Tony Phillips dead, former Oakland Athletics player was 56
Tony Phillips #18 of the 1989 Oakland A's joins his teammates as they celebrate their World Series championship of 25 years ago against the San Francisco Giants before a game at O.co Coliseum on July 19, 2014 in Oakland. Credit: Getty Images / Brian Bahr
PHOENIX — Tony Phillips, an infielder and outfielder who made the final defensive play in the Oakland Athletics’ sweep of the Giants during the earthquake-interrupted 1989 World Series, has died. He was 56.
The A’s didn’t provide a cause of death Friday in announcing Phillips’ passing, which the club said occurred Wednesday in Arizona and was unexpected.
Phillips played nine of his 18 major league seasons with the A’s, and he also spent five years with Detroit, two each with the Angels and White Sox and one year for both the Mets and Toronto. He returned to Oakland for his final season in 1999 and was a career .266 hitter with 160 home runs and 819 RBIs in 2,161 games.
A’s President Michael Crowley says, “The Oakland A’s lost another member of our family this week with the unexpected passing of Tony Phillips. We all have fond memories of Tony making the final play in the A’s 1989 World Series. He was a remarkable player. Our thoughts are with his family.”
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