1950 to attend the Series. The Phillies chose not to request that the Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler rule Simmons eligible for the Series, but Simmons chose to attend to support the team. Simmons' place on the Series roster was taken by pitcher Jocko Thompson. Without Simmons, the Phillies were swept in four games by Joe DiMaggio and the New York Yankees. Simmons missed the entire season while in the military, but he returned in to win 14 games, posting a 2.82 earned run average (ERA) and leading Major League Baseball with six shutouts. The team would never again contend for a championship during his tenure there, although Simmons continued to pitch into the late 1950s. In , he was struck with a sore arm, and in , the Phillies, then in last place and in rebuilding mode, released him on May 17, 1960, after four mound appearances. Simmons signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals three days later, and began a comeback that culminated in 15- and 18-game-winning seasons in and 1964, respectively, while in a pitching rotation that included Bob Gibson and Ray Sadecki. In 1964, he appeared in the World Series against the New York Yankees. He started two games in the fall classic for the eventual world champion Cardinals, losing his only decision but compiling a 2.51 ERA. Simmons’ last winning record was in 1964; he lost 15 games for St. Louis in , then finished his career with the Chicago Cubs and California Angels, in and . His final record, over 20 years, was 193–182 (.515). In 569 games pitched and 3,348 innings, Simmons allowed 3,313 hits and 1,063 bases on balls. He recorded 1,697 strikeouts, 163 complete games, 36 shutouts, and five saves. Along with Smoky Burgess, Simmons was the last player to formally retire who had played in MLB in the 1940s (not counting Minnie Miñoso, who would later un-retire, twice). MLB Hall of Fame hitters Hank Aaron and Stan Musial each separately named Simmons as the toughest pitcher they had to face in their careers. Personal life and death Simmons died on December 13, 2022, at the age of 93. At the time of his death, Simmons was the last living member of the Phillies in the 1940s, and the last living member of the 1950 Phillies National League pennant winning team. References External links Curt Simmons at SABR