Former major leaguer Tony Phillips passes away at age 56
Former major leaguer Tony Phillips passes away at age 56
Former major leaguer Tony Phillips has died of a heart attack at age 56, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Phillips played 18 seasons in the majors, including nine with the Oakland Athletics, with whom he finished his career in 1999. Drafted 10th overall by the Montreal Expos in 1978, he also played for the Detroit Tigers, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays.
He was a career .266/.374/.389 hitter with 360 doubles, 160 homers and 177 stolen bases. Although he was spent most of his time as a second baseman, Phillips also played extensively in left field — and also played shortstop, third base, first base and right field during his career.
Phillips was a member of the A’s 1989 World Series championship team. In fact, he recorded the final out of that series on a groundout.
A’s president Michael Crowley released this statement Friday: “The Oakland A’s lost another member of our family this week with the unexpected passing of Tony Phillips. We all have fond memories of Tony making the final play in the A’s 1989 World Series. He was a remarkable player. Our thoughts are with his family.”
How much did Phillips love the game of baseball? This past August, he signed a contractwith the independent Pittsburg Diamonds.
