Al Worthington

Allan Fulton Worthington (born February 5, 1929), nicknamed "Red", is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of 14 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Giants (New York, 1953–54, 1956–57 and San Francisco, 1958–59), Boston Red Sox (1960), Chicago White Sox (1960), Cincinnati Reds (1963–64) and Minnesota Twins (1965–69). Worthington batted and threw right-handed.

Al Worthington
Pitcher
Born: (1929-02-05) February 5, 1929
Birmingham, Alabama
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 6, 1953, for the New York Giants
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1969, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
Win–loss record75–82
Earned run average3.39
Strikeouts834
Saves111
Teams

Worthington was born on February 5, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama. He was the seventh of 10 children of newspaper compositor Walter B. Worthington and 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.[1] He attended the University of Alabama, where he played baseball and football.[2] 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 Baton Rouge 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.[1]

With Nashville in 1951, Worthington won his first two starts.[3] He appeared in 23 games (21 starts) for Nashville in 1951, posting a 7–10 record and a 4.57 earned run average (ERA) in 124 innings pitched.[4] 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."[1] 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.[1] He finished the year making 30 starts in 41 appearances, posting a 13–13 record and a 3.54 ERA in 221 innings pitched.[4]

In April of 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.[1][5] Making his major league debut on July 6, he allowed two hits in a complete game shutout over the Philadelphia Phillies.[6] He allowed four hits in his next start against the Brooklyn Dodgers on July 11, also a shutout, becoming the first National League (NL) pitcher to start his career with consecutive shutouts since Jay Hughes did so for the Baltimore Orioles in 1898.[7] Worthington then lost his next three starts, but his ERA remained under 1.00; in one of the games, he allowed seven runs, but only one was earned.[5] He would go on to lose eight straight decisions, however, before picking up a win on September 19, allowing one run in ​8 1⁄3 innings pitched in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.[8] He won his final start of the season, also against the Pirates, on September 25, allowing two unearned runs in a complete game, 6–2 victory.[5][9] In 20 games (17 starts), he had a 4–8 record, a 3.44 ERA, 52 strikeouts, 54 walks, and 103 hits allowed in 102 innings pitched.[10]

Worthington failed to make the Giants' roster out of spring training in 1954, but he was the top pitcher at Minneapolis, posting an 11–7 record, a 4.32 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched for the Millers.[4] On that date, he was promoted by the Giants to bolster their pitching staff.[1][4][11] Worthington mainly pitched out of the bullpen for the Giants in 1954, though he made one start in the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29, allowing three runs in four innings and taking a no decision in a 7–4 Giants victory.[12] In 10 games for New York, Worthington had an 0–2 record, a 3.50 ERA, eight strikeouts, 15 walks, and 21 hits allowed in 18 innings pitched.[10] The Giants won the NL pennant that year, and though Worthington did not pitch in the 1954 World Series, he on New York's roster as the Giants swept the Cleveland Indians in four games.[1]

In 1955, Worthington spent the entire season with Minneapolis. He led the American Association with 19 wins, losing 10 games and tying for fifth in the league in strikeouts (150) while posting a 3.58 ERA.[13] With his help, the Millers defeated the Rochester Red Wings to win the Junior World Series.[1]

The Giants hoped for improvement from Worthington in 1956; manager Bill Rigney, discussing him and two other young players, said, "If these three come through, we could go places."[14] In his second start on April 28, he allowed six hits and three runs (one earned) in a complete game, 5–3 victory over the Phillies.[14] On June 16, he pitched 11 innings and allowed just five singles but suffered the loss in a 3–1 loss to the Cincinnati Redlegs.[15] Four days later, he allowed one run in a complete game and was rewarded for his efforts in a 4–1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.[16] Later in the season, he missed over a month, not pitching between July 25 and August 28 because of a sore arm.[17] With a 5–14 record after September 17, he won his last two starts of the year, including a game against Philadelphia on September 22 when he allowed one run in a complete game, 2–1 victory.[18] Worthington appeared in 28 games for the Giants in 1956, making what would be a career-high 20 starts. He finished sixth in the NL in losses, posting a 3.97 ERA, striking out 95 batters, walking 74 batters, and allowing 158 hits in ​165 2⁄3 innings.[10]

