Al Aber

Al Aber’s money pitch was the sinker. When he executed it to his full potential, American League hitters flailed at his offerings. Al Rosen, a fine hitter in his day and one of Aber’s teammates in Cleveland, remarked that “he’s a left-handed Bob Lemon.”1 

Neither Aber, a southpaw, nor Lemon, a right-hander, could hurl a straight fastball. The baseball would sink, it would sail, it even could dipsy-doo. Both kept the ball low.

Aber pitched for six seasons in the majors (1950, 1953-57), primarily with the Detroit Tigers, and also with Cleveland and Kansas City. He performed adequately as both a spot starter and a reliever. A Cleveland native, Aber was able to fulfill his dream of pitching for his hometown team. For him, that was the apex of his career.

Albert Julius Aber was born on July 31, 1927. He was the youngest of five children born to John and Catherine (née Doerr) Aber.2 John Aber worked as a butcher and also owned a grocery store. Catherine Aber may have had the bigger task keeping their household of four boys and one girl in order.

Aber’s three older brothers (John, Michael, and Henry) all played baseball on the Cleveland sandlots. Young Al caught the baseball bug from them. The Aber family lived on the west side of Cleveland, but that did not deter Al from taking the streetcars across town to League Park to watch his hometown heroes like pitchers Bob Feller and Johnny Allen. These influences started Aber’s pursuit of a baseball career. He began this path pitching at age 10 in the age 14-and-under Class F sandlot leagues. Former Cleveland shortstop Bill Wambsganss was the league supervisor. “You’ll be wise if you give this boy anything he wants in baseball,” Wamby advised Al’s parents.3

Aber attended West Technical High School. He pitched and played first base, but it was his pitching that drew the attention of the big-league scouts. He spurned an offer of $1,500 to sign with the New York Yankees and instead signed with the Tribe for $225. “Ever since I was a little kid I always wanted to play for the Indians,” said Aber. “Otherwise, I would have signed with the Yankees.”4

Mike Aber was serving with the United States Navy in World War II when Al signed with the Indians. On April 16, 1945, Quartermaster Aber was killed by a Japanese kamikaze plane. Eight years later, Al recalled, “Just before he was killed – in April 1945 – we sent him some clippings about my signing with the Indians. We don’t know to this day if he ever saw them. We got word of his death on June 9.”5   

The Aber family had lost contact with Mike for almost two months. On the day they received the news, Al was on a train headed for Batavia, New York, of the PONY League (Class D) to begin his pro baseball career. Baseball references show no statistics for Aber that summer. His Sporting News contract card shows him on the temporarily inactive list from July through September 1945, after which he was reinstated. Details about this have not surfaced. However, the Batavia Daily News carried a team photo including Aber on July 11.6 Ten days later, it ran a story showing that Aber got into at least one game for the Clippers, as he pitched a complete game of seven innings and got the win in a 6-3 victory over the Bradford (Pennsylvania) Blue Wings in the nightcap of a doubleheader. His catcher was player-manager Jack Tighe, who later managed Aber with Detroit.7

In 1946, Aber returned to Batavia and completed his first full professional season. He went 13-6 with a 4.59 ERA. However, he lacked control (87 strikeouts, 85 walks), which would also plague him early in his big-league career.

Aber continued to climb through the Indians’ farm system. In 1949, he returned for a second season at Class B Spartanburg of the Tri-State League. From May 26 to June 9, Aber tossed 29 scoreless innings, including a complete-game, 12-inning, 7-2 victory over the Rock Hill Chiefs.8 

From May 4 to July 15, Aber won his 16 games in a row. On July 15, he improved to 18-2 after a 7-6 win over the Asheville Tourists.9 Aber was selected to start for the Tri-State League All-Stars against the Florence Steelers in the “Dream Game” on July 20.10 The lefty had his best season professionally in 1949, when he posted a 24-8 record with a 2.71 ERA. Aber totaled 142 strikeouts and 89 walks in 1949.

In 1950, Aber received a promotion to Oklahoma City of the Class AA Texas League. He was 7-2 when he was named to the North team for the Texas League All-Star Game on July 21 at Fort Worth.11 

Aber finished the season with a 10-7 record and a 3.82 ERA. He earned his second promotion, joining the Indians on September 9. The Indians threw the newcomer right into the fire, starting him in the first game of a doubleheader on September 15, 1950, against Washington at Cleveland Stadium. 

It was an impressive outing for Aber. Pitching before family and friends, he tossed a complete- game five-hitter against the Senators. Cleveland won, 4-2, on the strength of Luke Easter’s two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.   

It was the only appearance Aber made for the Tribe in 1950, and the last time he would pitch professionally for a couple of years. Aber was inducted into the United States Army on October 10, 1950.12 After boot camp, he reported to Fort Gordon in Georgia for training in the military police. At 6-feet-2 and 195 pounds, he had the size to be an MP. Sergeant Aber joined the Fourth Division, assigned duty in Frankfurt, Germany.13

Perhaps Aber’s greatest contribution to the armed services was when he was called on by one of his instructors on the proper way to throw a hand grenade. “The old way was to throw grenades with a sidearm, stiff-arm motion,” explained Aber. “Now they’ve decided a pitching motion is best. The lieutenant called on me to demonstrate. I just wound up and threw.”14    

When he wasn’t heaving hand grenades, Aber managed his unit’s baseball team. He also pitched and played first base.  

After Aber was discharged from the Army, he married the former Clara Letzner on November 24, 1952. Clara worked as a stenographer for the Cleveland Diesel Company. The Abers had four children: sons Michael and Tim and daughters Lynne and Beth.

Aber reported to spring training and broke camp with the Indians in 1953. He appeared in six games, all in relief. Although he was 1-1, Aber’s 7.50 ERA was inflated by giving up five runs in two-thirds of an inning against New York on May 5.

On June 15, 1953, Cleveland and Detroit made an eight-player deal. The Indians sent Aber, pitchers Dick Weik and Steve Gromek, and shortstop Ray Boone to the Tigers. In return, Detroit sent infielder Owen Friend, pitchers Bill Wight and Art Houtteman, and catcher Joe Ginsberg across Lake Erie to Cleveland. Boone and Houtteman garnered the most focus in the deal, but the Tigers held high hopes for Aber.

“They told me he can really fire that ball,” said Detroit manager Fred Hutchinson. “He had a real good record in the minors, and he hasn’t had much chance to show what he can do for the Indians since he came back from service this year.

“I’m going to make him a starter for us. Fact is, I’m counting on him as a starter more than I am on Gromek. Not that I don’t think Steve can’t win. He can. But Aber is the kind who could win for seven-eight seasons if he has the chance. He’ll get it.”15

True to Hutchinson’s word, he gave Aber 10 starts, and some work as a reliever. He was 2-3 as a starter with a 5.94 ERA. As a reliever, in 16 2/3 innings, Aber was 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00. He saved his best starting performance for last.

On September 27, Detroit faced Cleveland in the finale of the 1953 season. Although both teams were out of the pennant race, and had been for some time, there was one issue still in doubt. Al Rosen was shooting for the AL Triple Crown. He had the RBI title wrapped up. In home runs, Rosen (43) led Philadelphia’s Gus Zernial (42) by one. However, in the batting average race, Washington’s Mickey Vernon (.336) led Rosen (.333) by three points. It would take a lot of hits, and luck, for Rosen to pull it off.   

Aber was given the starting assignment for the visitors. Pitching for the Indians was Bob Feller. “Rapid Robert” was going for the 250th win in his brilliant career. Washington ended the season at home against Philadelphia. Vernon, much to his credit, did not sit out and rest on his laurels. He went 2-for-4, making Rosen’s task all that more difficult.

Aber “held” Rosen to 3-for-5 on the day. Thus, Vernon (.337) edged out Rosen (.336) for the batting title. The Tigers knocked Feller around by totaling seven earned runs in seven innings. Aber pitched one of his better games of the season. He surrendered three runs on nine hits, struck out seven, and walked two for the complete-game, 7-3 win.

“Al Aber was pitching and he was kind of wild,” recalled Rosen of his last at bat. “Unfortunately, the count went to 3 and 2, so I really had to swing at everything he threw. I fouled off a couple of pitches outside the strike zone and ended up hitting a high chopper to third base.”16

Hutchinson kept Aber in the rotation in 1954, although he was used for relief duty in 14 games. In 18 starts, Aber was 5-10 with a 4.40 ERA. One of the better performances in his career came on August 13, 1954, at Comiskey Park. Aber hurled 15 1/3 innings. He lost the game when Minnie Miñoso lashed a hit just inside first base. The ball caromed off the wall in foul territory. Miñoso was credited with a triple, which knocked in teammate Nellie Fox from first base with the only run in the 1-0 Tigers loss. Detroit stranded 17 baserunners that game.17 

Hutchinson resigned after the 1954 season after he was turned down for a two-year contract. The Tigers hired Bucky Harris to replace him. Harris had 27 years of managerial experience, and it was his second tour of duty with the Tigers (the first being 1929-1933). Harris won three pennants: with Washington as a player-manager in 1924 and 1925, and with the New York Yankees in 1947.  

