St. Louis native, Albert Wayne Hollingsworth, was born on February 25, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. Nicknamed "Boots", he would spend 18 years in professional baseball, 11 years in the Major Leagues. After playing with Reds, Phillies, Dodgers, and Nationals, Al Hollingsworth would spend the 1941 season in the Cardinals minor league organi
St. Louis native, Albert Wayne Hollingsworth, was born on February 25, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. Nicknamed "Boots", he would spend 18 years in professional baseball, 11 years in the Major Leagues. After playing with Reds, Phillies, Dodgers, and Nationals, Al Hollingsworth would spend the 1941 season in the Cardinals minor league organization.
Many said Hollingsworth days of MLB pitcher were over, but that didn't stop Luke Sewell from picking up the lefty from the Cardinals on January 24, 1942. "Boots" would spend most of the next five seasons with his hometown Browns. He was a durable pitcher that filled many roles. He pitched over 150 innings in three of the four full seasons, racking up a total of 592 total innings. Of the 125 games "Boots" appeared in, he started 70 of them and registered 34 complete games. He was also an important arm that could come out of the bullpen, registering nine saves. He was not over powering, but had a solid grasp on his control. He recorded 212 strikeouts, and added 212 walks in his time with the Browns.
"Boots" was the Browns Opening Day starter vs the Chicago White Sox in 1943. He was a key member of the 1944 staff that led the Browns to the American League pennant. He would see time in the World Series, giving up one run in four innings in Game 4.
In 1945, he was assigned the task of being the roommate of Browns OF Pete Gray. He helped guide and mentor Gray during his first year in the Majors. He had one of his best seasons that year with a 12-9 record in 173 innings. He would finish in the top 10 of the A.L. in ERA (2.70 - 8th), Pitching WAR (3.9 - 5th), and Pitcher Fielding Percentage (1.000 - #1!)
After a slow start in 1946, the Browns placed the LHP on waivers on June 6th, and he was quickly picked up by the White Sox. He retired at the end of the 1946 season. Hollingsworth was not out of baseball for he began a second career as a manager, coach, and scout. From 1948-53, he managed in the Cardinals organization, including stops with the Allentown Cardinals and Houston Buffaloes. He also managed the Reading Indians and Mobile Bears within the Cleveland organization. He would continue to work as a scout into the 1970s with the Astros, Angels, and A's. Al
Hollingsworth was a great baseball man that the Browns were proud to call a teammate.
Today's Browns Quote
“Everybody called me Bill until that day in Mobile. It was opening day and a band was playing. Just before the first pitch, they struck up ‘Oh, You Beautiful Doll,’ a popular song at the time. Well, I led off with a homer on the first pitch and a lady sitting behind the plate jumped up and shouted: ‘You must be that be
Today's Browns Quote
“Everybody called me Bill until that day in Mobile. It was opening day and a band was playing. Just before the first pitch, they struck up ‘Oh, You Beautiful Doll,’ a popular song at the time. Well, I led off with a homer on the first pitch and a lady sitting behind the plate jumped up and shouted: ‘You must be that beautiful doll they were talking about.’ The name stuck with me and that was it. The next day’s Mobile Register ran his photograph with the caption “That Baby Doll.”
~ Baby Doll Jacobson, Sporting News, 1977, explaining the story behind his colorful nickname.
BROWNS BRITHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1924 - RHP Al Hollingsworth (1942-46)
St Louis Browns Top Five Players
Center Fielders
The St. Louis Browns had 764 players proudly wear the uniform. Many of these players would make an historical impact on the franchise and Major League Baseball. The list of great center fielders to play for the Browns includes Hall of Famers, World Champions, and pioneers at the position. The following is a list of the Top Five players who patrolled center field for the St. Louis Browns. These players can also be found in the Top 100 Browns of All-Time list that is found on this site.
The Browns lineup in 1905 was full of individual players that didn't come together as a team. The pitching staff underperformed, and the offensive number showed they did their best to compete. The clear leader of the team was the first year star, George Stone. He led in most batting categories, he would build a career in St. Louis that wo
The Browns lineup in 1905 was full of individual players that didn't come together as a team. The pitching staff underperformed, and the offensive number showed they did their best to compete. The clear leader of the team was the first year star, George Stone. He led in most batting categories, he would build a career in St. Louis that would take him to the #2 position in this sites Top 100.
Batting Leaders from the 1905 season with A.L. rankings in (#)
Team Statistics:
Player Statistics