Worthington started three of his first four games for the Giants in 1957, but after posting a 12.75 ERA, he was then used mostly out of the bullpen, though he still made occasional starts.[19] On May 11, relieving Joe Margoneri to start the ninth inning of a 5–5 tie against the Brooklyn Dodgers, Worthington threw seven shutout innings, picking up the win as the Giants prevailed in the 15th on a Valmy Thomas home run.[20] Four days later, he allowed two runs in ​8 1⁄3 innings, but the first allowed the Cardinals to tie the game in the seventh, and the second allowed them to win the game 6–5 in the 14th.[21] Used for a start in the second game of a doubleheader on August 18, he held the Phillies to three hits in a 1–0, shutout victory.[22] Five days later, he pitched 10 innings and held the Cubs to two runs, getting no decision in an eventual 3–2 Giants victory.[23] He made three more starts through September 5 before moving back to the bullpen for the rest of the year.[19] In 55 games (12 starts), he had an 8–11 record, a 4.22 ERA, 90 strikeouts, 56 walks, and 140 hits allowed in ​157 2⁄3 innings pitched.[10]

In 1958, the Giants moved to San Francisco; Worthington started the fourth game of the year for the ballclub, then worked out of the bullpen after that.[24] Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 13, he worked six innings of relief, blowing a 7–6 lead when Gil Hodges hit a home run against him in the third inning but earning the win as the Giants prevailed 16–9.[25] Given a start on June 15, he allowed eight hits but just one unearned run in a 3–1 victory over the Phillies.[26] From that day forth, he was used mainly as a starter until August 6, after which he was exclusively used out of the bullpen for the rest of the year.[24] He held the Pirates to one run over nine innings in the first game of a doubleheader on July 27 but got a no-decision in a 14-inning, 2–1 loss.[27] In 54 games (12 starts), he had an 11–7 record, a 3.63 ERA, 76 strikeouts, 57 walks, and 152 hits allowed in ​151 1⁄3 innings.[10]

Worthington held out during 1959 spring training hoping for a salary raise, which he was granted, but he was pitching for the Giants again by the time they played their first game.[1][28] He made starts on August 22 and 27, a day after and the day of a Giants doubleheader, respectively.[28] In the August 22 start, he allowed one run and three hits in six innings, earning the win as the Giants beat the Phillies 8–1.[29] Other than that, except for a June 18 start, he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen. Between June 24 and August 8, he made only three appearances.[28] Discovering in September that the Giants were having an employee steal opposing team's signs, observing them from the grandstands with binoculars and relaying them to the Giants' dugout, he confronted Rigney about the fact. "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,” said Worthington. “How could I go on saying those things if I was winning games because my team was cheating?"[1][2] Rigney, who had been friends with Worthington since the pitcher's minor league tenure, promised to stop the practice.[2] In 42 games (three starts), Worthington had a 2–3 record, a 3.68 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 37 walks, and 68 hits in ​73 1⁄3 innings pitched.[10]

In 1960, Worthington attended spring training with the Giants but was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Jim Marshall on March 29.[10] The Red Sox planned to use him as a relief pitcher but sent him to their Triple-A team (which happened to be the Millers) in early May after he posted a 7.71 ERA in six games.[1] When Boston's manager, Billy Jurges, was asked why Worthington had made so many appearances, he responded, "I had to find out about him." Grimacing, he continued, "I guess I found out."[1] At Minneapolis, Worthington had a what Bill Nowlin of the Society for American Baseball Research called an "excellent" 2.04 ERA, posting an 11–9 record and striking out 100 over 150 innings pitched in 37 games (11 starts).[1][4] On August 29, the Chicago White Sox purchased his contract.[1]

