PHILADELPHIA – Darren Daulton, the three-time All-Star catcher who was the leader of the Philadelphia Phillies' National League championship team in 1993, has died. He was 55.
Daulton had battled brain cancer since 2013. He had two tumors removed during surgery July 1, 2013, but nine days later was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that also took the lives of his former teammate Tug McGraw and former coach John Vukovich.
"Darren was a true leader of men," Phillies chairman emeritus Bill Giles said. "… He battled through five knee operations to become an All-Star. I really enjoyed watching him for 14 years in uniform. Darren was a super human being. His teammates loved him, I loved him like he was one of my own."
The long-haired Daulton was beloved by Phillies fans and respected by teammates. He policed a wild clubhouse in '93 that included Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, Dave Hollins, Pete Incaviglia, Mitch Williams and Curt Schilling.
Nicknamed "Dutch," Daulton played 14½ of his 15 big-league seasons with Philadelphia and finished his career with the 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins, batting .389 (7-for-18) with two doubles and one homer in a seven-game series against Cleveland.
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