Mike Ryan

Who is Mike Ryan?

Michael James Ryan was a Major League Baseball player, who played catcher for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Of all non-pitchers since 1930 with at least 1000 at-bats, only one, Ray Oyler, has a lower batting average.

Appearing in a team-high 79 games as a catcher, Ryan helped the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox win the 1967 American League pennant. In 1967 he was the roommate of Tony Conigliaro before Conigliaro's beaning. Then in 1974 he was a reserve on the Pirates team that won the National League Eastern Division.

With the Philadelphia Phillies on May 2, 1970, Ryan and Tim McCarver both had a hand broken in a game against the San Francisco Giants. With their catching corps depleted, the Phillies were forced to use Jim Hutto, Del Bates, Doc Edwards, and Mike Compton at the position. Bates and Compton never played in the major leagues before or after 1970. Edwards was the Phillies bullpen coach and had last played in the majors in 1965.

After his playing career, Ryan managed and coached in the farm systems of the Pirates and Phillies from 1975 to 1979, then coached at the Major League level for the Phillies for 16 seasons, from 1980 until 1995.