Phillies great Darren Daulton died Sunday after a three-year battle with brain cancer. He was 55.
Daulton was an All-Star, a member of the lovable 1993 Phillies, an all-time franchise great and an even better leader, as CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury remembers.
"Darren was a true leader of men. The Phillies would not have gone to the 1993 World Series without his leadership," Phillies chairman emeritus Bill Giles said in a statement.
"In addition to being an outstanding clubhouse leader, he was also a fighter. He battled through five knee operations to become an All-Star. I really enjoyed watching him for 14 years in uniform. Darren was a super human being. His teammates loved him, I loved him like he was one of my own. In fact, he called me, 'Uncle Bill.'"
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of 1993 NL Champion and Phillies Wall of Fame catcher Darren Daulton. pic.twitter.com/iPHB9Rn7vg— Phillies (@Phillies) August 7, 2017
Philadelphia Phillies
Complete coverage of the Fightin' Phils and their MLB rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"All of us at the Phillies are saddened to hear of Darren's passing," Phillies chairman David Montgomery said. "Darren was the face of our franchise in the early 1990's. Jim Fregosi asked so much of him as catcher, clean-up hitter and team leader. He responded to all three challenges. One of my toughest decisions as team president was to approve his trade to the Marlins in July of 1997. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Amanda, his parents, his brother and his four children. Dutch was truly ‘one of a kind' and we will dearly miss him."
There was an outpour of support from former teammates and sportswriters:
Why baseball is sometimes secondary....but Darren was a hero in my eyes!!!! #legendaryleader... we love you !!! Dutch— ricky bottalico (@rickybottalico) August 7, 2017
I know Dad's favorite Phils team was the wonderfully wacky group of grinders in '93. Daulton was the heart/soul of that squad. #RIPDutch— Todd Kalas (@RealToddKalas) August 7, 2017
Deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Darren Daulton today! You will be missed my friend, always enjoyed your presence at the ballpark— Cameron Rupp (@CameronRupp) August 7, 2017
So sad. My all time favorite. Why I chose #10 jersey. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones. https://t.co/3BnS91rTuE— Carli Lloyd (@CarliLloyd) August 7, 2017
We lost a great one tonight. Had the privilege of working with and knowing him. His personality was so infectious. Great player. Better man. https://t.co/VCiqSwDLHI— Marshall Harris (@mharrisCSN) August 7, 2017
R.I.P. to the great Darren Daulton. A tremendous player and a special person. Epitomized leadership with his smile, work ethic & toughness— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) August 7, 2017
"Dutch" was a WARRIOR on that 1993 Phillies team & I was so lucky to cross paths with him a few times! 2/2 pic.twitter.com/6ZMqQyodrb— Pete Thompson (@thePT973) August 7, 2017
And the Daily News ' front page …
REVISED Monday, Aug. 7, 2017 @PhillyDailyNews Front Page -- pic.twitter.com/340CM0wCET— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) August 7, 2017