Bob Veale, a legendary pirate and World Series champion in 1971, has passed away at the age of 89.

Over the weekend, at the age of 89, longtime Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bob Veale, who played a crucial role in the team's World Series victory in 1971, passed away.

Pittsburgh Pirates issued a statement regarding Veale, who spent 11 out of his 13 seasons with the team.

"Bob Nutting, the team owner, stated that Bob was a vital member of the Pirates who helped the team win back-to-back division titles and the 1971 World Series. Bob was a dominant left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball and spent most of his big league career with the Pirates. He was a great man who will be missed."

Veale played the final two-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 1972-74.

Over the weekend, Veale passed away in his hometown with his loved ones present, but further details about his cause of death are not available.

During his Pirates career, which began in 1962 at the age of 26 as a left-hander, Veale earned himself back-to-back All-Star nods in 1965 and 1966.

In 11 games that year, Veale had a 3.74 ERA. However, it was during the 1963 season, where he pitched in 34 games (seven starts), that he truly made a name for himself with a 1.04 ERA. Despite working only 77.2 innings, the Pirates saw a promising starter they could utilize for years to come.

In 1964, Veale increased his workload on the mound by pitching 279.2 innings (40 games) to a 2.74 ERA. He also led the league with 250 strikeouts and had a record of 18 wins and 12 losses that season.

During the 1971 World Series, Veale helped the Pirates defeat the Orioles and win the championship. Over the course of his career, Veale recorded 1,703 strikeouts in 1,926 innings.

In the 1972 season, Veale was traded to Boston, but prior to that, he made history as part of the Pirates' lineup that was the first all-Black or Afro-Latino team in MLB, according to AL.com.

After retiring from playing, Veale joined the scouting department for the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. He was later inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and helped establish the Negro Southern League Museum in his hometown of Birmingham in 2015.

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