Game 110 - Tigers Outslug Phillies in Loss

Detroit Tigers	7
Philadelphia Phillies	5

2025 Topps Living #849

Saturday Afternoon, August 2nd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
62-48, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Tarik Skubal out dueled Zack Wheeler as the Tigers took the middle game of this weekend series, 7-5.

What It Means:  The Mets won, so the two teams again flip flopped in the standings.

What Happened:  The long ball hurt Wheeler, as he gave up three home runs in his six innings, departing with his team trailing, 4-0.  Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter and Javier Baez all connected off Wheeler, with Gleyber Torres welcoming reliever Tanner Banks with another home run in the top of the seventh.  The Phillies finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when J.T. Realmuto doubled home Bryce Harper, and Nick Castellanos hit a two-run home run, his 15th of the season.  Matt Strahm gave two runs right back in the top of the eighth, and a two-run home run from Harper in the bottom of the eighth wouldn't be enough to overcome the deficit.

Featured Card / Field Report:  Jenna and I attended this game, and when we attend tonight, we will have attended all three games in a series for the first time since probably pre-kids.  The Phillies honored the late Dick Allen in a pregame ceremony, and his new Hall of Fame plaque was on display at the ballpark throughout the game.  This card from the Topps Living Set arrived in the mail as we were heading out to the game.  I also took a picture of Jimmy Rollins' new Wall of Fame plaque on our way out.

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2024 Chachi #16 Ranger Suarez

#55 / Ranger Jose Suarez / Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  217
Opening Day Age:  28

Born:  August 26, 1995, Piedecuesta, Venezuela
Acquired:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent, April 1, 2012

Contract Status:  Free agent, 2026
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2018-24

Postseason Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022-24

2024 Topps Living Set #743

Ranger Suarez had two very different seasons in 2024, before and after a back ailment and other nagging injuries.  Through his first 10 starts, Suarez was 9-0 with a 1.36 ERA, holding batters to a .174 average and striking out 68 over 66 innings pitched.  He seemed well on his way to possible Cy Young contention.  Through the rest of the season, Suarez was 3-8 in 17 starts with a 5.10 ERA with batters hitting a robust .290 off him.  Suarez made the All-Star team on the strength of his first 10 starts, but didn't attend the game due to injury.  He pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in NLDS Game 4 against the Mets, but a complete lack of offense from the Phillies cost them the game and the season.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2018 Bowman Chrome Prospects Autographs #CPA-RS
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  2019, 2022-24
Favorite 2024 Card:  2024 Topps Living Set #743
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  39 as of 12/21/24, 12 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2018 Chachi #46
2019 Chachi #47
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12
2019 Chachi Photo Night #11
2020 Chachi #45
2021 Chachi #45 
2022 Chachi #17

2023 Chachi #39

2024 Chachi #43 - Eight All-Stars HL

2024 Chachi #49 - All-Star

2024 Chachi #16

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2024 Chachi #15 Aaron Nola / 2024 Chachi #17 Cristopher Sanchez

Game 160 - Suarez's Struggles Continue in D.C.

2024 Topps Living #743

Nationals 9, Phillies 1
Game 160 - Friday Night, September 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 94-66, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez continued a troublesome pattern of ineffectiveness and the Phillies' offense was quieted by Nationals' pitching in this 9-1 loss.

What It Means:  I meant to enjoy these final three regular season games, as they would be the last stress-free games for me (and most Phillies fans) until spring training starts up in February.  The Phillies had other plans, turning in a pair of clunkers and one final win on Sunday.

What Happened:  Suarez lasted two innings, allowing six runs on seven hits, and finishing the season with a 12-8 record.  Five relievers did their best to hold the Nationals at bay, but the Phillies' bats were quieted by starter Trevor Williams and four relievers.  Austin Hays hit a solo home run in the eighth inning.  Other than that, the Phillies had three singles.