Aber made one more start in his career. Under Harris, and later Jack Tighe, he was moved to the Tigers’ bullpen on a full-time basis. Aber led the Tigers in saves with seven in 1956, years before it was recognized as an official statistic.18

Detroit acquired outfielder Johnny Groth on August 1, 1957. Aber was sent to the Kansas City Athletics to complete a waiver deal on August 27.19 He appeared in three games for the A’s with a total of three innings pitched. 

In 1958, Aber began the season with Class AAA Buffalo, Kansas City’s affiliate in the International League. Later in the season, he was optioned to Class AA Little Rock of the Southern Association.  

At 31 years of age, Al Aber retired from baseball after the 1958 season. In six seasons, his major-league record was 24-25 with a 4.18 ERA. Aber struck out 169 and walked 160 batters in 389 1/3 innings.

After leaving the game, Aber returned to Cleveland and worked as a sales representative. He worked for both Myron Nickman Corporation and another company in the same field, Professional Housewares Distributors.20

On April 5, 1993, Aber and other former Indians players participated in the Opening Day ceremonies at Cleveland Stadium. It was the last season the Indians played at the lakefront stadium before moving to the new Jacobs Field in 1994.

Aber, who had chronic heart problems, didn’t live long after that event. While shopping at a nursery on May 20, 1993, he collapsed; he passed away later that day. He was 65 years old.21 He is interred at West Park Cemetery in Cleveland.

“Nobody was happier,” Aber recalled of signing with Cleveland. “I just wanted to pitch for my team, the Indians.”22

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Mike Eisenbath and fact-checked by Mark Sternman.

Sources

The Sporting News Baseball Player Contract Cards Collection (online at https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll3)

www.fultonhistory.com (New York State newspaper archive)

Notes

1 Hal Lebovitz, “Aber Finds It’s ‘Great to Be an Indian,’” The Sporting News, April 15, 1953: 9.

2 The United State Census gives conflicting information about the Aber family. In 1930, John and Kathryn were listed as originating from Romania. In 1940, the Census lists Catherine Aber as the mother and their originating country as Hungary.  

3 Al Aber, “I Ignored Yanks to Play at Home,” Cleveland News, April 3, 1953: 21.

4 Lebovitz, “Aber Finds It’s Great to Be an Indian.”

5 Lebovitz, “Aber Finds It’s Great to Be an Indian.”

6 “Clippers in Hot Loop Race,” Batavia (New York) Daily News, July 21, 1945: 7.

7 “Clips Split Card with Blue Wings,” Batavia Daily News, July 21, 1945: 3.

8 “Aber Hurls 29 Scoreless Laps,” Spartanburg Herald, June 10, 1949: 12.

9“Peaches Nose Out Tourists, 7-6; Aber Notches 18th Win of Season,” Spartanburg Herald, July 16, 1949: 5.

10 “Tri-State All-Stars Collide with Steelers at Florence Tonight.” Spartanburg Herald, July 20, 1949: 10.

11 “Five Indian All-Stars,” Daily Oklahoman, July 16, 1950: B3.

12 “Al Aber Inducted into Army,” Cleveland News, October 11, 1950: 22.

13 “From Service Point,” The Sporting News, February 27, 1952: 34.

14 “Call To Colors,” The Sporting News, January 10, 1951: 18. 

15 Lyall Smith, “Hutch Analyzes-Tigers Did All Right,” Detroit Free Press, June 16, 1953: 21.

16 Bruce Hooley, “Rosen inches shy of crown,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 24, 1988: 8 – C.

17 Lyall Smith, “Tigers Go 16 Innings Before Losing for Aber,” Detroit Free Press, August 14, 1954: 11.

18 Major League Baseball adopted the save as an official statistic in 1969.

19 Sam Greene, “Tiger Tracks,” Detroit News, August 28, 1957: 66.

20 Alana Baranick, “Al Aber, 65, pitched for the hometown team in 1950,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 22, 1993: 

21 Baranick, “Al Aber, 65, pitched for the hometown team in 1950.”  

22 Baranick, “Al Aber, 65, pitched for the hometown team in 1950.”