Al Worthington, longtime MLB reliever and University of Alabama product, dies at 97

Al Worthington, a longtime Major League Baseball reliever best remembered for his decades-spanning career in the middle of the sport’s modern era, died at age 97. The Minnesota Twins announced his passing on Thursday evening, marking the end of a life that reached back to the early 1950s, when he first entered professional baseball as a standout out of Alabama.

Worthington’s path to the majors began at the University of Alabama. After signing with the Chicago Cubs to begin his pro career in 1951, he spent time in the minor leagues before earning a chance to move within the organization. After one minor league season, Chicago traded him to the then New York Giants, a change that set up his next steps toward reaching the major leagues.

The Twins announcement also tied Worthington to one of the prominent title pictures in baseball history, describing him as a former World Series champion. That mattered for how fans and teams remembered his role as a reliever, a position that often determines late-game momentum, especially during the era when bullpen specialization was taking shape around the league.

At 6-foot-2, Worthington worked as a right-handed pitcher. While details of specific seasons and statistical milestones are not laid out in the available report, the outline of his career progression is clear: Alabama to the Cubs in 1951, then a trade to the Giants after his first minor-league stop, followed by his eventual establishment in the major leagues and a later recognition as part of a championship group.

Worthington’s story also reflects a common arc of mid-century baseball careers. Players frequently moved between farm systems and major-league opportunities, and trades could reshape a pitcher’s trajectory quickly. In Worthington’s case, the Cubs-to-Giants exchange after his initial professional season placed him on a different developmental track than the one he started with.

As MLB communities continue to share memories of former teammates and contemporaries, Worthington’s death is likely to resonate in both longtime fan circles and the organizations that cared for him after retirement. With the only confirmation in the current reporting coming through the Twins’ announcement, additional biographical details about his MLB tenure and the specific championship season will need review in follow-up coverage.

What to watch next is the flow of public tributes that typically follow these announcements, especially from the Twins and from baseball historical resources that compile award notes, roster history, and championship participation. For now, the confirmed record emphasizes the basics: a 1951 signing with Chicago, an early trade to the Giants after one minor league season, and a career that ultimately earned the World Series champion label, culminating in a respectful sendoff from Minnesota at age 97.