Steve Grilli

Stephen Joseph Grilli

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 170 lb.
• School Gannon College
• High School Christian Brothers High School (Memphis)
• Debut September 19, 1975
• Final Game September 17, 1979
• Born May 2, 1949 in Brooklyn, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Steve Grilli was the losing pitcher in the Longest game in baseball history when it resumed on June 23, 1981; he was the fifth of six pitchers for the Rochester Red Wings.

He is the father of Jason Grilli. The Grillis were the first American father-son duo to both save games in the majors (since saves were made an official statistic). Julio Navarro and Jaime Navarro and Pedro Borbon Sr. and Pedro Borbon Jr. were the previous duos to perform the feat in The Show.

He was with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1972 and 1973, and the Evansville Triplets in 1974. His two busiest seasons with the Detroit Tigers, in 1976 and 1977, were Mark "The Bird" Fidrych's big years.

He was inducted into the Syracuse Sports Wall of Fame in 2006. He has worked as a radio and television announcer for Syracuse Chiefs games. While pitching for the Chiefs in 1979, Grilli became a fan favorite at MacArthur Stadium with his "air banjo" routines done to a Doobie Brothers tune during the seventh-inning stretch. He was the relief ace on a team that extended the Columbus Clippers to a seventh game in the Governors' Cup finals before losing in extra innings.

He is the only major league player ever to come out of Gannon University.