Virgin Islands native & former MLB pitcher Al McBean passes away at 85, cause of death unknown

Al McBean, the rocket arm of the Pittsburgh Pirates and a former big league veteran, passed away earlier this week at the age of 85. As the first pitcher from the Virgin Islands to play in Major League Baseball, McBean made history when he made his debut in 1961.

McBean pitched 1072.1 innings in 409 MLB games, 76 of which were phenomenal starts at the mound. With an 8.1% walk rate, 3.13 ERA, 3.32 FIP, and 12.7% strikeout rate, he was quite effective. His 10-year MLB career ended with a 13.6 WAR.

From 1961 until 1968, McBean pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He signed with the San Diego Padres for the 1969 season after being chosen in the MLB Expansion Draft.

He only played in one game for the Padres before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970. He then made a midseason move to his former team, the Pirates.

Except for a late-season return to the Pirates rotation in 1967 and a significant amount of the 1968 season, McBean spent the majority of his career in the bullpen after pitching predominantly as a reliever in his rookie season and mostly as a starter in 1962.

The 63 saves recorded by McBean are a retrospective number because saves had not been officially recognized until 1969 and the idea of a true closer was still somewhat of a rarity in the 1960s.

Nonetheless, the Pirates had tremendous success with veteran relief pitcher Roy Face leading the bullpen and McBean providing high-leverage work in tandem with Face.

Al McBean produced one of his finest seasons in the MLB in 1964

Al McBean was a spectacular player on the field, and his greatest season was 1964, going 8-3 with 21 saves and a 1.91 ERA. The Sporting News National League Fireman of the Year was given to him at that time.

Between July 28, 1963, and Aug. 15, 1964, McBean made 60 appearances in the MLB without a loss. He was 7-0 with 14 saves at the time. He had a 2.50 ERA, a 38-19 record, and 58 saves between 1963 and 1967.

His skill level allowed him to dethrone Roy Face as the bullpen "ace" in 1964 and 1965. Face was a legendary reliever in his own right.

Harry Walker succeeded Murtaugh as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager in 1965. The majority of the players didn't like Walker because they thought he was too disruptive and he didn't know enough about throwing.

Strangely, despite McBean's continued effectiveness, Walker primarily utilized him in mop-up and extended relief situations in 1966 and 1967. In those two seasons, Al McBean managed just seven saves.