He Threw Back-to-Back Shutouts as a Rookie. Now the Oldest Living MLB Pitcher Has Died at 97.

Al Worthington, one of the last living players from the 1954 World Series champion New York Giants, died Thursday at 97. The Minnesota Twins, where he spent his best years as a reliever, confirmed the news.

Worthington wasn’t supposed to be a bullpen guy. He broke into the majors in 1953 with the Giants and threw complete-game shutouts in his first two starts. That kind of start doesn’t happen often. But the game eventually moved him to relief, and that’s where he made his real mark.

He played with Willie Mays. He was part of the Giants’ move from New York to San Francisco. And he was never quiet about what he thought was wrong with the game. In 1959, Worthington called out a Giants staffer for using binoculars to steal signs. Then with the White Sox, he flagged a system involving a scoreboard light. Both times, he said the cheating was obvious. Both times, he ended up traded not long after.

The Twins Years Were Different

Minnesota picked him up in 1964, and something clicked. Over the next four seasons, Worthington posted ERAs under 3.00 every year. In 1965, he put up a 1.37 ERA after arriving and saved a career-high 21 games while helping the Twins reach the World Series. He threw four innings in that Fall Classic against the Dodgers and allowed one unearned run — but Minnesota lost in seven.

His last big season came in 1969, when the Twins won the AL West and Worthington pitched in the ALCS against Baltimore.

By the time he hung it up, Worthington had a 75-82 record, a 3.39 ERA, 834 strikeouts and retroactive credit for 111 saves across 602 appearances. More than half of those games came in relief, which was unusual for a guy who started his career throwing back-to-back shutouts.

Then He Went and Coached College Baseball

After baseball, Worthington didn’t disappear. He took over at Liberty Baptist College (now Liberty University) and spent 13 seasons as head coach, winning 343 games. Eventually he became the school’s athletic director.

He and his wife Shirley were married 73 years before she passed in 2024. He leaves behind a big family across multiple generations.

At 97, Worthington was one of the oldest living former Major Leaguers. Not bad for a kid from Birmingham who was one of 10 kids and played both baseball and football at Alabama.