Lefty Phillips
From BR Bullpen
Harold Ross Phillips
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 5' 11", Weight 192 lb.
- High School Franklin High School (Los Angeles)
- Born June 16, 1919 in Los Angeles, CA USA
- Died June 12, 1972 in Orange, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Lefty Phillips spent less than two months as a pitcher with the Bisbee Bees in 1939, before arm trouble ended his playing days. He had been a star pitcher in high school before signing with the St. Louis Browns. He became a bird dog while working for the railroad in Los Angeles, CA, then a scout for the Cincinnati Reds (1948-1950) and Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1952-1964). With the Dodgers, he was the head scout for southern California and was credited with signing Don Drysdale and Ron Fairly, but also Bob Lillis, Sparky Anderson and Larry Sherry.
Phillips was then the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching coach from 1965 to 1968. In 1969, he joined the California Angels, and later that season was named their manager, a job he held through 1971. He died of an asthma attack less than a year later.
| Preceded by Bill Rigney | California Angels Manager 1969-1971 | Succeeded by Del Rice |
[edit] Further Reading
- Rick Obran: "The Sandlot Mentors of Los Angeles", in Jean Hastings Ardell and Andy McCue, ed.: Endless Seasons: Baseball in Southern California, The National Pastime, SABR, Number 41, 2011, pp. 23-27.
