Gene Garber

Who is Gene Garber?

Henry Eugene Garber is a former sidearm relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 1965 amateur draft, and pitched for the Pirates, the Kansas City Royals, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Atlanta Braves.

Upon his retirement in 1988, his 931 career pitching appearances ranked 5th in major league history, trailing Hoyt Wilhelm, Kent Tekulve, Lindy McDaniel, and Rollie Fingers.

In 1977, he won his only postseason game. He was the first Philadelphia Phillie to win a postseason game for 62 years: this is a major league record for any team.

On August 1, 1978, Garber faced Pete Rose in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Rose was looking to break the National League record of 44 consecutive games with a base hit. The Braves were winning 16-4 in the top of the 9th inning and Rose was 0 for 4 when he came to bat with two outs. Garber struck out Rose swinging on a 2-2 change-up to end the streak.

Garber ranks second on the Atlanta Braves all time save list, behind John Smoltz.

His most effective pitch was a change-up, which he effectively delivered from an unusual, herky-jerky motion, turning his back to the batter before delivering the ball in a side-arm, "submarine-style" manner.²