Other Pirate Greats
Last Updated 14 March 2001
These are the Other Pirate Greats. This list does not
include those Pirate players already in the Hall of
Fame (you'll find them on my Pirates Hall
Of Fame Page), but it does include those players who show
up in the Top 10 list of Pirate Team
Records for hitting and pitching.
This criteria ensures that these Pirate Greats played for the
Bucs for a good portion of their career and performed well
during their stint in Pittsburgh. They are arranged
alphabetically by Last Name. There are 14 position players
and 17 pitchers here.
The Fan Remembrances were provided by me unless otherwise noted.
If you have a memory to included here, then drop me a note at the
e-mail link at the bottom of this page.
If you don't find one of your favorite Pirate Players here, then
you can also find the Pirate
Near Greats on another page.
Index: | Adams
| Alou
| Beaumont
| Blass
| Bonds
| Candelaria
| Cooper
| Ellis
| Face
| Friend
| Giusti
| Hebner
| Kremer
| Law
| Leach
| Leever
| Moreno
| Oliver
| Parker
| Phillippe
| Rhoden
| Sewell
| Smith
| Stuart
| Suhr
| Tannehill
| Tekulve
| Thomas
| Van Slyke
| Veale |
This painting from the Pirates 1996
scorecard shows several of the famous Pirate
players in the uniforms from their era.
Babe Adams
Years as a Buc: 1907, 1909-1916, 1918-1926; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 19 seasons; he started his career
(1906) in St Louis and then spent the rest of his career with the
Bucs. He sat out the 1908 and 1917 seasons.
Career Highlights: Adams was 194-140 lifetime, with a 2.76
ERA. He twice led the league in Shutouts with 7 in 1911 and 8 in
1920. Adams was known for his exceptional control. He is near
the top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Games, Innings Pitched, Wins, Strikeouts, and
Complete Games He leads the team list with 47
Shutouts.
Best Year: In 1911, Adams started 37 games and completed
24; he went 22-12 with a 2.33 ERA, pitched 293.1 innings, struck
out 133 and walked 42. In 1913, Adams started 37 games and
completed 24 (again); he went 21-10 with a 2.15 ERA, pitched
313.2 innings, struck out 144 and walked 49.
Fan Remembrances: Babe Adams was 3-0 in the 1909 World
Series versus the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 27 innings (3
complete games), giving up only 18 hits and 6 walks, while
striking out 11 and compiling a 1.33 Series ERA. Adams was a
rookie that year.
Chuck Blahous wrote: Babe Adams is another favorite of mine.
He's thought of as a rookie who came out of nowhere to win 3
games in the 1909 Series, but in reality he sustained a very high
level of performance for quite a few years, and has stats which
are notable for the very small number of baserunners he yielded
per 9 innings.
Mike Emeigh wrote: Adams is an interesting case. He pitched quite
well for the Pirates for several years after the 1909 WS. In
early 1914, he hooked up in a 21-inning game with Rube Marquard
of the Giants, which apparently took a lot out of
him, and the team, which was near the top of the NL at the time,
quickly crashed to 7th place. Adams didn't fully recover, and was
released by the Bucs in 1916. After sitting out a couple of
years, he was resigned by the team and returned to pitch well for
several years in the early '20s. He was considered a *good-luck*
charm by the Bucs' owner, Barney Dreyfuss, and was resigned in
1925 and 1926 although in his 40s to pitch in limited roles. He
was released in 1926 following his involvement in a player revolt
against coach/VP/assistant manager Fred Clarke, in which he
suggested that the manager is the manager, and no one else (e.g.
Clarke) should interfere with his authority over the team. His
comment at the time was *I've been in baseball 18 years without
opening my mouth, and then when I answer a question, I find
myself chucked off the club.*
Matty Alou: #18
Years as a Buc: 1966-1970; Center Fielder
Total ML seasons: 15 seasons; 5 with the Bucs. Matty Alou
played with the Giants prior to reporting to Pittsburgh. He
later played for St Louis, Oakland, the Yankees, another brief
stint with the Cardinals, and finished up with San Diego in 1974.
He and his brothers Felipe and Jesus all played for the Giants in
1963.
Career Highlights: Matty was a 2-time All-Star and a career .307
hitter. He rapped out 1777 career hits and 236 doubles. He
is near the top of the team's All-Time
hitting list in Batting Average.
Best Year: Although he won
the batting crown with a .342 average in 1966, Alou's best
all-around year was 1969 when he led the league with 231 hits and 41 doubles. He hit .331 that
year and made the All-Star team.
Fan Remembrances: Matty was responsible for one of the
most famous Bob Prince "Gunnerisms". The Bucs were trying to
clinch the division title in 1970 in Chicago against the Cubs.
What appeared to be the final out was a high pop fly to center
field. As Alou parked himself under it, Prince said it was "a
10 pound can of golden bantam". Alou then dropped the ball, and
Chicago went on to win the game. The Bucs had to wait for the
next day to clinch their first championship in 10 years.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Ginger Beaumont, (Clarence)
Years as a Buc: 1899-1906; Outfielder
Total ML seasons: 12 seasons; his first 8 years were spent
as a Pirate. He went to the Braves for 3 seasons and finished up
with the Cubs in 1910.
Career Highlights: He was a career .311 hitter,
leading the league in hits 4
times, and topped the circuit
with 137 Runs scored in 1903. He is near the top of the
team's All-Time hitting list in
Batting Average and Stolen Bases.
Best Year: In 1902, Beaumont was the National League
Batting Champion with a .357 average, led the league with 194
hits, and scored 101 Runs.
Fan Remembrances:
Steve Blass: #28
Years as a Buc: 1964, 1966-1974; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 10 seasons; all with the Bucs.
Career Highlights: 103-76 with 896 strikeouts. Blass was
a solid starter from 1968-1972. In 1968 he was 18-6 with a
league leading .750 winning percentage. He was 16-10 the
following year and 15-8 with a league leading 5 shutouts in the
Bucs' World Championship 1971 campaign. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Strikeouts.
Best Year: In 1972, Blass was 19-8 and was named to the
All-Star Team.
