Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Ron Taylor

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Memories of
Ron Taylor

Ron Taylor
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 159 of 1252 players

Ronald Wesley Taylor
Born: December 13, 1937 at Toronto, Ont., Canada
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.01 Weight: 200

Ron Taylor was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on February 12, 2020, September 20, 2023, and March 1, 2024.

First Mets game: April 13, 1967
Last Mets game: September 22, 1971

Share your memories of Ron Taylor

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Dennis M Lyons
March 3, 2001
It was late 1969 or early 1970 when I met Ron Taylor and several other baseball players in Nam. They were on a USO tour that winter, visiting U.S. personnel. I was with a few other men at a table in a club on a base that had a hospital that the tour just visited. Ron sat with us, bought us a beer, and talked to us. He was interested in how we built highways through the rice paddies. I was impressed with the fact that he was so real. You know what I mean, he could have talked about himself, the series, but he wanted to know about us and what we did.
I was lucky enough later to meet with another USO tour group that included the Commisioner of basebase and several other famous players. Bigger names than Ron Taylor. But it was Ron that impressed me the most that winter in Nam, again because of the way he treated us that day.
Ron never got a chance to finish his beer that day. He said that happened a lot, the kept them moving. A truely amazing Met. Thanks for the beer Ron. I owe you one.

Mike Tenenbaum
August 4, 2001
I think many of us know that Ron is the only team physician that ever pitched batting practice (Blue Jays).
During the 1969 World Series Tony Kubek was amazed that Taylor put out a Baltimore fire, then marched straight back to the bullpen at the end of the inning because he felt he wasn't sufficiently warmed-up when Gil called him in to pitch.
I don't think Kubek said it specifically, but the tone of his voice said, "That's dedication."

Michael Mark, P.Eng.
June 3, 2002
Did you know that, other than obtaining a Medical Doctor's degree, he is also a Professional Engineer registered in Ontario, Canada? Probably the most educated player ever in baseball history. He obtained his Electrical Engineering degree from University of Toronto in 1961, Medical Doctor degree from University of Toronto in 1977. Holy Smokes!

Bob R.
January 7, 2003
There were only a few outstanding talents on the '69 Mets, and Ron Taylor fit into the other category: an average player who rose to the occasion that year and helped bring the Mets a championship. It's really amazing to go through that team's roster and realize that they won it all in '69. That's what made it a magical year.

Euge C.
April 15, 2004
Ron did some warm up pitching at the Flushing, NY YMCA when I was a kid. It was either off-season or an off- day for the Mets. The YMCA guy got ticked at us kids for bugging Ron, but he was as patient as could be. He later sat in an office and gave us all autographed pics, even one for a friend of mine. He gave me the sense that day that all major leaguers were really great guys - the few that I've met have been.

Maxwell Kates
June 12, 2004
Ron Taylor was our keynote speaker at our most recent baseball meeting on June 5. I represent the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), organizing baseball events and social gatherings in the Toronto area. In terms of Mets history, he shared anecdotes on many of his Miracle teammates, including Ron Swoboda, Donn Clendenon, Art Shamsky, and the late Tug McGraw and Tommie Agee. He claimed that Gil Hodges was his greatest manager on the major league level, and clearly believes that #14 belongs in the Hall of Fame. He recalled Nolan Ryan's blister injuries, comparing them to those endured by a Met of more recent vintage, Al Leiter. Specifically about the 1969 season, he believed the Mets were contenders by the All-Star break. Ron Taylor also shared stories about the minor leagues, the Cardinals, and the Padres, along with some of his experiences in a quarter century as the team doctor for the Blue Jays. His wife Rona and son Matthew also attended. Anthony Kalamut moderated the discussion, and he concluded by reminding Ron Taylor that he belongs to a select fraternity of Mets to have their numbers retired. His number, of course, was 42, same as Jackie Robinson.
On behalf of SABR, thanks to Dr. Taylor for spending an afternoon with our group. If you would like to order a video presentation of his presentation, e- mail me for the details.

Jamey Bumbalo
December 8, 2006
Ron Taylor was an excellent reliever before that job became glamorous, a very educated man, and one of the few Canadian Mets. If he were playing today, he'd be making several million dollars a year.

Owen Kelly
April 19, 2007
I received a letter from the Montreal Expos to report to Homestead Florida spring of 70. During the winter months I needed a place to throw, so a buddy of mine spoke to the director of the YMCA in Flushing Queens, and got me in, what I did not know was that Ron Taylor and Duffy Dyer was also working out at that YMCA. To make a long story short, both were great, but Ron was special, I remember our last days of talks, and I remember this if it was yesterday, he told me he wanted to play a few more years get his pension, then go to Medical School, and he already had an engineering degree. When he said that, I said to Ron, "Are you nuts?" He laughed. We parted and we wrote for a while. The rest is history; now he is Dr Ron Taylor.
I have coached and still coach, and I tell all my players that it's never to late to go to school, and I use my friendship at that time telling all my kids about Ron Taylor. A VERY SPECIAL PERSON.

Burl Crone
October 27, 2007
Ron Taylor has been my family doctor for as long as I can remember. The first time I required a specialist, he quizzed me on what the specialist had said, and then promptly made me an appointment for another. My whole family is an agreement that he is not only an excellent GP, but that his care in referring specialists and monitoring your care with them sets him apart. I never saw him play baseball, and he's never mentioned it. But from my experience he is an excellent physician. If I understand correctly, he is the only Canadian player ever to win the World Series on two different teams, and the only big league player ever to later become a team doctor. He also runs a sports clinic here at the University of Toronto. I don't think there's many people with a GP as accomplished as that.

Metsmind
October 9, 2008
This guy stared out just like the Mets: he made his major league debut the same day (4/11/62) as the Mets played their first game. Ron pitched 10 scoreless innings as a starter for Cleveland, only to give up 4 in the 11th and take the loss!
He won WS rings not only with the 69 Mets, but the 64 Cardinals as well.
And his second career in medicine brought him back to the bigs: He is the Blue Jays team physician today!

Sixty-Niner
July 23, 2011
Ron is the answer to a great trivia question: Who is the only member of the '69 Mets that was born outside the United States? With so many of today's players being from different parts of the world, it's interesting that Dr. Taylor (a Canadian) was the only "Miracle Met" who came from another country.
Also, Ron came to New York at what turned out to be the perfect time. His first game with the orange and blue just happened to be Tom Seaver's major league debut.

agee_of_aquarius
August 18, 2011
You'd have to change your trivia question to "Who was the only REGULAR member of the '69 Mets who was born in a foreign country", because Les Rohr pitched one game for them in 1969 and he was born in England!

John T
July 17, 2019
Great to see Ron Taylor at the Mets celebration of 50 years since the Mets magical 1969 season. He might not be in good shape because I didn't see any interviews with him.
As I recall, he was the only Mets player on the 1969 team that had World Series experience, with the 1964 Cardinals. They were such a young team! Of course, Hodges and the coaching staff had been in the series many years before.