- Al Widmar
Albert Joseph Widmar (
March 20 ,1925 -October 15 ,2005 ) was astarting pitcher and a pitching coach inMajor League Baseball . Between 1945 and 1952, Widmar played for theBoston Red Sox (1947), St. Louis Browns (1948, 1950-1951) andChicago White Sox (1952). He batted and threw right-handed. As a coach, Widmar worked with thePhiladelphia Phillies ,Milwaukee Brewers andToronto Blue Jays . He was born inCleveland, Ohio .In a five season career, Widmar posted a 13-30 record with 143
strikeout s and a 5.21 ERA in 388. 1innings pitched .Widmar played part of two major league seasons as a reliever with the
Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns. He debuted with theRed Sox in 1947, and was sent to St. Louis before the 1948 season in the same trade that broughtVern Stephens toBoston . After an unspectacular year with the Browns, he was demoted to Baltimore, St. Louis' Triple-A affiliate team.In 1949 Widmar won 22 games in the
International League . A year later, he returned to the Browns as a starter. After going 11-24 in two seasons, he was sent along withSherm Lollar to theChicago White Sox forDick Littlefield ,Joe DeMaestri ,Gus Niarhos andJim Rivera . He retired at the end of the 1952 season.Following his playing career, Widmar became a successful minor league manager for more than a decade. He also was the pitching coach for the
Philadelphia Phillies andMilwaukee Brewers , and later became a front office official for Milwaukee.In by|1979, Widmar became the pitching coach of the
Toronto Blue Jays ; he kept the job for the next ten seasons. In by|1985, he guided a rotation that featuredDave Stieb ,Doyle Alexander , Jim Clancy andJimmy Key as the Blue Jays won their first AL East Division title. He was promoted to special assistant to the vice president andgeneral manager in by|1991.Widmar died in
Tulsa, Oklahoma , at age 80.ee also
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Chicago White Sox all-time roster References
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/W/Widmar_Al.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/widmaal01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/sports/12929263.htm Bradenton Herald]
* [http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Baseball/MLB/Toronto/2005/05/13/1038279.html Slam ! Sports]
* [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2001601131_artmoments24.html Ten great moments in pennant races]
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