On July 16, 1969, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed 22-year-old pitcher Kent Tekulve as an amateur free agent out of Marietta College. As a senior, he posted an 0.94 ERA, but still needed to compete at a tryout at Forbes Field to earn his first pro contract. It took Tekulve just under five years to make it to the majors. Ten years after he signed, he was on the mound for the final out of the World Series. Despite debuting after his 27th birthday, he pitched 16 seasons in the majors and threw in 1,050 games.

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