Lenny Yochim

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Leonard Joseph (Lenny) Yochim (born October 16, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951 and 1954 and later served in the organization for almost four decades. Yochim batted a threw left handed.

Highly touted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yochim was a screwball specialist and had a good curve as well, but a sore arm limited him to pitch in only 28.1 innings, ending his major league career with a 1-2 record and a 7.62 ERA in 12 games (three as a starter). His professional career highlight came on December 8, 1955, when he became the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in a professional game in Venezuela while pitching for the Caracas Lions club. Helped by catcher Earl Battey, Yochim accomplished the feat in the Caracas 3–0 victory over Magallanes. Ray Monzant was the losing pitcher.

Following his playing career, Yochim rejoined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1966 to become the senior member of their baseball operations . He served as an area scout, national crosschecker and major-league scout for the Pirates before moving into the front office in 1994. Yochim also worked as a senior adviser for player personnel since 1997 through 2002, when he decided not to return for another season.

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