"Irish" Mike Ryan, R.I.P.

Former MLB catcher and coach "Irish" Mike Ryan passed away in his sleep in his New Hampshire home on July 7th. Ryan was 78.

Born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, Ryan's childhood dream was to play for the Boston Red Sox. He would sign with the Red Sox in 1961. Ryan made his MLB debut on the last day of the 1964 season hitting a two run single in his second big league at bat. Hitting big league pitching didn't come so easy for Ryan. In 11 big league seasons, Ryan only hit above .200 thrice. However, he was a superb defender behind the plate and this kept him employed.

Ryan was part of the 1967 Impossible Dream team which won the AL pennant. However, 1967 was a mixed blessing for Ryan. He did not see eye to eye with manager Dick Williams and would lose playing time when the Red Sox acquired Elston Howard from the Yankees in mid-season. Ryan did get two at bats in Game 4 of the 1967 World Series but was overmatched by Bob Gibson (apart from Yaz who wasn't?) as the Red Sox would fall to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

Following the Impossible Dream season, the Red Sox traded Ryan to the Philadelphia Phillies for catcher Gene Oliver and pitcher Dick Ellsworth. Ryan would remain with the Phillies for six seasons. His best year came in 1969 when he hit a career high 12 HR and 44 RBIs. In the early '70's, Ryan was relegated to the bench as Tim McCarver and later Bob Boone saw more playing time. The Phillies traded Ryan to the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Jackie Hernandez prior to the 1974 season. The Pirates released Ryan after one season ending his playing career. In 636 big league games, Ryan hit .193 with 28 HR and 161 RBI.

However, Ryan would remain with the Pirates organization managing their Single-A affiliate in Charleston in 1975 and 1976. Ryan would rejoin the Phillies' organization in 1977. After starting out as a minor league catching instructor, Ryan would be named manager of the team's Triple-AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City where he would remain through 1979.

In 1980, Ryan would return to the big leagues when he was named the Phillies' bullpen coach. His timing couldn't have been more fortuitous as the Phillies would win their first ever World Series title. Ryan would remain in this capacity with the Phillies through 1995 working under seven different managers and two more World Series trips in 1983 and 1993.

Phillies chairman emeritus Bill Giles called Ryan "one of the more underrated people in Phillies history." Ryan is survived by his wife Suzanne to whom he was married for 52 years. R.I.P.