Bob Oldis, 96, could be described as a baseball lifer as he played, coached and scouted for seven decades. A catcher, he played in 135 games over seven Major League seasons. In 11 Minor League seasons, 1,044 games.

• Phillies Alumni

His life with the Phillies included 1962-63 as a backup catcher to Clay Dalrymple, 1964-66 as the bullpen coach and 1967 as a scout. Among Phillies nonagenarians, he and Tommy Brown (96) are second to Bobby Shantz (98). Among oldest living Major League players, Oldis is No. 10

“Oldie” was born in Preston, Iowa, and grew up in Iowa City. He is now residing in Gilbert, Ariz.

“Years after my first wife died, I remarried on 12/12/12. Chose that date because I could remember it,” he said laughing. “Moved to Arizona 13 years ago. No more shoveling snow, putting up snow fences, heavy winter coats. Don’t go to games anymore, but watch a lot of games on television. You know if they had bigger bases when I played like they do now, I could have stolen some bases,” he laughed again.

“Today’s players are stronger, faster and better. They lift weights, work out all year. The heaviest thing we lifted was a bottle of beer.

“I just wanted to play,” said Oldis in a 2014 SABR BioProject. “It sure beat working. It’s always been a fun game, and I’m a fun kind of a guy. I knew I would have to work hard to play and play smart. But I was fortunate, lucky. I played for, or with, some of the best minds in baseball in the Minors, and the Majors. And I had a lot of fun.”

Pro Career

His Iowa City high school didn’t have a baseball program until his junior year. He didn’t play as a senior because he graduated during the semester break. His involvement in the game consisted of fast-pitch softball and American Legion Junior Baseball.

His dad, a semi-pro ballplayer, sent him to a baseball camp in Cocoa, Fla. He played for $25 a week for five weeks. It was run by Jack Rossiter, a scout, who had Cecil Travis, former Phillie Andy Seminick and Pete Appleton as instructors.

According to the SABR story, Oldis was one of nine, out of about 200, to be offered a pro contract. He received no signing bonus and reported to the Emporia (Va.) Blue Jackets, a Washington Senators affiliate in the Class D Virginia League in 1949.

Minor League Career

He played for seven teams in an 11-year Minor League career. Oldis’ time in the Majors included the Senators (1953-55), Pittsburgh Pirates (1960-61) and Phillies (1962-63). A third-string catcher on the 1961 Pirates, he appeared in two World Series games (no at-bats) and got the first of two World Series rings.

Oldis made his Major League debut on April 28, 1953, as a late-inning substitute catcher. His first start came in the second game of a doubleheader on May 10 against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park; he singled in four at-bats.

The 1961 World Series is his career highlight. “Nothing else was close. I got into two games -- both in Yankee Stadium and [we] won both of them. Our share was about $8,400 a man. After taxes, I was left $6,400 -- enough to buy the lot for [our] house and start building. We raised our family there,” he was quoted in the SABR article.

Phillies Career

Not long after that World Series, the Phillies purchased his contract from the Pirates.

Backing up Dalrymple, he hit a career-high .263 (38 games) in 1962 and .224 (career-high 47 games) in '63.

In 1962, Maury Wills stole a modern record 104 bases and was caught stealing only 13 times during the season. He was caught stealing twice in only one game, June 4 in Philadelphia. Oldis was the catcher.

Oldis’ only Major League home run came in the same season (Aug. 9, Dodgers' Pete Richert, in Los Angeles). “I hit it so hard think I killed a palm tree at Dodger Stadium,” he laughed again.

Mr. Oldis, for the record, you had zero career stolen bases. You were caught one time during the 1962 season: Aug. 14, 12th inning at the Polo Grounds (Al Jackson/Joe Pignatano). Now, the good news. You singled in the 15th inning and scored the winning run in a 3-1 final. Yes, you scored from second base on a single. Pure speed.

When the Phillies acquired veteran catcher Gus Triandos in the Jim Bunning deal (December 1963), Oldis’ playing career ended. He was signed as the bullpen coach following Spring Training in 1964. He was activated as a third catcher when the roster was expanded in September, but he never got in a game.

When asked what he remembered about that season, he responded, “Well, we lost 10 games in a row at the end, ran into the hottest four teams in the league. [Gene] Mauch did a hell of a job. We sort of overachieved. We had four All-Star players in [Dick] Allen, [Johnny] Callison, Bunning and [Chris] Short, along with a bunch of good players who learned how to play under Gene. We just couldn’t get that key game or two. The season was 10 games too long.”

Scouting

Following his Phillies coaching career, he was a scout for them (1967), coached for the Twins (1968), coached for Mauch in Montreal starting in 1969 and managed the Watertown (SD) Expos (1970) while also scouting for Montreal.

“I needed to spend more time at home. Both sons had multiple sclerosis and my wife needed help caring for them,” he said on a 2019 podcast.

In 2002, he became a scout for the Marlins and received his second World Series ring (2003). He covered amateur players as well as professional players in the Midwest. 2019 was his last year as a full-time scout.

Among the players he scouted who reached the Majors are Shane Rawley, Bill Gullickson, Jeff Huson, Casey Candaele, David Herndon and Brad Hand.

During his playing days, players often needed jobs in the offseason to make ends meet. Over the period of some 50 years, he was a high school basketball and football referee, served as a basketball bench official for boys and girls state tournaments, was on the sidelines as part of the chain gang for the University of Iowa football games and worked for the Iowa State Highway Commission.

“Yeah, put up miles of snow fences for 13 winters," Oldis said.

Robert Carl Oldis bounced around as a player and worked his tail off on and off the field, always with a sense of humor. He continues to make people smile. That’s an awesome attribute.