Phillip Raymond Stephenson (born September 19, 1960) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

first baseman. He played all or parts of four seasons in the majors, from until .

Amateur career

While playing for the Shockers of Wichita State University under his older brother,

Gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

, Phil hit safely in what was then the longest hitting streak in Division I history, 47 straight games in 1981. His record was broken by Oklahoma State's

Robin Ventura Robin Mark Ventura (born July 14, 1967) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager. Ventura played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Do ...

, who hit safely in 58 straight games in 1987. He was also the victim of one of the most famous plays in

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

history - The Grand Illusion play by Miami in 1982.

Professional career

Playing

Stephenson was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

. He was traded to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

before the 1986 season, and made his major league debut with them in 1989. That September, he was traded to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

, and finished his major league career with them in 1992. He played two more seasons of minor league baseball in the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

organizations before retiring. Stephenson was a replacement player during the 1995 players strike, playing for the Cubs during spring training.

Managerial and coaching

Stephenson managed in the minor leagues for two seasons in the mid-1990s, winning a league championship with the independent Abilene Prairie Dogs in . He was the head baseball coach for

Dodge City Community College Dodge City Community College (DC3, DCCC) is a public community college in Dodge City, Kansas, United States. History Campus Founded in 1935, Dodge City Community College was located on the third floor of the Senior High School Building at 16 ...

. He has now joined the on-air lineup at KGSO, a sports talk radio station in Wichita, hosting a show from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Phil 1960 births Living people People from Guthrie, Oklahoma Major League Baseball first basemen Chicago Cubs players San Diego Padres players Modesto A's players Albany A's players Tacoma Tigers players Midland Angels players Pittsfield Cubs players Iowa Cubs players Dodge City Mustangs baseball coaches Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Wichita Wranglers players Omaha Royals players Louisville Redbirds players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Oklahoma Wichita State Shockers baseball players National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees All-American college baseball players Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players