Remembering Tony Taylor

Today marks what would be the 89th birthday of the late Tony Taylor, the enormously popular infielder with the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the 1960s and into the mid-70s..

Taylor spends 15 of his 19 seasons in the majors with the Phillies, for whom he hits .261 over 1,669 games with 51 homers, 461 runs batted in an incalculable hustle and work ethic.

Taylor, the pride of Central Alava, Cuba, also is the last National League player to hit without the now-mandatory batting helmet.

The last major leaguer to go helmetless while batting is longtime Boston Red Sox backup catcher Bob Montgomery, who retires in 1979 – three years after Taylor plays his final game for the Phillies.

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The gem at the end of the trade

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Just bobbing along