Featured Card:  Here's one of the best Suarez cards in my collection, his card from the 2024 version of the Topps Living set.  Suarez likely won't pitch again until Game 4 of the NLDS (if needed) and hopefully by then he can figure out what's been ailing him.

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Spring Training Game 25 - Phils/Tigers Tie in Brisk Contest

2022 Topps Chrome Platinum
Anniversary #204

Phillies 0, Tigers 0
Spring Training Game 25 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 19th in Lakeland
Record - 8-11-6

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez and three Phillies relievers allowed three singles and struck out 12 in this 0-0 tie with the Tigers.

What It Means:  I'll keep this post short, in the spirit of this game, which took one hour and 58 minutes to play.

What Happened:  Suarez struck out four, with David Buchanan, Andrew Bellatti and Connor Brogdon all helping to preserve the shutout.  The Phillies offense had four singles with only one runner reaching second base.

Featured Card:  Tigers' DH and Phillies Room favorite Matt Vierling went 0 for 3 out of the lead-off spot for Detroit.

Camp Head Count:  50

In the biggest roster reduction (so far) for the spring, the Phillies optioned Kolby Allard (lhp), Max Castillo (rhp), Rodolfo Castro (inf) and Darick Hall (1b) to Lehigh Valley.  Austin Brice (rhp), Ricardo Pinto (rhp) and Cody Roberts (c) were reassigned to minor league camp.  We're less than a week away from the tougher roster decisions.

Game 162 - Offense, Nick Nelson (!) Handle Mets in Regular Season Finale

2022 Topps Chrome Platinum
Anniversary #322

Phillies 9, Mets 1
Game 162 - Sunday Afternoon, October 1st in Flushing
Record - 90-72, 2nd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies finished off the regular season with an impressive performance against the Mets, winning 9-1.

What It Means:  It's the first season since 2011 the Phillies have won at least 90 games.  The Marlins will come to Philadelphia for the Wild Card Series, beginning Tuesday night.

What Happened:  Nick Nelson saved the bullpen with 5 1/3 innings of relief, allowing a run on two hits on his way to his first (and only) win of 2023.  The Phillies offense was fairly quiet early on, with Bryson Stott driving in the game's first run with a third inning single.  Tim Locastro homered off Nelson in the bottom of the third to tie it up, but Alec Bohm untied it in the sixth with his 20th home run of the season.  The Phillies piled on from there with RBI hits from Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas and Garrett Stubbs and a sacrifice fly from Bohm.  Marsh added a three-run home run in the ninth, his 12th of the year, to put the game away.

Stott, Bohm, Marsh and Stubbs were a combined 9 for 17 at the plate with five runs scored and eight RBIs.

Featured Card:  Nelson was due to get the featured card, but I wanted to pay tribute to Bohm and his 20th home run.  With his blast, the Phillies had six players with at least 20 home runs in one season for the first time in franchise history.  Bohm joined Kyle Schwarber (47), Nick Castellanos (29), Trea Turner (26), Bryce Harper (21) and J.T. Realmuto (20).

Transaction:  Nelson (rhp) was recalled to eat innings and Michael Plassmeyer (lhp) was optioned to the spring training complex in Clearwater.

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Game 148 - Schwarber's Laser Homer Boosts Ranger

2022 Topps Chrome Platinum
Anniversary #265

Phillies 6, Cardinals 1
Game 148 - Saturday Night, September 16th in St. Louis
Record - 81-67, 2nd Place, 15 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Schwarber broke the game open with a three-run home run in the fifth inning and the Phillies would go on to win, 6-1.

What It Means:  With 14 games remaining, the Phillies are five games up in the loss column for a Wild Card spot.  They lead the Cubs by 3 1/2 games for the top spot.  They'll go for a series sweep of the Cardinals behind Taijuan Walker this afternoon.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez pitched six innings, allowing a run on four hits and then turned it over to the bullpen.  The bullpen, once again highlighted by Jeff Hoffman's outing, shut the Cardinals down over the remaining three innings.  The bottom of the Phillies' order - Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas - were a combined 6 for 11 with a pair of RBIs and three runs scored.

