Al Aber
From BR Bullpen
Albert Julius Aber (Lefty)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut September 15, 1950
- Final Game September 11, 1957
- Born July 31, 1927 in Cleveland, OH USA
- Died May 20, 1993 in Garfield Heights, OH USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Al Aber, a left-handed pitcher, was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cleveland Indians at age 19 in 1946. His first stop was in the Pennsylvania-Ontario-New York League with the Batavia Clippers where he won 13 games while losing 6 for a 4.59 ERA. He spent five years in the minors before breaking in with the Indians on September 15, 1950, pitching a complete game victory and allowing only 2 runs. Even so, he did not play another game in the big leagues until 1953.
Aber served in the United States Military during the Korean Conflict in 1951 and 1952 and was out of professional baseball those two seasons.
He appeared in six games for the Indians in 1953 before being traded on June 15, to the Detroit Tigers with Ray Boone and Dick Weik for Art Houtteman, Owen Friend, Bill Wight and Joe Ginsberg.
Aber spent the next five years with the Tigers, where he won 22 and lost 24. On August 27, 1957 he was selected off waivers by the Kansas City Athletics, from the Tigers. Al made three appearances for the Athletics and hung up his major league spikes.
Aber pitched in 1958 with two minor league teams, the Buffalo Bisons and the Little Rock Travelers, winning 3 and losing 3 and decided his professional playing days were over.
In an interview in Sport magazine in June 1956, the Detroit Tigers catcher Frank House complimented Aber for his "heavy" ball. "I could catch Billy Hoeft with a fielder's glove. Although he's fast, he throws a 'light' ball that makes it easy on the catcher. Al Aber, another leftie on our staff, is tough to catch because he throws a 'heavy' ball."
Career Pitching Statistics
| League | W | L | G | IP | H | R | ER | BB | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minors | 63 | 45 | 164 | 840 | 971 | 463 | 377 | 424 | 4.06 |
| Majors | 24 | 25 | 168 | 389 | 398 | 205 | 181 | 160 | 4.18 |
| Total | 87 | 70 | 332 | 1229 | 1369 | 668 | 558 | 584 | 4.12 |
He primarily wore number 22.
Aber died in 1993 at age 65 in Garfield Heights, Ohio.
[edit] Sources
The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Third Edition
SABR Minor League Database
baseball-reference.com
Baseball Library.com
