Phil Regan, the most famous athlete ever to graduate from Wayland High School (1955), has been named interim pitching coach for the New York Mets at the tender age of 82.
It is his first Major League coaching job since 1999 when he was pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians. He was the West Michigan Whitecaps manager in 2002, managed the Baltimore Orioles in 1995 and was the Chicago Cubs’ pitching coach in 1997.
Regarn was brought up from the minor leagues as pitching coach at Syracuse, succeeding Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez, who were fired Thursday. The Mets have a 4.67 earned run average, 20th in the Majors and are 35-39 overall.
Regan pitched in the Major Leagues for 13 seasons, winning Fireman of the Year honors in 1966, 169 and 1970 while a relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. His best year as a atsrater was with the Detroit Tigers in 1963 when he won 15 games.
He completed his career with an overall record of 96-81 and a 3.84 earned run average.
