Bob Veale, one of the most intimidating pitchers of the 1960s who is credited with inventing a popular baseball saying, passed away at age 89 according to multiple reports Tuesday.
AL.com confirmed Veale's death via Gerald Watkins, the executive director of the Friends of Rickwood Field and a longtime friend of Veale's.
I'm seeing reports and confirmations that Pittsburgh Pirates legendary pitcher Bob Veale has passed away at 89 years old. He holds the third/fourth highest single-season strikeout total in franchise history, as well as the second highest career total (1,652) for the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/tRsfY3NAY0
— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) January 7, 2025A left-handed pitcher, Veale went 120-95 with a 3.07 ERA in a 13-year career (1962-74) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox. He led the National League in strikeouts in 1964 and made NL All-Star teams in 1965 and 1966.
Hearing this morning that intimidating lefty Bob Veale passed away. Really solid underrated SP in the 60s. Led the NL in K’s in ‘64. Tough to do in a league that also had Koufax, Gibson, Drysdale, Marichal & Bunning. Still in the top 100 for K’s per 9 all time. RIP Bob Veale. pic.twitter.com/GSWZ0yxpWS
— Rocco Constantino (@OfficialMLBRFC) January 7, 2025In 1971, Veale collected the only World Series ring of his career when the Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles for the championship.
A native of Birmingham, Veale was the second of 14 children born to Robert Andrew Veale Sr., himself a pitcher for the Negro League's Homestead Grays, and his wife Ollie in 1935.
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The younger Veale was a batboy and concession worker for the Birmingham Black Barons in the 1940s and even pitched batting practice for the team as a youngster.
The National League integrated in 1947, when Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Veale to a minor league contract prior to the 1958 season.
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Veale made his major league debut in 1962, and over the next decade established himself as one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the National League. His ability to limit hits and generate strikeouts was tempered only by a lack of command. He led the NL in walks in 1964, 1965, 1967, and 1968.
"Lou Brock was a little scared of Veale sometimes because Bob was nearsighted and would take off his glasses and pitch anyway," former teammate Manny Sanguillen said. "Willie McCovey, too. One day, Bob 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 pitch was ten feet high."
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The Pirates converted Veale to the bullpen in 1971 and he finished his career with the Red Sox in 1974. He still holds the Pirates' 20th-century strikeout record for a single season with 276 in 1965.
Veale worked as a scout for the Atlanta Braves in the 1970s and later spent several seasons as a scout for the New York Yankees and minor league coach.
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Veale returned to Birmingham after his playing career ended. He still worked at the Black Barons' home field as a groundskeeper in retirement, and in 2024 Rickwood Field hosted a major league game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals.
Writing for SABR.org, Joseph Gerard notes that Veale is credited with originating the oxymoron "Good pitching can stop good hitting every time ... and vice versa." Writes Gerard:
Author Allen Barra once approached Veale at Rickwood Field, where Veale was consulting on the production of the film Cobb. "I asked him, 'Mr. Veale, are you the one who said 'Good ...' He cut me off with 'Yes, I am.' "
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