Have a 2B/3B/SS/OF/PH/DH and a Smile!
When Coke, Kroger, and Detroit made Tigers fans grin
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1990 Coca-Cola Tigers Tony Phillips (#4) - Card of the Day
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Quick! Which team do you think of first when you hear the name “Tony Phillips.”
For me, it’s usually the Athletics, and looking at his major league record, that makes sense for at least a couple of reasons.
First, Phillips played at least part of nine seasons with Oakland during his 18 years in the majors.
And second, Phillips’ first stint in Oakland ran from 1989 through 1989, which encompassed nearly the entirety of my first set of Hobby Glory Years (HGY).
But if you’re looking for peak Tony Phillips, you probably need to turn your eyes eastward, and northward. Because, from 1990 through 1995, Phillips established himself as one of the most consistent run producers in the game…as a member of the Detroit Tigers.
That marriage came about after Phillips played a full season as Oakland’s starting second baseman in 1989 and then manned the keystone throughout October as the A’s captured a World Series title.
Phillips’ 143 games played that summer were his most since he appeared in 154 for the 1984 A’s. Phillips hit .262 in 1989, his highest mark since 1985, when he hit .280 in just 42 games.
That combination of solid bat and glove work at a key position made for a nice platform as Phillips headed into free agency before his age-31 season.
The Tigers, fresh off an ugly 59-103 record in 1989, came calling, and Phillips signed with Detroit on December 5 of that year. A little over a month later, the Tigers signed Cecil Fielder as a free agent, too.
Suddenly, Detroit was poised for an offensive jump, even if no one realized it yet.
While Fielder was busy making fans swoon and collectors scrambling for his 1986 rookie cards with every big fly, Phillips settled in at third base — and second, too. Shortstop on occasion, too. And all three outfield positions. The designated hitter slot wasn’t off limits, either. Neither were pinch-hitting duties.
Overall, Phillips hit .251 with eight home runs and 55 RBI, while also stealing 19 bases and scoring 97 runs.
Thanks to newcomers Phillips, Fielder, and Lloyd Moseby, along with typically hefty contributions from Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, the Tigers jumped from 617 runs scored in 1989 to 750 in 1990.
And as fans and collectors got used to seeing Phillips in his new laundry, Coke and Kroger lent them a hand in that effort.
To wit, on July 14, the two companies teamed up with the Tigers to hand out a set of 28 green-bordered cards to fans who took in Detroit’s game against the Texas Rangers at Tiger Stadium. Numbered by uniform, the set featured Fielder on card 45 and Phillips on card 4.
As you can see at the top of this post, the team’s new infielder was slotted as, appropriately enough, “Infielder.”
And, as you can see from the card back, the stats rundown was pretty darn complete, including minor league numbers and even fielding errors:
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Phillips would go on to collect MVP votes in 1993 and ended up hitting .281 with 61 home runs, 309 RBI, and 70 stolen bases with Detroit. Those were the best he did in any of those categories for any team despite playing just five years in Motown.
The Tigers traded Phillips to the Angels for Chad Curtis in April of 1995, and he played for six different teams through August of 1999. His final games came back with the A’s.
But, even though he started and ended in Oakland, Tony Phillips made most of his hay in Detroit. And, wherever he went, Phillips gave fans reason to smile.
How 1986 Topps Cecil Fielder Set a DOA on Fire
Fielder’s return to the States and emergence as a 50-homer guy ignited his 1986 rookie cards (as mentioned above). It gave the average collector a rare chance to conduct a treasure hunt right within the confines of our “old” forgotten cards, rummaging through shoe boxes and monsters looking for those hidden gems.
Read all about that cardboard resurrection, and particularly Fielders 1986 Topps card, right here.
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