Baseball Victoria Hall of Fame Player and Manager: Phil Dale

Phil Dale’s career in baseball spans nearly four decades and encompasses playing and coaching professionally in the United States, coaching at the Olympics and international scouting.

Phil has created opportunities for other Victorians by being the first Australian to play college and professional baseball in the United States and to coach and scout full-time for Major League organisations.

Phil was the first Australian to receive a four-year baseball scholarship at an American college and he then went on to become the first Victorian to play professionally in the Minor Leagues, reaching Class AA.

Phil continued his playing career in the Australian Baseball League with the Waverley/Melbourne Reds and Melbourne Monarchs, winning two pitcher of the year awards and a most valuable player award. Phil was also a manager, coach and front office staff member at the Waverley/Melbourne Reds and Melbourne Monarchs. 

Phil’s contribution to the Victorian senior men’s team includes being the inaugural manager of the Melbourne Aces in the second version of the Australian Baseball League, a second stint as pitching coach and Claxton Shield coach.

Phil was the first Australian to coach in the Minor Leagues with Cincinnati and Atlanta and coached in both incarnations of the Australian Baseball League and was a Victorian pitching coach for Australia for nearly 20 years, including three World Baseball Classics, World Championships and three Olympics and a silver medal at Athens.

Phil has been a long-term scout for the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals. Phil’s coaching extends to elite juniors where he was pitching coordinator for ten years at the MLB Academy on the Gold Coast. Phil’s contribution to local baseball has seen him be awarded life membership at Waverley Baseball Club and North Balwyn Baseball Club and induction into the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame in 2005.  Phil is also a life member of Baseball Victoria.