Al Downing
| Birthdate | 06/28/1941 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1961 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Athletics, Brewers, Dodgers, Yankees |
| Positions | Announcer, Pitcher |
An All Star in 1967, Al Downing won 20 games in 1971 and was named NL Comeback Player of the Year. He also gave up Hank Aaron’s 715th HR.
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Together, Al Downing and Jim Bouton were young aces of the Yankees
Together, Al Downing and Jim Bouton were young aces of the Yankees
This 1964 Topps card features the images and autographs of Al Downing and Jim Bouton. Both were coming off of outstanding 1963 campaigns.
Downing posted a career-best .722 winning percentage, a 2.56 ERA and a league-leading 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Bouton was a 20-game winner and All Star.
Best known for giving up Hank Aaron’s 715th homer to pass Babe Ruth, Downing won 76 games for the Yankees over parts of 9 seasons.
Bouton followed up his 20-win season in 1963 with 18 victories in ’64. He never again posted a double-digit win total.
Best known for surrendering Hank Aaron’s 715th homer, Downing was an All Star in 1967. He received MVP and Cy Young support in 1971 with the Dodgers when he was Comeback Player of the Year.
Al Downing was an All Star for the Yankees and Comeback Player of the Year for the Dodgers
Al Downing was an All Star for the Yankees and Comeback Player of the Year for the Dodgers
The Major League Baseball Players Association sent out questionnaires like this one to its players to determine what endorsements each man had. Today’s players compliment their baseball salary with off-field endorsement. That wasn’t always the case.
This document filled out by Al Downing on July 16, 1970 shows him to have just one endorsement, with Brunswick sporting goods. The left-hander has signed his legal name, “Alphonso E. Downing”.
The 1970 season was a rough one for Gentleman Al. After starting the season by going 3-3 with Oakland, Downing was dealt to Milwaukee where he won just two of his 12 decisions.
In the off-season the Brewers flipped Downing to the Dodgers for utility man Andy Kosco. Downing responded with a great year in Los Angeles. He won a career-high 20 games en route to being named Comeback Player of the Year.
To this day I’ll never forget you giving me a ride home before the start of the season talking about giving the Homer’s to Mr.Aaron before the season started. Murph Friend