slow to recover. After six consecutive starts, he returned to a pinch-hit role for the remainder of the season. When the veteran was traded after the season, he was widely considered to be the greatest left-handed hitter and among the best fielding first baseman in Reds history. The organization retired his uniform number 18 in a pre-game ceremony on July 18, 1998, at Cinergy Field. Pittsburgh Pirates (1958–1959) On December 28, , Kluszewski was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in return for Dee Fondy in a swap of experienced first basemen. In spring training, the 33-year-old reported that his back issues had subsided, which raised hopes that he would approach his former All-Star standards. While the veteran hit a respectable .292 in 100 games, however, the problem persisted and his power numbers were limited as a result. He hit only four home runs in 331 at-bats. In , Kluszewski appeared in 60 games for the Pirates before he was traded to the Chicago White Sox, who were in the midst of a tight pennant race. Chicago White Sox (1959–1960) When Kluszewski arrived in Chicago, the White Sox had a tenuous two-game lead on the Cleveland Indians in the AL pennant race. Their primary concern was a chronic lack of power, particularly at the left side, where rookie Norm Cash and veteran Earl Torgeson were the only threats to hit an occasional long ball. In Kluszewski, the front office believed it had a potential solution even though all three candidates played the same position. “We didn't have a regular first baseman,” White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce told Paul Ladewski in a story for the Society for American Baseball Research. “When we got Ted, we all thought it was a very, very good thing for us, because he gave us a strong left-handed hitter with a good reputation. We never thought he was past his prime but that he would help us. We were very glad to have him on our ballclub.” The trade failed to pay immediate dividends, however, and it wasn't until his 14th game that Kluszewski finally went deep with his new team. He hit a pair of home runs against the Kansas City Athletics in the second game of a doubleheader on Sept. 7 at Comiskey Park. Even though he would not hit another homer in the regular season, Kluszewski fared well enough (.297 batting average) to hold