Longtime Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince had a nickname for Bob Veale’s fastball: a “radio ball.” Why did it get that moniker? Well, you could hear it, but you couldn’t see it.
Veale and that radio ball became mainstays in the Pirates’ rotation in the 1960s, twice setting the franchise’s single-season strikeout record in the Modern Era (since 1900), which still holds to this day. The hard-throwing lefty would go on to win 120 games in his 13-year career, which included a World Series championship with the Pirates in 1971.
Veale died on Tuesday with his family by his side in his hometown of Birmingham, Ala. He was 89 years old.
Veale was an All-Star in 1965 and ’66, but he truly burst onto the national scene in ’64 when his 250 strikeouts edged out Bob Gibson’s 245 to lead the National League. Veale finished second in punchouts the following season with 276, which is a record for Pirates pitchers in the Modern Era. He surpassed 200 strikeouts again in ’66 and ’69.
Veale went on to become one of the top left-handed pitchers of the ’60s, one of just 11 to win 100 games in that time. The only left-handers to strike out more batters from 1962 (his debut) to 1969 were Sam McDowell and Sandy Koufax. In the Modern Era, Veale ranks second for the Pirates in strikeouts (1,652), tied for ninth in shutouts (20) and tied for 10th in wins (116).
“Bob was an integral member of the Pirates who helped our team capture back-to-back division titles as well as the 1971 World Series,” said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting. “He was one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in all of Major League Baseball during his remarkable big league career that he proudly spent a majority of as a member of the Pirates. He was a great man who will be missed.”
Robert Andrew Veale was born on Oct. 28, 1935, in Birmingham. He was the second of 14 children born to Robert Andrew Veale Sr. and Ollie Belle Veale. Veale’s father briefly played for the Homestead Grays of the Negro National League, and Robert also got his start in the Negro Leagues, serving as the bat boy and pitching batting practice for the Black Barons in 1948. He also pitched for them that season, though his pitching results are not recorded since he was a minor. He also worked the concession stands at Rickwood Field.
A baseball and basketball star for Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., Veale had an opportunity to play for the Harlem Globetrotters, though his father would not agree to it. Instead, he chose baseball. During a tryout with the Cardinals in May 1958, and unbeknownst to the St. Louis club, a Pirates scout had arrived at the ballpark early that day and saw Veale pitch. They were impressed, and Veale signed with the Pirates and debuted on April 16, 1962.
Command issues plagued him early in his career, resulting in him being optioned to the Minors, but he established himself as a starter in 1963. He would go on to win at least 16 games in four consecutive seasons (1964-67), becoming one of the top pitchers in the National League in that stretch.
He transitioned back to the bullpen permanently in 1971, pitching in 37 games for the eventual World Series champs.
After a mostly unsuccessful run as a reliever, the Pirates released Veale in May 1972 and he spent most of the season in the Minor Leagues. He signed later that year with the Red Sox and pitched parts of three seasons out of their bullpen. He played his last game on Sept. 8, 1974.
In his career, Veale went 120-95 with a 3.07 ERA. He struck out 1,703 batters.
After hanging up the cleats, Veale spent time as a scout and Minor League pitching coach with the Braves and Yankees. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. He also tended to Rickwood Field, where his career began, twice a week when he was in his 50s.
The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Bob Veale Memorial Fund at Benedictine College, formally Saint Benedict College.