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Alvin O'Neal McBean
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitcher
Born: May 15, 1938, Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1961-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Los Angeles Dodgers 1969-1970; Pittsburgh Pirates 1970
One of the top relievers of the early 1960s, Al McBean was the first pitcher in the majors born in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For three seasons, from 1963 to 1965, McBean placed in the top ten among N.L. pitchers for saves and appearances. He enjoyed his best season in 1964, recording a career high 21 saves and being named The Sporting News' N.L. Fireman of the Year. He recorded 19 saves the following year but then the Pirates returned their closer duties to Roy Face (#347), coming back from an injury, in 1966.
McBean was a popular, fun-loving player with a somewhat quirky personality. The best man at his wedding in 1962 was his Pirates' roommate Roberto Clemente (#160). In parts of 10 seasons, McBean appeared in 409 games (76 starts), compiling a 67-50 record and a 3.13 ERA with 63 saves. As of this writing, he's still active within his community in St. Thomas.
August 21, 2020 from Charleston, SC - Card #142
In my largest (by volume) purchase to date, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in mid-August browsing the eBay store of seller mantlerulz and clicking Add to Cart on 30 different cards. We had previously added 29 cards to our set back in February from the Philly Show. The 30 cards, all commons, cost me $52 total (before shipping and taxes) with the cards ranging in prices from $1 to $6. I love this haul and I found the seller's store by accident when I was browsing eBay in an attempt to add a few more cheap cards from the set's first series. With the exception of the cards for Dick Howser (#92) and manager Birdie Tebbets (#301), along with the few former Phillies in the lot, most of the players featured on these cards are unknown to me. In the coming weeks, I'll go through each of these new cards for our set in detail, and we've now passed the quarter mark for completion of the complete set. We still have a long way to go, and quite a few pricey cards to add but any day I can add 30 commons in excellent shape and at a low prices is a great day.
The Card / Pirates Team Set
This is the card that kicked off my shopping spree with eBay seller mantlerulz. Looking for a McBean card in good shape, I was somewhat surprised to find this card for sale at just $1. Fortunately, I decided to browse the seller's store, finding 29 other low-priced cards for our set. The back of the card details McBean's successful exploits in 1963 and 1964 as the Pirates' top reliever.
McBean, at card #14, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Pirates in the set.
1965 Season
McBean had his third (and final) exceptional season in the back end of the Pirates' bullpen. He again led the staff in appearances with 62 and compiled a 6-6 record with a 2.29 ERA and 19 saves. Led by McBean, the Pirates bullpen also boasted strong seasons from Tommie Sisk (#558), Don Schwall (#362), Wilbur Wood (#478) and Frank Carpin.
Phillies Connection
McBean was released by the Pirates (his second stint with the club) on May 18, 1970 and signed with the Phillies. In 1970 and 1971, he appeared in 32 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds, managed by former Phillies catcher Andy Seminick. McBean went 13-9 with a 4.82 ERA over 190 innings pitched, but he never got the call from the Phillies. He retired following the 1971 season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #424
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #435
41 - McBean non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/23/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #24 Minnesota Twins Team Card
1965 Season
McBean had his third (and final) exceptional season in the back end of the Pirates' bullpen. He again led the staff in appearances with 62 and compiled a 6-6 record with a 2.29 ERA and 19 saves. Led by McBean, the Pirates bullpen also boasted strong seasons from Tommie Sisk (#558), Don Schwall (#362), Wilbur Wood (#478) and Frank Carpin.
Phillies Connection
McBean was released by the Pirates (his second stint with the club) on May 18, 1970 and signed with the Phillies. In 1970 and 1971, he appeared in 32 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds, managed by former Phillies catcher Andy Seminick. McBean went 13-9 with a 4.82 ERA over 190 innings pitched, but he never got the call from the Phillies. He retired following the 1971 season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #424
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #435
41 - McBean non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/23/20.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #24 Minnesota Twins Team Card
Next Card: #26 Bobby Knoop - Los Angeles Angels
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