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Former Pirates Pitcher Jose DeLeon dies of cancer at 63

By John Perrotto - Sports Now Group Pittsburgh

Jose DeLeon FILE - Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher José DeLeón, left, is consoled by catcher Tony Peña after the New York Mets broke up a no-hitter with one out in the ninth inning of a baseball game, July 31, 1983, in New York. DeLeón, a major league pitcher for 13 seasons who led the National League in strikeouts for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1989, he died Sunday evening, Feb. 25, 2024, at a hospital in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was 63. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine, File) (Ray Stubblebine/AP)

By John Perrotto - Sports Now Group Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on pittsburghbaseballnow.com.

Jose DeLeon, who spent the first four seasons of his 13-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1983-86, has died after a long battle with cancer in his native Dominican Republic. DeLeon was 63.

The right-handed pitcher was the Pirates’ third-round pick in the 1979 amateur draft after graduating from high school in Perth Amboy, N.J.

DeLeon made his major league debut on July 23, 1983, and went on to post a 7-3 record and 2.83 ERA in 15 starts. However, he never pitched as well for the Pirates again and was traded to the Chicago White Sox during the 1986 season after going 2-19 the previous year.

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