Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #17 Gordon Dillard

#50
Gordon Lee Dillard
Relief Pitcher

No offense to Gordon Dillard, but my fondest memory of his brief Phillies career is my Dad announcing in an exaggerated announcer's voice one May morning in 1989, "And my new favorite Phillie is that . . . Gordon Dillard."

Dillard came to the Phillies in December 1988 along with Ken Howell from the Orioles for outfielder Phil Bradley.  The deal was one of a flurry of small trades orchestrated by new Phillies GM Lee Thomas.  Dillard reported to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following spring training in 1989, but was recalled in early May due to an injury to Jeff Parrett.  He appeared in five games for the Phillies, allowing three runs in four innings, and when Parrett returned from the disabled list he was sent back down to Scranton.

Left off the Phillies 40-man roster that offseason, he was selected by the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft, but he'd never make it back to the Majors.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  May 20, 1964, Salinas, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round of the 1986 amateur draft, June 2, 1986
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1988; Phillies 1989
Professional Affiliations:  Baltimore Orioles 1986-1988; Phillies 1989; Pittsburgh Pirates 1990; Salinas Spurs (Independent) 1991

Phillies Career
5 games, 4 innings pitched, 6.75 ERA
Acquired:  Acquired with Ken Howell from the Baltimore Orioles for Phil Bradley, December 8, 1988
Debut:  May 5, 1989 - Relieved Howell in the ninth inning of a 7-0 blow-out win against the Reds
Final Game:  May 16, 1989
Departed:  Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 draft, December 4, 1989

1989 CMC Scranton/Wilkes-
Barre Red Barons #7

1 Dillard Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1989 CMC Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #7
Last Card:  1989 CMC Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #7

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  N/A
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  N/A
Other Notable Cards:  1987 ProCards #1489, 1990 CMC #2, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola Baltimore Orioles #105

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.