Ron Taylor (baseball)


Ronald Wesley Taylor is a former professional baseball player. He was a pitcher over parts of 11 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, New York Mets and San Diego Padres.

Career

Taylor was a member of two World Series-winning teams: the 1964 St. Louis Cardinals and the 1969 New York Mets. For his career he compiled a 45–43 record with a 3.93 earned run average and 464 strikeouts in 491 appearances, mostly as a relief pitcher.
Taylor did not allow a single hit during his seven innings pitched in four World Series relief appearances. He pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief in the 1969 National League Championship Series, allowing just 3 hits in his 2 appearances
He earned a save in Game 1, and a win in Game 2.
Although posting only a.103 batting average in his major league career, he was good defensively. In 800 innings pitched over 491 games, Taylor made only three errors in 169 total chances for a.982 fielding percentage, which was 27 points higher than the league average at his position.

Post–playing career

After his playing career ended, Taylor entered medical school to become a doctor, having been inspired to do so after visiting field hospitals while on a USO goodwill tour during the Vietnam War. Taylor, a Toronto native, returned to baseball as the team physician of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Ron Taylor was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
Taylor had to have two toes removed.