Phil Regan, who pitched for four major league teams over 13 years before spending five more decades in the game as a coach, manager and scout, died on Wednesday. He was 89.
Regan died peacefully of natural causes, his attorney, Matthew Blit, told The Associated Press.
Nicknamed “The Vulture” by teammate Sandy Koufax for his penchant for well-timed entries from the bullpen that earned him 58 wins over 446 career relief appearances, Regan was named an All-Star
in 1966 in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers as he went 14-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 65 games and a National League-most 21 saves.
Regan broke in with his home-state Detroit Tigers in 1960 and started 101 games over his first six years in the majors, before becoming a full-time reliever in the NL. The right-hander moved onto the Chicago Cubs in 1968 until a 10-game stint with the Chicago White Sox in 1972 to finish his final major league season. Regan went 96-81 with a 3.84 ERA over 551 games and 92 saves in his career, with an ERA more than a full run lower as a reliever (3.30) than a starter (4.44).
The native of Otsego, Michigan, made a bigger mark once he left the mound. He built a rich resume that included nine years as the head baseball coach at Grand Valley State University, more than two decades of managing in the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues, and one season as manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 1995. Regan was also the pitching coach for four different major league teams — Seattle, Cleveland, the Cubs and the New York Mets — and Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Regan succeeded Johnny Oates for the strike-shortened 1995 season with the Orioles, managing three future Hall of Fame players — Cal Ripken Jr., Mike Mussina and Harold Baines — while posting a 71-73 record. He was replaced by Davey Johnson after one year.
Lured out of retirement in 2009 by the Mets, Regan then spent seven years as pitching coach for Class A affiliate St. Lucie before moving into a role as minor league assistant pitching coordinator. He had a hand in the development of standouts like Jacob deGrom, Seth Lugo, Steven Matz, Paul Sewald and Noah Syndergaard as they moved through the farm system.
He was promoted to interim major league pitching coach midway through the 2019 season at age 82 to replace the fired Dave Eiland. After serving three more years with the organization as a senior advisor of pitching development, Regan sued the Mets and then-general manager Brodie Van Wagenen for age discrimination and wrongful termination. The Mets hired Jeremy Hefner, who was 33 at the time, for the pitching coach job in 2020.
Regan had four children with his first wife, Carol, who died in 2004. He met his second wife, Lissette, while coaching in Venezuela.
“His life was dedicated to the game and his family, especially the 18 grandkids that he just adored,” Blit said. “There is so much about Phil here in the States, but what most people don’t know about is his impact in Venezuela. He coached for many years there and had the respect of so many of the Venezuelan players. But he would always say that his greatest reward from coaching in Venezuela was his wife.”
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