Curt Simmons, Pa. native and last surviving member of Phillies’ ‘Whiz Kids,’ dies at 93

The 20-year MLB veteran won 17 games for the NL pennant-winning 1950 Phils
Headshot portrait of baseball pitcher Curt Simmons wearing his Philadelphia Phillies uniform and smiling.
Headshot portrait of baseball pitcher Curt Simmons wearing his Philadelphia Phillies uniform and smiling. Photo credit Hulton Archive/Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The last surviving member of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1950 pennant-winning “Whiz Kids” team has died.

Curt Simmons passed away Tuesday at his Ambler home at age 93.

A graduate of Whitehall High School in the Lehigh Valley, Simmons joined the Phillies in 1947.

For 13 years, Simmons helped anchor the pitching staff for Philadelphia. He won 115 games in that time span, ranking fifth in franchise history for wins as a pitcher.

Simmons went 17-8 in the Phillies’ 1950 National League Pennant season but had to miss the World Series and the entire 1951 season due to a military commitment.

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The left-handed pitcher spent 20 years in the majors, not just for the Phillies but also the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and California Angels.

Following his playing career, Simmons received many accolades. He was first elected to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1968 and to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

National League President Warren Giles congratulates Curt Simmons of the Philadelphia Phillies, Bob Rush and Hank Sauer of the Chicago Cubs and Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers after their All-Star Game win against the American League on July 8, 1952 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
National League President Warren Giles congratulates Curt Simmons of the Philadelphia Phillies, Bob Rush and Hank Sauer of the Chicago Cubs and Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers after their All-Star Game win against the American League on July 8, 1952 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo credit Stanley Weston/Getty Images

He was also inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1993.

Simmons is survived by his three children.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images