As a Major League ballplayer for 12 seasons, Phillies alumnus John Briggs experienced numerous adjustments. Nothing compares to what happened within the past six years during which he lost his eyesight to an aggressive form of glaucoma while also battling a cancerous stomach tumor.

“I was playing catch with my son, Julian, about six years ago. He threw a ball that I didn’t see,” the 79-year-old Briggs recalled. “Went to an ophthalmologist for an exam that indicated an onset of glaucoma. Had some treatment and a couple of operations but the stomach tumor became a priority. Gradually, the eyesight deteriorated after I recovered from the stomach surgery.”

Despite health issues, his bubbly personality remains. He loves to talk baseball and enjoys a good laugh. He and Renvy, his wife of 32 years, and their two sons, Julian and Jalen, reside in their two-story home in Paterson, N.J.

• Phillies Alumni

“I can get around the house OK because I know where things are,” said Briggs. “And I get plenty of support from my family. They provide physical and verbal guidance when needed. I’m still a big sports fan but now, I listen to games. Oh, an afternoon nap is part of a daily routine.”

Phillies career

Briggs, a left-handed-hitting outfielder, was signed to an $8,000 bonus by the Phillies in September 1962 following the New Jersey State American Legion tournament. His professional debut came the following year with the Bakersfield Bears in the Class A California League. The 19-year-old hit .297 in 120 games with 20 doubles, 21 homers, 20 stolen bases and 83 RBIs. He never played Minor League ball again.

One of his teammates was 17-year-old pitcher Rick Wise, who received a $12,000 bonus after graduating from Madison High School in Portland, Ore. He had a 6-3 record with a 2.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 65 innings.

Both were added to the Phillies' roster and spent the entire 1964 season in the Major Leagues. MLB had a rule at the time that first-year players who received a bonus of $4,000 or more had to remain on the big league roster for two years or be placed on waivers before they could be sent to the Minors. This was later abolished in 1965 when MLB created the Draft.

Neither saw much action that first year. Briggs had a .258 batting average in 76 plate appearances. Wise had a 5-3 record for 25 games, mainly in relief. Since the bonus rule was abolished before the 1965 season, Wise was sent to Triple-A. Briggs stayed in the Majors. His playing time increased as Briggs was pinch-hitting, pinch-running, playing all three outfield positions and learning to play first base. In parts of eight seasons with the Phillies, he hit .251 in 695 games with 85 doubles, 52 home runs and 209 RBIs.

Briggs’ roommates included Dick "Richie" Allen, Wes Covington, Tony Taylor, Tony González and Larry Hisle.

“Richie and I remained friends,” said John. “We’d often chat, reminisce and laugh. We talked just before his number was retired in 2020. After that, his niece who was caring for him, would answer and say 'He’s resting.' I didn’t realize his health was failing. I miss him so much.”

Allen passed away on Dec. 7, 2020 at the age of 78.

American League career

Briggs was the Phillies' starting left fielder when Veterans Stadium opened April 10, 1971.

“Don’t remember much from that day,” he said. “Do know we beat the Expos and [Phillies third baseman] Don Money hit a home run.”

Twelve days later, however, is still fresh in his mind.

“We were in St. Louis and I was called to [manager] Frank Lucchesi’s hotel room,” Briggs remembers. “Eddie Ferenz [the traveling secretary for the Phillies] was also there. Didn’t know if I had done something wrong. Very quickly, Frank said I was traded to Milwaukee. I was shocked and hurt. I hit .270 the previous year and felt I had a future with the Phillies.”

In that April 22 deal, Briggs was traded for Pete Koegel and Ray Peters. He played for the Brewers into the 1975 season when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins where he played his final 85 games.

He was a regular for the Brewers in his first five seasons, hitting 21, 21, 18, 17 and 10 home runs. One of his teammates in 1975 was Hank Aaron, who had returned to Milwaukee to finish off his Hall of Fame career.

After being released by the Twins in February 1976, Briggs went to Japan to play with the Lotte Orions in the Japanese Central League.

“I became seriously ill and returned home in July, playing only 47 games,” he said.

Briggs' greatest game

On Aug. 4, 1973, Briggs entered the record book by getting six hits in six at-bats in a 9-4 win against Cleveland. Batting first and playing left field, he singled to start the game, doubled in the second inning, singled in the fourth and sixth innings, doubled in the eighth inning and singled in the ninth inning.

He was the 22nd player in American League history to go 6-for-6 in a nine-inning game. In Milwaukee Brewers history, no one has matched the feat in a nine-inning game.

Post-baseball career

“My best friend in the game was a teammate in Milwaukee, Dave May." Briggs said. "He returned home to Delaware when he retired. My family and I moved to New Castle, Del. He and I played in the Delaware Semi-Pro league for Colonial for three years, 1980-82. The manager was Jim Angelo who owned the Colonial Appliance Store. We worked there. It was a great experience."

After the 1982 season, he and his family returned to Paterson. He began a new career as a correction officer with the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department. He retired as a lieutenant in 2008.

That September, the city’s Little League field where he started was re-named “John Briggs Athletic Field”, an extraordinary honor.

He and Larry Doby are the only baseball players in the Paterson Eastside High School Hall of Fame.

Hinchliffe Stadium, once the home to Negro League baseball in Paterson, has been fully restored to a facility to be used by amateur teams. The official launching event will take place on May 8 this year, the “John Briggs High School Classic.”

He may have lost his sight, but his family and community haven’t lost sight of John Edward Briggs, known as an MVP in Paterson: Most Valuable Patersonian.