Fan Remembrances: Blass is probably best known for his
two complete game victories (Game 3 and 7) in the 1971 World
Series. Game 3 was a one run, 3 hit effort in Pittsburgh that
brought Pittsburgh back from a 2 games to 0 deficit in the
Series. Blass then sealed the Series with a 1 run, 4 hit
performance in Baltimore. During Game 7, Baltimore Manager Earl
Weaver, tried to distract Blass by complaining to the umpire that
Blass was pushing off the rubber in an illegal manner. Even
though Blass was forced to alter his delivery, he still turned in
a masterful performance.
Blass is also known for his indescribable rapid loss of the
strike zone in 1973; it is still known as "Steve Blass Disease".
Coming off his career year in 1972, Blass went 3-9 and walked 84
and gave up 109 hits in 88 innings, while posting a 9.85 ERA. He
hung them up in early 1974 after a 5 inning performance where he
walked 7 and gave up 5 hits (2 of which were home runs).
Chuck_Blahous(@simpson.senate.gov) remembers Blass' distinct
herky-jerky motion that ended with his glove swinging overhead
like a windmill and Blass falling off the mound toward first
base.
There is a chapter in Twin Killing about Steve Blass.
He describes his own motion as "a barnful of owls coming at you."
Blass also recalls how in his first year of Rookie ball in
Kingsport Tennessee, he would mail his laundry home to Falls
Village Connecticut, where his mother would do his laundry and
mail it back to Steve. Blass' first win in the major leagues was
against Don Drysdale (you can look it up - page 160).
Blass has been a member of the Pirate broadcast team since 1986.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Photo from my childhood
collection; Arco sponsored these photos in 1971. (33k)
Barry Bonds: #24
Years as a Buc: 1986-1992; Left Fielder
Total ML seasons: Still Active. Barry came up with the
Bucs and spent 7 seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the Giants
for the 1993 season.
Career Highlights: A 2-time NL
MVP (1990, 1992) and a 3-time Gold Glove Winner with
the Bucs, Barry Bonds made the
All-Star team twice during his stint in Pittsburgh. Bonds
led the league in Runs with 109 in 1992. He is near the top of
the team's All-Time hitting list in
Home Runs and Stolen Bases.
Best Year: In his 1990 MVP year, Bonds hit .301 with 32
doubles and 33 Home Runs. He drove in 114 RBIs and scored 104
Runs while stealing 52 bases. In 1992, he hit .311 with 36
doubles and 34 Home Runs. He drove in 103 RBIs and led the
league with 109 Runs while swiping 39 bases. With the Giants in
1993, he enjoyed career years in several categories: he hit .336
with 38 doubles and 46 Home Runs; he drove in 123 RBIs and scored
129 Runs - all personal highs. He also stole 29 bases that
year.
Fan Remembrances: Bonds may be one of the most talented
men to ever play the game. He has the potential to win the
Triple Crown and also be an annual 30-30 (HR-SB) threat. Barry
was one of the key spark plugs for the Bucs Division Champions
from 1990-1992. Unfortunately, he and the Bucs didn't make it to
the World Series during that stretch. Barry struggled badly in
the post-season. A .275 career hitter to that point in his
career, Barry only managed a .191 batting average with 2 doubles
and a home run in 68 At Bats in the 1990-1992 LCS.
Photo from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
John Candelaria: #45
Years as a Buc: 1975-1985, 1993; Pitcher: The Candy
Man
Total ML seasons: 19 seasons; 12 with the Bucs. He
also played for California, the Mets, the Yankees, Montreal,
Minnesota, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
Career Highlights: He was 177-122 with a 3.33 ERA. He
struck-out over 100 batter in seven seasons (6 with the
Bucs). He threw over 200 innings in four seasons for the Bucs,
and over 170 innings in 4 other seasons. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Games, Innings Pitched, Wins, and Strikeouts.
Best Year: In 1977, Candelaria was 20-5 with a league
leading .800 winning percentage and 2.34 ERA. He was also named
to the All-Star team that year, but didn't play.
Fan Remembrances: His No-Hitter in 1976 vs the Dodgers at
Three Rivers Stadium was the first no-hitter thrown by a Pirate
pitcher in Pittsburgh since 1907.
Photo from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Wilbur Cooper
Years as a Buc: 1912-1924; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 15 seasons; his first 13 seasons were in
Pittsburgh; he played for the Cubs for a year and a half, and
finished up with Detroit in 1926.
Career Highlights: Cooper was 216-178 lifetime with a 2.89
ERA. He led the league in wins with 22 in 1921. He twice lead
the league in games started with 38, and also lead the league in
two separate years with 27 Complete Games. He also topped the
league with 4 Shutouts in 1924. He is near the top of the team's
All-Time pitching list in Games,
Innings Pitched, Strikeouts, and Shutouts. He leads the team
in Wins and Complete Games.
Best Year: Between 1920-1922, Cooper was 24-15, 22-14, 23-
14. He had a 2.39 ERA in 1920. He pitched 948.2 innings in that
stretch. Of the 112 games he started in those three years, he
completed 84 of them.
Fan Remembrances: Chuck Blahous wrote: As every
sabermetrician knows, wins aren't everything when it comes to
evaluating pitchers. And the Bucs' strength historically has
hardly been the long-term quality of individual pitchers. But
Cooper was a fine pitcher, no doubt about it. When I was
goofing around with a Franklin electronic baseball
encyclopedia once, I was surprised to find out that when one
looks at the pitchers who were leading the league in total wins
in the late 1910s through the 1920s, over a good handful of
years, Cooper is right up there with the big names. He was no
longer the big gun on the Bucs by the time they were winners in
1925 and 1927.
Mike Emeigh wrote: Cooper was traded by the Bucs to
the Cubs before the 1925 season, along with Charlie Grimm and
Rabbit Maranville, for George Grantham, Vic Aldridge, and Al
Niehaus. The first two players (Grantham and Aldridge) were
integral parts of both the 1925 and 1927 Pirate teams that went
to the World Series.
Dock Ellis: #17
Years as a Buc: 1968-1975, 1979; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 12 seasons; 8+ with the Bucs. He also
pitched for the Yankees, Oakland, Texas, the Mets, and finished
up with 3 appearances with the Bucs in 1979.
Career Highlights: He was 138-119 lifetime with
1136 strikeouts. Dock was 17-8 for the Yanks in 1976 and
recorded over 100 K's during 5 seasons. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Strikeouts.
