RIP - Phil Regan

 

Phil Regan, who pitched for the Tigers, Dodgers, and Cubs from 1960 to 1972, passed away on July 8, 2026 at age 89.

Regan made his major-league debut in July 1960, with the Tigers. He was a starting pitcher for Detroit for the next 5 1/2 years. 

 

In December 1965 he was traded to the Dodgers for Dick Tracewski. (Hmm... I always thought it was for pitcher Johnny Podres. But what a steal for the Dodgers - getting a quality relief pitcher in exchange for a light-hitting utility infielder!) 

 

Upon arriving in LA, Regan was converted to a reliever, which he would do for the rest of his career. He led the league in saves in 1966, and made his only All-Star team. 

 

Regan pitched for the Dodgers for a little more than 2 seasons, but I always identify him as a Dodger, since that's where he was when I collected my first baseball cards (1967). 

 

In late-April 1968, he and Jim Hickman were traded to the Cubs for Ted Savage and a minor-league pitcher. Regan led the league in saves again in 1968. He pitched out of the Cubs' bullpen for 4 1/2 seasons, then was sold to the White Sox in June 1972. 

 

A month later he was released by the Sox, ending his 13-year career. 

 

After his playing career, Regan was a college baseball coach from 1973-86, and from 1987-2020 he coached or scouted for the Mariners, Dodgers, Indians, Cubs, and Mets. 

 

He also managed the Orioles in 1995, and was the pitching coach for the US Olympic team in 2000. 

    

RIP - Alan Closter

 

Alan Closter, who pitched briefly for the Yankees in the early 1970s, passed away on June 12, 2026 at age 82.

Closter played for the US national baseball team in the 1964 Summer Olympics. He pitched in the minors every season from 1965 to 1975, mostly for the Yankees. 

 

He made his major-league debut in April 1966, pitching 1/3 of an inning for the Senators. Then it was back to the bushes until 1971. 

 

Closter pitched 14 games for the Yankees in 1971, and 2 games for them in June 1972. His only other major-league action was 4 games for the Braves in September 1973. 

    . 

RIP - Al Worthington

 

Al Worthington, who pitched for the Giants, Twins, and others from 1953 to 1969 passed away on June 16, 2026 at age 97.  He was the 4th-oldest living ex-player, and the oldest to have had a baseball card after 1965.

Worthington played for the New York and San Francisco Giants from 1953-59, the Red Sox and White Sox in 1960, the Reds from 1963-64, and the Twins from 1964-69. He had previously played in Minneapolis in the minor leagues from 1953-55, and 1959. 

 

He appeared in 602 career games, and was primarily a relief pitcher after 1956 (and made no starts after 1959). 

 

Worthington appeared in the post-season for the Twins in 1965 and 1969. 

 

He briefly retired in 1960 when pressured by his White Sox manager to sit in the stands and steal signs using binoculars. (This practice was also corroborated by Sox' 3rd baseman Pete Ward on his Wikipedia page. The White Sox were a good team for most of the 1960s, but sucked tremendously after 1967. I wonder if the league had caught on and put a damper on their "talent".) 

 

After retiring in 1969, Worthington coached for the Twins from 1972-73, then started the Liberty University baseball program, coaching them from 1974-87. 

     

RIP - Bobby Cox

 

Longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox passed away on May 4, 2026 at age 84.

He began his baseball career in the Dodgers' farm system from 1960-64. He moved on to the Cubs ('65-'66) and Braves ('66-'67) before making his major-league debut in 1968, with the Yankees. 

 

Cox played 135 games (129 starts) in his rookie season, and was selected as the 3rd baseman on the 1968 Topps All-Rookie team. 

 

His playing time severely dropped in 1969 (85 games, 56 starts), as he shared 3rd base with rookies Jerry Kenney and Bobby Murcer. Cox spent the '70 and '71 seasons back in the Yankees' farm system, his final 2 years as a player. 

 

Cox managed Yankees' minor-league teams from 1971-76, then embarked on a long career as the Braves' manager (1978-81, and 1990-2010). He also managed the Blue Jays from 1982-85. 

 

All told, he managed for 35 seasons (29 in the majors), winning 5 NL pennants and the 1995 World Series.

     

Floyd Robinson is 90

 

Happy 90th birthday (5/9) to Floyd Robinson!

RIP - Dick Hughes

 

Dick Hughes, a pitcher for the NL Champion Cardinals in 1967 and 1968, passed away on May 6, 2026 at age 88.

Hughes played in the minors from 1958 to 1966, finally making his major-league debut in September 1966 at age 28. 

 

He joined the Cards' starting rotation in 1967 (starting 27 of his 37 games), and led the team with 16 wins (2 more than Steve Carlton), and was 2nd in strikeouts with 161 (7 behind Carlton). 

 

Hughes played in 25 games in 1968, although only making 5 starts. 

 

I've often wondered why Hughes (who didn't make the majors until age 28) only pitched 2 seasons, despite having great success in his rookie year. I recently learned that he had a rotator cuff injury in early 1968, and played through it because there was no corrective surgery at the time, essentially ending his career. 

   

RIP - Bob Skinner

 

Bob Skinner, an outfielder for the Pirates and others from 1954 to 1966, passed away on May 4, 2026 at age 94.

Skinner was signed by the Pirates in 1951 and spent that season in the low minors. 

 

After missing 2 seasons to military service, he returned in 1954 and appeared in 132 games for Pittsburgh, including 116 starts at 1st base. 

 

He was back in the minors for all of 1955, but returned to the big club for good in 1956. He played over 100 games in each of the next 2 seasons as a backup outfielder and first baseman.

 

Skinner was the Bucs' everyday left fielder from 1958 to 1962, making 2 All-Star teams during those 5 seasons, as well as batting over .300 twice.  

 

In May 1963 he was traded to the Reds, and in June 1964 to the Cardinals. He finished his career in 1966, but never started more than 46 games a season for the Reds or Cards. 

 

After managing the Phillies' AAA team in 1967 and part of 1968, he managed the Phillies for the 2nd half of 1968 and the first half of 1969. He later spent many seasons as a Pirates' and Braves' coach. 

    

RIP - Chris Krug

 

Chris Krug, a catcher for the Cubs in the mid-1960s, passed away on January 16, 2026 at age 86.

Krug played in the minors every season from 1958 to 1967.  

 

He played parts of 3 seasons in the majors: 1965 and 1966 with the Cubs, and 1969 with the expansion Padres. 

 

Krug started about 25% of the Cubs' games in his rookie season, while only appearing in 10 games in 1966. 

 

After spending 1967 with the Angels' AAA team, and 1968 out of baseball, he played 8 games for the Padres in 1969 before he was released in late-May, ending his career.

    

RIP - Ellie Rodriguez

 

Ellie Rodriguez, a catcher for the Royals, Brewers, and Angels, passed away on April 23, 2026 at age 79.

Rodriguez was signed by the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. After one season, he was acquired by the Yankees in the minor league draft. He made his major-league debut in 1968 with the Yankees, playing 9 games (mostly in May and June). 

 

He was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the expansion draft, and played there for 2 full seasons, although playing only about half the games each year. He was named to the 1969 All-Star team. 

 

After the 1970 season he was traded to the Brewers, and was their starting catcher in '71 and '72, while splitting the job with Darrell Porter in 1973. He also made his 2nd All-Star team in 1972. 

 

In October 1973, he was part of a 9-player trade with the Angels. He was with the Halos for 2 seasons, playing 140 games (125 starts) in '74 and 90 games (75 starts) in '75. 

 

His last major-league action was 36 games with the Dodgers in 1976. Rodriguez played for the Pirates' AAA team in 1977, and in Mexico from 1978-82.

    

RIP - Billy Bryan

 

Billy Bryan, a backup catcher for the Athletics and Yankees, passed away on April 9, 2026 at age 87.

Bryan played parts of 1961-63, and all of 1964-65 with the Kansas City Athletics. Mostly a backup, he started about half the games in 1965. 

 

In June 1966 he was traded to the Yankees along with pitcher Fred Talbot. He spent most of 1967 with the Yankees' AAA team. 

 

Bryan split the 1968 season between the Washington Senators and their AAA team. He ended his career with the Phillies' single-A team in 1970.