Former Cubs player and pitching coach passes away at age 89

Phil Regan, a member of the infamous 1969 Chicago Cubs and, later, the team's pitching coach in the late 1990s, has sadly passed away at the age of 89.

Regan's professional baseball career began in 1960 as a member with the Detroit Tigers - the only team he pitched for longer than the Cubs. A highly successful 2+ years with the Dodgers was sandwiched between his stints in Detroit and Chicago - and, during his time in Los Angeles, the right-hander earned the only All-Star selection of his career.

He finished seventh in MVP voting in 1966 after going 14-1 with a sterling 1.62 ERA, while leading the league in games finished (48) and saves (21). Regan racked up a staggering 116 2/3 innings that season - without starting a single game. For context, the last time any MLB reliever was 20 years ago - when Scott Proctor eclipsed the 100-inning mark in 2006.

Phil 'The Vulture' Regan was a go-to arm for Cubs skipper Leo Durocher

The Dodgers traded Regan, along with Jim Hickman (who went on to become an All-Star with the Cubs two years later) to Chicago in April 1968, in exchange for Jim Ellis and Ted Savage. He immediately became the late-inning stopper for manager Leo Durocher and piled up insane innings totals in both '68 and '69 - earning Reliever of the Year honors in the latter.

Regan played for the Cubs until 1972, when the team sold his contract to the White Sox. That turned out to be his final season as a pro player - but he stayed in the game, coaching at Grand Valley State for the better part of a decade before returning to the big leagues as a coach.

In addition to a brief managerial stint with the Orioles in the mid-90s, Regan held multiple coaching roles around the league - including Cubs pitching coach from 1997-98. While that time is better remembered for the emergence of Sammy Sosa, the club had one of its biggest pitching stories in franchise history, when Kerry Wood won Rookie of the Year honors and pitched what many still believe to be the best game in MLB history - a 20-strikeout showing against the Houston Astros at Wrigley Field.

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