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Phil Regan is suing the New York Mets for age discrimination. He was a former player turned coach and served as the Mets' pitching coach for a long time. In 2019, he was fired at the age of 82.
He claims that the Mets exhibited age discrimination in his firing. He claims that then-GM Brodie Van Wagenen said he was "too old."
Mickey Calloway was the Mets manager during that season and he was also let go after the season. Regan is now 85 and is suing for unspecified damages.
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Matthew Blit, Regan's attorney, said via The New York Post:
“Phil is the first to crack jokes about his age. However there is nothing funny about a person being told that they are being passed over because their employer wants someone younger. That’s discrimination, plain and simple.”
Blit added:
"Suing for discrimination in professional sports is extremely rare. In fact, Phil debated doing this for many years. But the hurt from the conversation that he had with Mr. Van Wagenen continues to haunt him to this day. He can hear the exact words playing in his head over and over. Phil knew this had to be done."
According to TMZ Sports, Phil Regan also claimed that Van Wagenen said they'd bring him back if they didn't hire someone else:
"If we don't find the young pitching coach we are looking for, we will hire you back."
As of now, the Mets have not publicly commented on the lawsuit. It's also unclear whether or not anything will come of this as it currently appears to be Regan's word against the rest, as he is claiming he was told implicitly that he was too old to continue.
Who replaced Phil Regan as Mets' pitching coach?
The Mets hired Jeremy Hefner after they fired Phil Regan. Hefner was just 33 at the time. He remains the team's pitching coach to this day.
He previously worked with Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt and will be anxious to get to work with newcomers Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga.
The Mets currently boast one of the deepest staffs in baseball.
