Lefty Phillips (phillle99)

Harold Ross Phillips

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 192 lb.
• High School Franklin High School (Los Angeles)

• Born June 16, 1919 in Los Angeles, CA USA
• Died June 12, 1972 in Orange, CA USA

BR Manager page

Biographical Information

Lefty Phillips spent less than two months as a pitcher with the Bisbee Bees in 1939, before arm trouble ended his playing days. He had been a star pitcher in high school before signing with the St. Louis Browns. He became a bird dog while working for the railroad in Los Angeles, CA, then a scout for the Cincinnati Reds (1948-1950) and Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1952-1964). With the Dodgers, he was the head scout for southern California and was credited with signing Don Drysdale and Ron Fairly, but also Bob Lillis, Sparky Anderson and Larry Sherry.

Phillips was then the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching coach from 1965 to 1968. In 1969, he joined the California Angels, and later that season was named their manager, a job he held through 1971. He died of an asthma attack less than a year later.

Preceded by Bill Rigney

California Angels Manager 1969-1971

Succeeded by Del Rice

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1969	California Angels	American League	60-63	3rd	California Angels		replaced Bill Rigney (11-28) on May 27
1970	California Angels	American League	86-76	3rd	California Angels
1971	California Angels	American League	76-86	4th	California Angels

Further Reading

• Rick Obran: "The Sandlot Mentors of Los Angeles", in Jean Hastings Ardell and Andy McCue, ed.: Endless Seasons: Baseball in Southern California, The National Pastime, SABR, Number 41, 2011, pp. 23-27.

Related Sites

• Phillips obituary