Al Worthington obit

Al Worthington, a World Series champion with the Giants, died at 97

 

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Al Worthington, a durable right-hander whose major league career spanned parts of 14 seasons and whose best years came as a relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, died June 16. He was 97.

Worthington was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on Feb. 5, 1929, one of 10 children in a baseball-loving family. After two seasons with the minor league Nashville Volunteers of the Southern Association, Worthington made his major league debut in 1953 with the New York Giants. A year later, the Giants delivered Worthington his first and only World Series championship.

Worthington's career took him through a turbulent decade, including military service during the Korean War and the Giants' move from New York to San Francisco. But the most turbulence in Worthington's career arose from something that happened on the field.

In 1959, he confronted Giants general manager Bill Rigney about allegations his team was stealing signs.

"I told Bill that I had been talking to church groups, telling people you don't have to lie or cheat in this world if you trust Jesus Christ," Worthington told the Saturday Evening Post. "How could I go on saying those things if I was winning games because my team was cheating?"

Worthington was traded twice in the next year: in March 1960 to the Boston Red Sox and in August 1960 to the Chicago White Sox. In Chicago, he confronted White Sox general manager Hank Greenberg when sign-stealing allegations surfaced against them.

"We tried to sell him," Greenberg admitted to the Post, "but the word was out that he was some sort of cuckoo."

By the time Worthington reached his mid-30s, an age when many pitchers were finished, he found the role that defined his career. Acquired by the Twins in 1964, he became one of the American League's most reliable relievers. Worthington posted a 1.37 ERA after joining Minnesota that season, then helped the Twins win the 1965 pennant.

In 1965, Worthington recorded a career-high 21 saves and remained a key part of Minnesota's bullpen through 1969.

Worthington retired after the 1968 season but returned when manager Billy Martin persuaded him to come back for one more year. He pitched in 46 games for the 1969 Twins, who won another division title before losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series.

Worthington finished his MLB career with a 75-82 record, a 3.39 ERA and 111 saves.

After baseball, Worthington became a respected elder statesman of the game. He remained active in interviews and reunions well into his 90s, often speaking about the differences between baseball in his era and the modern game.

In the wake of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, he was among the former players who criticized the use of technology to gain an unfair advantage, reflecting a belief that competition should be decided between the lines rather than through electronic assistance.

Raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Worthington played baseball at the University of Alabama before becoming a professional. Acquired by the Giants in 1953, he began his career with the ballclub as a starter, pitching shutouts in his first two major league games. After spending most of 1954 and all of 1955 in the minor leagues, he became a full-time starter again in 1956. During 1957–58, he split his time between the rotation and the bullpen, and by 1959 he was almost exclusively used as a relief pitcher. He split 1960 between the Red Sox, the minor leagues, and the White Sox, retiring with about a month left in the season because the White Sox were engaged in ruses to steal opposing team's signs, and he could not play for the team with a clear conscience. He completed his degree at Howard College, then decided to return to baseball and spent two years in the minor leagues for the White Sox. The Reds acquired him in 1963, and Worthington posted a 2.99 earned run average (ERA) out of the bullpen for them that year. He began 1964 with Cincinnati, was sent to the minor leagues, and had his contract purchased by the Twins, with whom he would spend the rest of his career. Sports Illustrated called his 1.37 ERA with the team that year "impressive". In 1965, Worthington had a career-high 21 saves and a career-low 2.13 ERA, also winning 10 games. From 1966 to 1967 he saved 32 games, and in 1968 he led American League (AL) relievers with 18 saves. In a 14-year career, Worthington compiled a 75–82 record with 834 strikeouts, a 3.39 ERA, and 110 saves in 1,246+2⁄3 innings pitched.

Worthington continued with his career in baseball after his retirement as a player. In 1972 and 1973, he served as the pitching coach for the Twins. Then, in 1973, he heard a radio commercial for Liberty University. Worthington contacted Liberty president Jerry Falwell and told him that the school should have a good Christian baseball coach; he was hired to create the school's baseball team. After their first season, the ballclub never had a losing record under Worthington again. He coached them until after the 1986 season, when Bobby Richardson replaced him. While he was still coaching, he became Liberty's Athletic Director, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. In May 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Worthington died in June 2026 at the age of 97.

Allan Fulton Worthington was born on February 5, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the seventh of ten children of newspaper compositor Walter B. Worthington and his wife, Lake Worthington. Walter played amateur baseball locally, and two of Al's older brothers, Robert and Walter, played Minor League baseball as well. Growing up, Al went to Inglenook Elementary School and Phillips High School in Birmingham. He attended the University of Alabama, where he played baseball and football. The football team used him sparingly, though, and he stopped playing football during his sophomore year because he suffered a left arm and shoulder injury that was not healing quickly. The Advocate considered him "lanky" for a baseball pitcher, but Worthington caught the eye of Birmingham railroad employee Dickey Martin while pitching against a local team in 1951. Martin recommended Worthington to his friend Larry Gilbert, manager of the Nashville Volunteers of the Double-A Southern Association, who signed the Alabama pitcher to a $1,500 contract in 1951.

With Nashville in 1951, Worthington won his first two starts. He appeared in 23 games (21 starts), posting a 7–10 record and a 4.57 earned run average (ERA) in 124 innings pitched. He did not pitch well to begin the 1952 season; new manager Hugh Poland said the pitcher was "trying to throw too hard for his own good." As the season went on, he improved, evidenced on August 24 when he allowed one run and six hits in 14 innings against the Little Rock Travelers. He finished the year making 30 starts in 41 appearances, posting a 13–13 record and a 3.54 ERA in 221 innings pitched.

In April 1953, the New York Giants purchased Worthington's contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate, the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association (AA), where he had a 9–5 record and a 2.90 ERA. In July, he was called up by the Giants, who added him to their starting rotation. Making his major league debut on July 6, he allowed two hits in a complete game shutout over the Philadelphia Phillies.