One of the most underrated players in baseball history, Bill Virdon went on to successfully manage four Major League teams. Rookie of the Year with the 1955 St. Louis Cardinals, he played center field for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, next to right fielder Roberto Clemente. Virdon’s key plays clinched the Pirates’ victory over the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. He was instrumental in coaching the “Bucs” during the 1971 Series against the Baltimore Orioles, and later that year became their manager, Virdon was American League Manager of the Year with the Yankees in 1974, and National League Manager of the Year with the Houston Astros in 1980. In 1984 he ended his MLB managerial career while with the Montreal Expos yet continued to coach through the 2002 season. This first-ever biography covers his remarkable career, with previously untold stories from Virdon and his wife, Shirley.

David Jerome is a retired U.S. Army officer and a former college professor. He received a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. His research interests include baseball biographies, Army transformation, and the political history of Western Missouri. He lives in Ozark, Missouri.

David Jerome
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 267
Bibliographic Info: 22 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8821-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4723-4
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword 1
Preface 3
1. The Early Years 7
2. NL Rookie of the Year and Off to Pittsburgh 32
3. A Magical Season and Series 50
4. Gold Glove Pirate 69
5. A Passion to Teach 78
6. Managing the Pirates 96
7. The Quiet Man Meets the Boss 113
8. Winning with the Houston Astros 134
9. North of the Border 156
10. There for Four Managers: Jim Leyland, Larry Dierker, Gene Lamont, and Lloyd McClendon 171
11. A Baseball Lifer 194
12. Looking Back 211
Epilogue 231
Acknowledgments 233
Chapter Notes 237
Bibliography 245
Index 253

“Jerome’s biography is an intriguing exploration of Bill Virdon’s baseball leadership qualities… Jerome has crafted an engaging portrait of Bill Virdon as a life worth understanding.”—Bevis Baseball Research