Albert Wayne "Boots" Hollingsworth (February 25, 1908 – April 28, 1996) was an American

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...

with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators,

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

and the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

between 1935 and 1946. Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Hollingsworth batted and threw

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

. He was listed as tall and . Hollingsworth earned his nickname when, as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

early in his career, he made an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

in the field. He became a full-time pitcher during the 1933 season, his sixth in pro ball. Hollingsworth was a member of the 1944 Browns, the only St. Louis-based team to win an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

pennant. Ironically, 1944 was Hollingsworth's worst regular season among the four full years he spent as a Brown; he won only five of 12 decisions, posted a poor 4.47

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, and surrendered 108 hits and 37 bases on balls in 92 innings pitched, with only 22 strikeouts. He appeared in Game 4 of the "All-St. Louis" 1944 World Series, allowing one run in four innings pitched in relief of starting pitcher Sig Jakucki. He had two stellar seasons for the Browns, however, in 1942 and 1945, each time compiling winning records with an ERA of under 3.00. Hollingsworth was also involved in a noteworthy trade earlier in his career when, on June 13, 1938, he was sent by Cincinnati to the Philadelphia Phillies along with

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

Spud Davis Virgil Lawrence "Spud" Davis (December 20, 1904 – August 14, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Cinc ...

and $50,000 in cash for right-handed pitcher

Bucky Walters William Henry "Bucky" Walters (April 19, 1909 – April 20, 1991) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1950. He was a six-time All-Star and the 1939 National League Most Valuable Player ...

. Walters would win 160 of 267 decisions during his Cincinnati pitching career, and help lead the Reds to the 1939 and 1940

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

pennants, and the

1940 World Series The 1940 World Series matched the Cincinnati Reds against the Detroit Tigers, with the Reds winning a closely contested seven-game series. The victory secured the Reds the second championship in their franchise history and came 21 years after th ...

championship. Hollingsworth appeared in 315 Major League games pitched, 185 as a starting pitcher. In 1,520 innings, he allowed 1,642 hits and 587 bases on balls, with 608 strikeouts, seven

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

and 15 saves. His professional playing career lasted for 20 consecutive seasons, including minor league service. He then had a lengthy post-playing career as a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

in the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

organizations, the pitching coach for the Cardinals from April 29, 1957, through 1958, and a scout for the Redbirds, Washington Senators, Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics. As a hitter, Hollingsworth posted a .196

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

(103-for-525) with 53 runs, 2 home runs, 32

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

and 23 bases on balls. Defensively, he recorded a .966 fielding percentage. Hollingsworth died April 28, 1996, in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, aged 88.

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollingsworth, Al 1908 births 1996 deaths Allentown Cardinals players Baseball coaches from Missouri Baseball players from St. Louis Nashville Vols players Bloomington Cubs players California Angels scouts Canton Terriers players Cedar Rapids Bunnies players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Hollywood Stars players Houston Astros scouts Houston Buffaloes managers Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Major League Baseball scouts Montreal Royals players Newark Bears (International League) players Oakland Athletics scouts Philadelphia Phillies players Rock Island Islanders players Sacramento Solons players St. Louis Browns players St. Louis Cardinals coaches St. Louis Cardinals scouts Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Washington Senators (1961–1971) scouts Waynesboro Red Birds players Waynesboro Villagers players

See also

References

External links