Woody Abernathy

Note: This page is for 1940s pitcher Woody Abernathy; for the minor league slugger of the same name, click here.

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

BR page

Biographical Information

Left-hander Woody Abernathy pitched parts of two seasons in the bigs.

Woody was signed as an amateur free agent by the Boston Bees in 1938, pitching for the Salisbury Bees of the North Carolina State League before drawing his release. He returned by signing with the New York Giants before the 1942 season and was assigned to the Fort Smith Giants of the Western Association, going 16-6 in 29 games and 200 innings in Class C ball. He reappeared in 1945 with the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association, going 9-13 with a 4.59 ERA in 32 games. Woody followed with a 9-9 record in 1946 and made his major league debut for the Giants on July 28th of that year. He appeared in 15 games, going 1-1, 3.38 in 40 innings.

In 1947, Woody opened up with the Giants on April 17th. He pitched two innings and gave up three runs in his final showing in the majors. After that, it was back with the Minneapolis Millers, where he went 9-10 with a 5.19 ERA in 27 games and 118 innings. He returned to the Millers in 1948, appearing in two games and left baseball at the age of 33. Overall in the minor leagues, 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. He died on December 5, 1994 in Louisville, KY at 79.

Related Sites

• BR Minors page
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Woody Abernathy