Phil Regan

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.

The Otsego, Michigan, native 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).

He 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 in Allendale, 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 was promoted to interim major league pitching coach midway through the 2019 season at age 82 to replace the fired Dave Eiland.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB