William Taylor Phillips (born June 18, 1933), nicknamed "T-Bone", is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

, who played in

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 (A ...

(MLB) for the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

, from 1956–60 and 1963. During his playing days, Phillips stood tall, weighing .

Playing career

Early years

Taylor attended

Douglas County High School (Douglasville, Georgia) Douglas County High School, also known as Douglas County Comprehensive High School, is a public high school in Douglasville, Georgia, United States. It was the first high school to open in the Douglas County School District. History Douglas Co ...

and earned letters in baseball for three years, graduating in 1950. He attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

on a baseball scholarship for one semester.

Milwaukee Braves

Phillips entered pro baseball in 1951 and joined the Braves' organization in 1953. After spending 1954–55 in military service, he was recalled from Triple-A Wichita in June 1956, pitched effectively in

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

, and then was added to the Milwaukee starting rotation in August. In five starts for the contending Braves, Phillips won three, lost two, and threw three

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s. He then moved back into the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

for the stretch drive, which saw the Braves finish just short of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

(NL) pennant, one game behind the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

. Phillips'

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season would be his best: he posted his only over-.500

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(5–3) and his lowest

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

(ERA) (2.26). The Braves would bring home Milwaukee's first NL pennant and

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

triumph, but Phillips slumped badly during the year. In 27

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (suc ...

and 73

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

, he allowed 82

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

, 40

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Sec ...

, and 45

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

; his ERA jumped to 5.55. Phillips did not pitch in the World Series, won by the Braves in seven games over the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

Cubs, Phillies, and White Sox

Then, in December 1957, Phillips was part of a five-player trade with the Chicago Cubs that netted the Braves starting pitcher Bob Rush. The deal set the stage for Phillips' two busiest seasons in the major leagues. In , he worked in 39 games for the Cubs, with a career-high 27 starts. Phillips threw five complete games, and in his only MLB

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

, Phillips blanked his old Milwaukee teammates, 1–0, on six hits May 25 at

County Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 1953, it was primarily a baseball park for Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Braves and later the Milwaukee Brewers. It was also used for Green Bay Packers fo ...

. But he lost ten of 17 decisions and posted a mediocre 4.76 earned run average. When Phillips got off to a poor start in , with a 7.56 ERA and 0–2 record through seven games, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 12, even-up, for another left-hander,

Seth Morehead Seth Marvin "Moe" Morehead (August 15, 1934 – January 17, 2006) was a left-handed specialist reliever in Major League Baseball. He was born in Houston, Texas. Morehead was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1952 o ...

. Pitching largely in relief, Phillips continued to scuffle with the Phils, losing four of five decisions and putting up a 5.00 ERA in 72 innings pitched. As in 1958, he worked in 39 games, but made only five starts, with one complete game, for the two clubs. It would be Phillips‘ last full year in the major leagues. Sent to the minors at the beginning of , Phillips was recalled from Triple-A to make a June 2 start against the Braves at

Connie Mack Stadium Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

, but he lasted only two

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is ...

, allowing six hits, four bases on balls, and four earned runs. Phillips was tagged with the 9–8 defeat, in what was his final MLB decision. In ten games and 14 innings through July 8, Phillips struggled to an 8.36 ERA. Phillips then returned to the minor leagues and would pitch at Triple-A for three years before his final big-league audition, which came in July 1963 for the Chicago White Sox. In his

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

(AL) debut on July 23, Phillips surrendered an eighth-inning

grand slam home run In baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners ("bases loaded"), thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to ''The Dickson Baseball Dictionary'', the term originated in the c ...

Norm Cash Norman Dalton Cash (November 10, 1933 – October 11, 1986) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman who spent almost his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. A power hitter, his 377 career home runs were the fourth most by an America ...

of the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. It was the game-winning blow, although the loss was charged to Phillips’ predecessor on the mound,

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

, who had put the winning run on base before Phillips entered the game. In later appearances against the

(August 18) and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(August 22), Phillips was treated roughly, and he finished his White Sox tenure with a 10.29 earned run average in ten games. He spent 1964 at Triple-A before retiring as an active player. In 147 big league games, 102 in

, Phillips posted a 16–22 record and 4.82 earned run average, allowing 460 hits and 211 bases on balls in 438 innings pitched. He struck out 233, earned six career saves, and threw nine complete games.

References

External links

Taylor Phillips
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Taylor 1933 births Living people American military personnel of the Korean War Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Atlanta Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Chicago White Sox players Dallas Rangers players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Braves players Philadelphia Phillies players Rapiños de Occidente players Waycross Bears players Wichita Braves players