An outfielder, he appeared in 668 Major League games between 1956 and 1961 for the Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox.

Pilarcik stood 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) tall, weighed 185 lb (84 kg) and threw and batted left-handed.

In 1960, his last season in Baltimore, Pilarcik saw less service, but he was stationed in right field at Boston's Fenway Park on September 28, 1960, Ted Williams' final game as an active player.

[1] Pilarcik's career lasted one more season, split between the 1961 Athletics (in his second turn for that franchise) and the White Sox.

[3] After baseball, he went into the teaching profession and taught at Lake Central High School for 33 years, retiring in 2001.