearances, and twice in games finished, while making one all-star game.

His best season came in 1977 with Boston, when he totaled a league-leading 31 saves with a 2.96 ERA in 140 innings pitched during his only all-star season. He also received both MVP and Cy Young votes for the second straight year that season. He was the first player to win the A.L. Reliever of the year award, doing it in both 1976 and ’77.

Besides playing with Boston and Minnesota, Campbell also played for the Cubs, Phillies, Cardinals, Tigers and Expos to round out his career.

Before playing baseball, Campbell spent a year with the U.S. Army, mainly as a radio operator in the Vietnam War.