Former major league veteran Al McBean passed away earlier this week at the age of 85. McBean holds a distinction as the initial pitcher (and one of only 15 players ever) from the Virgin Islands to participate in Major League Baseball, making some history when he made his debut in 1961.
Most of McBean’s career was spent with the Pirates, including his first eight seasons and then a brief return in 1970 for what turned out to be his final seven MLB games. Between those two periods in Pittsburgh, McBean pitched for the Padres and Dodgers. He primarily served as a reliever in his rookie season and then transitioned to mostly starting in 1962. Throughout his career, McBean mostly worked out of the bullpen, except for a late-season return to the Pirates rotation in 1967 and a significant portion of 1968.
McBean recorded a 3.13 earned run average (ERA) and 63 saves over 409 games and 1072 1/3 career innings. The 63 saves are a retroactive statistic as saves were not officially recognized until 1969, and the concept of a true closer was still uncommon in the 1960s. However, the Pirates experienced great success with long-time relief ace Roy Face leading the bullpen, and McBean formed a formidable duo with Face for high-pressure situations. In 1964, McBean was honored as the Reliever Of The Year by the Sporting News for his outstanding season, which included a 1.91 ERA and 21 saves over 89 2/3 innings and 58 appearances.
We express our condolences for the loss of Al McBean, a trailblazer from the Virgin Islands who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball.