Ted Abernathy, baseball player, 1955-1972

Ted Abernathy

Born: 3/6/1933 in Stanley, NC, USA

Died: 12/16/2004 in Gastonia, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1955-04-13 | Final Game: 1972-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Theodore Wade Abernathy

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Biography

Ted Abernathy, born in 1933, was a notable pitcher who enjoyed a professional baseball career spanning from 1955 to 1972. Throughout his tenure in Major League Baseball, Abernathy showcased his skills on the mound, finishing with a career record of 63 wins and 69 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.46, and a total of 765 strikeouts. He was particularly recognized for his effectiveness in late-game situations, amassing 148 saves, which underscored his value as a reliable closer during a time when the role was becoming increasingly important in the game. Abernathy's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the evolution of pitching strategies and the introduction of specialized roles. His ability to adapt to the demands of the game, combined with his consistent performance, made him a respected figure among his peers. As baseball transitioned into the era of power hitters and evolving offensive strategies, Abernathy's contributions helped shape the role of relief pitching, earning him a lasting legacy in the annals of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
63 69 681 34 7 2 148 1147.7 1010 441 70 592 765 3.46 0

Career ERA 3.46 vs. league average 3.56 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1955 WSN AL 5 9 40 14 3 2 0 119.3 136 79 67 79 5.96 4.00 (-49%) -
1956 WSN AL 1 3 5 4 2 0 0 30.3 35 14 10 18 4.15 3.96 (-5%) -
1957 WSN AL 2 10 26 16 2 0 0 85.0 100 64 65 50 6.78 3.83 (-77%) -
1960 WSN AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.0 4 4 4 1 12.00 — -
1963 CLE AL 7 2 43 0 0 0 12 59.3 54 19 29 47 2.88 3.46 (+17%) 661.5
1964 CLE AL 2 6 53 0 0 0 11 72.7 66 35 46 57 4.33 3.58 (-21%) -611.7
1965 CHC NL 4 6 84 0 0 0 31 136.3 113 39 56 104 2.57 3.50 (+26%) -
1966 CHC NL 1 3 20 0 0 0 4 27.7 26 19 17 18 6.18 3.52 (-76%) -
1966 ATL NL 4 4 38 0 0 0 4 65.3 58 28 36 42 3.86 3.52 (-10%) -655.9
1967 CIN NL 6 3 70 0 0 0 28 106.3 63 15 41 88 1.27 3.30 (+62%) 2715.2
1968 CIN NL 10 7 78 0 0 0 13 134.7 111 37 55 64 2.47 2.98 (+17%) -2199.6
1969 CHC NL 4 3 56 0 0 0 3 85.3 75 30 42 55 3.16 3.61 (+12%) -
1970 CHC NL 0 0 11 0 0 0 1 9.0 9 2 5 2 2.00 3.89 (+49%) -
1970 STL NL 1 0 11 0 0 0 1 18.3 15 6 12 8 2.95 3.89 (+24%) -
1970 KCR AL 9 3 36 0 0 0 12 55.7 41 16 38 49 2.59 3.89 (+33%) -
1971 KCR AL 4 6 63 0 0 0 23 81.0 60 23 50 55 2.56 3.47 (+26%) -
1972 KCR AL 3 4 45 0 0 0 5 58.3 44 11 19 28 1.70 3.26 (+48%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
681 181 12 25 3 0 0 9 0 6 74 0.138 0.175 0.155 0.329 0.0

Career AVG .138 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 44.5% below league average.

Career OBP .175 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 44.7% below league average.

Career SLG .155 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 58.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.329 vs. league average 0.689 across their career seasons — 52.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1955 WSN AL 40 26 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1956 WSN AL 5 11 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1957 WSN AL 26 24 3 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 5 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1960 WSN AL 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1963 CLE AL 43 5 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1964 CLE AL 53 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1965 CHC NL 84 18 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 7 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1966 CHC NL 20 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 ATL NL 38 8 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1967 CIN NL 70 17 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 10 0.059 — — — — 0.0
1968 CIN NL 78 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1969 CHC NL 56 8 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1970 CHC NL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1970 STL NL 11 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1970 KCR AL 36 14 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 0.214 — — — — 0.0
1971 KCR AL 63 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1972 KCR AL 45 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 681 34 92 304 21 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 WS1 P 40 14 8 22 1 2
1956 WS1 P 5 4 2 13 0 1
1957 WS1 P 26 16 4 19 0 3
1960 WS1 P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1963 CLE P 43 0 4 18 2 2
1964 CLE P 53 0 3 24 1 2
1965 CHN P 84 0 11 41 0 3
1966 CHN P 20 0 2 12 0 0
1966 ATL P 38 0 9 13 2 0
1967 CIN P 70 0 8 25 4 0
1968 CIN P 78 0 14 39 3 0
1969 CHN P 56 0 9 23 2 0
1970 CHN P 11 0 0 3 0 0
1970 SLN P 11 0 1 9 1 1
1970 KCA P 36 0 3 9 0 0
1971 KCA P 63 0 8 20 2 0
1972 KCA P 45 0 6 12 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 681

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1967 TSN Fireman of the Year
1965 TSN Fireman of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 8.0 280 0