Worthington made four relief appearances for the White Sox, posting a 1–1 record and a 3.38 ERA.[10] Shortly after he arrived, he discovered the team was using a flashing light on the Comiskey Park scoreboard to steal signs.[2] The Chicago Tribune reported (in 1987) that he had been asked to sit in the stands and steal signs himself as well.[1] Though he complained to manager Al López and general manager Hank Greenberg, the scheme continued. Not able to continue playing for the team with a clear conscience, Worthington voluntarily retired with a month left in the season. “A coach picking up signs, that’s part of the game," he said, "but this other now … Baseball ought to be played on the up and up. When it’s not, that’s the time to quit."[2]

Returning to Birmingham, Worthington enrolled at Howard College in the fall of 1960, hoping to finish his degree and pursue a coaching career. In May of 1961, he decided to return to baseball. According to Greenberg, the White Sox (who still had Worthington's rights) had tried unsuccessfully to trade him. They permitted him to play for the San Diego Padres, their Triple-A team in the Pacific Coast League.[2] On August 26, 1961, Worthington threw the first no-hitter ever for San Diego, shutting out the Hawaii Islanders in a 5–0 victory.[1] In 23 games (12 starts), he had a 9–10 record, a 3.55 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 49 walks, and 86 hits allowed in 109 innings pitched.[4] The White Sox made their Triple-A affiliate the Indianapolis Indians of the AA in 1962; used as a starter this time, Worthington had a 15–4 record, ranking among the AA leaders in several categories. His 15 wins tied with Frank Kreutzer's total for third, his .789 winning percentage led the league, his 2.94 ERA was second to Connie Grob's 2.86 mark (among pitcher who threw at least 150 innings), his three shutouts were tied with Kreutzer and Gary Peters for second, his 217 innings pitched ranked third, and his 149 strikeouts were two behind Chi-Chi Olivo's total.[30] This attracted interest from other teams, and the New York Mets were reported by the New York Times and the Associated Press to have selected him in the Rule 5 draft that October. However, these reports were erroneous, as the Cincinnati Reds wound up obtaining his rights.[1]

A part of Cincinnati's bullpen in 1963, Worthington made his first appearance in the major leagues in three years on April 10, allowing four runs (three earned) in one inning in a 10–7 loss to the Phillies.[31] On May 15, he relieved Jim Maloney to begin the sixth inning and threw four scoreless innings, earning the save in a 10–2 victory over the Cubs.[32]

After successive transactions between the Giants, Red Sox, White Sox and Reds, Worthington landed in Minnesota. He had a 1.37 ERA with the Twins in 1964, which Sports Illustrated called "impressive."[10][33] In 1965 he posted career-highs in saves (21) and ERA (2.13), and also won 10 games. From 1966 to 1967 he saved 32 games, and in 1968 he led the league 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 innings pitched.

Worthington was a sinkerball pitcher who also threw a slider and curveball. Sal Maglie, a teammate of Worthington with the Giants and later his pitching coach with Boston, told the Boston Globe that the pitcher was "pretty quick and had a good sinker....He has developed a good slider and curve to go with his fast sinker, and I believe he will help [the Red Sox]."[1] The Associated Press called his slider "elegant."[1]

Following his major league career, Worthington replaced the retired Marv Grissom as the pitching coach for the Twins, serving in that capacity from 1972 through 1973.[34][35] Then, he went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he helped start the Liberty University Flames baseball team in 1974 and became the first head coach.[36] He first found out about Liberty in 1973 when he heard Jerry Falwell speaking about it on the radio. Calling him, Worthington said the school should have a good Christian baseball coach; he wanted the job no matter what the salary.[34] He served 13 seasons as the Flames' head coach, and the team's first season was its only losing one under his tenure. As of 2010, he was the winningest head coach in Liberty's history, with a 343-189-1 record (64.4 winning percentage).[36] Future major leaguers Sid Bream, Lee Guetterman, and Randy Tomlin all played for him at Liberty.[2] He was named Liberty's Athletic Director on December 19, 1983.[36] Bobby Richardson succeeded him as head coach in 1987, but Worthington remained involved with the team as its pitching coach.[37] Under his tenure as Athletic Director, the baseball team achieved NCAA Division I status in 1988. Worthington retired in 1989. Liberty's former baseball venue was named after him.[36] Liberty Baseball Stadium replaced Al Worthington Stadium in 2013, but the new ballpark was rededicated as Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium in 2019.[38][39] In 1980, Worthington managed the Falmouth Commodores, a collegiate summer baseball team in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League.[40] He led the Commodores to the league title with a team featuring future major leaguers Steve Lombardozzi and Bream.[36][41] In May 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Worthington's nickname was "Red."[7] He married Shirley Reusse in December of 1950, while still in college. Though Worthington grew up going to church, he and Shirley became born-again Christians in 1958 on the second night of attending a Billy Graham Crusade at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. "I’d been going to church since I was six,” he said, “and I’d always wanted to go to heaven, but I’d never understood how."[1][34] In an interview with Alabama.com in 2020, he said, "I have to give God all the credit. He’s the one who’s blessed me all these years. Ever since I’ve been saved, it’s been a great life."[2]

