Ex-Expo, Elroy Face, still in good health at 96 after move to assisted-living facility

Legendary big league reliever Elroy Face, 96, holds up the Montreal Expos jersey he recently signed for Expos autograph hound Mark Secheyco. Photo: Mark Secheyco

August 21, 2024

By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

After living 68 years in a house he bought in 1956 in suburban Pittsburgh, Elroy Face has moved but not very far away.

The oldest surviving Expos player at age 96 decided three weeks ago to move into an assisted-living facility to make life easier but make no mistake about it: he remains in good health and is of sound mind.

The revelation about his decision to move out of his house came when Expos autograph hound Mark Secheyco knocked on the door of his house and was told by the occupant where to find Face.

Secheyco, who has 300+ signatures from Expos players, managers and executives on the front of a jersey, drove to Face's new residence Point Pleasant and found Face in the lobby of the complex, sipping on a coffee.

"He's in great health,'' Secheyco said of Face, who pitched for the Expos for a few months in their inaugural season in 1969 before he was released Aug. 15.

"Here, there's an elevator and I can go up and down with my walker. Where I was, it was up and down steps,'' Face told me. "It's easier for me here. I sit here and watch TV and listen to music.''

And he's still in demand for autographs. All these years later, 55 to be exact since his last pitch in the majors, Face still receives "two-to-three'' requests in the mail a day to sign balls, photos, cards and in the case of Secheyco, a jersey.

"It makes you feel good. People haven't forgotten me. I must have impressed somebody,'' he said. "It was amazing to see that many signatures on the fellow's uniform. That's the most signatures I've seen on anything.''

Most importantly for himself, his family, friends and fans, Face has not gone downhill despite his age. He sounds like someone 70 years old, not 96. He doesn't drive anymore because his eyesight has deteriorated somewhat.

"I don't see that well and I had other problems,'' Face said. 

Assisted living allows seniors like Face to obtain meals and get guidance and supervision of minimal assistance to carry out their daily activities but they can still move around on their own and don't have severe cognitive disabilities.

The pitcher in 848 big-league games and one of the greatest relievers of all time says his longevity can be attributed to genes. His mother lived to be 90, his father was 89. One aunt lived to be 103, another aunt reached 100.

In addition, several times a week, another secret for him is to enjoy vodka and tonic to "keep the belly working.''

The biggest memory of his time with the Expos was the game in which manager Gene Mauch called him into pitch in the first inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. 

"When I was brought in, it was never before the seventh inning,'' he said. "This time, it was in the first inning. They only scored one run.''

When I searched through Retrosheet game reports of Expos’ games in 1969, there were several instances when Face was called into pitch by Mauch, either in the first or second inning. His niche had been late in the game, especially with the Pittsburgh Pirates -- with his trademark forkball shutting down the opposition.

After a long tenure with Pittsburgh, Face was sold to the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 31, 1968 after he was summoned to pitch by the Pirates in the first inning to celebrate a milestone event. His memory is intact about what happened.

"They brought me in for one out to get me in a tie with Walter Johnson for most games pitched at 802,'' Face said. "They asked me if I would start the game. I said no. Steve Blass started the game and he moved to left field. I pitched to the second batter. Then Blass came back in to pitch. After the game, I was told to go into the clubhouse. (GM) Joe Brown told me I had been sold to Detroit.''

Face finished his career with a 104-95 record, 191 saves and an ERA of 3.48 in 1,375 innings. With the Expos, he was 4-2 with five saves and a 3.94 ERA in 44 games.

Face wasn't surprised he was let go by Montreal.

"I was no spring chicken. I was 41. Being there kept me in baseball.''

Besides being the oldest surviving Expo, Face is also believed to be the oldest living Tiger. According to Pirates PR specialist Jim Trdinich, Face is up there in age behind Pittsburgh alumni Bobby Shantz, soon to be 99, and Bob Oldis and Felix Montemayor. 

Arguably, Face should be in Cooperstown's Hall of Fame because for several years, he led the majors in saves and was a dominant reliever in the National League for a long stretch.

Perhaps some day, one of the Hall of Fame’s veterans committees will see fit to at least put him on a ballot.

Danny Gallagher’s new Expos book is called Explosion.