Philadelphia Phillies Writing Legend Passes Away

It's with saddened hearts that we share longtime Philadelphia sportswriter and Philadelphia Phillies On SI contributor Andy Jasner has passed away.

Longtime Philadelphia sports writer and Philadelphia Phillies On SI contributor Andy Jasner /

Usually, this site talks about everything pertaining to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Unfortunately, this is not one of those times.

The Philadelphia Phillies On SI team was shocked and saddened to learn about the sudden passing of longtime local sportswriter Andy Jasner.

He leaves his three daughters and wife behind.

Andy was the son of the late great Phil Jasner who was a legendary writer for The Philadelphia Daily News. After getting a front row seat to see his father cover the Philadelphia 76ers full-time in 1981, they became the first father-son duo to cover an NBA All-Star Game in 1992 following Andy's graduation from Syracuse in 1991.

He wrote a book about his father's career titled: Phil Jasner "On the Case": His Best Writing on the Sixers, the Dream Team, and Beyond.

For us here at Philadelphia Phillies on SI, we knew Andy as a phenomenal member of our team.

I had the opportunity to bring Andy on a few years ago. He was an unimaginable bright spot, a phenomenal writer, an unbelievable father. He loved talking about his daughters and how proud he was of his eldest (and first to go to college) getting to attend Vandy this fall

— Kade Kistner (@KadeKistner) August 2, 2024

Having his expertise on a multitude of different topics was refreshing to read as he always brought a different level of perspective to what he was seeing on the baseball field. As the Phillies entered this recent era of contention, he was filled with excitement that they could win another World Series title, something he was eloquently able to express through his writing in his own way.

But for as good of a writer as Andy was, he was an even better man.

I personally was able to work closely with him, building a relationship that quickly transformed into a friendship.

Between our conversations about the Phillies, he was updating me on where he and his eldest daughter were taking visits to see different colleges around the country. When he found out I attended Penn State University, he couldn't wait to talk to me about my beloved school.

And while I was disappointed his daughter decided to enroll in Vanderbilt instead of Penn State, I was also extremely happy for him and his family because I knew how much this meant to him.

Andy will certainly be missed.

He had a way of making everyone feel welcome, whether they were a longtime friend or someone he had just met.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy's wife and his three daughters during this time.