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Albert Julius Aber
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher
Born: July 31, 1927, Cleveland, OH
Signed: Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1950, 1953; Detroit Tigers 1953-57; Kansas City Athletics 1957
Died: May 20, 1993, Garfield Heights, OH (age 65)
On September 15, 1950, Al Aber made his big league debut with his hometown Indians, pitching a complete game victory over the Nationals and allowing just a pair of runs. It would be his last baseball action until 1953, as Aber served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War for two years. Back with the Indians for at least the start of the 1953 season, Aber was soon included in an eight-player deal with the Tigers that June 15th. He'd have his best seasons pitching out of the Tigers' bullpen, relying on his effective sinker ball to keep hitters off-balance. Aber pitched in 39 games in 1955, going 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA over 80 innings. He'd convert a career-best seven saves in 1956 while also appearing in a career-high 42 games. Aber would finish up his playing days with the Athletics, after the team picked him up on August 27, 1957 via a waiver claim.
Aber had a lifetime major league record of 24-25 in 168 games pitched, with a 4.18 ERA and 14 career saves.
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| May 1997 - College graduation |
July 19, 1997 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #158
My Dad and I added this card to our set at the Ocean City baseball card show held inside the Music Pier. We purchased 11 cards that July day - Aber and eight other commons, along with the Warren Giles (#2) card for $10 and the Ray Boone (#6) card for $5.
I graduated college in the spring of 1997, and that summer was a good one as I worked on the Sea Isle Promenade at a few t-shirt stores. My days were spent jogging, barely working, reading and sitting on the beach. Dinner would usually come from Phil's on 37th and Landis Avenue, and ice cream was consumed nightly.
Dad was still working in Millville at the time, and we probably met up in front of the Music Pier prior to his show. The baseball card collecting landscape changed drastically in the ten year period between 1987 and 1997, with autographed cards making their way into packs and multiple parallel versions of the same card confusing us as "old school" collectors. Still, I'd give anything to be back inside the Music Pier with my Dad searching for the next 1956 Topps card to add to our set. I'm sure he was thrilled to find a dealer selling a bunch of '56s in good shape and at around $2 a card.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
Aber was exclusive to Bowman in 1955, and this card, his return to Topps, uses the same photo as his 1954 Topps card. The cartoons on the back highlight his control, his successful minor league season in 1950 and his trade to the Tigers along with Ray Boone (#6) and Steve Gromek (#310). Dick Welk, a right-handed reliever who also went with Aber, Boone and Gromek to the Tigers, was omitted from the final panel of the cartoon. Welk last pitched for the Tigers in 1954, and had a 10.85 in 21 games with the club.
1956 Season
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First Mainstream Card: 1953 Topps #233
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1953-54, 1956-57
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #238
11 - Aber non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
The Trading Card Database
Previous Card / Next Card
Set Order: #316 Jerry Coleman - New York Yankees / #318 Fred Hatfield - Detroit Tigers
Order Collected: #279 Johnny Groth - Kansas City Athletics / #335 Don Hoak - Chicago Cubs
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