Minor leagues In 1959, the Pirates assigned Alley to the
Dubuque Packers of the
Class-D Midwest League. He had a .287
batting average (his highest in the minor leagues) with 15
home runs, and a .922
fielding percentage at shortstop, his principal position. Because of a recurring problem with his throwing arm, he did not play shortstop for the next three years. He was a frequent backup to starting shortstop
Ducky Schofield. 1966 was his first full year at shortstop. He had a .979 fielding percentage (second in the league behind
Chico Cardénas' .980), and led all National League shortstops in turning
double plays with 128. He received the
Gold Glove Award for NL shortstops. In the same year, Mazeroski set the all-time double play record for second basemen in a season with 161. The Pirates as a team turned 215 double plays, the second most in baseball history after the record 217 set by the 1949
Philadelphia Athletics (as of 2023). Alley also hit for a career high .299 batting average, had a career high with 88 runs scored, In 1967, Alley led the league's shortstops again in double plays with 105, as well as leading the league's shortstops in putouts (257) and was second in assists (500). He again won the Gold Glove Award. He batted .287, and had a career high 55 RBIs. From 1965 to 1968 he was in the top four NL players in assists. and 1967, along with their teammate
Roberto Clemente. They also joined a select list of eight shortstop-second baseman duos to each win a Gold Glove the same season more than once while playing together. Alley was on Pirates teams that won their division in 1970 through 1972, and had the NL's best record in 1971 and 1972. They lost in the NL championship series to the
Cincinnati Reds twice (1970, 1972), but defeated the
San Francisco Giants in 1971, and went on to win the
World Series against the
Baltimore Orioles (Alley only appearing in one playoff game and two games of the World Series, having suffered a knee injury). On September 2, 1970, Alley hit an
inside-the-park grand slam at
Jarry Park Stadium in Montreal, against the
Montreal Expos. With the bases loaded, facing
Carl Morton, Alley hit a line drive which landed in front of
center fielder Boots Day, who slipped on the wet grass. The ball rolled all the way to the wall in deepest center field, and all the baserunners and Alley scored. 1973 was his final year, appearing in 76 games altogether, and 56 in the field at either shortstop or third base. == Post-baseball life ==