Best Year: In 1971, Ellis was 19-9 and was the
starting pitcher for the NL All-Star
Game.
Fan Remembrances: Ellis pitched
a no-hitter in 1970 against the Padres in San Diego.
Here's a clip from Twin
Killing: Steve Blass described the day Dock Ellis came
out to the bull pen at Wrigley Field with pink curlers in his
hair. All the Pirate pitchers scattered off the bull pen bench
because they didn't want to be in the AP wire photo with Dock and
his curlers.
ElRoy Face: #26
Years as a Buc: 1953, 1955-1968; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; his first 14+ years were in
Pittsburgh. Roy had a short stint with Detroit, before finishing
up with Montreal in 1969.
Career Highlights: Roy Face was 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA.
He appeared in 848 games (8th on the all-time list). He was 96-
82 out of the bullpen with 193 Saves; he is in the Major League
Top 10 list in both bullpen wins and saves. Face led the league
in game appearances in two years (1956 and 1960) with 68. He led
the league in Saves three times (1958 - 20, 1961 - 17, and 1962 -
28). Roy was a 3-time All-Star. He leads the team in Game Appearances and
Saves.
Best Year: His 18 wins out of the bullpen in 1959 (17 in a
row) still stands as a Major League record. His .947 winning
percentage is still number one on the Major League All-Time list.
He posted a 2.70 ERA that year in 57 appearances and collected 10
Saves. Face collected 22 consecutive wins in relief during the
1958 and 1959 seasons.
Fan Remembrances: Roy Face had 3 Saves in the 1960 World
Series in 4 appearances.
There is a chapter in Twin Killing about ElRoy Face. It
is one of the best in the book. Roy was known for his forkball;
he credits pitcher Joe Page for introducing him to the pitch.
Face could effectively throw the forkball on any count. Face
also prided himself on his pick-off move. Roy recounts one game
in Cincinnati where he came into the game with runners on 1st and
2nd with nobody out; Face picked off the runner at second, and
then picked off the runner at first before ever throwing a pitch
to the batter. Now that is what I call pitching out of a jam!
Roy also relates a story about his first All-Star Game. As the
NL took the field for infield practice, the AL stars were
throwing near the 3rd base dugout. As Bill Mazeroski started
practicing his double play pivot, all the AL All-Stars stopped
throwing and stared in amazement at Maz. They hadn't had a
chance to see Maz play, but they had sure heard about him.
ElRoy used to park at an Esso station near Forbes Field. It cost
him a dollar a day. In 1959, when Roy had won 4 or 5 games
without a loss, the owner told Face he could park for free until
he lost. That was the summer that Roy Face won 17 games in a
row, so he didn't have to pay for parking until September.
Roy faced Ted Williams in the 1959 All-Star game and ended up
walking him. Roy said, "If Ted didn't swing at a pitch, the
umpire figured it must have been a ball."
Photo from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Bob Friend: #19
Years as a Buc: 1951-1965; Pitcher: Warrior
Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; 15 with the Bucs - he split
his last season between the Yankees and the Mets in 1966.
Career Highlights: Friend was 197-230 with a lifetime 3.58
ERA. He led the league in ERA in 1955 with a 2.83 mark; he
posted his career best ERA in 1963 with a 2.34 mark. From 1956-
1958, he led the league in games started with 118 over the
period. He topped the league in Innings pitched in 1956 (314.1)
and 1957 (277). Bob was a 3-time
All-Star.
He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Games, Wins, Shut-outs, and Complete Games. He
leads the team in Strikeouts and Innings Pitched.
Best Year: In 1958, Friend led the league in wins with a
22-14 record in a league leading 38 starts.
Fan Remembrances: Here's a Bob Friend quote from Twin
Killing:
"Prospects arms don't seem to be as strong as they
used to be. Maybe they baby their arms. There are other things
to do now. All we did was play baseball. None of that computer
game stuff."
Bob Friend never missed a starting assignment. Check out those
games started and innings pitched stats above. He is the only
pitcher to ever lead a league in ERA while pitching for a last
place team (2.83 in 1955). Friend started and won two All-Star
Games; he struck out Ted Williams with the bases loaded to get
out of one All-Star jam.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Dave Giusti: #31
Years as a Buc: 1970-1976; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 15 seasons; 7 with the Bucs. He started
with Houston, and had a short stint in St Louis before coming to
Pittsburgh. Giusti started the 1977 season in Oakland and
finished the year and his career with the Cubs.
Career Highlights: He began his career as a starting
pitcher, but became a superb relief pitcher with the Bucs. He
had a league leading 30 Saves in 1971. He was 15-14 as a starter
with Houston in 1966. His first season in Pittsburgh, he was 9-3
with 26 saves and a 3.06 ERA. Over the next three seasons,
working strictly as a reliever, he was a combined 21-12 with 72
Saves and ERAs of 2.93, 1.93, and 2.37. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Game Appearances and Saves.
Best Year: In 1973, Giusti was 9-2 out of the bull pen
with 20 saves and was named to the
All-Star team.
Fan Remembrances: Dave Giusti picked up the save in all
three playoff wins against San Francisco in 1971 and Game 4 of
the World Series too. Giusti's Palm ball mystified batters; they
only hit .219 against him in 1972. The Palm ball acts like a
knuckle ball at about 75% of the speed of a fastball; Giusti
learned the pitch from his college coach at Syracuse. Dave was
on the mound for the final out at Forbes Field in 1970.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Richie Hebner: #20, #10, #3
Years as a Buc: 1968-1976, 1982-1983; Third Baseman
Total ML seasons: 18 seasons; 11 with the Bucs. Richie
Hebner also played for Philadelphia, the Mets, and Detroit before
making it back to the Bucs. Hebner finished his career in 1985
with the Cubs.
Career Highlights: Hebner was a .276 lifetime hitter,
collected 1,694 hits, and smashed 203 home runs. He ranks second
on the All-Time Pirate List for games played at Third Base with
1053. Only Pie Traynor has played more games as a Pirate at the
hot corner. Hebner is near the top of the team's All-Time
hitting list with 128 Home
Runs.
Best Year: Richie hit .300 and whacked 19 home runs while
driving in 72 RBIs in 1972. The following year, he hit .271, and
drove in 74 RBIs, while smacking a career high 25 home runs.
Fan Remembrances: Richie originally wore #20 for the
Bucs, but when that number was retired for Pie Traynor in 1972, I
think Richie wore #10 for a while before settling on #3.
Here are a few items from Twin Killing: Hebner holds the
NL record for the most appearances in the LCS (8); Bucs 70, 71,
72, 74, 75; Phillies 77, 78; Cubs 84. Richie hit .301 as a
rookie and didn't get a single vote for Rookie of the year.
He also collected the first hit and RBI at TRS. I read on rsb
that Richie holds the distinction of the longest ML career (18
years) without making the All Star team. Richie used to dig
graves in the off season to stay in shape. Hebner hit for the
cycle once in his career; in his last at bat, he needed a home
run - so he hit an inside-the-park home run! (page 208)
I remember Richie's habit of tugging at the back of the neck on
his jersey as he settled into the batter's box. His youthful
enthusiasm was also a trait I remember him for. Richie was also
a good hockey player; he was offered a contract by the Boston
Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Richie served in the Marine Corps Reserve during his
early days in Pittsburgh; as a fellow jar-head, I salute him.
Hebner has also had an extensive managing, coaching, and
instructing career since he retired as a player in 1985. He made
his managerial debut with the Blue Jays' affiliate at Myrtle
Beach in 1988. Hebner was voted Manager-of-the-Year in the South
Atlantic League that year after leading his squad to an 83-56
record and a trip to the playoffs. He also served the Boston Red
Sox as their hitting coach for three seasons (1989-1991). He
spent five years in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, serving
the club as a roving minor league hitting instructor (1992-95)
and as manager at AAA Syracuse in 1996 (67-75 record). In
November 1996, Richie Hebner was named hitting coach for the
Pirates Class A affiliate at Lynchburg - Welcome home Richie! He's been the batting coach at AAA
Nashville for the Bucs since 1998.
Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 1966
June draft, Hebner made his major league debut with the Pirates
in 1968. He was a member of the 1971 World Champion Pirates.
Richie Hebner is on a short list of players with six (or more)
HRs on an opening day over their career. He also smacked 2 home runs in the 1971 play offs vs San Francisco and added another round tripper, 2 Runs scored, a 3 RBIs in the World Series that year.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Photo from my childhood
collection; Arco sponsored these photos in 1971. (37k)
Remy Kremer (Ray): #40
Years as a Buc: 1924-1933; Pitcher: Wiz
Total ML seasons: 10 seasons; all with the Bucs.
Career Highlights: He was 143-85 with a 3.76 ERA. He had
two, 20-win seasons, and posted his best season's ERA in 1927,
when he led the league for the second straight year with a 2.47
mark. He also led the league in 1924 with 41 game appearances
and started a league high 38 games in 1930. He led the league
with 4 shutouts in his Rookie year. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Innings Pitched, Wins, and Complete Games.
Best Year: In 1926, he led the league with a 20-6 mark
while posting a league leading 2.61 ERA.
Fan Remembrances: Kremer was 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA in the
1925 and 1927 World Series.
Vernon Law: #32
Years as a Buc: 1950-1951, 1954-1967; Pitcher: The
Deacon
Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; all with Pittsburgh
Career Highlights: Law was 162-147 with a 3.77 ERA. He
struck out 1092 batters in his career. His best ERA year was in
1965 when he posted a 2.15 mark and a 17-9 record. He is near
the top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Games, Innings Pitched, Wins, Strikeouts, and
Shut-outs.
Best Year: In 1960, Law was 20-9 with a 3.08 ERA. He
posted a league leading 18 Complete Games. He also pitched a
career-high 271.2 innings, won the Cy Young Award, and was named
to the All-Star Team.
Fan Remembrances: Law started 3 of the games in the 1960
World Series; he won 2 of them while pitching 18.1 innings and
compiling a 3.44 ERA. He only walked three and struck out 8.
Law also collected 2 hits in 6 plate appearances in the Series.
Here is a great article written about the
Deacon for the 1961 season.
Here's a clip from Twin Killing: Law came from a strict
Mormon family; no drinking, no smoking. Nine organizations sent
scouts to try to sign Vern. All the scouts showed up at the Law
residence smoking cigars and left a bad impression on Vern's
parents. The Pirate Scouts, Babe Herman and Herman Welker, were
the last one's to arrive (without cigars) and brought chocolates
and flowers for Vern's Mom; while they were there, Bing Crosby
(VP for the Bucs) called the house and Mrs Law nearly swooned.
Vern signed with the Bucs. Years later, he found out that Herman
and Welker had bought cigars and passed them out to all the other
scouts who didn't know about the Mormon's ways.
Here's one more clip from Twin Killing: Maz on Vern Law:
Murtaugh once told Vern to knock this hitter
down. Vern said, "Skip, it's against my religion. The Bible
says turn the other cheek." Murtaugh replied, "It'll cost you
$500 if you don't knock him down." Vern paused a little while,
then said, "The Bible also says an eye for an eye."
There used to be two All-Star Games in a season. In 1960, Vern
won one game, while saving the other. He is the last Major
Leaguer to pitch 18 innings in a game; he wasn't even scheduled
to pitch that evening in 1955. Law only had 2 days rest, but the
scheduled starter was sick. Manager Danny Murtaugh finally asked
the Deacon to sit down in the 18th inning for a pinch hitter.
Bob Friend came in and gave up a run in the top of the 19th to
the Braves, but the Bucs roared back to win the game in the
bottom of the 19th - Friend got the win; Law earned a no-decision
after 18 innings of 9-hit, 3-walk, 12-K's, and 2 run ball. Law
came back 4 days later and threw 13 innings against Cincinnati
before collecting a win. Now those are quality starting
assignments!
Law's Commandments of Pitching: If you walk one guy, then you
should strike out two. Hold the other team to three runs or
less, and you've got a good chance to win.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Tommy Leach
Years as a Buc: 1900-1912, 1918; Third
Baseman/Outfielder
Total ML seasons: 19 seasons; Leach started with
Louisville in 1898 before coming to Pittsburgh; he spent time
with the Cubs and the Reds before finishing up with the Pirates
in 1918.
