Bruce Dal Canton
John Bruce Dal Canton (June 15, 1941 – October 7, 2008) was a major league pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967–70), Kansas City Royals (1971–75), Atlanta Braves (1975–76), and Chicago White Sox (1977).[1][2]
| Bruce Dal Canton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: June 15, 1941 California, Pennsylvania | |||
| Died: October 7, 2008 (aged 67) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| September 3, 1967, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 27, 1977, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 51–49 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.67 | ||
| Strikeouts | 485 | ||
| Teams | |||
Career
Dal Canton's career path to the major leagues was unusual in that he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the result of an open tryout. Dal Canton was teaching high school at Burgettstown JR / SR high school in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania the time of his signing. In eleven seasons he had a 51–49 win–loss record, 316 games (83 starts), 15 complete games, 2 shutouts, 102 games finished, 19 saves, 931.1 innings pitched, 894 hits allowed, 442 runs allowed, 380 earned runs allowed, 48 home runs allowed, 391 walks, 485 strikeouts, 23 hit batsmen, 46 wild pitches, 4,030 batters faced, 55 intentional walks, 5 balks, a 3.67 ERA and a 1.380 WHIP. He led the American League in wild pitches (16) in 1974.
From 1987-90, he was the Braves pitching coach.[3]
Dal Canton threw a knuckleball which Wilbur Wood helped teach him.[4]
Death
Bruce Dal Canton died on October 7, 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, aged 67, of esophageal cancer.[2][1]
Legacy
On Friday, June 11, 2004, Dal Canton was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. During Opening Day ceremonies on April 9, 2009, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans honored Bruce, who had been their pitching coach since 1999.[1] The Pelicans' clubhouse was officially named in his memory and Dal Canton's number, 43, was retired. He was inducted into the California University of Pennsylvania Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, and spent more than a decade as a coach in the Braves organization.
References
- Associated Press (2008-10-09). "Former pitcher Dal Canton dies at 66". PittsburghPirates.com. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- Bowman, Mark (2008-10-09). "Dal Canton loses battle with cancer". PittsburghPirates.com. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- Profile, baseball-reference.com; accessed July 8, 2015.
- Levin, Dan (July 15, 1974). "The Week (June 30–July 6)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- The 100 Greatest Royals of All-Time- #75 Bruce Dal Canton
| Preceded by Johnny Sain |
Atlanta Braves pitching coach 1987–1990 |
Succeeded by Leo Mazzone |