Featured Card:  Schwaber's shot was a laser line drive that just cleared the right field wall, and was his 44th home run of the year.  At .197, his average is inching towards the Mendoza line.  I featured Castellanos' card from the 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary set in Friday's game summary post, and here's Schwarber's card from the same set.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 147 - Casty, Middle Relievers Contribute to St. Louis Win

2022 Topps Chrome Platinum
Anniversary #134

Phillies 5, Cardinals 4
Game 147 - Friday Night, September 15th in St. Louis
Record - 80-67, 2nd Place, 16 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A four-run first inning and a mostly effective bullpen led to this 5-4 win over the Cardinals in St. Louis.

What It Means:  The Phillies need to win these games against second division teams if they want to maintain control of the top Wild Card spot.

What Happened:  The first of four runs scored when Bryce Harper grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Trea Turner.  With two runners on a few batters later, Nick Castellanos hit a three-run home, giving the Phillies a 4-0 advantage.  Harper would be ejected in the third inning after a few questionable calls from the home plate umpire.

Aaron Nola also had his night cut short, as he was pulled after 4 2/3 innings having allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits.  Nola threw 97 pitches in his outing.  The bullpen did its job through the middle innings, with Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Dominguez pitching uneventful innings.  J.T. Realmuto singled home Edmundo Sosa in the sixth for what proved to be an important insurance run.  Craig Kimbrel and Jose Alvarado walked a tight rope in the eighth and ninth innings, allowing a combined  five walks and two hits, but allowing only one more Cardinals run to score.  Alvarado worked out of his own jam in the ninth to record his 8th save.

Featured Card:  Castellanos' three-run home run was the big hit in this game.  Here's the newest card of his in my collection from the 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary set, which wasn't released until  August 2023.  It's a shame this set took so long to get to the collecting public, as it's a great looking set, albeit somewhat outdated.

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Game 98 - Phils Continue to Find Ways to Lose

2019 Bowman Heritage #53VR-86

Guardians 1, Phillies 0
Game 98 - Saturday Night, July 22nd in Cleveland
Record - 52-46, Tied for 2nd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Managing just two hits against Guardians' pitching, and allowing the only run of the game to score on a botched pop up, the Phillies produced another frustrating loss, dropping this game, 1-0.

What It Means:  They'll try not to get swept out of Cleveland this afternoon with Aaron Nola on the mound.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler was the hard-luck loser, allowing just a run on five hits in his seven innings.  He struck out eight.  The Guardians scored in the sixth when a pop up from Jose Ramirez landed between Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos, scoring Amed Rosario from first base.  It was like watching a bad Little League play.  Trea Turner singled in the first and Edmundo Sosa led off the sixth with a double, but wouldn't move as Kyle Schwarber, Turner and Castellanos went down in order.

Featured Card:  Old friend Enyel De Los Santos, now one of the Guardians' most reliable relievers, pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out Marsh.  De Los Santos has appeared in 92 games for the Guardians over the past two seasons, earning a record of 9-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 94 innings pitched.  He was all over the 2019 baseball card sets with the Phillies, including this card from the 2019 Bowman Heritage set.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 79 - Casty Stays Hot as Phils Down Cubs

2023 Topps Living Set #601

Phillies 8, Cubs 5
Game 79 - Wednesday Night, June 28th in Chicago
Record - 42-37, 3rd Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Nick Castellanos drove in half of his team's total runs, as the Phillies survived a shaky Aaron Nola outing, winning 8-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies will go for a series sweep tonight in Chicago, and then head to Washington for a three-game series against the last place Nationals.

