Pirates Father-Son Combos Remembered for Father’s Day

The history of the Pittsburgh Pirates features six father-and-son combinations who played for the storied franchise. Some are better known for what they did for other teams. In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a look at these six pairs.

Pirates History Has Six Father-Son Combinations

“Pound Some Budweiser”

Neither Joe Schultz played for Pittsburgh very long. Joe Schultz, the father, was an outfielder and third baseman who played 77 games for the Pirates in 1916, during which he hit .260/.298/.319. Joe Schultz, the son, was a catcher who played 22 games for the Pirates from 1939 to 1941. The son hit .231/.286/.308 as a Pirate.

The younger Schultz was better known as the only manager of the Seattle Pilots, immortalized by Jim Bouton’s seminal book, Ball Four. In 1969, the expansion Pilots finished 64-98, last in the newly formed American League West Division. Associated Press described Schultz as a “patient, understanding person” and “a solid baseball man who knew how to evaluate talent.” He needed that patience.

In Ball Four, the Pilots’ manager came across somewhat cartoonish, putting together unique combinations of swear words and goofy sayings and exhorting his team to “pound some Budweiser.” But it was all calculated to keep the team loose. Pilots infielder John Kennedy told the Everett Daily Herald, “He wanted to win, but he was realistic enough to know our chances were also slim and none. So he took it that way. He was a fun guy to play for.”  After the season, the Pilots moved to Milwaukee to become the Brewers. However, Schultz was fired after the season and didn’t join them.

Father and Son Spent Entire Careers as Pirates

Clyde Barnhart is one of two players on this father-son list to play on a World Series champion for the Pirates. He spent his entire career with Pittsburgh from 1920 to 1928, hitting .295/.360/.416, with 27 home runs and 436 RBI. In an era where contact was valued more than home runs, he struck out just 149 times in 3,050 plate appearances. He appeared in the World Series in 1925 (won by Pittsburgh) and 1927 (won by the New York Yankees), ending with a career Series slash line of .273/.319/.318.

Barnhart came up as a third baseman. By 1922, he had to step aside for a guy named Pie Traynor and move to the outfield. The Pirates’ brain trust was always looking for somebody better to take Barnhart’s place. Even in 1928, he had to ward off several challengers to win the starting left fielder spot.

Tommy Holmes of The Brooklyn Eagle described Barnhart’s batting style:

He looked half asleep at the plate until the ball was pitched. He held his bat well back and absolutely motionless. A half dollar balanced on the end of the club would not have jiggled until he started the long forward swing. If he had worn a mustache, he would have looked exactly like a woodcut of A.G. Spalding in 1876. But he was a good hitter.

Clyde’s son, Vic Barnhart, was a shortstop reputed to have a strong arm.  His manager, Frankie Frisch, was quoted as saying, “He can hurl that great American egg as well as anybody I ever saw.” (I love how the media quoted baseball personnel in those days. I doubt Frisch actually called the baseball “that great American egg.”) The younger Barnhart played for the Pirates from 1944-46, hitting .270/.304/.304 in 74 games. Like his father, the Pirates were his only major league team.

Pirates Father and Son More Famous as Indians

The next father-and-son duo to toil for the Pirates was Jim Bagby and his namesake. The elder Jim Bagby pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1916-22, during which he was 122-86 with a 3.03 ERA and 1.265 WHIP. When he joined the Pirates in 1923, he wasn’t far removed from a 1920 season when he led the majors in wins and winning percentage with a 31-12 record. More recent, however, was a 1922 campaign when he posted a 6.32 ERA.

Even so, the Pittsburgh newspapers could barely contain their glee over the prospect of Bagby joining the Pirates. “Jim Bagby Hailed as Important Cog in Pirates Machine” blared the headline of The Pittsburgh Post, February 11, 1923, sports section. The headline in The Pittsburgh Press sports section was more subdued, with “Jim Bagby May Add Strength to Corps.” The Post wrote, “[T]here is every reason to believe that Big Jim still has a year or two of consistent twirling in his system.” Alas, the newspapers’ optimism was misplaced. In 21 games, Bagby the father finished 3-2 with a 5.24 ERA and 1.748 WHIP for the 1923 Pirates. It was his final major league season.

Historic Streak Stopped

Like his father, Jim Bagby Jr. was better known for what he did as an Indian than for his time with the Pirates. The younger Bagby pitched for the Pirates in 1947, posting a 5-4 record with a 4.67 ERA and 1.556 WHIP. Like his father, his year with Pittsburgh was his last year in the majors. The son cemented his place in baseball lore on July 17, 1941. On that evening, the Indians hosted the Yankees and Joe DiMaggio, who was riding a 56-game hitting streak. The Indians’ starter, Al Smith, held DiMaggio hitless thanks to two dazzling defensive plays by third baseman Ken Keltner. When DiMaggio came to bat with bases loaded in the eighth inning, Indians manager Roger Peckinpaugh called for Bagby.

DiMaggio promptly rapped the ball to the shortstop for an inning-ending double play, ending his record hitting streak. Years later, Bagby told John B. Holway of The Baseball Digest that he threw DiMaggio “just fastballs. Joe hit one of them hard, but (right) at somebody.”