Tal Abernathy
Encyclopedia
Talmadge Lafayette Abernathy (October 30, 1921 – November 16, 2001), also known as Ted Abernathy, was a professional baseball
player whose playing career spanned eight seasons, including parts of three in Major League Baseball
with the Philadelphia Athletics (1942–1944). Abernathy was a pitcher
. Over his major league career, he went 0–3 with a 11.07 earned run average
(ERA), one complete game
and 13 strikeout
s in seven games, two starts
. Abernathy batted right-handed and threw right-handed.
Abernathy also played in the minor leagues
. Over his career in the minors, Abernathy played with the Class-B Wilmington Blue Rocks
(1942–1943); Class-A1, and later Double-A, Memphis Chickasaws (1944–1947); the Class-C Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
(1947); the Class-C Reidsville Luckies (1948); the Class-C, and later Class-B, Burlington Bees (1948–1949); and the Class-B Greensboro Patriots (1949). During his minor league career, Abernathy went 79–67 with a 3.39 ERA in 238 games. Abernathy also managed
two minor league teams during the 1948 season.
from 1939 to 1941. In 1939, both Abernathy and future Major League Baseball
player Ed Sauer
attended Elon University. In October 1974, Abernathy was inducted into the Elon University Sports Hall of Fame, recognized because of his contribution as an athlete at the college.
. Abernathy started his first professional season in 1942 with the Class-B Wilmington Blue Rocks
. With the Blue Rocks, Abernathy went 8–6 with a 2.61 earned run average
(ERA) in 27 games. He was a member of the Blue Rocks when they won the Interstate League
pennant. During that season, Abernathy was called-up to the Athletics at the major league level. He made his debut on September 19, 1942, against the Washington Senators
. In what would be his only game that season, Abernathy pitched 2 innings
and gave up three runs
, all earned. On February 23, 1943, Abernathy re-signed with the Athletics.
Abernathy participated in spring training
with the Athletics during the 1943 season. In May, Abernathy was cut from the Athletics roster after giving up seven earned runs, all earned, in one inning pitched.
Abernathy was then assigned to the Class-B Wilmington Blue Rocks where he went 16–10 with a 3.16 ERA in 38 games. He was tied for sixth in the Interstate League in wins
. Abernathy made his return to the Athletics roster in September and finished the season with a record of 0–3 with a 12.89 ERA, one complete game
and 10 strikeouts in five games, two starts
. Abernathy spent what would prove to be his final season in the majors with the Athletics in 1944. In only one game, Abernathy gave up one earned run in one inning pitched.
. He went 6–6 with a 3.55 ERA in 23 games, 11 starts with the Chickasaws that season. In 1945, Abernathy continued playing with the Memphis Chickasaws. That season, he went 8–10 with a 3.65 ERA in 26 games, 20 starts. Abernathy was tied for first on Memphis in losses in 1945.
During the 1946 season, still a member of the Memphis Chickasaws who were now redefined as a Double-A level team, Abernathy went 3–3 with a 3.48 ERA in nine games, seven starts. In 1947, Abernathy played for both the Double-A Memphis Chickasaws and the Class-C Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
. With the Chickasaws, he went 1–0 in two games. Abernathy later joined the Triplets where he went 14–12 with a 3.18 ERA in 39 games. He led the Leaksville-Draper-Spray team in wins.
During the 1948 season, Abernathy made his managerial
debut as the player-manager of two Carolina League
teams; the Burlington Bees
and the Reidsville Luckies. Combined between the two Class-C level teams, Abernathy went 13–10 with a 3.57 ERA in 37 games. During his tenure with the Bees, Abernathy was fined for throwing a baseball out of the ball park after getting upset over a call made by the umpire
. After the incident, Abernathy apologized to his teammates and promised them that if he was ever fined again, he would buy them all a steak
.
In 1949, Abernathy's final season in professional baseball, he split the season between the Class-B Burlington Bees and the Class-B Greensboro Patriots, both of the Carolina League. In 37 combined games, Abernathy went 10–10 with a 4.18 ERA.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player whose playing career spanned eight seasons, including parts of three in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
with the Philadelphia Athletics (1942–1944). Abernathy was a pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. Over his major league career, he went 0–3 with a 11.07 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA), one complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
and 13 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in seven games, two starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
. Abernathy batted right-handed and threw right-handed.
Abernathy also played in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. Over his career in the minors, Abernathy played with the Class-B Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952)
The Wilmington Blue Rocks were a minor league baseball team based in Wilmington, Delaware, playing in the Interstate League from 1940-1952. The nickname "Blue Rocks" came from 73-year-old Robert Miller in a name-the-team contest. Miller lived in the Henry Clay section of the city, famed for its...