What Happened:  Nola won his seventh game, but it wasn't easy.  He departed after five innings, having allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks.  The bullpen held down the fort, with Matt Strahm pitching two scoreless innings while striking out four.  Edmundo Sosa hit a two-run home run in the second to start the scoring for the Phillies.  Castellanos followed that with a three-run home run, his 10th of the season.  Castellanos doubled home Kyle Schwarber in the fourth for his fourth RBI of the night.  

Featured Card:  Castellanos will hopefully accompany manager Rob Thomson on his trip to Seattle for the 2023 All-Star Game.  His .314 average is currently fourth in the National League, and his 49 RBIs is 10th best.  This is his 1953 Topps inspired Living Set card, issued earlier this year.

A quick note as we head into the holiday weekend:  All staff and paid personnel from The Phillies Room will be taking some much-needed vacation time and live posting will resume upon our return at the All-Star Break.

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First Transactions of the 2022-2023 Offseason

2022 Topps #179

2022 Topps Living Set #565

2022 Topps Update #US14

2019 Topps #678

2021 Choice St. Paul Saints

I'm a natural list-maker and one list subject every year since the mid-1980s is a listing of Phillies' off-season transactions.  Whether it be in my old scrapbooks, in spiral-bound notebooks or on this blog, I've maintained lists of the players coming and going between the final pitch of one season and the first pitch of the next.  I realize these lists aren't needed now as much as they were back in the day, given there are multiple websites around tracking these sort of things, but with the World Series over and offseason transactions starting . . . here we go again.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
• Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.

Johan Camargo and Michael Kelly, both dropped from the team's 40-man roster earlier in the year, became free agents in the midst of the Phillies' postseason run.  On Sunday, the next six players listed above became free agents.  On Monday, the Phillies declined the option on Jean Segura and Zach Eflin declined his side of a mutual option, making them both free agents.

I wouldn't mind seeing Segura, Eflin, Robertson and/or Syndergaard come back in 2023 and if I had to guess the latter two probably have the best chance of donning red pinstripes again.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

On Wednesday, the Phillies added two potential 2023 pitchers to their arsenal, claiming Luis Ortiz and Andrew Vasquez off waivers from the Giants.  Ortiz appeared in six games for the Giants in 2022, earning a 1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched.  He had previously appeared in three games for the Orioles in 2018 and 2019, and his last mainstream baseball card can be found in the 2019 Topps set.

Vasquez appeared in nine games for the Blue Jays and one game for the Giants, spending 12 days on the Phillies' 40-man roster in August before re-entering the waiver wire shuffle.  He's got several minor league baseball card appearances, but nothing mainstream to date.

Game 158 - Thor, Schwarbs Deliver Much-Needed Win

2022 Topps Living Set #539

Phillies 8, Nationals 2 (Game 2)
Game 158 - Saturday Night, October 1st in Washington
Record - 85-73, 3rd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Schwarber launched two of the Phillies' five home runs, and Noah Syndergaard delivered a clutch pitching performance in this 8-2 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  After a dreadful afternoon, the Phillies needed to bounce back quickly and they did.  The Marlins helped too, as their late rally over the Brewers gave Milwaukee a loss and dropped the Phillies magic number to clinch a Wild Card spot down to 3.

What Happened:  Schwarber homered on the second pitch of the ballgame, his 43rd of the season.  Matt Vierling kept the momentum going with an RBI triple in the second.  In the third inning, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh and Vierling all homered to give the Phillies a comfortable 7-0 lead.  Schwarber then added his 44th home run in the fourth.

Syndergaard, who had been pitching out of the bullpen, won his fifth game with the Phillies, pitching into the sixth inning and allowing just a pair of hits.  Cristopher Sanchez got the three inning save, also saving a roughed up bullpen in the process.

Featured Card:  Schwarber's 44 home runs are the most by a Phillies outfielder in franchise history, passing the mark of 43 set by Chuck Klein in 1929.  Schwarber is tied with Ryan Howard for most strikeouts in a season with 199.  The record will be his alone with his next K.

