Tony Taylor
Encyclopedia
Antonio Nemesio Taylor (born December 19, 1935 in Central Alara, Cuba) is a former second baseman
in Major League Baseball
. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs
(1958–60), Philadelphia Phillies
(1960–71 and 1974–76) and Detroit Tigers
(1971–73). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 19-season career, Taylor posted a .261 batting average
with 75 home run
s and 598 RBI
in 2195 games
.
Taylor started as a third baseman in the Giants organization, but came to the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 1958 where he was their starting second baseman in 1958 and 1959.
Tony Taylor had a small role in one of baseball history's weirdest plays. It took place during a game played on June 30, 1959, between the St. Louis Cardinals
and Chicago Cubs
. Stan Musial
was at the plate, with a count of 3-1. Bob Anderson's
next pitch was errant, evading catcher Sammy Taylor
and rolling all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore
called ball four on the pitcher, however Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial foul tip
ped the ball. Because the ball was still in play, and because Delmore was embroiled in an argument with the catcher and pitcher, Musial took it upon himself to try for second base. Seeing that Musial was trying for second, Alvin Dark
ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball. The ball wound up in the hands of field announcer Pat Pieper
, but Dark ended up getting it back anyway. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new ball and gave it to Taylor. Anderson finally noticed that Musial was trying for second, took the new ball, and threw it to second baseman Taylor. Anderson's throw flew over Tony Taylor's head into the outfield. Dark, at the same time that Anderson threw the new ball, threw the original ball to shortstop Ernie Banks
. Musial, though, did not see Dark's throw and only noticed Anderson's ball fly over the second baseman's head, so he tried to go to third base. On his way there, he was tagged by Banks, and after a delay he was ruled out.
Taylor was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Cal Neeman
for Don Cardwell
and Ed Bouchee
early in the 1960 season. Despite the fact Philadelphia was a mediocre team, Taylor established himself and was named to the National League All-Star team that year.
A solid and dependable performer, Taylor held the record having played in 1,003 games for the Phillies at second base (the record was later broken by Chase Utley), and his six steals
of home
, ranks him second on the Phillies' all-time list.
In , Taylor hit .281 and collected career-highs in runs
(102) and hits
(182), and the next season, he made the defensive play that saved Jim Bunning
’s perfect game
. In , he hit a career-high .301 average with 26 doubles
, nine triples
and nine homers.
Dealt to the Detroit Tigers in the 1971 midseason, Taylor helped them to a division title a year later. A free agent
before the 1974 season, he signed again with the Phillies and became a valuable utility man and pinch hitter
for his final three major league seasons.
Following his retirement as a player, Taylor coached
for the Phillies and Marlins
. One of the most popular Phillies ever, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame
in .
Tony Taylor was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum
Hall of Fame on April 30, 2004 in a pregame ceremony at SBC Park
, San Francisco, CA.he is now retired in Miami, Florida
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1958–60), Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1960–71 and 1974–76) and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1971–73). He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 19-season career, Taylor posted a .261 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 75 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 598 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 2195 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
.
Taylor started as a third baseman in the Giants organization, but came to the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 1958 where he was their starting second baseman in 1958 and 1959.
Tony Taylor had a small role in one of baseball history's weirdest plays. It took place during a game played on June 30, 1959, between the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
. Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
was at the plate, with a count of 3-1. Bob Anderson's
Bob Anderson (baseball)
Robert Carl Anderson , is a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1957-1963. He would play for the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers....
next pitch was errant, evading catcher Sammy Taylor
Sammy Taylor (baseball)
Samuel Douglas "Sammy" Taylor is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1958 to 1963 for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians....
and rolling all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore
Vic Delmore
Victor "Deacon" Delmore was an umpire who worked in the National League from 1956 to 1959. His professional umpiring career began in 1948 in the KITTY League. He worked in the Southern Association from 1949 to 1955...