Career Highlights: A .269 lifetime hitter, he
twice lead
the league in Runs scored (126 in 1909) and rapped out
6 Home
Runs in 1902 to lead the circuit. In 1907, he stole a career
high 43 bases, while batting .303. He collected 2144 hits over
his career. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time hitting
list in Triples, Runs, Games, At Bats, and Stolen Bases.
Best Year: He had a career high 22 triples in 1902, led
the league in Home Runs and posted a .280 batting average. He
scored 97 Runs and batted in 85 RBIs.
Fan Remembrances: Tommy Leach batted .320 in the 1909
World Series. He had 8 hits, four of which were doubles. He
scored 8 Runs and knocked in another pair. In the 1903 Series,
he had 9 hits, 4 of which went for triples. He scored 3 times
and knocked in 7 more.
Photo of Tommy Leach.
Sam Leever
Years as a Buc: 1898-1910; Pitcher: The Goshen
Schoolmaster
Total ML seasons: 13 seasons; all with the Bucs.
Career Highlights: He was 193-101 with a 2.47 lifetime
ERA. His .656 winning percentage is near the Top 10 on the Major
League All-Time List. He topped 20 wins three times (1899, 1903,
1906). He appeared in a league leading 51 games in 1899, led the
league in Saves with 3 the same year. He posted his career best
ERA in 1907 when he posted a 1.66 mark while going 14-9,
completing 17 of 24 starts and throwing 216.2 innings. Of the
299 games that he started, he finished 241 of them. One year
(1899), he completed 35 of 39 starts and threw 379 innings!
He is near the
top of the team's All-Time pitching
list in Games, Innings Pitched, Wins, Shut-outs, and Complete
Games.
Best Year: In 1903, he went 25-7 with a league leading
2.06 ERA and led the league with 7 Shutouts. He completed 30 of
the 34 games he started, while pitching 284.1 innings.
Fan Remembrances:
Omar Moreno: #18
Years as a Buc: 1975-1982; Center Fielder
Total ML seasons: 12 season; 8 with the Bucs. He also
played for Houston, the Yankees, Kansas City and finished with
Atlanta in 1986.
Career Highlights: Moreno was a .252 lifetime hitter, but
his speed is what he'll be remembered for. Omar stole 487 bases
in his career. He led the league
twice in steals in 1978 with 71 and 1979 with 77. In 1980,
he led the league in
triples with 13. He is near the top of the team's All-Time list in Stolen Bases.
Best Year: In 1979, Moreno hit 21 doubles, and 12 triples.
He smashed 8 home runs, batted .282 with a .334 on-base
percentage.
Fan Remembrances: Omar played in 503 consecutive games at
one point in his career. It ranks him in the top 30 of all major
leaguers in consecutive games played.
I have received mail from various readers saying Omar does not
really belong among these "Other Pirate Greats", but his speed,
stolen bases, and the great Pirate teams of which he was a member
have landed him here.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Al Oliver: #16
Years as a Buc: 1968-1977; Outfield and
1st Base: Scoop
Total ML seasons: 18 seasons; 10 with Pittsburgh. He also
played with Texas, Montreal, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los
Angeles, and finished up with Toronto in 1985.
Career Highlights: Al Oliver was a .303 career hitter with
219 Home Runs and 529 doubles. With the Bucs, he smashed 38, 38,
and 39 doubles from 1973-1975. He also launched a few home runs
as a Buc: 17 in 1969, 20 in 1973, 18 in 1975, and 19 in 1977.
Oliver was a 7-time All-Star (3 with
the Bucs) and collected 2,743 hits. He is near the
top of the team's All-Time hitting
list in Doubles and Home Runs.
Best Year: In 1982 with Montreal, Oliver hit .331, drove
in 109 RBIs, had 204 hits, and smashed 43 doubles - he led the
league in all these categories. He also launched 22 home
runs that year - a personal best. He also lead the league in
1983 with 38 doubles.
Fan Remembrances: Clifford Blau (proboy@ix.netcom.com)
sent this note along: "I remember that every year in spring
training he would announce that this year he was going to steal
30 bases. His career high was 13."
Al Oliver released his biography in 1997.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Dave Parker: #39
Years as a Buc: 1973-1983; Right Fielder: The
Cobra
Total ML seasons: 19 seasons; 11 with the Bucs. After
leaving Pittsburgh, Parker went to Cincinnati, Oakland,
Milwaukee, California, and finished up with Toronto in 1991.
Career Highlights: Dave Parker was a 6-time All-Star (4 with the Bucs). He
was a .290 lifetime hitter who collected 2712 hits which included
526 doubles, 75 triples, and 339 home runs. He was the NL MVP in 1978 and twice won the batting crown
with the Bucs. Additionally, he won 3 Gold Gloves while he
was in Pittsburgh. He is near the top of the team's All-Time hitting list in Doubles, Home
Runs, Total Bases, and RBIs.
Best Year: 1975: he hit 25 home runs and knocked in 101
RBIs. 1977: He led the league in 3 categories; he collected 215
hits, smashed 44 doubles and won the batting crown with a .338
average; he also walloped 21 home runs. 1978: his MVP year, he
won the batting crown again with a .334 average, while smashing
30 home runs and driving in 117 RBIs. 1979: he had 25 home runs
and 45 doubles.
Fan Remembrances: Dave Parker - The Cobra - had more
talent and early success in his career than most players have in
a lifetime. Unfortunately, it was difficult for Parker to
balance his personal life style and his play on the field. For
as good as Parker performed in 19 seasons, many fans believe he
could have done even better.
Dave Parker was the first million dollar a year player in the
major leagues. He garnered the contract after his 1978 MVP
season. Parker was named the MVP in the All-Star game in 1979
for his two strong throws from right field that helped preserve a
7-6 NL victory.
Dave Sherry (DSherry@email.usps.gov) wrote:
One throw was to get Brian Downing tagging from third,
and was a clothesline right to the catcher. The other was a
popup behind first base that everyone lost in the Kingdome roof -
the ever speedy Jim Rice tried to stretch his good fortune into a
triple, but Parker grabbed in on one high bounce, and
nailed Rice at third with a beautiful one bounce throw! A vivid
memory!