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Game 105 - Bohm Steals Thor's Thunder

2021 Topps Living Set #387

Phillies 5, Nationals 4 (5 Innings)
Game 105 - Thursday Night, August 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 57-48, 3rd Place, 10 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Alec Bohm's three-run home run was the big hit in this rain-shortened, 5-4 victory over the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phillies, Brewers and Cardinals are now in a three-way tie for the National League's third Wild Card spot.

What Happened:  Noah Syndergaard made his Phillies debut and was credited with the win.  He allowed 11 hits (all but one were singles) and four runs in his five innings of work.  Rhys Hoskins started the scoring for the Phillies with a solo home run in the first.  Hoskins would single home another run in the third to tie the game at 2-2.  Bohm followed that with his blast to give the Phillies a 5-2 lead.  Jean Segura returned to the club, seeing his first big league action since breaking his finger back in May.  Brandon Walsh collected his first hit as a Phillie while making his first of many starts for the club in center field.

Featured Card:  The debuts of Walsh and Syndergaard along with the return of Segura were the headliners for this game, but Bohm stole the show with his home run.  Bohm appeared on a ton of Topps cards last year, and gave me very little reason to feature any of those cards in 2021 game summary posts.  It's nice to go back and be able to show some of these cards from last season, including this card from the Topps Living Set.

Transactions:  There were a flurry of moves before this game as a result of the trade deadline acquistions.  Mark Appel (rhp), Bailey Falter (lhp) and Simon Muzziotti (of) were all optioned to the minor leagues.  In a somewhat surprising move, Didi Gregorius (ss) was released.  Gregorius was batting .210 in 63 games this season and Bryson Stott has been named the team's everyday shortstop at this point.  In parts of three seasons with the Phillies, Gregorius appeared in 226 games, batting .230 with 24 home runs and 113 RBIs.

Joining the roster were Walsh (of) and Syndergaard (rhp) who were both activated.  Segura (2b) was activated from the 60-day injured list and Kyle Gibson (rhp) was activated from the bereavement list.

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Spring Training Game 3 - Schwarber Officially Signs

2021 Topps Living Set #439

Braves 5, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 3 - Sunday Afternoon, March 20th in North Port
Record - 1-1-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves scored five runs in a nightmare eighth inning, as the club lost their first spring game, 5-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies will not finish their shortened Grapefruit League season undefeated.

What Happened:  Kyle Gibson made his spring debut with two scoreless innings of work, striking out three.  The lone Phillies run came in the fifth inning when Simon Muzziotti singled home Darick Hall.  Reliever James Marvel took the brunt of the beating in the eighth, although a few misplays by left fielder Drew Maggi didn't help him.  Marvel allowed five runs on four hits and a walk.

Featured Card:  There wasn't much to be excited about on the field, so here's a card of the newest slugger added to the Phillies line-up (see below).  After Kyle Schwarber's signing was officially announced, he met up with current hitting coach Kevin Long and former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

Camp Head Count:  58 + 3 - 1 = 60

Before this game, the Phillies (finally) officially announced additional non-roster invitees Dillon Maples (rhp) and Austin Wynns (c) along with an additional non-roster invitee, and Phillies Room favorite, Ronald Torreyes (inf).  The team also (again, finally) officially announced the signing of Schwarber (of) to a four-year contract.  We'll have to wait a few more days for the official announcement for Nick Castellanos.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Schwarber, Kent Emanuel (lhp) was placed on the 60-day injured list with an elbow injury.

