Phillies Wall of Famer Tony Taylor dies at 84

A staple of the Philadelphia Phillies’ infield for 15 seasons, former second baseman Tony Taylor died today at age 84, the team announced.

Taylor passed away from complications of a stroke he had last year. He is survived by his wife, Clara, and his children.

Taylor joined the Phillies in 1960 after making his debut for the Chicago Cubs in 1958. He was named a National League All-Star in his first season in Philadelphia.

He would remain with the Phillies until June of 1971, when the team traded him to the Detroit Tigers. Taylor returned to the Phillies in 1974, and would play three more seasons for the team before retiring after the 1976 season.

His 1,003 games as a second baseman were the most of any Phillie at the time of his retirement. That record now stands behind Chase Utley’s 1,453 games as second-highest in team history. Taylor was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2002.

Taylor was also known for a momentous play he made in Jim Bunning’s perfect game on Father’s Day in 1964. Taylor, playing second base, made a diving play to his left to rob New York Mets catcher Jesse Gonder of a hit in the fifth inning, keeping the perfect game intact.

Bunning, who passed away in 2017, told the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 that Taylor would call him “almost every year” on the anniversary of the game.

After his playing career, Taylor spent time as a coach in the Phillies’ major-league and minor-league system. He also coached for the Florida Marlins and San Francisco Giants.

Taylor was a 1981 inductee of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, and a 2004 inductee of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame.

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