SAN DIEGO -- There’s no better place in the United States to commemorate Memorial Day than America’s Finest City due to its status as a major military hub.
When the pregame flyover from Marine Medium VMM-164 settled over Petco Park late Monday afternoon, Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips thought of his late grandfather, Frank C. Phillips, who was a 28-year U.S. Army and Air Force veteran.
Hours later, Phillips tossed two scoreless frames in Miami’s 4-3 loss to San Diego in 11 innings.
“It means a lot to pitch well on Memorial Day and everything,” Phillips said. “I think, honestly, every Memorial Day that I've been able to play or pitch on over my career has been a little bit more emotional for me, because I feel like my grandpa's up there watching me.”
Phillips, whose grandfather died when he was 10, isn’t on a big league mound if not for him. He admired Frank so much he named his son after him, and it’s easy to see why.
Frank experienced things we’ve only read about in history books. Two years after enlisting in the U.S. Army at the age of 22, he was shipped to England and then across the channel to France, where he would meet Tyler’s grandmother, during World War II. Frank would go on to receive the Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart and the Combat Infantry Badge.
When his Army enlistment term ended at the end of 1945, Frank re-enlisted in the newly formed Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force. His specialty was the strategic movement of troops, equipment and supplies by air. This work continued during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Frank retired from the Air Force in 1972 as a Chief Master Sergeant.
Looking back, Tyler wishes he asked his grandfather more about his younger years. As a kid, he just loved trying on his old 20-pound metal helmet.
“The history of it always amazes me, and just the fact that my grandpa was able to do that,” Phillips said. “I look up to that guy a lot. I think about words to describe him and there's nothing that really comes to mind other than he was just the best, especially after what he'd been through. He was still out there teaching me how to mow the lawn or whatever, playing catch with me, getting in his RV, just working on things.”
Phillips’ grandfather and father Dan, who was an Eagle Scout, made sure to pass down critical skills to Tyler. But more than anything, what they shared was a love of baseball.
Three generations of Phillipses would go to Veterans Stadium for Phillies games. Tyler can still picture running to sit on Frank’s lap while he rested in his chair. He can still hear Frank’s voice on speakerphone asking if they saw Ryan Howard’s latest home run.
“It was pretty cool, and he loved it,” Phillips said. “He's another part of the reason why I love baseball like I do, because being able to play catch with him and my dad in the backyard was awesome.”
That’s why Monday’s 24-pitch appearance means more than any of Phillips’ other 24 big league outings, outside of his debut. Used to working the middle innings or long relief, Phillips instead found himself entrenched in a 3-3 ballgame in the ninth.
“This guy's always ready to take the ball, and some of his workload has been sporadic, so to come into that type of game in that moment, and fill the strike zone up the way he did, and collect outs, pitch a clean ninth, go out and throw a zero up in the 10th as well,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “So, great job by Tyler. He's a great competitor. He went out there and threw two really good innings for us.”
In the ninth, Phillips retired Luis Arraez and issued a walk before erasing the baserunner with an inning-ending double play. In the 10th, all he did was retire Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado in order with the automatic runner -- and walk-off run -- in scoring position to start the inning.
“Getting a little pressure situation tonight, not something I'm typically used to, so I’d like to believe that he had my back out there today,” Phillips said. “It means a lot, and I know that he's able to watch me, even though he never got to.”