Redox-active ligands bring electron- and proton-transfer reactions to main-group coordination chemistry. In this Forum Article, we demonstrate how ligand pK values can be used in the design of a reaction mechanism for a ligand-based electron- and proton-transfer pathway, where the ligand retains a negative charge and enables dihydrogen evolution. A bis(pyrazolyl)pyridine ligand, PzP, reacts with 2 equiv of AlCl to afford [(PzP)AlCl(THF)][AlCl] (1). A reaction involving two-electron reduction and single-ligand protonation of 1 affords [(HPzP)AlCl] (2), where each of the electron- and proton-transfer events is ligand-centered. Protonation of 2 would formally close a catalytic cycle for dihydrogen production. At -1.26 V versus SCE, in a 0.3 M BuNPF/tetrahydrofuran solution with salicylic acid or (HNEt) as the source of H, 1 produced dihydrogen electrocatalytically, according to cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis experiments. The mechanism for the reaction is most likely two electron-transfer steps followed by two chemical steps based on the available reactivity information. A comparison of this work with our previously reported aluminum complexes of the phenyl-substituted bis(imino)pyridine system (IP) reveals that the pK values of the N-donor atoms in PzP are lower, which facilitates reduction before ligand protonation. In contrast, the IP ligand complexes of aluminum are protonated twice before reduction liberates dihydrogen.