Over the past 17 years, National League All-Star Game managers have dealt with an annual dilemma: choosing a representative from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who haven’t enjoyed a winning season since 1992. Among immortals like Ed Sprague and Carlos Garcia, one Pirate stands out for his unmerited All-Star status: Mike Williams, a relief pitcher who saved 25 of Pittsburgh’s 41 first-half wins in ’03, but did so while piling up a 6.44 ERA, proving that the save may be the dumbest statistic in sports. In one of their rare smart moves this decade, the Pirates dealt Williams to Philadelphia soon after the ’03 All-Star break. He improved his ERA to 5.96 with the Phillies, but after the ’03 season, Williams never pitched in the big leagues again.
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