Phil Regan, a former Major League Baseball pitcher and longtime coach whose career in professional baseball spanned six decades, died of natural causes on July 8, 2026. He was 89.
Matthew Blit, Regan’s attorney, confirmed the death.
Regan sued the Mets in 2023, alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination after not being retained following the 2019 season. The lawsuit claimed former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen told Regan he would not return because he was “too old.”
From Starter to Relief Ace
The Michigan native began his big league career with Detroit in 1960 and pitched for 13 years through 1972, making stops with Los Angeles and both Chicago franchises. During his first six years, he worked primarily as a starter, making 101 starts before shifting to the bullpen full-time after moving to the National League.
The transition proved wildly successful. When Regan joined the Dodgers, teammate Sandy Koufax dubbed him “The Vulture” for his ability to enter games at the perfect moment and emerge with the victory.
His best season came in 1966, when he posted a 14-1 record with a 1.62 earned run average (ERA) and a National League-best 21 saves across 65 games, earning his only All-Star selection.
After joining the Cubs in 1968, Regan concluded his playing career with a 10-game stint with the White Sox in 1972. He retired with a 96-81 record, a 3.84 ERA, and 92 saves in 551 games. His ERA as a reliever was 3.30, compared to 4.44 as a starter, and he recorded 58 wins over 446 career relief appearances.
Five Decades Shaping Pitchers
Regan’s post-playing career stretched more than five decades and touched every corner of baseball. He spent nine years as head baseball coach at Grand Valley State University and more than two decades managing in the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues. He served as pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians, Cubs and New York Mets, and coached Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
In 1995, Regan managed the Baltimore Orioles for a strike-shortened season, succeeding Johnny Oates. He led a roster featuring three future Hall of Famers — Cal Ripken Jr., Mike Mussina and Harold Baines — to a 71-73 record before Davey Johnson took over the following year.
Regan worked in the Mets’ minor league system as pitching coach for Single-A Port St. Lucie from 2009-15, and as an assistant minor league pitching coordinator from 2016-2019, where he played a key role in developing Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler. His influence also extended to Seth Lugo, Steven Matz and Paul Sewald, all of whom came up through the Mets’ farm system during his tenure.
A Disputed Ending
Regan served as interim pitching coach for the Mets in 2019 at age 82 after the franchise fired Dave Eiland. The organization hired Jeremy Hefner, who was 33 at the time, to fill the pitching coach role in 2020.
Regan’s first wife, Carol, raised four children with him before her passing in 2004. He met his second wife, Lissette, while coaching in Venezuela. Blit, his attorney, said Regan coached for many years in Venezuela and earned the respect of countless Venezuelan players, but that Regan always said his greatest reward from coaching there was his wife.
He is survived by 18 grandchildren.
Regan’s journey from Otsego, Michigan, through major league mounds from 1960 to 1972 and coaching positions that lasted through 2019 represents one of the widest-ranging careers in modern baseball history. Few figures in the sport can claim such an expansive resume or such enduring devotion to the game.