See also

References
  1. Nowlin, Bill. "Al Worthington". SABR. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  2. Stephenson, Creg (May 1, 2020). "The story of Al Worthington, who once quit baseball over sign-stealing". AL.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. Fullerton, Hugh (June 8, 1951). "Sports Roundup". The Prescott Evening Courier. p. 4. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. "Al Worthington Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  5. "Al Worthington 1953 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  6. "Philadelphia Phillies at New York Giants Box Score, July 6, 1953". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  7. Sheehan, Joseph M. (July 12, 1953). "Homer String Ends; Beaten by Worthington, Brooks Fall One Short of Major Mark of 25". The New York Times. p. 142. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  8. Briordy, William J. (September 20, 1953). "Giants Split With Pirates by Taking First Game of Polo Grounds Twin Bill". The New York Times. p. 229. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  9. "New York Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score, September 25, 1953". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  10. "Al Worthington Stats". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  11. Drebinger, John (July 29, 1954). "Antonelli Hurls 15th Victory, 10–0". The New York Times. p. 27. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  12. "Al Worthington 1954 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  13. "1955 American Association Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  14. Drebinger, John (April 28, 1956). "Spencer's Homer Beats Phils, 5–3". The New York Times. p. 27. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  15. Sheehan, Joseph M. (June 17, 1956). "Giants Halted by Redlegs In Eleventh Inning, 3–1" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  16. Briordy, William J. (June 21, 1956). "Thompson's 3-Run Homer Helps Worthington Down Chicago, 4-1". The New York Times. p. 51. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  17. Effrat, Louis (August 29, 1956). "Three Cincinnati Homers Ease Nuxhall's Path to 11-1 Victory". The New York Times. p. 45. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  18. "Al Worthington 1956 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  19. "Al Worthington 1957 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  20. "Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants Box Score, May 11, 1957". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  21. "New York Giants at St. Louis Cardinals Box Score, May 15, 1957". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  22. "New York Giants at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, August 18, 1957". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  23. "Chicago Cubs at New York Giants Box Score, August 23, 1957". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  24. "Al Worthington 1958 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  25. "San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers Box Score, May 13, 1958". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  26. "Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants Box Score, June 15, 1958". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  27. "San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score, July 27, 1958". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  28. "Al Worthington 1959 Pitching Gamelogs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  29. "San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, August 22, 1959". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  30. "1962 American Association Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  31. "Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies Box Score, April 10, 1963". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  32. "Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs Box Score, May 15, 1963". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  33. "Minnesota Twins". Sports Illustrated. April 19, 1965. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  34. Montville, Leigh (November 13, 1989). "Thou Shalt Not Lose". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  35. "Twins Name Worthington". The New York Times. November 12, 1971. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  36. "Al Worthington (Baseball Coach: 1974-86/Athletics Director: 1983-89)". Liberty Flames. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  37. Jacobs, Barry (March 21, 1989). "Building From the Ground Up; Falwell Sees Liberty as an Athletic Powerhouse". The New York Times. p. B9. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  38. "Liberty Baseball Stadium". Liberty Flames. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  39. "Liberty Athletics Announces Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium Dedication". Liberty Flames. October 11, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  40. "Cape League opens season on June 13". Barnstable Patriot. Barnstable, MA. May 29, 1980. p. 10.
  41. "History of the Commodores". falmouthcommodores.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
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