RIP - Al Worthington

 

Al Worthington, who pitched for the Giants, Twins, and others from 1953 to 1969 passed away on June 16, 2026 at age 97.  He was the 4th-oldest living ex-player, and the oldest to have had a baseball card after 1965.

Worthington played for the New York and San Francisco Giants from 1953-59, the Red Sox and White Sox in 1960, the Reds from 1963-64, and the Twins from 1964-69. He had previously played in Minneapolis in the minor leagues from 1953-55, and 1959. 

 

He appeared in 602 career games, and was primarily a relief pitcher after 1956 (and made no starts after 1959). 

 

Worthington appeared in the post-season for the Twins in 1965 and 1969. 

 

He briefly retired in 1960 when pressured by his White Sox manager to sit in the stands and steal signs using binoculars. (This practice was also corroborated by Sox' 3rd baseman Pete Ward on his Wikipedia page. The White Sox were a good team for most of the 1960s, but sucked tremendously after 1967. I wonder if the league had caught on and put a damper on their "talent".) 

 

After retiring in 1969, Worthington coached for the Twins from 1972-73, then started the Liberty University baseball program, coaching them from 1974-87.