Fire Still Burns for Al Holland

Twenty three years after he pitched in his last major league baseball game it’s not hard to see the competitive spirit that Al Holland brought to the mound as one of the most respected relief pitchers in the 1980’s. The Roanoke native recounted some of his big league stories as the featured speaker at the Roanoke Valley Sports Club meeting recently.

Holland was a three-sport star at segregated Lucy Addison High School, graduating in 1971. He was also the only black player on his American Legion Post #3 team, and he credits manager Jim Mitchell – who used to pick him up and drop him off at home after games – for helping get through a trying process so he could focus on pitching.

That’s what the fire-balling Holland did best – he brought the heat to home plate. Holland, whose son Al Holland Jr. played baseball and then coached at William Fleming High School – recalls pitching three no hitters in one week at Addison. He won just one of those however as fielding miscues by his team did him in.

Sports Club president Mac MacCadden, himself no slouch as a baseball player and then an umpire, called Holland “a legend” when introducing him. “I’d never seen anybody throw the ball as hard,” said MacCadden, whose own journey to the majors as an umpire was only derailed by a serious knee injury after he had reached the triple A level.

Holland signed as a free agent with the Pirates after playing baseball and football at North Carolina A&T. “I proved that I could play the game,” said Holland of having to go the free agent route. He threw four no hitters in college, one in each year he pitched.  Initially he dreamed of making it to the NFL as a running back, before realizing that being chased down and tackled by huge linemen might be hazardous to his health.

While playing in Salem for the Pirates single-A farm team, the Buccaneers, Holland was persuaded by pitching coach Larry Sherry to focus on relief pitching. That was his ticket to the majors, with the Pirates, Giants, Phillies, Angels and Yankees.

In 1983 he helped the Phillies make it to the World Series and was voted the top relief pitcher of the year, while finishing as a top ten vote getter for the Cy Young and National League MVP trophies. “The pressure in the major leagues is unbelievable,” said Holland, who felt he was at the top of his game for about four seasons.

He ended up with the Yankees in ’86-’87 and said “George Steinbrenner and I were like this [very close].” He even called the late New York owner George – not Boss like many others did. “We became pretty good friends,” said Holland.

In San Francisco he lockered next to Willie McCovey, who even in the twilight of his career, “had the wickedest swing” according to Holland. Holland saved Steve Carlton’s 300th big league win while with the Phillies (he was an All-Star in 1984) and laments that ex-Philly teammate Pete Rose is not in the Hall of Fame, due to gambling issues.

A wrist injury finally spelled the end of Holland’s career in 1987 after parts of ten seasons in the majors. He returned to Roanoke after dabbling in a failed senior pro baseball league and assisted students at an alternative school in Roanoke.

Holland also coached football and baseball at William Fleming, and spent time working for the Saint Louis Cardinals as a minor league pitching coach. At the Sports Club meeting he sported a huge World Series ring given to minor league coaches after the Cards won the title in 2006.

In the minors Holland tried to get former pitching phenom Rick Ankiel back on track after his control deserted him. “He didn’t believe he could throw strikes,” said Holland. Ankiel eventually quit pitching and fought his way back to the majors as a slugging outfielder. Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia was also one of the young pitchers Holland worked with.

Holland said he came ready to play and at one point appeared in 14 straight games. He’s somewhat critical of today’s young pitchers, who some say are coddled and held back by pitch count maximums and inning restrictions.  They should train them to be “work horse pitchers,” said Holland.

Pitchers like Roger Clemens didn’t need steroids to succeed, according to Holland. “I believe more people were using it than we know about. A lot of them quit…because they didn’t want to get caught.” Clemens didn’t need steroids; Holland said he was naturally big and strong and was able to adapt his pitching style as he got older.

Holland wondered how he would have done on steroids, since he already threw 97-98 miles per hour as it is – but he never took them. “I was 200 pounds of raw mean machine,” he recalled at the Sports Club meeting. Few seemed to doubt him.

The next Sports Club meeting is Monday, October 18.  The speaker will be Dennis Haley (former Salem High and UVA star) a former NFL player. The speaker for November 15 will be Virginia Tech baseball coach Pete Hughes.

For more information about joining call 772-7558. Past guest speakers have included Tiki Barber, Lefty Driesell, Archie Griffin and Roman Gabriel.

By David Grimes

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