	2021-2022 Offseason Departures	Date	Transaction
	Jorge Bonifacio (of)	10/8/21	Released.
	Archie Bradley (rhp)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels, 3/18/22.
	Freddy Galvis (inf)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, 12/16/21.
	Ian Kennedy (rhp)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3/16/22.
	Brad Miller (inf)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers, 3/17/22.
	Matt Moore (lhp)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers, 3/14/22.
	Hector Neris (rhp)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, signed with the Houston Astros, 11/30/21.
	Andrew McCutchen (of)	11/3/21	Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, 3/16/22.
	JD Hammer (rhp)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Colorado Rockies, 3/13/22.
	Travis Jankowski (of)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets, 3/17/22.
	Andrew Knapp (c)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Cincinnati Reds, 12/1/21.
	Ramon Rosso (rhp)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Detroit Tigers, 3/14/22.
	Ronald Torreyes (inf)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency.
	Mauricio Llovera (rhp)	11/7/21	Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants, 12/3/21.
	David Paulino (rhp)	11/7/21	Elected free agency.
	Roman Quinn (of)	11/30/21	Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins, 3/12/22.
	Adonis Medina (rhp)	3/6/22	Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
	Coming Back
	Cam Bedrosian (rhp)	11/3/21	Elected free agency, re-signed with Phillies (12/1/21).
	Odubel Herrera (of)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency, re-signed with Phillies (3/16/22).
	Ronald Torreyes (inf)	11/5/21	Outrighted, elected free agency, re-signed with Phillies (3/20/22).
	2021-2022 Offseason Additions
	Ryan Sherriff (lhp)	11/5/21	Claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.
	Kent Emanuel (lhp)	11/19/21	Claimed off waivers from the Houston Astros.
	Nick Nelson (rhp)	11/19/21	Acquired from the New York Yankees for Joel Valdez (lhp) and T.J. Rumfield (1b)
	Donny Sands (c)	11/19/21	--
	Garrett Stubbs (c)	11/19/21	Acquired from the Houston Astros for Logan Cerny (of)
	Scott Moss (lhp)	11/24/21	Claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.
	Corey Knebel (rhp)	12/1/21	Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
	Johan Camargo (inf)	12/1/21	Signed as a free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves.
	Jeurys Familia (rhp)	3/15/22	Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
	Brad Hand (lhp)	3/15/22	Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
	Kyle Schwarber (of)	3/20/22	Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.

Another Wonderful Christmas: Diamond Stars, Phillies Yearbooks and Vintage Cards

As has become tradition, we spend the day after Christmas at my Mom's house with my sister and her family.  The day is filled with food, way too many presents and a steady stream of laughter.  This year was no different and there were a few different times I was literally out of breath as I was laughing too hard.  In between the food and the laugher and handing out presents, I sat down to open my presents from my Mom and as is also tradition, the gifts were spectacular.  The baseball card/Phillies portion of this year's gifts consisted of the following:

• 1963 and 1979 Phillies Yearbooks - The 1963 Yearbook is new to my collection, and the 1979 is a much-needed upgrade from the original version obtained during my first ever Phillies game.
• 1953 Bowman Black & White - I needed two more cards to complete my Phillies team set and Mom added them both, #35 Johnny Wyrostek and #64 Andy Hansen.  I'm now the happy owner of a full run of Bowman Phillies cards, with the sole and notable exception of the Richie Ashburn rookie card from the 1949 Bowman set.
• 1956 Topps - To wrap up my Phillies team set from this iconic release, and essentially the second time I've collected these cards, the last five cards I needed were added.  There were two Phillies cards, #180 Robin Roberts and #334 Bob Miller, and three cards of players on other teams who played with the Phillies during the 1956 season, #3 Elmer Valo, #77 Harvey Haddix and #293 Stu Miller.
• 1934-36 Diamond Stars - Finally, two cards were added to my growing 1934-36 Diamond Stars set, and I'll cover both of those with separate posts over on my blog for that set.  I think the coolest, and most unexpected, gift was an original yellow wrapper from the set.  I've seen pictures of these, and I know this is one of three colors available, but I've never actually held one and now it will make an excellent top page within my set's binder.

My Mom puts so much thought and care into her Christmas presents for all of us, and she once again outdid herself this year!  I hope Santa brought plenty of new baseball cards for your collection this holiday season and here's to a wonderful, hopeful and healthy 2022!

