'I left a lot of history there': Oliver to be inducted into Pirates Hall of Fame

PITTSBURGH -- In the summer of 1964, a shy, stammering 17-year-old kid from Portsmouth, Ohio, faced a choice that would not only shape his life, but the future of many a team or sport. Al Oliver had an offer to play basketball at Kent State. At the same time, he attended a tryout camp for the Phillies to play baseball.

Oliver was told not to try out for the Pirates in a similar camp in Salem, Va., albeit from a friend who was going out for the Bucs himself. Oliver expected a big offer from the Phillies, but his dad encouraged him to go to college. Still, Oliver tried out for the Pirates and left an impression on longtime executive Syd Thrift, who invited Oliver to dinner.

“No 17-year-old is going to say no to going out to dinner, but I knew I couldn’t sign because Dad wasn’t there,” Oliver said. “To this day, I don’t know how they got Dad down to Salem.”

Albert Oliver Sr. made the trip too, and an earnest discussion about playing ball for Pittsburgh began. The Pirates offered Oliver a contract and a chance to go to college. Both Oliver men liked that deal. He ended up going to Kent State for just “a cup of coffee,” because while he might have liked basketball more than baseball, he excelled on the diamond.

“I made the right choice, and the right team,” Oliver said.

This week, Oliver will be taking his place among the greatest in franchise history, being inducted into their team Hall of Fame alongside 1960 Cy Young winner Vern Law and National Baseball Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler.

“In simple terms, I’m coming back home,” Oliver said. “… It’s just a good feeling to come to a place where I can walk around Pittsburgh and be recognized after all these years. It’s amazing to me. Wherever I go, I hear someone saying, ‘Scoop!’”

The “Scoop” nickname was given to Oliver in the Minors, where he prevented errors and stole base hits by picking throws from the dirt. After starting Oliver in a platoon role at first base, the Pirates eventually gave him a chance to play every day by trading Matty Alou. He wound up blossoming into one of the franchise’s greatest hitters of the 1970s.

“They realized I wasn’t going to stop hitting,” Oliver said. “That was God’s gift to me.”

Oliver played 18 years in the Majors, the first 10 with Pittsburgh. In that time, he earned three All-Star nods while with the Pirates, led the 1971 World Series-winning team in doubles and finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1969. In the '70s, Oliver led the Bucs in hits (1,357), doubles (257) and triples (54). If the '70s was the greatest decade of Pirate baseball in the Modern Era, Oliver has a case for being their greatest hitter in that stretch.

Take a deeper glance and Oliver has even more fingerprints on the Pirates of his era.

“I left a lot of history there that a lot of people don’t really realize,” Oliver said.

Some of that history is personal. He got married in Pittsburgh. (Willie Stargell was his best man, and that was the first time Oliver saw him nervous.) He became a father in Pittsburgh. The Squirrel Hill neighborhood and the city became home for him.

And then there were the individual accomplishments, some notable, some for the Pirates purists. Yes, Oliver won a batting title in 1982 with the Expos, but he left a mark in Pittsburgh baseball history by being the last person to homer at Forbes Field. He was then the first to drive in a run at Three Rivers Stadium.

Oliver was a big reason why the Pirates were able to field the first All-Black and Latino lineup on Sept. 1, 1971. The Phillies started lefty Woodie Fryman, but Oliver started at first base instead of right-hander Bob Robertson.

“It’s a day that I’ll never forget,” Oliver said.

Shortly after Oliver received the news of his induction, fellow Pirates Hall of Famer Steve Blass warned him that they might have to put a timer on his acceptance speech. If he does get played off by Oscar acceptance speech music, it will be a perfect reminder of how that quiet kid found his voice with the Pirates while cementing himself as part of their history.

“Portsmouth and Pittsburgh were the perfect fit for me,” Oliver said. “Always laughing and joking.”