Former Pirates All-Star, World Series Pitcher Dies
PITTSBURGH -- A former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher who had great success with the franchise recently died.
Bob Veale, a left-handed pitcher, who pitched for the Pirates for 11 seasons from 1962-72, died this past weekend at 89 years old. Creg Stephenson of AL.com confirmed the news with Gerald Watkins, a long-time friend of Veale, who lived in Birmingham, Ala. following his baseball career.
Born Robert Andrew Veale in Birmingham on Oct. 28, 1935 and grew up in the city. He was the second of 14 children of Robert Andrew Veale Sr. and Ollie Belle (Ushry) Veale. His father pitched for sometime with the Homestead Grays in the Negro National League.
Veale excelled at both basketball and baseball in his youth. Winfred Welch, who was the manager of the Birmingham Black Barons and the Harlem Globetrotters wanted Veale for his traveling basketball team, but his father forbade it.
He would work at concession stand of the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, which was the home of the Black Barosn and the Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association.
The Black Barons would eventually make Veale the batboy and allow him to pitch during batting practice. They also let him pitch in a game in 1948 at the age of 13, but the records covered it up, as he was a minor.
Veale would attend Holy Family High School in the Ensley Neighborhood of Birmingham and then Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. on an athletic scholarship, playing baseball and basketball.
The St. Louis Cardinals hosted Veale for a tryout as a senior in 1958, but the Pirates had scout Tuffie Hashem there, unbeknowest to their rival. Buddy Hancken, the Pirates' scout in Birmingham, also liked Veale and they brought him to the front office.
Veale would try out for Pirates general manager Joe Brown and pitching coach Bill Burwell at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, where the Pirates were playing and they signed him that day.
He would spend 1958-62 in the Pirates' minor league system before earning a call-up in April 1962. The Pirates sent him back down to Triple-A Columbus in May, but he would come back up in September, along with future Hall of Famer in Willie Stargell.
Veale started in the bullpen in the 1963 season, before getting into the starting rotation on Aug. 25. He had a great September, with three complete games, two of them shutouts, and an ERA of 1.20.
He led the National League in strikeouts the following season at 250, finishing the season with an 18-12 record and with a 2.74 ERA.
Veale then made the All-Star Game the next two seasons. He finished with a 17-12 record, 2.84 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 1965, the most in a single season in the modern era for the Pirates. He had another good season in 1966, with a 16-12 record, 3.02 ERA and 229 strikeouts.
He stayed with the Pirates through the 1972 season, helping them win the World Series in 1971, pitching out of the bullpen.
The Pirates released Veale in May 1972 and he went down to Triple-A Charleston. He then signed with the Boston Red Sox and eventually retired from baseball in 1974.
Veale pitched in 1,868.2 innings in 341 games for the Pirates, starting 255 of them. He had a 116-91 record, a 3.06 ERA and made 1,652 strikeouts, second most in franchise history.
He would work as a minor league pitching instructor for both the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves following his playing career. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in the Class of 2005.