Jim Houston wrote:
I remember listening to a Pirate game when I was
stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, circa 1979, when Dave
Parker hit a ball so hard that he actually knocked the cover off
of the ball according to the announcer! He may not have actually
knocked the cover off of the ball, but he apparenly ripped the
red threads. Dave Parker could hit that ball hard.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Deacon Phillippe
Years as a Buc: 1900-1911; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 13 seasons; his first year was in
Louisville, and then he moved along with several other great
players to Pittsburgh in 1900. He spent the rest of his career
as a Pirate.
Career Highlights: He was 186-108 lifetime with a 2.88
ERA. He had five seasons with 20 or more wins. He completed 242
of the 288 games he started over his career, while striking out
929. He had his best ERA year in 1902 when he posted a 2.05 mark
and a 20-9 record. Over a 4 year period (1900-1903), he pitched
1136.1 innings. He is near the top of the team's
All-Time pitching
list in Innings Pitched, Wins, Strikeouts, Shutouts, and
Complete Games.
Best Year: In 1903, he was 24-7 with a 2.43 ERA. He
struck-out 123, only walked 29, and gave up just 265 hits in
289.1 innings.
Fan Remembrances: Phillippe started 5 games in the 9-game
1903 World Series. He completed all 5 of the games and posted a
3-2 record in the Fall Classic. In 44 innings, he gave up only
38 hits, walked 3, and struck-out 20.
Rick Rhoden: #29
Years as a Buc: 1979-1986; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; he broke in with Los Angeles
in 1974 and spent 5 seasons in Dodger blue before donning the
Bucs' Black and Gold. After 8 seasons in Pittsburgh, he spent 2
years with the Yankees before finishing up with Houston in
1989. He is near the top of the team's
All-Time pitching
list in Strikeouts.
Career Highlights: He was 151-125 lifetime with a career
3.60 ERA and 1419 strike outs. Seven times he struck out over
100 batters in a season; his best mark was 159 K's in 1986. He
twice won 16 games in a season. In 1986, he had a career high 12
complete games.
Best Year: In 1984, he was 14-9 with a 2.72 ERA, while
completing 6 of his 33 starts.
Fan Remembrances: Chuck Blahous wrote: Rick Rhoden had a
couple of truly outstanding seasons while pitching for God-awful
Pirates teams, without anyone much noticing.
Mike Emeigh wrote: Rhoden was an outstanding hitter as well as
a fine pitcher.
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Rip Sewell: #30
Years as a Buc: 1938-1949; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 13 seasons; he had a brief appearance
with Detroit in 1932 before breaking through with the Bucs in
1938. He spent the rest of his career as a Pirate.
Career Highlights: He was 143-97 with a 3.48 ERA. He
posted two 20-game winning seasons in his career. Over a 4 year
period (1941-1944) he worked a total of 1048.1 innings.
He was named to the All-Star team
3 times.
He is near the top of the team's
All-Time pitching
list in Games, Innings Pitched, Wins, Shutouts, and Complete
Games.
Best Year: In 1943, he posted a league-leading 21 wins and
also led the league with 25 complete games. He also had his
career best 2.54 ERA during that war-torn season. He followed up
in 1944 with a 21-12 record, 3.18 ERA and a career high 87
strikeouts.
Fan Remembrances: Chuck_Blahous(@simpson.senate.edu) wrote
to remind me of Sewell's trademark Epheus pitch - a
blooping pitch that frustrated many hitters.
E. E. "Mike" Smith
Years as a Buc: 1892-1897, 1901; Outfielder
Total ML seasons: 14 seasons; after 4 seasons with
Cincinnati, Smith came to Pittsburgh for 6 seasons, before
returning to Cinci for a couple years, a short stint with the
Giants, back to Pittsburgh for 4 games, before finishing up in
1901 with the Braves.
Career Highlights: He batted .311 lifetime and collected
1462 hits. In a four year period (1893-1896), he scored 479
Runs. In 1893, he drove in a career best 103 RBIs.
He is near the top of the team's
All-Time hitting
list in Batting Average.
Best Year: His best years in the Big Leagues were as a
Pirate. He batted .346 in 1893, .356 the following year, and a
career high .362 in 1896. He had a career high 33 doubles in
1894, 23 triples and 7 home runs in 1893.
Fan Remembrances:
Dick Stuart: #7
Years as a Buc: 1958-1962; First Baseman: Dr.
Stangeglove
Total ML seasons: 10 seasons; Stuart came up with the Bucs
before playing 2 seasons in Boston, a year with the Phillies,
splitting the 1966 season between the Mets and the Dodgers,
before finishing his career with California in 1969.
Career Highlights: He smacked 228 Home Runs in his career
with a career best 42 for the Red Sox in 1963, while leading the
league with 118 RBIs. From 1959-1961, he belted 85 round
trippers for the Bucs. He was a career .264 hitter and topped
100 RBIs three times.
He is near the top of the team's
All-Time hitting
list in Home Runs.
Best Year: In 1961, Stuart batted .301 with 35 Home Runs
and 117 RBIs while scoring a career high 83 Runs. He also
smashed a career best 28 doubles and was
named to the All-Star
team.
Fan Remembrances: His nickname refers to his horrible
fielding ability. Chuck_Blahous(@simpson.senate.gov) said Stuart
once received a standing ovation for tracking down and cleanly
fielding a wind-blown hot dog wrapper. Chuck also remembers that
Stuart once hit 66 home runs in one minor league season.
Here's a clip from Twin Killing: Dick Groat on Dick
Stuart: "Stuart... wasn't nearly as bad a fielder
as everyone kidded... Dick's biggest problem was his lack of
concentration. Thinking about hitting instead of playing
defense. It wasn't that his hands were so bad. Dick just wanted
to hit the ball. He didn't want to be catching it or fighting
ground balls. To Dick, fielding was a necessary evil. He had to
do it to get to the plate. But you couldn't help but love the
guy; he was fun to be around, you enjoyed having him as a
teammate."
And another quote from Dick Schofield on Stuart: "Everybody liked
Dick - but he did have trouble with that leather thing."
Read "Tales of the Tape" for a description of the longest ball hit by Dr
Strangeglove.
Photo from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Gus Suhr: #24
Years as a Buc: 1930-1939; First Baseman
Total ML seasons: 11 seasons; only the last 1 1/2 seasons
did he leave Pittsburgh; he finished his career in 1940 with
Philadelphia.
