Phillips entered pro baseball in 1951 and joined the Braves\' organization in 1953. After spending 1954–55 in military service, he was recalled from Triple-A Wichita in June 1956, pitched effectively in relief, and then was added to the Milwaukee starting rotation in August. In five starts for the contending Braves, he won three, lost two, and threw three complete games. He then moved back into the bullpen for the stretch drive, which saw the Braves finish just short of the National League pennant, one game behind the Brooklyn Dodgers. Phillips\' rookie season would be his best: he posted his only over-.500 win–loss record (5–3) and his lowest earned run average (2.26).\n', '

The 1957 Braves would bring home Milwaukee\'s first NL pennant and World Series triumph, but Phillips slumped badly during the year. In 27 games and 73 innings pitched, he allowed 82 hits, 40 bases on balls and 45 earned runs; his ERA jumped to 5.55. He did not pitch in the World Series, won by the Braves in seven games over the New York Yankees.\n', '

Then, in December 1957, Phillips was part of a five-player trade with the Chicago Cubs that netted the Braves starting pitcher Bob Rush. The deal set the stage for Phillips\' two busiest seasons in the major leagues. In 1958, he worked in 39 games for the Cubs, with a career-high 27 starts. He threw five complete games, and in his only MLB shutout, he blanked his old Milwaukee teammates, 1–0, on six hits May 25 at County Stadium. But he lost ten of 17 decisions and posted a mediocre 4.76 earned run average. When he got off to a poor start in 1959, with a 7.56 ERA and 0–2 record through seven games, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 12, even-up, for another left-hander, Seth Morehead. Pitching largely in relief, he continued to scuffle with the Phils, losing four of five decisions and putting up a 5.00 ERA in 72 innings pitched. As in 1958, he worked in 39 games, but he made only five starts, with one complete game, for the two clubs. It would be his last full year in the major leagues.\n', '

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