Landmark · June 19, 2026
A Hundred Saves and a Daughter Named Ellis
Pete Fairbanks's path to 100 saves ran through two elbow surgeries, three teams, and a daughter named Ellis.
100 career saves · MIA
The Ringleader
Rays bullpen coach Stan Boroski described Pete Fairbanks as a chill ringleader in the bullpen who loves to laugh and joke but flips to intense competitiveness and confidence on the mound. On June 19, 2026, Fairbanks recorded his 100th career save, closing a game for the Miami Marlins. He was 32, in his eighth major-league season, and on his third organization.
The Cost
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fairbanks grew up in the St. Louis area. The road to the back of a bullpen went through two elbow reconstructions. He had Tommy John surgery as a junior at Webster Groves High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, where he also held the school single-season record for three-pointers in basketball. He played at the University of Missouri from 2013 to 2015 — the same program his father Shane played baseball for in the 1980s — and the Rangers drafted him in the ninth round in 2015.
A second Tommy John came in 2017, wiping out the rest of that year and all of 2018. He moved to relief, debuted with Texas on June 9, 2019, and was traded to the Rays weeks later for Nick Solak. Seven seasons followed in Tampa Bay, where teammates saw him debate and ridicule puns in the bullpen until the phone rang. He thanked Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander for the trade, seeking him out after each postseason clinch. Across 316 appearances he has struck out 386 and posted a 3.53 ERA. This season he landed in Miami, where he has 18 saves through 41 games.
Ellis
Pete and his wife Lydia lost their daughter Ellis to Turner syndrome after nearly 20 weeks of gestation. They built a Strikeouts for Ellis campaign — donations per strikeout, auctions, a foundation community day with the Rays. Teammates wore the shirts. On Ellis's due date, Fairbanks recorded a save. The foundation president called one late strikeout celebration magical.
Reporting: MLB.com, Webster-Kirkwood Times, University of Missouri Athletics, Baseball-Reference, Wikipedia. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.