Leonard Eugene Alley (born July 10, 1940) is anAmerican former professionalbaseball player. He played his entire career inMajor League Baseball as ashortstop for thePittsburgh Pirates from1963 through1973. A two-timeAll-Star player, Alley was a member of Pirates teams that won three consecutiveNational League Eastern Division titles between1970 and1972, and won theWorld Series in1971.

Gene Alley
Alley in 1966
Shortstop
Born: (1940-07-10)July 10, 1940 (age 84) Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1963, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1973, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Batting average	.254
Home runs	55
Runs batted in	342
Stats atBaseball Reference
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1963–1973)
Career highlights and awards
2×All-Star (1967,1968) World Series champion (1971) 2×Gold Glove Award (1966, 1967)

Alley was born on July 10, 1940, inRichmond, Virginia. While still an infant, Alley's father died in a car accident, and he and his three siblings were raised by his mother.^[1] He attendedHermitage High School inHenrico, Virginia.^[2] Alley had hoped to receive a basketball scholarship to attend theUniversity of Virginia, but the sum offered was insufficient. Instead, the 18-year old Alley signed to play baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates.^[3][1]

Alley was a modest hitter, with some strong years, but an exceptionally steady shortstop with good range and an accurate throwing arm.^[1]

In 1959, the Pirates assigned Alley to theDubuque Packers of theClass-DMidwest League. He had a .287batting average (his highest in the minor leagues) with 15home runs, and a .922fielding percentage at shortstop, his principal position with Dubuque.^[4] Because of pain in his throwing arm, he did not continue at shortstop for the next three years.^[1]

He continued in the Pirates minor league system until 1963, playing third base in 1960 (.932 fielding percentage), and second base in 1961 (.933 fielding percentage) and 1962 (.969 combined fielding percentage betweenSingle-A andTriple-A baseball). Finally, in 1963, he played a full year of Triple-A baseball for theColumbus Jets of theInternational League at shortstop, with a .963 fielding percentage, a .244 batting average, 19 home runs, 61runs batted in (RBI) and 76runs scored.^[4]

Alley played briefly for the Pirates at the end of the 1963 season, and then played in 81 games for the Pirates in 1964, hitting only .211, but with a fielding percentage at shortstop of .966 in 61 games at that position.^[5] He was a frequent backup to starting shortstopDucky Schofield.^[1]

In 1965, he started 40 games at second base for the injuredBill Mazeroski, and then 102 games at shortstop after Mazeroski's return.^[5][1] He had a .968 fielding percentage at shortstop and .974 at second base. He hit .252, with five home runs, 47 runs and 47 RBI.^[5] He was fourth in the NL in fielding percentage by a shortstop.^[6]

1966 was his first full year at shortstop. He had a .979 fielding percentage (second in the league behindChico Cardénas' .980), and led all National League shortstops in turningdouble plays with 128. He received theGold Glove Award for NL shortstops.^[5][7][8] In the same year, Mazeroski set the all-time double play record for second basemen in a season with 161.^[9] The Pirates as a team turned 215 double plays, the second most in baseball history after the record 217 set by the 1949Philadelphia Athletics (as of 2023).^[10][11] Alley also hit for a career high .299 batting average, had a career high with 88 runs scored,^[5] and his 20 sacrifice hits were second in the NL.^[12]

In 1967, Alley led the league's shortstops again in double plays with 105, as well as leading the league's shortstops in putouts (257) and was second in assists (500).^[5] He was fifth in fielding percentage.^[13] He again won the Gold Glove Award.^[7] He was also selected to the NL All-Star team for the first time.^[14] He batted .287, and had a career high 55 RBI.^[5]

Alley made the NL All-Star a second time in 1968.^[15] From 1965 to 1968 he was in the top four NL players in assists.^[5] In 1966 and 1967,The Sporting News named him to its All-Star Team.^[1] Alley and Mazeroski both received Gold Glove Awards in 1966^[16] and 1967,^[17] along with their teammateRoberto Clemente. They also joined a select list of eight shortstop-second baseman duos to each win a Gold Glove the same season more than once while playing together.^{[citation needed]}

Alley was on Pirates teams that won their division in 1970 through 1972, and had the NL's best record in 1971 and 1972. They lost in the NL championship series to theCincinnati Reds twice (1970, 1972), but defeated theSan Francisco Giants in 1971, and went on to win theWorld Series against theBaltimore Orioles (Alley only appearing in one playoff game and two games of the World Series, having suffered a knee injury).^[18][5]

Shoulder and knee problems ultimately ended Alley's career early. Alley developed a sore throwing arm shortly before the 1967 All-Star Game that never fully healed. In 1969, he played only 82 games and was on the disabled list for 29 days, though he still had a .977 fielding percentage and 21-game hitting streak.^[1] He originally injured his knee in 1969 when he suffered a collision on a play while covering first base in a game against theHouston Astros, leading to multiple surgeries.^[3] A knee injury suffered late in the 1971 season subsequently required surgery, and limited his participation in the 1971 postseason playoffs and World Series.^{[19][20][21][3]}

On September 2, 1970, Alley hit aninside-the-parkgrand slam atJarry Park Stadium in Montreal, against theMontreal Expos. With the bases loaded, facingCarl Morton, Alley hit a line drive which landed in front ofcenter fielderBoots Day, who slipped on the wet grass. The ball rolled all the way to the wall in deepest center field, and all the baserunners and Alley scored.^[1]

1973 was his final year, appearing in 76 games altogether, and 56 in the field at either shortstop or third base.^[5]

Alley worked for a printing company in Richmond after his retirement from baseball.^[3]

In 1998, Alley was inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame.^[2] In 2013, he received the Paul Keyes RBI (Richmond Baseball Impact) Award, given annually to a person making a significant contribution to baseball within or around the Richmond community.^[3]

• List of Gold Glove middle infield duos
• List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise

• Career statistics fromBaseball Reference, orFangraphs, orBaseball Reference (Minors), orRetrosheet 
• Gene Alley at SABR (Baseball BioProject)