Allan Worthington, a World Series champion who played for multiple Major League Baseball teams, has passed away. He was 97.
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Worthington, the seventh of 10 children, grew up in Alabama and played multiple sports. He attended the University of Alabama, where he played both baseball and football. Although he gave up football as a sophomore to focus on baseball.
The 6-foot-2-inch pitcher led the Crimson Tide to the SEC Championship in 1950, and he helped the team secure a spot in the College Baseball World Series.
Alabama defeated Bradley 9-2 in the opening round but fell to Washington State 9-1 in the second round. The team had an opportunity to rebound against Wisconsin but lost.
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
Worthington made his MLB debut in July 1953 at the age of 24. He suited up for the New York Giants, the first of five teams for which he would play in the Majors. He tied an MLB record by pitching consecutive shutouts in his first two starts.
The Alabama native remained with the Giants in 1954 as the team won the championship. He played mostly in a relief role that season and did not hit the mound during the World Series.
Worthington spent the 1955 season in the minors but returned to MLB in 1956. He continued to play for the Giants through the 1959 season, and he moved with the team to San Francisco.
A trade sent him to the Boston Red Sox, where he spent part of the 1960 season. He also played for the Chicago White Sox that year. Although he left the team after opposing their practice of stealing signs.
The veteran pitcher spent 1961 and 1962 in the minor leagues before joining Cincinnati in 1963. He remained with the team through part of the 1964 season before ultimately landing with Minnesota.
He remained with the Twins for six years while closing out his MLB career. He posted his best win-loss record of his career at 37-31, and he delivered 399 strikeouts. He helped the Twins reach the World Series in 1965, where they ultimately lost to the Dodgers.
Worthington retired from playing baseball after the 1969 season. He then spent two seasons as a pitching coach for Minnesota before becoming the head baseball coach of what is now Liberty University. According to his biography, he led the college program to a 343-189-1 record.
"The Minnesota Twins organization mourns the loss of former player, Al Worthington," the team said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the Worthington family during their time of grieving."
