Tony Phillips, who spent 18 seasons in the majors from 1982 to 1999, died of an apparent heart attack at age 56, former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart told the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday.
The Athletics confirmed the news Friday afternoon with a tweet expressing the organization’s sadness.
Stewart reportedly heard the news from former teammate/Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson on Friday morning. Phillips won the World Series with the A’s in 1989, alongside Henderson and Stewart.
Phillips spent time with six organizations, including the A’s and Detroit Tigers. He bounced around the infield and outfield as a utility player, finishing with a .266 average, 160 home runs, 819 RBIs, 177 stolen bases and a .374 on-base percentage in 2,161 career games.
Phillips became the third member of Oakland’s 1989 World Series squad to die in the last two years, joining pitcher Bob Welch and outfielder Dave Henderson.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Stanton/USA TODAY Sports Images
