[5] He made his MLB debut for the franchise on September 24, 1988, at the age of 24,[1] pitching five innings, striking out three, and being the winning pitcher in a 14–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

[6] After posting a 7.40 earned run average (ERA) in 21 games pitched (7 starts) midway through his 1989 rookie season, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins with Rick Aguilera, Tim Drummond, and Kevin Tapani for Frank Viola on July 31 that year.

[1] During spring training the following season, he injured his elbow before straining his abdominal muscles immediately ahead of his intended comeback.

[1][5] He then appeared in two games during the World Series that year but recorded no outs, allowing two hits, four runs, four walks in six total batters, resulting in an infinite ERA.

[5][12] He was the sixth former Phillies player to die of brain cancer since 2003, after Ken Brett, Tug McGraw, Johnny Oates, John Vukovich, and Darren Daulton.