Phillies' Darren Daulton: 'A man's man and a lady's dream'
Meghan MontemurroPHILADELPHIA – Former Phillies pitcher Tommy Greene can still picture the nights he spent with Darren Daulton in the trainer's room after games.
Sometimes the battery mates were there until 3 a.m. Typically, Daulton would teach Greene about the game of baseball. Greene would bring Daulton a "cold refreshment."
Daulton's presence commanded attention, regardless of the setting.
Daulton died Sunday at the age of 55 after a four-year battle with brain cancer. Known as "Dutch," Daulton was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in July 2013.
Daulton spent 14 years as a Phillie and remains the franchise's longest tenured catcher,
But one year, 1993, stood out. Daulton held together a motley crew featuring plenty of hot tempers en route to winning the National League pennant.
He battled through five knee surgeries to become a three-time All-Star and beloved fan favorite with his big smile and Hollywood looks.
"He was a man's man and a lady's dream," Greene said Monday.
"He had an uncanny ability to know his guys and know the athletes on his team... He wasn’t a yeller or a screamer. He knew how to get your attention."
"When he walked in a room, or on the field, he commanded it," Mitch Williams noted. "And let's be honest, women loved Dutch. I think that a lot of baby boys were named after him, either Darren or Daulton, just to have a piece of him."
Amid the outpouring of memories from ex-teammates, one characteristic resonated through the sadness – Daulton's ability to lead.
"In my 22 years of baseball, I have never been privileged enough to be around a man who led anywhere near as well as Dutch did," Curt Schilling said. "He was perfect in that role in every sense of the word."
Added Milt Thompson: "He treated everybody the same... He was infectious. He just grew on you. He just walked around with confidence, and he built everyone up."
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Phillies chairman David Montgomery spoke on the phone with former general manager Lee Thomas as he drove to Citizens Bank Park Monday morning, both reminiscing about how Daulton wasn't exactly a born leader.
Rather, the 25th-round draft pick out of Arkansas City, Kansas, was anointed to the role by Lee and Jim Fregosi when Fregosi took over as manager in 1991.
And Daulton, armed with an innate ability to stay calm, thrived.
"He assumed and took the challenge not just of being a catcher – a natural position in so much was demanded of you – and being told that’s your clubhouse," Montgomery said. "That’s an amazing thing when you think about it that."
Daulton had a wide-ranging impact in the game, as evident by the 20 former teammates, coaches and front office personnel who spoke of their friend on Monday.
Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa was coaching third base for the team in 1993. He described Daulton the "heart and soul" of that club.
Teammates from 1993 Ruben Amaro Jr. and Mariano Duncan called him a brother. First base coach Mickey Morandini, then the Phils' starting second baseman, said Daulton was a father figure to him.
John Kruk credited Daulton for putting the team on his back and carrying it to the World Series. Lenny Dykstra referred to Daulton as the guy who always steadied the ship.
"I played with several tough dudes in my career, but Dutch was the toughest," Dykstra said. "He was the unquestionable leader of our magical 1993 Phillies team that went from last to first, thereby energizing the city of Philadelphia. His unrelenting toughness had a dramatic effect on the mindset with which we all played."
Daulton played in more than 1,100 games with the Phillies, recording a .245 average and .357 on-base percentage with 137 home runs and 588 RBI. His 965 games at catcher are fifth most in franchise history. In his final season, Daulton won a World Series title with the Marlins in 1997 after a July trade.
He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2010.
"He was super human to me," Williams said. "With two bags of ice on both knees before every game, he set the tone for us players that year and probably for the rest of our careers. It's pretty hard to go in and ask for a day off with a guy like that in the locker room."
Contact Meghan Montemurro at mmontemurro@delawareonline.