Obituary: Bruce Dal Canton

Former Pirates pitcher
June 15, 1942 - Oct. 7, 2008

By Robert Dvorchak
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Friday, October 10, 2008


1969 photo Bruce Dal Canton

Bruce Dal Canton spent four decades in professional baseball as a pitcher, coach, mentor and ultimately a teacher, sharing his knowledge of pitching with All-Stars and those who labored in minor league obscurity.

For any kid with a glove and an armful of dreams who came of age in the tumultuous 1960s, he was the prime example that the son of a coal miner who pitched on the sandlots of southwestern Pennsylvania could make it to the major leagues.

"His real love was working with the kids," said one-time Pirates teammate Steve Blass. "He was rock solid. He was the kind of guy who never said much, but he didn't miss anything either. He was one of those special guys who happened to be a baseball player. He's one of the reasons they call it the Big Leagues."

Mr. Dal Canton, 66, of Carnegie, died Tuesday in St. Clair Memorial Hospital. He was diagnosed in summer with cancer of the esophagus and had recently started a second round of chemotherapy.

Mr. Dal Canton, a one-time teacher at Burgettstown High School who was discovered by the Pirates while pitching in a local amateur league, spent the first four of his 11 major league seasons in Pittsburgh. His teammates included Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski.

After his playing days, he was the pitching coach of the Atlanta Braves during the developmental years of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Steve Avery, the core of a rotation that gave fits to the National League. And for the past decade in the Atlanta system, he was the pitching coach of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Class A Carolina League.

A native of California, Pa., Mr. Dal Canton graduated from California Area High School and earned bachelor of arts and master of education degrees from California University of Pennsylvania.

Signed as a free agent in 1966, he made his Pirates debut on Sept. 3, 1967, throwing three scoreless innings of relief against the Phillies. He compiled a 20-8 record in four years with Pirates, working primarily as a reliever.

At the winter meetings in 1970, Mr. Dal Canton was traded to the Kansas City Royals with Jerry May and Freddie Patek. In return, the Pirates got two pieces of the 1971 championship team, pitcher Bob Johnson and shortstop Jackie Hernandez, along with Jim Campanis.

He saw extensive use as a starter with the Royals, then pitched for the Braves and the White Sox before leaving the game in 1977 with a 51-49 record in 316 games, including 83 starts.

The Braves hired him as a minor league coach in 1982, and he was Atlanta's pitching coach from 1987 through 1990. Known by the initials DC, he became an instructor in 1991, and for the past 10 seasons, tutored young pitchers at Myrtle Beach. More than 30 players under his guidance made it to the major leagues, each one a living monument.

"DC was a true gentleman in every sense of the word," said Pelicans owner Chuck Greenberg, who also owns the Altoona Curve and the State College Spikes.

"I have never met anyone in baseball who inspired such reverence, both personally and professionally, from all who knew him.

"He was a mentor to every pitcher who progressed through the Braves system for more than 20 years. Even more significantly, his character, decency and humility served as a role model to all of us fortunate enough to know him."

Mr. Dal Canton was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and was one of 13 charter members in the California University Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Helene; brothers Bernard of LaPlata, Md., and Brian of Redondo Beach, Calif.; and a sister, Diane Shook of California, Pa.

Friends will be received at the Bagnato Funeral Home in Carnegie from 2 to 8 p.m. today. A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Our Lady of Grace Church.

Contributions may be made to the California University Baseball Organization, the Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Charities at PNC Park or to the Baseball Assistance Team at 245 Park Ave., New York, N.Y., 10167.

Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com.
First published on October 10, 2008 at 12:00 am