John Bruce Dal Canton (June 15, 1941 - October 7, 2008) was a major league pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967-70), Kansas City Royals (1971-75), Atlanta Braves (1975-76), and Chicago White Sox (1977). He was inducted into the California University of Pennsylvania Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, and spent more than a decade as a coach in the Braves organization. From 1987-90, he was the Braves pitching coach.

Dal Canton's career path to the major leagues was unusual in that he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the result of an open tryout. Dal Canton was teaching high school at Burgettstown JR / SR high school in Burgettstown, PA the time of his signing. In 11 seasons he had a 51-49 Win-Loss record, 316 Games (83 Started), 15 Complete Games, 2 Shutouts, 102 Games Finished, 19 Saves, 931 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 894 Hits Allowed, 442 Runs Allowed, 380 Earned Runs Allowed, 48 Home Runs Allowed, 391 Walks, 485 Strikeouts, 23 Hit Batsmen, 46 Wild Pitches, 4,030 Batters Faced, 55 Intentional Walks, 5 Balks, a 3.67 ERA and a 1.380 WHIP. He led the American League in Wild Pitches (16) in 1974.

Death

Bruce Dal Canton died on October 7, 2008 in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, aged 67, of esophageal cancer.

Legacy

On Friday, June 11, 2004, Dal Canton was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. During Opening Day ceremonies on April 9, 2009, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans honored Bruce, who had been their pitching coach since 1999. The Pelicans' clubhouse was officially named in his memory and Dal Canton's number was retired.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]