(1942–1943); Class-A1, and later Double-A, Memphis Chickasaws (1944–1947); the Class-C Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
The Class D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets was a Minor league baseball team who played in three different leagues between the and seasons. The team was a combination of three separate towns from North Carolina ....
(1947); the Class-C Reidsville Luckies (1948); the Class-C, and later Class-B, Burlington Bees (1948–1949); and the Class-B Greensboro Patriots (1949). During his minor league career, Abernathy went 79–67 with a 3.39 ERA in 238 games. Abernathy also managed
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
two minor league teams during the 1948 season.
Amateur career
Abernathy attended Elon UniversityElon University
Elon University is a private liberal arts university in Elon, North Carolina, United States. Formerly known as Elon College, it became Elon University on June 1, 2001. The campus is a botanical garden and features oak trees, brick sidewalks, fountains, and lakes...
from 1939 to 1941. In 1939, both Abernathy and future Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Ed Sauer
Ed Sauer
Edward Sauer , was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from 1943-1949. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Braves, and Chicago Cubs.-External links:...
attended Elon University. In October 1974, Abernathy was inducted into the Elon University Sports Hall of Fame, recognized because of his contribution as an athlete at the college.
Philadelphia Athletics
Before the 1942 season, Abernathy was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. Abernathy started his first professional season in 1942 with the Class-B Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952)
The Wilmington Blue Rocks were a minor league baseball team based in Wilmington, Delaware, playing in the Interstate League from 1940-1952. The nickname "Blue Rocks" came from 73-year-old Robert Miller in a name-the-team contest. Miller lived in the Henry Clay section of the city, famed for its...
. With the Blue Rocks, Abernathy went 8–6 with a 2.61 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
(ERA) in 27 games. He was a member of the Blue Rocks when they won the Interstate League
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. The longest tenured of these was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor...
pennant. During that season, Abernathy was called-up to the Athletics at the major league level. He made his debut on September 19, 1942, against the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
. In what would be his only game that season, Abernathy pitched 2 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
and gave up three runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, all earned. On February 23, 1943, Abernathy re-signed with the Athletics.
Abernathy participated in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
with the Athletics during the 1943 season. In May, Abernathy was cut from the Athletics roster after giving up seven earned runs, all earned, in one inning pitched.
Abernathy was then assigned to the Class-B Wilmington Blue Rocks where he went 16–10 with a 3.16 ERA in 38 games. He was tied for sixth in the Interstate League in wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
. Abernathy made his return to the Athletics roster in September and finished the season with a record of 0–3 with a 12.89 ERA, one complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
and 10 strikeouts in five games, two starts
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
. Abernathy spent what would prove to be his final season in the majors with the Athletics in 1944. In only one game, Abernathy gave up one earned run in one inning pitched.
Later career
After pitching one game with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1944, Abernathy started playing in the St. Louis Browns organization with the Class-A1 Memphis Chickasaws of the Southern AssociationSouthern Association
The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...
. He went 6–6 with a 3.55 ERA in 23 games, 11 starts with the Chickasaws that season. In 1945, Abernathy continued playing with the Memphis Chickasaws. That season, he went 8–10 with a 3.65 ERA in 26 games, 20 starts. Abernathy was tied for first on Memphis in losses in 1945.
During the 1946 season, still a member of the Memphis Chickasaws who were now redefined as a Double-A level team, Abernathy went 3–3 with a 3.48 ERA in nine games, seven starts. In 1947, Abernathy played for both the Double-A Memphis Chickasaws and the Class-C Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets
The Class D Leaksville-Draper-Spray Triplets was a Minor league baseball team who played in three different leagues between the and seasons. The team was a combination of three separate towns from North Carolina ....
. With the Chickasaws, he went 1–0 in two games. Abernathy later joined the Triplets where he went 14–12 with a 3.18 ERA in 39 games. He led the Leaksville-Draper-Spray team in wins.
During the 1948 season, Abernathy made his managerial
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
debut as the player-manager of two Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
teams; the Burlington Bees
Burlington Bees
The Burlington Bees are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home is in Burlington, Iowa.-History:...
and the Reidsville Luckies. Combined between the two Class-C level teams, Abernathy went 13–10 with a 3.57 ERA in 37 games. During his tenure with the Bees, Abernathy was fined for throwing a baseball out of the ball park after getting upset over a call made by the umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
. After the incident, Abernathy apologized to his teammates and promised them that if he was ever fined again, he would buy them all a steak
Steak
A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...
.
In 1949, Abernathy's final season in professional baseball, he split the season between the Class-B Burlington Bees and the Class-B Greensboro Patriots, both of the Carolina League. In 37 combined games, Abernathy went 10–10 with a 4.18 ERA.