Darren “Dutch” Daulton, the leader of the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies team that went from worst to first and captured the National League pennant, has passed away at the age of 55 after a four-year battle with brain cancer. On one of the most beloved teams in Philadelphia history, Dutch was the heart and soul.
Here are a few of the best stories written about Daulton, followed by Twitter reactions to the former Phillies catcher’s passing.
The Inquirer’s Frank Fitzpatrick focused on Daulton’s leadership in a Phillies locker room full of characters:
Mr. Daulton typically was the first to emerge from the players’ training-room hideaway to confront postgame questions. He was the buffer with a media many Phillies distrusted and avoided. He convened team meetings and, in one memorable instance in St. Louis, publicly questioned the guts of pitchers Schilling and Tommy Greene.
At CSN Philly, Jim Salisbury wrote about how Dutch was able to go out on top with the Florida Marlins in 1997:
Daulton swigged champagne in the raucous Marlins clubhouse that night and he got his World Series ring. But he was always a Phillie at heart. And so, against the backdrop of the team's familiar red logo, he announced his retirement at Veterans Stadium that winter and the turnout of folks who worked behind-the-scenes for the club was impressive. Daulton, you see, wasn't just good to the big guys in uniform. He was good to everyone.
For MLB.com, Paul Hagen detailed how Daulton fought through nine knee surgeries:
Daulton was never as consistently productive after he returned. The following season he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee when he slipped on the wet artificial turf while rounding second base at Veterans Stadium. It was the latest in a series of knee injuries that required multiple surgeries. Teammates marveled at his toughness, the extraordinary lengths he had to go through to get himself ready to play every day.
And here are some of the Twitter tributes to Daulton:
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