Dal Canton went from teacher to major leaguer
Bruce Dal Canton was a California guy. He played his high school baseball at California. He played his college baseball at California State and, as its ace pitcher, helped lead the Vulcans’ 1962 team to the NAIA District 30 title.
Not bad for a walk-on.
Dal Canton didn’t get a offer from the pros after graduating from Cal in 1963. A few scouts, including Elmer Gray of the Pittsburgh Pirates, did watch Dal Canton pitch.
Dal Canton finally got a break in 1965. The Pirates, who were in desperate need for pitching, signed two players who were bypassed by scouts when they were younger. One was the 24-year-old Dal Canton, who was working as a science teacher teacher at Burgettstown High School, and a future all-star in left-handed pitcher Woody Fryman.
It was too late in the 1965 season to send Dal Canton to a farm team, so the Pirates had him to throw batting practice at Forbes Field. A hefty 265 pounds, Dal Canton started to lose weight during the winter of 1965.
Dal Canton met with then-Pirates general manager Joe Brown and the two agreed on a $500 a month contract if the young pitcher made the team.
After a season at Class AA Macon (Ga.), a slimmer, 205-pound Dal Canton got called up to the Pirates in September of 1966.
A couple of years later, Dal Canton was in the majors for good. He had a 3.34 ERA in 86 innings in relief in 1969, when the Pirates were building the foundation for a 1970s dynasty.
Primarily a relief pitcher, Dal Canton had a 20-8 record for the Bucs from 1967 to 1970. He went without a loss (7-0) from June 29,1969, until July 20,1970.
Dal Canton’s luck changed in December of 1970 when he was traded to Kansas City along with shortstop Fred Patek and catcher Jerry May in exchange for Bob Johnson, Jackie Hernandez and Jim Campanis.
After spending four years with the Royals, Dal Canton was signed by the Atlanta Braves. He spent two years in Atlanta and ended his career in 1977 with the Chicago White Sox. After his release by the White Sox, Dal Canton remained with Chicago as the team’s pitching coach.
Over his 12-year major league career, Dal Canton had a 51-49 record with an ERA of 3.68.
Working as a pitching coach for the Braves in the minors, Dal Canton provided a foundation for great pitchers like Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and many others who made their way to the major leagues.
“He was an easy-going guy and a gentleman in every way,” Smoltz told mlb.com. “He didn’t approach it (pitching) like it was rocket science. He made it simple.”
Smoltz even mentioned Dal Canton during his Hall of Fame induction speech last month.
Dal Canton died in 2008 at the age of 66.
The California University baseball team has a pitching award named after Dal Canton. It is given annually to the Vulcans’ most successful individual on and off the playing field.
Dal Canton was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Bill DiFabio writes a bi-weekly Sunday column about local sports history for the Observer-Reporter.