Endowed with excellent speed and a fine arm, Philley led AL outfielders in assists three different years. But he is best remembered for his pinch hitting in the late 1950s. In 1958 the switch-hitter had a league-high 18 hits off the Phillies’ bench, including eight consecutive pinch hits to end the season. On Opening Day of 1959, he poked a pinch double, establishing a record of nine straight successful pinch-hit appearances. In 1961 Philley collected an AL record of 24 pinch hits with Baltimore. Overall, he hit .299 (93-for-311) off the bench.
