Bob Veale, baseball player, 1962-1974

Bob Veale

Born: 10/28/1935 in Birmingham, AL, USA

Died: 1/3/2025 in Birmingham, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1962-04-16 | Final Game: 1974-09-08

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 6'6" | Weight: 212 lbs

Full name: Robert Andrew Veale

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Biography

Bob Veale was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1962 to 1974. Born in 1935, Veale established himself as a formidable presence on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 120-95 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.07. Over his 13 years in the league, he notched 1,703 strikeouts and recorded 21 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness in various pitching roles. Veale was recognized for his talents with two All-Star selections, marking him as one of the standout pitchers of his era. Veale played the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he became known for his powerful left-handed delivery and ability to dominate hitters. He was part of a pitching rotation that contributed to the Pirates' competitive success during the 1960s, an era characterized by strong pitching and defensive play. His ability to consistently strike out batters made him a key figure in the league, and his contributions on the mound left a lasting impact on the franchise and the sport as a whole. After retiring in 1974, Veale's legacy as a talented pitcher has endured, as he remains a celebrated figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
120 95 397 255 78 20 21 1926.0 1684 658 91 858 1703 3.07 0

Career ERA 3.07 vs. league average 3.54 across their career seasons — 13.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1962 PIT NL 2 2 11 6 2 0 1 45.7 39 19 25 42 3.74 3.96 (+5%) 1113.0
1963 PIT NL 5 2 34 7 3 2 3 77.7 59 9 40 68 1.04 3.46 (+70%) 1933.1
1964 PIT NL 18 12 40 38 14 1 0 279.7 222 85 124 250 2.74 3.58 (+24%) 7610.1
1965 PIT NL 17 12 39 37 14 7 0 266.0 221 84 119 276 2.84 3.50 (+19%) 9759.2
1966 PIT NL 16 12 38 37 12 3 0 268.3 228 90 102 229 3.02 3.52 (+14%) 4279.0
1967 PIT NL 16 8 33 31 6 1 0 203.0 184 82 119 179 3.64 3.30 (-10%) -386.1
1968 PIT NL 13 14 36 33 13 4 0 245.3 187 56 94 171 2.05 2.98 (+31%) 825.9
1969 PIT NL 13 14 34 34 9 1 0 225.7 232 81 91 213 3.23 3.61 (+11%) 7565.5
1970 PIT NL 10 15 34 32 5 1 0 202.0 189 88 94 178 3.92 3.89 (-1%) 3176.5
1971 PIT NL 6 0 37 0 0 0 2 46.3 59 36 24 40 6.99 3.47 (-102%) -248.7
1972 PIT NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 9.0 10 6 7 6 6.00 3.26 (-84%) 0.0
1972 BOS AL 2 0 6 0 0 0 2 8.0 2 0 3 10 0.00 — 0.0
1973 BOS AL 2 3 32 0 0 0 11 36.3 37 14 12 25 3.47 3.75 (+7%) 777.9
1974 BOS AL 0 1 18 0 0 0 2 13.0 15 8 4 16 5.54 3.63 (-53%) 191.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
399 630 26 72 7 1 0 18 0 18 337 0.114 0.139 0.129 0.267 -5856.2

Career AVG .114 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 54.1% below league average.

Career OBP .139 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 56.0% below league average.

Career SLG .129 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 65.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.267 vs. league average 0.686 across their career seasons — 61.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1962 PIT NL 11 16 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1963 PIT NL 35 23 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 17 0.087 — — — — 0.0
1964 PIT NL 41 96 4 15 0 0 0 2 0 2 52 0.156 .250 (-38%) .312 (-45%) .377 (-59%) .690 (-52%) -814.6
1965 PIT NL 39 93 3 8 0 0 0 3 0 3 50 0.086 .245 (-65%) .310 (-63%) .371 (-77%) .682 (-71%) -1057.9
1966 PIT NL 38 94 5 13 0 1 0 2 0 1 39 0.138 .248 (-44%) .309 (-52%) .376 (-58%) .685 (-55%) -845.5
1967 PIT NL 33 69 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 36 0.043 .242 (-82%) .306 (-81%) .357 (-88%) .663 (-85%) -911.5
1968 PIT NL 36 82 2 9 1 0 0 1 0 2 53 0.110 .236 (-54%) .298 (-56%) .340 (-64%) .638 (-60%) -752.6
1969 PIT NL 34 79 3 4 0 0 0 2 0 3 44 0.051 .248 (-80%) .320 (-73%) .369 (-86%) .689 (-80%) -1030.6
1970 PIT NL 34 67 5 11 4 0 0 6 0 4 34 0.164 .253 (-35%) .325 (-35%) .385 (-42%) .711 (-39%) -443.4
1971 PIT NL 37 9 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1972 PIT NL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 BOS AL 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 BOS AL 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 BOS AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1971 WS PIT 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 0.7 1 1 2 0 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1971 WS PIT 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 1 1 2 0 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 397 255 37 270 21 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1962 PIT P 11 6 0 6 0 0
1963 PIT P 34 7 1 14 2 2
1964 PIT P 40 38 14 39 2 4
1965 PIT P 39 37 3 36 2 1
1966 PIT P 38 37 2 34 3 5
1967 PIT P 33 31 6 36 1 3
1968 PIT P 36 33 4 37 3 0
1969 PIT P 34 34 6 33 1 2
1970 PIT P 34 32 0 23 3 1
1971 PIT P 37 0 1 1 3 0
1972 PIT P 5 0 0 0 1 0
1972 BOS P 6 0 0 2 0 0
1973 BOS P 32 0 0 9 0 1
1974 BOS P 18 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 397

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Benedictine College Atchison KS 1956, 1957, 1958