"Tony Bartirome has had a Pittsburgh connection all his life. Born in the Steel City, Bartirome was signed by a played for the Pirates; he stayed within the organization for decades, even retiring to the Pirates' long-time Florida spring training retreat." - Author Lou Hernandez in Memories of Winter Ball: Interviews with Players in the Latin American Winter Leagues of the 1950s (McFarland Publishing, 04/29/2013, Tony Bartirome, Page 13)

"Tony Bartirome was an absolute delight. . . one of the most positive guys I've ever seen." - Charlie Metro

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Anthony Joseph Bartirome (May 9, 1932 – June 22, 2018) was an American baseball player, coach and athletic trainer.

Prior to playing professionally, in 1950, Tony was selected to represent Pittsburgh in the annual Hearst Sandlot Classic at the Polo Grounds in New York, NY.

While listed as 20 years old because he was born in May, he was actually only 19 when he made the Opening Day roster and appeared in his first game in April 1952 . He played first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1952 baseball season. After the season, Tony was drafted into the Army and served two years, returning to the Pirates' minor leagues in 1955, but never to the majors, though his professional career lasted through 1963.

He was the team trainer for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1967–85 where he was an integral part of legendary Pirates teams (see the "three man lift" at DK Pittsburgh Sports), including being the trainer for the 1980 NL All-Star team (00:09:11). He went on to serve as a coach for the Atlanta Braves from 1986–88. He briefly served as traveling secretary for the Bradenton Explorers in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association afterwards. Tony died on June 22, 2018 at the age of 86.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)