Career Highlights: He was a .279 lifetime hitter who hit
288 doubles, and drove in 818 RBIs. He had a career high 16
triples in 1932; he had his best doubles year in 1934 when he
collected 36; he smacked 33 doubles the following year. He leads
the Bucs in games played at First Base with 1,339.
He is near the top of the team's
All-Time hitting
list in Doubles and RBIs.
Best Year: In 1936, he hit .312, with 33 doubles, 12
triples, 11 home runs, drove in 118 RBIs and was
named to the
All-Star Team.
Fan Remembrances: Gus Suhr played in 822 consecutive games
during his career. It ranks him in the top 10 of all major
leaguers in consecutive games played. That is 5 and 1/3 seasons
of 154 games each without missing the lineup card.
Jesse Tannehill
Years as a Buc: 1897-1902; Pitcher: Powder or
Tanny
Total ML seasons: 15 seasons; he spent one season with
Cincinnati before coming to Pittsburgh. He bounced between the
Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Senators, before finishing up with
the Reds in 1911.
Career Highlights: He was 197-116 with a 2.79 ERA. He won
20 or more games six times (4 with the Bucs). He completed 263
of the 319 games he started. He is near the top of the team's
All-Time pitching
list in Wins and Complete Games.
Best Year: His career high in wins was a 25-13 season for
the Bucs in 1898, and he also posted two 20-6 seasons
(1900,1902). He completed a career high 34 of 38 starts in
1898.
Fan Remembrances:
Kent Tekulve: #27
Years as a Buc: 1974-1985; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; after 11-plus years as a
Pirate, he spent 4 years as a Phillie before finishing his career
with his hometown Reds in 1989.
Career Highlights: He was 94-90 with a 2.85 ERA and 184
saves. He led the league 4 times in game appearances. He
pitched over 100 innings seven times, while posting two seasons
with 31 saves and two others with 20 or more saves. In 1980, he
was
named to the All-Star team, but
did not appear in the game.
He ranks second on the all-time ML list for Game Appearances with
1050 (he is only 20 games behind the leader Hoyt Wilhelm, yet
Lindy McDaniel trails Teke by 63 games!). In 1982, he was 12-8
out of the bullpen with 20 Saves and led the league with 85
appearances. Tekulve can be found in the top 10 on several of
the All-Time ML pitching records. He is near the top of the
team's All-Time pitching
list in Games and Saves.
Best Year: In 1979, he had a career high and league
leading 91 appearances and posted a career high 31 Saves, while
helping the Bucs win the World Series. Although he was saddled
with one loss in the 1979 Series, Tekulve appeared in 5 of the 7
games; he pitched 9.1 innings, gave up only 4 hits and 3 walks
while striking out 10 and collected 3 saves.
Fan Remembrances: Tekulve was strictly used as a relief
pitcher; he never started a game in the Major
Leagues.
Chuck_Blahous(@simpson.senate.gov) remembers Teke's signature
submarine delivery.
Here's a story that was related in Willie Stargell's
biography:
During the 1979 season in San Francisco, right hander
Kent Tekulve was protecting a
5-3 lead in the 9th inning with one on and two out. Left handed
power hitting Darrell Evans
was scheduled to bat. Manager Chuck Tanner wanted lefty Grant
Jackson to pitch to Evans,
but he also wanted Teke available to face the on deck batter if
necessary. Tanner sent
Tekulve to left field in order to keep him in the game. Everyone
hoped that Jackson would
retire the batter and the double-switch strategy would work.
Jackson kept the ball away from
Evans, but the slugger went with the pitch and drove a fly ball
to left field. Tekulve happened
to be in perfect position. After waving his arms frantically to
signal that he had it, Teke raised his glove and squeezed the
ball for the final out of the game. (p 210)
Matthew Shames (mshames@gomedia.com) sent along this note:
As an 11 year old baseball fanatic in 1979, I clearly
remember this game from watching on TV. It seemed clear to me
that the Bucs were "destined" to win it all that year after that
game. Seeing Teke (always a favorite player) make the last out in
leftfield was even better than watching him take his cuts at the
plate. Teke rarely batted, but when he did, he looked like a pure
power hitter in his warmup swings. The key word is "looked",
because I don't recall ever seeing him get a hit, but boy did he
look mean up there! :)
Matt--The Terrible Texan
Photo from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Frank Thomas: #15
Years as a Buc: 1951-1958; Outfielder
Total ML seasons: 16 seasons; he came up with the Bucs,
and after 8 seasons, he went to Cincinnati, the Cubs, the Braves,
the Mets, the Phillies, Houston, back to the Braves for a short
stint, before finishing his career with the Cubs in 1966.
Career Highlights: A .266 hitter, he launched 286 Home
Runs in his career and made the
All-Star team 3 times. He had 3 seasons with 30 or more
round trippers and 7 more seasons with 20
or more Homers. He knocked in over 100 RBIs twice.
He is near the top of the team's
All-Time hitting
list in Home Runs.
Best Year: In 1958, he pounded a career high 35 Home Runs
while driving in 109 RBIs and played in the All-Star game.
Fan Remembrances: Frank was born in Pittsburgh.
Frank Thomas was involved in one of the best trades in Pirate
history. On January 30, 1959 the Bucs received Harvey Haddix,
Don Hoak, and
Smokey Burgess from the Reds
for,
Whammy Douglas, Jim Pendleton, Johnny Powers, and slugger Frank
Thomas.
Thomas' name is the only one that rang a bell with me, so I
looked up the other fellows briefly:
Douglas appeared for the Bucs in 1957 and was 3-3 with a
3.26 ERA; that was his only stint in the Majors.
Pendleton: after the trade he had 113 ABs with Cincinatti
in 1959 and 321 ABs with Houston in 1962 - that's it.
Powers: after the trade he had 73 ABs in 2 seasons with 3
clubs.
Thomas: for Cinci in 1959, he only poked 12 HRs and was
shipped to the Cubs after the season.
It looks like the Bucs got a real steal on that deal.
Andy Van Slyke: #18
Years as a Buc: 1987-1994; Center Fielder:
Slick
Total ML seasons: 13 seasons. Andy started with the
Cardinals in 1983 and spent 4 seasons there before coming to
Pittsburgh and spending 8 years in a Pirate uniform. He split
the 1995 season between Baltimore and Philadelphia. He had a
failed spring training comeback attempt with St Louis in 1997.