Game 2 - 2020 Topps Living Set #347 Zack Wheeler

Phillies 4, Braves 0
Game 2 - Saturday Afternoon, April 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 2-0, 1st Place, 1 game ahead of the Mets and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler was masterful, allowing one hit, striking out 10 and driving in a pair of runs in this 4-0 Phillies win.

What It Means:  Wheeler's performance was incredibly impressive, and if not for a Travis d'Arnaud single up the middle in the second he would have been perfect.  He's the first Phillies pitcher to go 7-plus innings with one or less hits, no walks and strike out at least 10 since Roy Halladay threw his perfect game on May 29, 2010.  He's also the first Phillies pitcher to pitch seven-plus innings and get more hits than hits allowed since Terry Mulholland's no-hitter on August 15, 1990.

What Happened:  The Phillies plated three in the fifth.  Wheeler singled home Jean Segura and Roman Quinn, and then Rhys Hoskins doubled to score Wheeler.  In the sixth, Wheeler struck again, doubling home Alec Bohm.  Wheeler departed the game after seven innings, having thrown 90 pitches and yielded to Archie Bradley who threw a perfect eighth.  Hector Neris came on in the ninth and struck out the side to finish the ballgame.

Featured Card:  Of course it's got to be Wheeler, and this is his Living Set card released last September.

Field Report:  My entire family attended this game, making two games in a row for Doug and me.  It wasn't as chilly in Section 319, and we settled into our seats with some nachos and Crab Fries.  Following the offensive outburst in the fifth inning, we ventured out for food, stopping to say hello to Greg Luzinski, back in his regular perch outside Bull's BBQ.  Doug and I enjoyed some Bull's again with my wife Jenna and our youngest son Ben splitting a Seasons pizza.  We stayed the for the entire nine innings, four of the 8,582 socially distanced fans in attendance.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Ending 2020 on a High Note (#SBWTMABCTJ)

I've always prided myself in trying to live in the moment and to not spend too much time looking forward to what comes next.  With that being said, I'm more than ready to turn the page on 2020 and I'm hopeful for a safe, healthy and less anxiety-filled 2021.  I'm extremely grateful my family made it through this year with our health and clinging to a few annual traditions that mean a lot to us.  Selfishly, one of those annual traditions I look forward to is the opening of presents at my Mom's house the day after Christmas.  The gathering was in doubt this year, but with everyone masked up, spread out as much as we could and with hand sanitizers readily available, we did it.  Dr. Fauci would have been proud.  The gathering was shorter than usual, with less hugs and less eating, but it still meant a lot.  We gathered for a quick family selfie at the end of the evening, which was really the only time we all briefly came together.

The last present I opened yesterday contained eight individually wrapped gifts in the exact shape and size of baseball cards.  If you've read this blog each December for the past 10 years, you're now familiar with the annual event of Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim.  Thanks largely to my Mom, it's actually getting harder to populate my Most Wanted - Vintage list on this blog's sidebar, and I may need to change up my tactics for 2021's installment.  From this year's haul, the 10th Annual SBWTMABCTJ:

1949 Bowman #228 Jackie Mayo - The addition of this Mayo card, since jail-breaked from its slab, means I'm only one card away from a 1949 Bowman Phillies team set.  The Richie Ashburn rookie card is going to need to wait a little bit longer.

1952 Topps #13 Johnny Wyrostek - Wyrostek is on the Reds here, but he played with the Phillies in 1952 which means he fits into my definition of belonging in my 1950s Phillies binder.  The only remaining 1952 Topps Phillies cards I need now are from the pricey high-number series.

1953 Bowman Black & White #47 Jack Lohrke - Compared to their Color counterparts, the 1953 Bowman Black & White set often gets overlooked.  For a complete run of Bowman Phillies cards, I'm down to needing three cards - the '49 Ashburn rookie, along with Wyrostek and Andy Hansen from this 1953 Bowman set.

