Kent Tekulve made a long major league career by doing things no one else wanted to try. With a true submarine delivery that sent the ball in from ankle height, he turned deception into a weapon and discomfort into outs. Hitters rarely looked comfortable against him, and that was exactly the point.

He became a fixture in the Pirates bullpen in the late 1970s, trusted with work most relievers today would never see. In 1979, Tekulve pitched in 94 regular-season games, a workload that’s almost impossible to imagine now. That same year, he went on to save three games in the World Series, including Game 7, literally ending the championship on the mound.

Tekulve never overpowered hitters and never started a game, yet finished with 184 career saves and a reputation for reliability that managers valued more than radar-gun readings. He pitched whenever the situation demanded calm, not velocity.

After retiring, Tekulve stayed connected to the game as a respected college baseball broadcaster, especially in the Big Ten, where his insight and dry humor made him a familiar voice for a new generation of fans.