The position player representative from the 1972 Philadelphia Phillies for this ‘Phillies 50’ series played three years in Major League Baseball. That 1972 campaign would see him get his most experience in the big-leagues, but also would be his last.
Pete Koegel had been drafted by the Athletics back in 1965 when the franchise was still in Kansas City. In August 1969 he was traded with pitcher Bob Meyer to the expansion Seattle Pilots in exchange for veteran pitcher Fred Talbot.
In 1970, Koegel moved on to the Milwaukee Brewers and would make his MLB debut. He would appear in seven games with the Brewers in 1970 and two more in 1971. Then early in that 1971 campaign, Koegel was traded to the Phillies along with another young arm, Ray Peters, in exchange for veteran outfielder John Briggs.
Koegel would appear in a dozen games with the Phillies following the 1971 deal, and then would see action in 41 final games in the 1972 season at four different positions.
During his time with the Phillies, Koegel produced just one multi-hit game. That came in the first game of a doubleheader on May 29, 1972 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Koegel played first base and hit fifth in manager Frank Lucchesi‘s batting order between 3-4 hitters Willie Montanez and Greg Luzinski and six-hole hitter Don Money.
Koegel went 2-5 on that Monday afternoon, singling with one out in the top of the 3rd inning off Pirates’ starter Bruce Kison and then another one-out single in the top of the 9th, this off Bucs’ reliever Ramon Hernandez.
The Phillies traded Koegel to the Pirates in 1973 in exchange for pitcher Chris Zachary. After two seasons at Triple-A Charleston in the Pirates organization during the 1974 and 1975 campaigns he moved on to the Kansas City Royals, playing in their system through 1977 before calling it a career.
Over what was a 62-game career in Major League Baseball, 53 of those in a Phillies uniform, Koegel produced a .174/.268/.244 slash line with one homer, three doubles, five RBIs, and six runs scored.
That lone home run came as a pinch-hitter while with the Brewers against the Chicago White Sox in the 9th inning on September 25, 1970 off Chisox southpaw Tommy John.
MATT VEASEY 