BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 28: Detail view of a baseball bat weight with a Boston Red Sox logo during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 28, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
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The Boston Red Sox have been home to countless memorable pitchers throughout their history, from Hall of Famers to short-term contributors who left a lasting mark on the game.
One former Red Sox hurler who would fall into the latter category was remembered this week after he died at age 97 following a noteworthy, championship career that included a stint in Boston.
Al Worthington, whose MLB journey brought him to the Red Sox for part of the 1960 season, was a standout reliever with the Minnesota Twins and a champion with the New York Giants, died this week at the age of 97. His passing closes the chapter on one of baseball’s longest and most fascinating careers.
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“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,” according to WGAU. “He was 97.”
Worthington spent 14 seasons in the major leagues and appeared in 602 games, establishing himself as one of the premier relief pitchers of his era. While many fans remember him most for his years with the Twins, he also pitched for the New York Giants organization and earned a World Series championship during the Giants’ 1954 title run.
His connection to baseball history extended well beyond his playing accomplishments.
“Worthington’s passing was announced by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2011,” AL.com’s Creg Stephenson reported. “Born Feb. 5, 1929, he had been the fourth oldest living former Major League Baseball player prior to his death and was one one of only a handful of remaining men who saw action for the New York Giants, who moved to San Francisco in 1958.”
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“Worthington was traded twice in the next year: in March 1960 to the Boston Red Sox and in August 1960 to the Chicago White Sox,” JP Hoornstra noted for Newsweek. “In Chicago, he confronted White Sox general manager Hank Greenberg when sign-stealing allegations surfaced against them.”
That was the second time in his career that Worthington made a public stance against sign stealing with his teammates, previously doing so with Giants manager Bill Rigney in 1959.
That willingness to speak up became a defining aspect of Worthington’s legacy. Long before sign-stealing became one of baseball’s biggest modern controversies, he was known for objecting to practices he believed violated the spirit of the game.
For Red Sox fans, Worthington’s passing serves as a reminder of a unique baseball figure whose career connected multiple historic franchises, a World Series championship, and a reputation for standing by his principles throughout a Hall of Fame-caliber baseball life.
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