Horace Phillips

Horace B. Phillips

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Born May 20, 1856 in Salem, OH USA
• Died February 26, 1896 in Philadelphia, PA USA

BR Manager page

Biographical Information

Horace Phillips was a manager in the major leagues for eight years. His first effort was with the Troy Trojans in 1879, where he managed part of the season. It was Dan Brouthers' rookie year.

In 1883, he managed the Columbus Buckeyes of the American Association. He had umpired one game in the circuit in 1882.

In 1884, he managed the Grand Rapids team in the Northwestern League. Although the team won over three-quarters of its games, it was dropped from the league when it refused to pay $500 to help support the league when other teams dropped out. Phillips had personally recruited Frank Cox. The Detroit Wolverines guaranteed the debts of the Grand Rapids team as a way of getting access to sign five of the players, including Cox. The Cleveland Spiders also signed some of the Grand Rapids players. Source: SABR Biography of Frank Cox.

Phillips found himself as one of five men who spent time managing the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1884. He managed for 35 games. He continued to manage the team from 1885 to 1886, as they improved tremendously. In 1884, they had gone 9-24 under him, while in 1885 they improved to 56-55, and then improved again in 1886 to 80-57, which was good for second place in the American Association.

Phillips continued to manage the Alleghenys in 1887 as they began play in the National League. Key players such as Pud Galvin continued on the team. Phillips also managed them in 1888 and part of 1889. He was 36 years old at the time.

See also the reference to Phillips in SABR Biography of Pop Smith.

Phillips was apparently involved with one of the "Hop Bitters" teams financed by Hop Bitters medicine king Asa Soule. One reference says that in 1880 "the manager spent $400 on a drunken spree" (it is not specified if Phillips was the manager), and another says that in April 1881 "Horace Phillips loses his litigation against Hop Bitter owner A. S. Soule stemming from last year's disappearance with club funds and is ordered to repay $1,463". Asa Soule and the Hop Bitters Co. and April 1881 in baseball history.

In spite of the fact that Phillips was quite a famous figure in his day, as the above shows, the rest of his life was long shrouded in mystery, including details about his death. It was known however that he had become insane after his managerial career and that he had been confined somewhere in the Philadelphia, PA area. Researcher Peter Morris located him in 2010 under the name Henace B. Phillips in Pennsylvania death records; he had indeed passed away in 1896 at the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane. The unusual first name stems from someone's inability to decipher Horace from the scribble on the original death certificate. He is buried at Mount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Preceded by George Creamer

Pittsburgh Alleghenys Manager 1884-1889

Succeeded by Fred Dunlap

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Notes
1879	Troy Trojans	National League	12-34	--	replaced by Bob Ferguson on August 7
1881	Philadelphia Athletics	Eastern Championship Association	18-19	2nd
1882	Philadelphia Phillies	League Alliance	32-38-2	--	replaced by Bill Barnie on July 23
1883	Columbus Buckeyes	American Association	32-65	6th
1884	Grand Rapids	Northwestern League	48-15	1st	team disbanded on August 5
	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	American Association	9-24	10th	replaced Denny McKnight (4-8), Bob Ferguson (11-31), Joe Battin (6-7) and George Creamer (0-8) on August 18
1885	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	American Association	56-55	3rd
1886	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	American Association	80-57	2nd
1887	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	National League	55-69	6th
1888	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	National League	66-68	6th
1889	Pittsburgh Alleghenys	National League	28-43	--	replaced by Fred Dunlap on July 25

Related Sites

• "Horace Phillips Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, January/February 2011, p. 1.
• Richard D. Warrington: Philadelphia in the 1882 League Alliance" SABR
• Richard D. Warrington: Philadelphia in the 1881 Eastern Championship Association SABR