Minshall appeared in five games for Pittsburgh in 1974, the first appearances of his Big League career, going 0-1 and not allowing a run over 4.1 innings of work, including three strikeouts.
But he would start the following year in the Minors, only getting into a single game for the Pirates in 1975, the last MLB appearance of his career.
He’d spend the entirety of 1976 in Pittsburgh’s Triple-A level, before retiring as a player after the season.
It’s interesting to see that he played eleven seasons in Pro ball, all of them with the Pirates. You’d think if he was around that long they’d have used him more than the sum total of six games in that time.
Nevertheless, in his six appearances and 5.1 innings pitched he never allowed a run, while striking out five and giving up just one hit. Pretty nice showing, albeit brief, for his abbreviated career.