Career Highlights: Van Slyke won 5 Gold Gloves in
Pittsburgh and was named to the
All-Star team 3 times. He led the league in triples with
15 in 1988, while smacking a career high 25 Home Runs and driving
in 100 RBIs. In his first 6 ML seasons, he stole 168 bases - 64
of those in his first 2 years as a Buc. He is near the top of
the team's All-Time hitting
list in Home Runs. He was a .274 career hitter who collected
1,562 hits and 164 Home Runs.
Best Year: In 1992, he led the league with
199 hits and
45 doubles, while batting
.324 and scoring 103 times - both career bests.
Fan Remembrances: Andy Van Slyke is remembered fondly by
many fans for his light-hearted personality.
He enjoyed the best years of his career in Pittsburgh, and he -
along with others - was instrumental in the Pirates three
division championships in the early 1990's.
Van Slyke struggled in 2 of his 3 post-season stints with the
Bucs. He batted only .208 in the 1990 LCS but drove in 3 RBIs
and scored 3 more while rapping a double and triple; in 1991, he
batted only .160, drove in 2 RBIs and scored 3 more with one
double. He delivered a .276 batting average in the 1992 LCS,
while driving in 4 RBIs, scoring once, and rapping out 3 doubles
and a triple.
Louis Crandall (lvbc@ix.netcom.com) sent this note:
You've got to mention the unassisted double play in 1994(?) in
which Andy bounced the ball on the Astro-Turf all the way in from
CF to double up a runner who failed to tag at second. But this
play is how I will always remember AVS: I once saw a replay in
which a runner tagged up at second after AVS had caught a fly
ball in medium deep center. The ground-level camera from the
third-base side caught a wonderful shot of a blurred runner
starting in the foreground and an in-focus AVS in the background.
Andy's eyes got as big as saucers when he realized that the
runner was actually going to test his arm. By the time the throw
got to third (beating the runner by two steps), Andy was already
walking back to centerfield shaking his head in disbelief.
Patrick Joseph Trimble (ptrimble@umich.edu) sent this note:
I've enjoyed everyones Stories, and can add a silly one from a
game I saw from the right field fair/foul pole, front row, above
the bullpen. The Bucs were cruising towards another pennant, and
Andy Van Slyke was given that "needed day off" (ahem!) so he was
in the BULLpen, adding the Bull to the pen, and generally bugging
the relievers. Orlando Merced hit an uncharacteristic homer,
uncharacteristic in that it wasn't the usual blast but barely
cleared the fence, right below where my date and I sat. I
should've dived to catch it, it was right at us, just fair. But
anyway, it cleared the bases, and the ball sat in the rubbish
that had been discarded from the seats, but behind the outfield
fence. So Andy saunters over and slips behind the outfield fence,
kicks around some empty wax paper beer cups, (I always get the
souvenir cups) and gets the ball, puts it in the backpocket of
his uniform, heads back into the bullpen towards the relivers. As
Andy does this my date calls to him, "Hey Andy, whats that bulge
in your pants? C'mon, give it to a fan!" Well, I can tell you
that the young woman did not even begin to hear what she had just
said, did not even think dirtily about her call, she just wanted
to be given the souvenir she cherished. I thought Cowboy Bill
Landrum was gonna die. The pitchers just laughed and laughed,
and Andy looked a long time at us, before coming over and tossing
the ball up to my date. I recall he said something like "oh,
this is what your talking about" and pulled the baseball out of
his wallet pocket, nothing rude or anything more memorable. It
was the biggest laugh for the players and those around us in the
right field seats applauded and laughed along, as the joke became
apparent to that silly young woman.
Andy is retired in the St Louis area and hosts a radio show on a station in which he has
part ownership.
Photo from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page. Andy will enjoy being
remembered by this picture :)
Bob Veale: #39
Years as a Buc: 1962-1972; Pitcher
Total ML seasons: 13 seasons; 10 1/2 with the Bucs before
playing 2 1/2 years with Boston and retiring in 1974.
Career Highlights: He was 120-95 with a 3.07 ERA and 1703
strike-outs. He had four seasons with over 200 K's, and 3 more
seasons with over 170 K's. In four seasons from 1964-1967, he
was 67-44. He turned in seven seasons with over 200 innings
pitched. In 1965, he had a career high 7 Shut-Outs. In four
seasons, he had over 12 Complete Games.
Veale was a 2-time All-Star
with the Bucs. He is near the top of the team's
All-Time pitching
list in Innings Pitched, Wins, Strikeouts, and Shutouts.
Best Year: Veale led the league in Strike-outs with 250 in
1964 while going 18-12 with a 2.74 ERA; the following two years
he posted 276 and 229 K's.
Fan Remembrances: Bob Veale is 6 feet, 6 inches tall and
was
a hard-throwing left-hander that was not known for pin-point
control; he was an imposing-looking pitcher on the mound.
Veale turned down an offer to play basketball for the Harlem
Globetrotters. In 1965, he struck out 16 Phillies in 9 innings -
still a Bucco record. Recently, he has coached in the Braves and
Yankees organizations.
In 1985, burglers stole Veale's 1971 World Series ring (among
other things) and burned down his house. In 1993, after a Pirate
fantasy camp, the 60 camp members all chipped in and replaced
Veale's Series ring.
Here's a snippet from Twin Killing; Manny Sanguillen talks
about Bob Veale on the mound. "(Lou) Brock was a little scared
of Bob Veale sometimes because Bob was near-sighted and would
take off his glasses and pitch anyway. Willie McCovey too. One
day Bob Veale took those glasses off and threw the ball 100 miles
per hour at McCovey. I asked Veale what happened and he said,
'My glasses were too wet and I wanted to show him I could throw a
strike without my glasses.' That ball thrown at McCovey was 10
feet high." (page 216)
Photo
from Cecil Greek's Pirates Page.
Years as a Buc:
Total ML seasons:
Career Highlights:
Best Year:
Fan Remembrances:
Source: Total Baseball and The Baseball
Encyclopedia; various editions. Twin Killing: The Bill
Mazeroski Story.
Thanks to the Pirate team offices for their assistance with some
of the uniform numbers.
Is there something here you like, that needs to be changed,
or would you like to see something that is not included?
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