Pitcher Al Worthington, the Minnesota Twins’ closer during their first World Series season in 1965 who earlier walked away from the game two times because he objected when two of his teams were stealing signs, has died, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame announced on Thursday. He was 97.
The Hall, which inducted Worthington in 2011, did not provide a cause of death or give an exact date.
Worthington, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and a star pitcher at the University of Alabama, played 14 seasons in the majors. According to the Baseball Almanac, he was the fourth-oldest living MLB player at the time of his death.
He was also one of five living players who had seen action with the Giants franchise in New York before the team moved west to San Francisco before the 1958 season.
The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame mourns the passing of 2011 Inductee Al Worthington. Worthington played baseball at the University of Alabama where he finished his pitching career with a 14-3 record. pic.twitter.com/PDQQth6Ywx
— Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (@ASHOF) June 18, 2026
The Society for American Baseball Research noted in its profile of Worthington that the right-hander played for both Chicago MLB teams, both Sox teams (Red Sox and White Sox) and both the New York and San Francisco Giants.
“Perhaps fittingly, given all those pairings, he finished his career with the Twins, pitching six seasons for Minnesota,” Worthington’s SABR biography states.
In 1965, Worthington appeared in 62 games for the Twins, saving 21 games with a 2.13 ERA. His bullpen work was instrumental in leading Minnesota to its first American League pennant.
During his six seasons in the Twin Cities, Worthington had 88 of his career 111 saves and had a 37-31 record.
Worthington spent his first six seasons with the Giants, beginning in 1953. He appeared in 10 games when the Giants won their last World Series in New York in 1954.
In September 1959, Worthington confronted manager Bill Rigney after hearing that the Giants were using a spy using binoculars in the stands to steal signs, SABR wrote.
“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,” he said. “How could I go on saying those things if I was winning games because my team was cheating?”
Worthington would be traded in 1960 to the Red Sox, and on Aug. 29 he was dealt to the White Sox.
According to SABR, Worthington left the team on Sept. 8, stating that “I’m home and I’d rather leave why I’m here a personal matter.”
It was later determined that Worthington left the team because he believed the White Sox had been stealing signs. White Sox manager Al Lopez neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, and Worthington told general manager Hank Greenberg that “I can’t play for a team that’s cheating,” SABR wrote.
After retiring as an active player, Worthington became the head baseball coach at Lynchburg Baptist College (now Liberty University). He had a 343-189-1 record from 1973 to 1986 and served as athletic director from 1983 to 1986.
He was inducted into the Liberty University Hall of Fame in 2010.
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