Dick Barone

Richard Anthony Barone (October 13, 1932 - April 23, 2015) was an American professional baseball player. A shortstop and second baseman, he played for a decade in minor league baseball, and had a three-game Major League trial with the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. The native of San Jose, California, threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighed 165 pounds (75 kg). He is the grandfather of former Major League pitcher Daniel Barone.

Barone was in his eighth season of pro ball when the Pirates called him up in September 1960, when MLB rosters expand to 40 players. He had batted only .204 in 143 games played for the Triple-A Columbus Jets of the International League.^[2] The 1960 Pirates were en route to their first National League title since 1927. Barone debuted as a pinch runner for 42-year-old player-coach Mickey Vernon on September 22 in the ninth inning of a 2–2 game against the Chicago Cubs, but he failed to score in a contest eventually won by Pittsburgh, 3–2 in 11 innings.^[3] The Pirates clinched the pennant three days later, on September 25.

On September 27, Barone started his only Major League game. Playing shortstop against the Cincinnati Reds, he played errorless ball in the field, handling five chances, and went hitless in five at bats and five plate appearances against the Reds' pitchers: Bob Purkey, Orlando Peña and Cal McLish. It was another extra-inning game: Barone played the first 13 innings before he was removed for pinch hitter Smoky Burgess.^[4] The Pirates prevailed, 4–3, in 16 innings.

Then, on September 30, Barone appeared in his last MLB contest as a late-inning defensive replacement, making a fly ball out in his final MLB at bat against Bob Buhl of the Milwaukee Braves. He was not on the Pirates' 1960 World Series roster.

Barone played two more seasons of minor league baseball before retiring after the 1962 campaign.

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