Curt Simmons was the only member of the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies Whiz Kids team still alive when he died. He was 93. The Phillies said he died Tuesday at his home in Ambler, Pennsylvania, but they didn’t say why.
The lefty was one of the best pitchers in the team’s history. In 13 seasons, he played 325 games (263 starts) and had a 3.66 ERA with 109 complete games, 18 shutouts and 115 wins.
Simmons took the major league lead with six shutouts in 1952 and 1954 was the best year of his career, with 21 complete games.
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He is fifth in team history for wins and innings pitched (1,939 2/3), sixth for games started, tied for sixth for shutouts, and ninth for strikeouts (1,052). He was selected to the Phillies’ All-Star teams in 1952, 1953 and 1957. He was the starter for the All-Star games in 1952 and 1957.
Simmons was on the “Whiz Kids” team that won the pennant. He missed part of the 1950 season and the World Series because he was in the National Guard during the Korean War. He also missed the entire 1951 season because he had to serve in the military.
We are saddened by the passing of former Cardinals pitcher Curt Simmons.
Simmons appeared in 194 matches with the club in 1960-66, culminating in an 18-win season at the 1964 World Championship.
Our condolences go out to the Simmons family and friends. pic.twitter.com/ktVMmIwq98
— St Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) December 13, 2022
The 1950 Whiz Kids lost the World Series to the New York Yankees. Simmons had a career record of 193–183, 163 complete games, 36 shutouts, and a 3.54 average in 569 big league games (462 starts) with four teams over 20 years. In 1964, he helped the Cardinals win the World Series.
In 1993, he was added to the Phillies’ Wall of Fame. Simmons has two sons, Timothy and Thomas, and a daughter, Susan, who will take over after him. Dorothy, his wife to whom he was married for more than 60 years, passed away before him in 2012… Just follow us on Lee Daily for more news like this.
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