Woody Abernathy
From BR Bullpen
For the minor league slugger, see Woody Abernathy (minors01).
Virgil Woodrow Abernathy
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 170 lb.
- Debut July 28, 1946
- Final Game April 17, 1947
- Born February 1915 in Forest City, NC USA
- Died December 5, 1994 in Louisville, KY USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Left-hander Woody Abernathy spent five seasons in professional baseball from 1942 to 1948. He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Bees in 1938. He was on the Salisbury Bees of the North Carolina State League roster in 1938 but showed no record and was released by the Boston Bees before the 1939 season. He was out of baseball in the 1940 and 1941 seasons and was signed as a free agent by the New York Giants before the 1942 season.
Abernathy was assigned to the Fort Smith Giants of the Western Association for the 1942 season and the left-hander threw a 16-6 record in 29 games while pitching 200 innings in the class C league. He does not show on any minor league active baseball roster in 1943 and 1944 but reappeared in 1945 with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, going 9-13 with a 4.59 ERA in 32 games.
He followed that up with a 9-9 record for the same Minneapolis club in 1946 and was invited to the Polo Grounds by by the New York Giants. The 31-year-old made his major league debut on July 28, 1946. He would appear in 15 games while pitching 40 innings, for a 1-1 record and 3.38 ERA for the balance of the season. Woody opened up with the Giants on April 17, 1947, pitched two innings, gave up three runs and had a no-decision - this was his final showing in the big leagues.
Woody was back with the Minneapolis Millers in 1947, where he went 9-10 with a 5.19 ERA in 27 games and 118 innings. He returned to the Millers again in 1948, appearing in two games with no decisions and left baseball at the age of 33. His record shows that he appeared in 113 games with a 43-38 minor league record while pitching 660 innings.
After baseball, Woody worked until his retirement as a loom repairman for Reeves Brothers Textile Company in South Carolina. Virgil Woodrow Abernathy died on December 5, 1994 in Louisville, KY. He was 79 years of age.
