CLEVELAND
On an overcast day in 1987, Bill Merrifield climbed out of a cab in downtown Pittsburgh and walked into the clubhouse at Three Rivers Stadium. The first thing he did was ask for money.
It was the late summer, and Merrifield, a 25-year-old career minor-leaguer, had spent the summer playing for the Edmonton Trappers, a Class AAA affiliate of the California Angels. A former second-round pick, he had toiled in the minor leagues for five seasons.
On a day in late August, he had been dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade for second baseman Johnny Ray.