Curt Simmons — Phillies legend with local ties — passes away

Three-time All-Star left-hander Curt Simmons passed away at the age of 93 Tuesday, the Philadelphia Phillies announced.

Simmons spent 13 seasons with the Phillies, beginning in 1947 at the age of 18. His time with the Phillies did have a pause that included the entirety of the 1951 season, as he served in the National Guard during the Korean War. But he returned from his military service and cemented his place as one of the best left-handed starters that the franchise has ever employed. Across 325 games — 263 of which were starts — with the Phillies, Simmons went 115-110 with a 3.66 ERA and 3.46 FIP.

Simmons — who was inducted onto the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1993 — is fifth in Phillies history with 115 wins.

As Larry Shenk notes, Simmons was the final living member of the 1950 Phillies, a club nicknamed the “Whiz Kids” that reached the World Series for just the second time in franchise history, and first since 1915.

In addition to his time with the Phillies, Simmons spent seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals and also had stints with the Chicago Cubs and California Angels.

But outside of his military service and time with other MLB clubs, the bulk of Simmons’ life was spent in Pennsylvania. He was born in Egypt, which is in the northern part of the Lehigh Valley. He attended Whitehall High School, which has also produced Saquon Barkley and Matt Millen. After high school, Simmons went to Muhlenberg College. At the time of his death, Simmons was living in Ambler.

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