Phillip Raymond Stephenson (born September 19, 1960) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

first baseman. He played all or parts of four seasons in the majors, from until .

Amateur career

While playing for the Shockers of Wichita State University under his older brother,

Gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

, Phil hit safely in what was then the longest hitting streak in Division I history, 47 straight games in 1981. His record was broken by Oklahoma State's

Robin Ventura Robin Mark Ventura (born July 14, 1967) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager. Ventura played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Do ...

, who hit safely in 58 straight games in 1987. He was also the victim of one of the most famous plays in

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

history - The Grand Illusion play by Miami in 1982.

Professional career

Playing

Stephenson was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the

1983 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1983 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Compensation picks Other notable players *Bill Swift, 2nd round, 29th overall by the Minnesota Twins, but did not ...

by the Oakland Athletics. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs before the 1986 season, and made his major league debut with them in 1989. That September, he was traded to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

, and finished his major league career with them in 1992. He played two more seasons of minor league baseball in the Kansas City Royals and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

organizations before retiring. Stephenson was a replacement player during the 1995 players strike, playing for the Cubs during spring training.

Managerial and coaching

Stephenson managed in the minor leagues for two seasons in the mid-1990s, winning a league championship with the independent

Abilene Prairie Dogs The Abilene Prairie Dogs were an independent professional baseball team based in Abilene, Texas. They were members of the Texas–Louisiana League from 1995 to 1999, and returned in the North American League in 2012. Team history Texas–Lou ...

in . He was the head baseball coach for

Dodge City Community College Dodge City Community College (DC3, DCCC) is a public community college in Dodge City, Kansas, United States. History Campus Founded in 1935, Dodge City Community College was located on the third floor of the Senior High School Building at 1601 ...

. He has now joined the on-air lineup at

KGSO KGSO (1410 AM, "Sports Radio 93.9 FM & 1410 AM KGSO") is an American broadcast radio station licensed to serve the community of Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned and operated by Steckline Communications Inc. The station was assigned curren ...

, a sports talk radio station in Wichita, hosting a show from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Phil 1960 births Living people People from Guthrie, Oklahoma Major League Baseball first basemen Chicago Cubs players San Diego Padres players Modesto A's players Albany A's players Tacoma Tigers players Midland Angels players Pittsfield Cubs players Iowa Cubs players Dodge City Mustangs baseball coaches Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Wichita Wranglers players Omaha Royals players Louisville Redbirds players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Oklahoma Wichita State Shockers baseball players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees All-American college baseball players Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela