Matt Stairs at 58

Matt Stairs during his time with the Phillies

Happy birthday 58th birthday today to Matt Stairs, the onetime Harrisburg Senator; 1991 Eastern League Most Valuable Player and, later, 2008 pinch-hitting, home run-hitting folk hero for the World Series-winning Philadelphia Phillies.

Stairs retires midway through the 2011 season, leaving as Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in pinch-hit homers with 23.

So, if you see Matt today, throw him a fastball, preferably middle in, and watch him launch it 420 feet down the right-field line.

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