Originally Posted by
rico43
#39 TED ABERNATHY
Right-handed Pitcher/Closer
What came before: The submarining reliever had broken into the majors a full 12 seasons before as a righty with an ineffective three-quarters delivery. But the young Ted was tempered by two years as a corporal in the Korean War and was not deterred by being batting practice during three seasons for the old Washington Senators. Battered back to the minors – including two partial seaons in the Braves' system – Abernathy re-emerged for keeps in a full six seasons later as a fully formed, effective reliever for the Cleveland Indians with a unique delivery that nearly had him dragging his knuckles in the dirt.
His 7-2, 2.88 year for the Tribe drew the interest of the Cubs, who acquired him before the 1965 season. He turned in a monster campaign: he led the NL with 84 appearances, including 62 games finished, and league-best 31 saves in 136 innings.
That 1966 season: His control abandoned him and he was a mere 1-3 with a 6.18 ERA when the Braves swapped their Opening Day first baseman, Lee Thomas, for him on May 28. But Abernathy was mainly an innings-eater, barely effective middle man. He got into 38 games, was 4-4 with four saves and a 3.86 ERA. But he walked nearly as many as he whiffed (36/42). At the end of the season, the Braves dropped him from their 40-man roster and the Reds grabbed in him the Rule 5 draft.
What happened next: In a foreshadowing of Clay Carroll's move to Cincinnati, the Reds turned Abernathy into the league's best closer for a time. In 1967, he led the league with 70 appearances and 28 saves, finishing 6-3, 1.27. He followed that up with a 1968 campaign that finished 10-7, 2.48 and another league-leading total of 78 appearances. He was more of a set-up man, getting only13 saves while posting 135 innings.
The Cubs eagerly brought him back for the 1969 season, but early in 1970 he was on the move again, first to the Cardinals, then the Royals and was a combined 10-3, 2.60 for the three teams. He put up another 23 saves for the Royals in 1970, but his role dwindled in 1972. Released by the Royals before the '73 season, he gamely went all the way back to the Carolina League to work for a co-op team. His final 18 appearances saw him go 2-1, 3.86 for the Wilson Pennants before hanging them up for good.
Abernathy appeared in 681 major league games over 14 seasons with 148 saves. He died in 2004 in Gastonia, N.C. of causes related to Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 71.
