Tom Underwood, 56, former Phillies pitcher
Former pitcher Tom Underwood, who played for the Phillies from 1974 to 1977, died Monday in West Palm Beach, Fla., after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune. He was 56.
Former pitcher Tom Underwood, who played for the Phillies from 1974 to 1977, died Monday in West Palm Beach, Fla., after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to the Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune. He was 56.
Drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 1972 MLB draft, Mr. Underwood made his debut in August 1974. He pitched for the Phils until he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in June 1977.
Mr. Underwood, a lefthander, appeared in 89 games and made 60 starts for the Phillies, going 28-20 with a 4.02 ERA. He also played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles during his 11-year career. He finished 86-87 with a 3.89 ERA.
His best season with the Phillies came in 1976, when he finished 10-5 with a 3.53 ERA over 1552/3 innings.
Mr. Underwood's brother Pat pitched four seasons in the big leagues and made his major-league debut with the Detroit Tigers by defeating Mr. Underwood, then with Toronto, 1-0, in May 1979.