Phil Regan, Orioles manager when Cal Ripken Jr. broke streak record, dies at 89

Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun on Jul 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — Phil Regan, who managed the Orioles for one season in 1995 as part of a baseball career that spanned seven decades, died Wednesday, the team said in a statement.

Regan was 89 years old.

“We are saddened by the passing of former Orioles manager Phil Regan,” the Orioles said. “We extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”

His lone season leading Baltimore was a special one. That September, Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s streak of consecutive games played during a strike-shortened campaign. The Orioles went 71-73 and finished in third place in the American League East, and Davey Johnson took over as manager the next year.

The Orioles choosing the inexperienced Regan over the proven Johnson after moving on from Johnny Oates following the 1994 season was considered controversial at the time.

Johnson was coming off his second season managing the Cincinnati Reds and had won a World Series with the New York Mets less than a decade before. Regan, meanwhile, was the Cleveland Indians pitching coach. Most of his coaching experience before then had been in college baseball. The Orioles reversed course the following offseason.

“I probably wasn’t ready to manage in the majors until three or four years ago,” Regan told The Baltimore Sun in 1994.

Before managing the Orioles, Regan pitched for the Tigers, Cubs, Dodgers and White Sox from 1960 to 1972 and was an All-Star reliever for Los Angeles in 1966. He went into coaching in 1974, working in various coaching and scouting roles at the college level and for six MLB teams. Baltimore was his only major league managerial job.

Regan last worked in MLB in 2019 for the Mets as their interim pitching coach.