Tony Taylor: Phillies Lone All Star in 1960

When the Phillies acquired the 24-year-old Cuban, Antonio Nemesio (Tony) Taylor, in a May 1960 trade with the Chicago Cubs, they solved a decade long problem at second base. From 1950- 1959 the Phillies tried a long list of undistinguished players at the position with little success. Among those sad second sackers was 1950 Whiz Kid Mike Goliat, who did not hit much and did not field well and was gone by 1951. Other pretenders included Putsy Caballero, Connie Ryan, Bobby Morgan, "Bonus Baby" Ted Kazanski, aging ex-Cardinal Solly Hemus, and rookie  George "Sparky" Anderson, who was a much better manager than infielder. 

The most successful experiment was when the Phillies moved Whiz Kid shortstop, Granny Hamner, to second, but Hamner himself admitted he was a poor second baseman with a slow pivot to first on the double play. The acquisition of Taylor gave the Phillies a solid hitter, a base stealer, a fine defensive second baseman and, very soon, a fan favorite.

Taylor became available to the Phillies because, as he himself admitted, he did not want to move to third base for the Cubs. The Cubs wanted to bring up minor league second baseman Jerry Kindall and move Taylor to third base. Tony balked at the move and was therefore placed on the trade block. The Phillies obtained Taylor and back up catcher Cal Neeman for first baseman Ed Bouchee and pitcher Don Cardwell. 

Taylor immediately won the hearts of Phillies fans with his hustle and inspired play in the field, on the base paths, and at the plate. Taylor played his first four games with the Phillies on the road at Cincinnati, but in his first game at Connie Mack Stadium, batting lead off, Taylor had two hits and a stolen base. In late May and early June, Tony went on a tear that saw him record 16 hits during an eight game hitting streak, raising his batting average to .313. After getting no hits in one game, Taylor went on another hitting streak, this time a 14-gamer, adding another 19 hits. In a game against the Milwaukee Braves at Connie Mack on June 2, Taylor had three hits, including a double and a home run, a walk, four runs scored, and an RBI, while fielding six chances in the field flawlessly. 

On June 12 at Wrigley Field against his former team, the Cubs, Taylor had two hits, scored three runs, stole three bases, and turned two double plays as the Phillies dropped a close one to the Cubs, 8-7. The 1960 Phillies were not a good team, but they had a blue chip player at second base and with Taylor's batting average hovering around .300 in early July, speculation was that he would be selected as an All Star. 

Tony himself thought his chances were slim. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer's Larry Merchant that if he  didn't make it last year [1959 with the Cubs] when he was hitting .305 and had only made two errors - "How can I make it now?" Taylor predicted that perennial All Star Pittsburgh Pirate Bill Mazeroski as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers' Charlie Neal would be named.  It turns out, Tony was right, Mazeroski and Neal were named to the team, but, because every team needed to be represented, and because Taylor was clearly the most deserving Phillie, Taylor was also named an All Star. 

In 1959, 1960 and 1961, the National and American Leagues played two All Star games. The idea of the second game came from the Major League Player's Association, including Phillies' pitcher Robin Roberts, who wanted the extra game to add more money to the player's' pension fund. It was an ill thought out arrangement and was not repeated after 1961, but it did give Tony Taylor a chance to play in two All Star games.

In 1960, before many games were televised and before inter-league play, the All Star Game was a very big deal. For baseball fans, it was a chance to see the great stars of the game like Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Whitey Ford, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Ernie Banks. For Phillies fans, going through some lean years, at least there was new hero Tony Taylor to root for. Worryingly, in those days there was no guarantee that all the players would appear in the game. Starters often played seven innings or more in these games. With Taylor the third second baseman on the team, Phillies fans might not get to see Taylor play.

The first game was played on July 11 at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, the first ever All Star game in that city. The National League won the game 5-3 behind the home runs of Ernie Banks and Del Crandall off American League starting pitcher Bill Monbouquette. Phillies fans had little to cheer, however, as Taylor appeared only as a pinch runner for Stan Musial in the eighth inning.

Two nights later, on July 13, Phillies fans had another long wait for the appearance of their hero. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Taylor finally replaced Charlie Neal at second base. Quick calculations by Phillies fans indicated that Taylor would indeed get to bat in the top of the ninth. He would be up third. Bill Henry came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth for the Nationals. Under the unwritten rule that the ball always finds the new guy in the field, Taylor made the first out of the eighth by snaring a Vic Power pop up in shallow right field. Taylor caught another shallow fly to right, this time off the bat of Ron Hansen, for the third out of the inning.

When the top of the ninth rolled around, the National League had a commanding lead of 4-0 behind home runs by Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays and Stan Musial. Gary Bell of the Cleveland Indians came in to pitch. Norm Larker led off with a walk. As Ken Boyer stepped to the plate, Tony Taylor popped out of the dugout to go to the on deck circle. To Phillies fans, Boyer's subsequent home run was just an after thought. As he crossed home plate and headed to the dugout, Taylor took a practice cut and walked into the batter's box. The score was now 6-0.  

Taylor lashed a hard ground ball right over the second base bag for a single. For those who had been watching him all summer, it was a typical Tony Tatylor base hit. Phillies fans at home in front of their black and white TV sets erupted in cheers. Our hero had delivered. After Ed Bailey flew out to left, pitcher Bill Henry sacrificed Tony up to second base, but he died there as Vada Pinson walked and Orlando Cepeda flew out.

Taylor trotted out to second base to begin the bottom of the ninth. Lindy McDaniel came in to pitch. The first play of the ninth was a ground ball to second base that Taylor handled flawlessly.  Two outs later, Taylor was shaking hands and celebrating the 6-0 victory with his National League All Star teammates. 

Tony Taylor had a distinguished 19 year major league career with the Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and especially in his two stints with the Phillies (1960-71 and 1974-76). He played in the ALCS with the Tigers in 1972. He is remembered for his consistency, hustle, and good nature, and, of course, for making the defensive play that saved Jim Bunning's perfect game against Jesse Gonder of the New York Mets in 1964. One of the most popular Phillies players ever, he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2002. 

Taylor was never selected to another All Star Game. He retired with a 1.000 batting average in All Star competition. His presence on that 1960 All Star team, his hit, and his solid play in the field, however, brought joy to Phillies fans who were suffering through yet another cellar dwelling season.