called ball four on the pitcher, however Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial foul tip
Foul tip
In baseball, a foul tip is defined as "a batted ball that goes sharp directly from the bat to the catcher’s hands and is legally caught. It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play."...
ped the ball. Because the ball was still in play, and because Delmore was embroiled in an argument with the catcher and pitcher, Musial took it upon himself to try for second base. Seeing that Musial was trying for second, Alvin Dark
Alvin Dark
Alvin Ralph Dark , nicknamed "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox", is a former shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for five National League teams from 1946 to 1960. Named the major leagues' Rookie of the Year with the Boston Braves when he batted .322...
ran to the backstop to retrieve the ball. The ball wound up in the hands of field announcer Pat Pieper
Pat Pieper
Frank "Pat" Pieper served as the Chicago Cubs field announcer from to , a span of 59 years. Coincidentally, his first year as announcer was also the first season in which Wrigley Field was used as the home park of the Cubs...
, but Dark ended up getting it back anyway. Absentmindedly, however, Delmore pulled out a new ball and gave it to Taylor. Anderson finally noticed that Musial was trying for second, took the new ball, and threw it to second baseman Taylor. Anderson's throw flew over Tony Taylor's head into the outfield. Dark, at the same time that Anderson threw the new ball, threw the original ball to shortstop Ernie Banks
Ernie Banks
Ernest "Ernie" Banks , nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman. He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the Chicago Cubs . He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.-High school years:Banks was a letterman and standout in football,...
. Musial, though, did not see Dark's throw and only noticed Anderson's ball fly over the second baseman's head, so he tried to go to third base. On his way there, he was tagged by Banks, and after a delay he was ruled out.
Taylor was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies along with Cal Neeman
Cal Neeman
Calvin Amandus Neeman , is a retired professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians. He is an alumnus of Illinois Wesleyan University.-External...
for Don Cardwell
Don Cardwell
Donald Eugene Cardwell was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five National League teams from 1957 to 1970...
and Ed Bouchee
Ed Bouchee
Edward Francis Bouchee is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played from to . He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting in , hitting .293 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI. Those would all prove to be career highs.After the 1957 season was over, Bouchee was arrested for...
early in the 1960 season. Despite the fact Philadelphia was a mediocre team, Taylor established himself and was named to the National League All-Star team that year.
A solid and dependable performer, Taylor held the record having played in 1,003 games for the Phillies at second base (the record was later broken by Chase Utley), and his six steals
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
of home
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
, ranks him second on the Phillies' all-time list.
In , Taylor hit .281 and collected career-highs in runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
(102) and hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(182), and the next season, he made the defensive play that saved Jim Bunning
Jim Bunning
James Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
’s perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
. In , he hit a career-high .301 average with 26 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, nine triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and nine homers.
Dealt to the Detroit Tigers in the 1971 midseason, Taylor helped them to a division title a year later. A free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
before the 1974 season, he signed again with the Phillies and became a valuable utility man and pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
for his final three major league seasons.
Following his retirement as a player, Taylor coached
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
for the Phillies and Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
. One of the most popular Phillies ever, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame
Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame
The Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame is a collection of plaques, mounted on a brick wall in the Ashburn Alley section of Citizens Bank Park, the ballpark of the Philadelphia Phillies...
in .
Tony Taylor was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum
Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum
The Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame, Inc., was founded in San Francisco, California, in June 1999 by its founder Mr.Gabriel "Tito" Avila, Jr., as a way to honor the greatest Hispanic baseball players of all time. The organization is a not-for-profit institution...
Hall of Fame on April 30, 2004 in a pregame ceremony at SBC Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, San Francisco, CA.he is now retired in Miami, Florida
See also
- 1972 American League Championship Series1972 American League Championship Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 7, 1972 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CaliforniaGame 1 pitted ace pitchers Catfish Hunter for the A's and Mickey Lolich for the Tigers, and, as expected, both were brilliant...
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of players from Cuba in Major League Baseball
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs