Phil Regan: 2019 Mets Pitching Coach

Philip Raymond Regan was born April 6th, 1937, in Otsego, Michigan. The six-foot three right-handed pitcher began a long baseball career, getting signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1956.

MLB Career: In 1960 Regan debuted & spent six seasons in Detroit as both a starter & reliever going 42-44 with a 4.50 ERA. In 1963 he won 15 games (10th most in the AL) for the 5th place Tigers who won 81 games.

In 1965 he asked the Tigers GM to be traded & was soon sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dick Tracewski. He landed on one of the best teams in baseball, with a pitching staff of Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Don Sutton & Claude Osteen.

Trivia: He soon was known to "swoop in" a game & earn his team a victory, which got him the moniker of "the Vulture". 

In the 1966 Dodgers Pennant season, Phil was sent to the bullpen, losing a starters job to rookie Don Sutton. Phil became a full-time relief pitcher, leading the NL in saves (21) & games finished (48) going 14-1 with 1.62 ERA with 88 strike outs 116 innings. 

Regan earned both the Comeback Player of the Year & Reliever of the Year Awards.  That season he won 13 straight decisions & two more to start out the next 1967 season, giving him 15 straight winning decisions. 

1966 World Series: Regan pitched two scores innings in the World Series loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

In 1967, he fell to 6-9 with six saves as the Dodgers finished in 8th place. In 1968 he rebounded leading the league in saves (25) & games finished (62) going 12-5 with a 2.27 ERA. That year he earned victories in both games of a double header against the New York Mets.

In April 1968, Regan was traded to the Chicago Cubs along with former Met Jim Hickman in exchange for Ted Savage & Jim Ellis. He won 12 games (12-6) for the 1969 Cubs who lost their first-place lead to the Amazing New York Mets who went on to win the World Series. 

After parts of four seasons with the Cubs, Regan closed out his career across Chi-town with the
White Sox.

Career Stats: In his 13-year career he was 96-81 with 92 saves (186th all time). He posted a 3.84 ERA with 743 Ks & 447 walks in 1372 innings of work in 551 games (105 starts) he finished off 289 games (138th all time).

Retirement & Coaching Career: After his retirement, Regan began his long successful career in coaching. He started out near his home in Michigan where he coached at Grand Valley State University (1973-1982). His first major league coaching job was with the Seattle Mariners (1984-1986). 

Trivia: In 1985 he was suspended for two games, after he bumped umpire Derryl Cousins during a brawl between the Mariners & the California Angels.

From 1987-1992 he was an advanced scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the late 1980's he also managed in the Dominican league winning a Caribbean World Series. 

Starting in 1989 he managed for twenty years in the Venezuelan Winter League. 

Regan then went on to the Cleveland Indians as pitching coach in 1994 & again in 1999. In 1995 he managed the Baltimore Orioles but was fired after that strike shortened season, getting replaced by Davey Johnson. Regan then moved on to coach for the Chicago Cubs (1997-1998).

Mets Organization: In 2009 he began his coaching in the Mets organization with the St. Lucie Mets. He held that position for seven years through 2015. 

He was then promoted to minor league pitching assistant coordinator. Regan helped tutor the great Mets young arms of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Paul Sewald & Steven Matz. 

The players developed a strong relationship with their mentor & it turned the staff around when he was promoted to the Mets "interim" pitching coach, replacing Dave Eiland in summer 2019.

Quotes- Phil Regan: "Well I love the game & I love what I'm doing. I know I'm 82 years old now, but I still enjoy it. I feel good. I'm going to retire one of these days- or die, I dont know. One or the other."

After Regan took over as pitching coach, his starters were ranked first in the NL in ERA & his relievers ranked third in ERA during the second half of the season.

But he was let go at the end of the season & in 2023 would file a lawsuit against the organization. He cited wrongful termination & age discrimination in a hostile work environment.

Phil continued to coach in the Dominican Republic.

Family: Phil was married to Josephine (Dwyer) until her death in 1994, together they have four children. He later married his second wife Lisette.