Al Worthington


Allan Fulton Worthington, nicknamed "Red", is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of 14 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Giants, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. Worthington batted and threw right-handed.
Worthington began his career with the Giants as a starter, pitching two shutouts in his first two major league games. After spending most of the 1954 and 1955 seasons in the minor leagues, he became a full-time starter again in 1956. During 1957-58, he was used as a swingman, and by 1959 he was almost exclusively used out of the bullpen. After successive transactions between the Giants, Red Sox, White Sox and Reds, Worthington landed in Minnesota. In 1965 he posted career-highs in saves and ERA, 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 continued with his career in baseball after his retirement as a player by accepting the head coaching position at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's former baseball venue was named after him. In 1980, Worthington managed the Falmouth Commodores, a collegiate summer baseball team in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. He led the Commodores to the league title with a team featuring future major leaguers Steve Lombardozzi and Sid Bream. In May 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.