Is there anything that goes together quite like the Phillies and St. Patrick\u2019s Day? After all, \u201cPhillie\u201d kind of sounds like an Irish term, and the team mascot is green for some reason. The Phillies used to wear green uniforms on the holiday, but due to Nike\u2019s rules limiting the number of uniforms, that tradition has come to an end.<\/p>\n
But that shouldn\u2019t stop us from celebrating the holiday! Thus, I\u2019ll discuss a few notable players named Patrick in Phillies history.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll start off with the player with perhaps the most Irish sounding name ever. I mean, Paddy Greene sounds like the name of a leprechaun mascot.<\/p>\n
As far as I can tell, Greene was the first Patrick in Phillies history although he didn\u2019t last very long with the team. He played 19 games for the 1902 Phillies, batted just .169 and after the season, he left to go to the Yankees.<\/p>\n
Pat Corrales was not Irish. In fact, he was the first Mexican American manager in MLB history. Despite that distinction, he isn\u2019t fondly remembered by most Phillies fans, since he had the unfortunate task of replacing Dallas Green, who at the time was the only man to manage the Phillies to a World Series title.<\/p>\n
After Green left for the Cubs after the 1981 season, the Phillies turned to Corrales, and the team missed the playoffs after an 89-win season. (Remember, it used to be much harder to make the playoffs when only division winners qualified.) In July 1983, the Phillies were in first place, (but only a game above .500) and several of the team veterans (and this was the Wheeze Kids, so there were a lot of veterans) were grumbling about Corrales\u2019 managerial style.<\/p>\n
General Manager Paul Owens decided to fire Corrales and handle managerial duties, eventually leading the Phillies to the NL Pennant.<\/p>\n
Pat Combs is a cautionary tale for anyone who gets too excited about a pitching prospect. The Phillies\u2019 first round pick of the 1988 draft, Combs blazed through the minor leagues and went 4-0 in six starts as a September callup in 1989. It looked like the Phillies had a future ace on their hands.<\/p>\n
Combs followed up that showing with a mediocre season in 1990, and then injuries, and a lack of control (6.0 BB\/9 in 1991) caused his career to quickly flame out. Perhaps his greatest acheivement was sparking one of the best brawls in Phillies history:<\/p>\n
After four bad starts in 1992, Combs\u2019 major league was over.<\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s a guy who probably enjoyed St. Patrick\u2019s Day. \u201cPat the Bat\u201d was the top overall pick in the 1998 draft and joined the big-league team in 2001. He looked like the next big thing in 2002 when he hit 37 home runs and put up a .920 ERA. But he never built upon that early success and settled in as just a pretty good player (although reportedly an amazing partier).<\/p>\n
He would probably be held in higher regard in modern times when he could have been a designated hitter, and we wouldn\u2019t have had to watch him attempt to catch up to balls in left field. I thought he actually took decent routes to balls and had a good arm; he was just horrifically slow. And while he never developed into the massive power hitter that people expected, he always had a high on-base percentage.<\/p>\n
Unlike Pat Burrell, Pat Neshek made an All-Star team as a Phillie, although it was very much a token selection for a dreadful Phillies team in 2017. Still, Neshek was a very solid reliever who the Phillies traded for three minor leaguers – most notably the immortal J.D. Hammer.<\/p>\n
The Phillies liked Neshek well enough that they brought him back as a free agent the following season. He was paired with another bearded reliever in Tommy Hunter, and it was difficult to tell them apart except for the fact that Neshek was generally effective, while Hunter often stood on the mound looking scared for a few seconds before surrendering another base hit. (I couldn\u2019t stand Tommy Hunter.)<\/p>\n
While he wasn\u2019t named Patrick, I couldn\u2019t possibly have a Phillies St. Patrick\u2019s Day post without mentioning the famous \u201cIrish\u201d Mike Ryan. Ryan spent six years with the Phillies as a catcher, known for strong defense and little offense. He then spent 15 years on the Phillies\u2019 coaching staff, mostly as the bullpen coach and batting practice pitcher.<\/p>\n