1956 Topps #114 Jim Owens and #274 Frank Baumholtz - I already own these cards in our 1956 Topps set, and I'm selfishly adding second copies of each for my 1950s Phillies binder.

1966 Topps #543 Roger Craig - This card gets me one card away from a complete run of Phillies cards from the 1960s Topps sets.  I'm down to needing just the Gary Sutherland card (shared with the Mets' Don Shaw) from the tough 1967 Topps high-number series.  The only cards standing in the way of my having a complete run of Topps Phillies team sets from 1951 to 2020 are four cards from the 1952 Topps high-number series, two cards from the 1956 Topps set and the Sutherland Rookie Stars card.

1971 Topps #664 Ken Reynolds and #692 Wayne Twitchell - These two cards wrap up my complete run of 1970s Topps Phillies team sets.  Again, Twitchell is with the Brewers here but since he played with the Phillies in 1971, it's worthy of a spot in my team set.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your families!  Stay safe, mask up and go wash your hands.

Game 43 - 2020 Topps Living Set #293 Didi Gregorius

Phillies 12, Marlins 6
Game 43 - Saturday Night, September 12th in Miami
Record - 23-20, 2nd Place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Didi Gregorius' first inning grand slam and a 5-run eighth inning from the Phillies offense delivered a much-needed 12-6 win against the Marlins.

What It Means:  With three more games to play in this series, including two on Sunday, these two teams have split the series so far, 2-2.

What Happened:  Gregorius' slam was his seventh home run of the year and his second grand slam.  Bryce Harper homered in the third, breaking a long 0-fer in the long ball department and hopefully signally that the slugger is back.  The Phillies held a 5-0 lead through three innings, but Spencer Howard allowed a three-run home run to Brian Andersen in the fourth and the young pitcher departed shortly thereafter with shoulder stiffness.

Fortunately, the bullpen was able to do a relatively decent job, but the Phillies lead was down to an uncomfortable 7-5 heading into the eighth.  A barrage of hits led to the club's five runs - Harper double, Jean Segura single to score Harper, Alec Bohm double to score Gregorius, and the big blow being a bases-clearing, 3-run double from Kyle Garlick.

Realmuto also departed this game with hip discomfort and the hope is that both he and Howard are well enough to avoid the injured list.

Featured Card:  Realmuto is the Phillies' big free agent following this shortened season, but Gregorius will be a free agent as well.  I'd love to see both of them come back in 2021 and beyond.  This is Gregorius' card from the Topps Living Set, a multi-year online exclusive offering in the style of the 1953 Topps set.  I received this card in March and the print run was limited to 2,052 cards.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 22 - Nola Flounders; Phillies Bolster Bullpen with Trades

2019 Bowman Heritage
#53P-122

Braves 11, Phillies 2
Game 22 - Friday Night, August 21st in Atlanta
Record - 9-13, Tied for 4th Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola had his first rough outing of the year and the offense  stayed mostly quiet again in this 11-2 shellacking by the Braves.

What It Means:  At least help is on the way for the bullpen.  The Phillies acquired David Hale (rhp) from the Yankees before the game and then Brandon Workman (rhp) and Heath Hembree (rhp) from the Red Sox during the game.

What Happened:  Nola was chased after 2 2/3 innings, and his final line wasn't pretty - 6 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 2 home runs.  Costly errors from Alec Bohm at third led to three more unearned runs.  Reggie McClain and Cole Irvin contributed to increase the bullpen's ERA with a combined 3 2/3 innings, allowing 7 runs (4 earned).  Scott Kingery made an acrobatic leaping catch in center in the second to save a few more runs.

Featured Card:  JoJo Romero made his impressive big league debut in the bottom of the 8th, striking out the side on 12 pitches.  Adam Duvall, Austin Riley and Johan Camargo went down in order.

Transaction:  The Phillies made a few bullpen moves prior to his game.  First, and more painfully, Jose Alvarez (lhp) was placed on the injured list with a testicular contusion suffered in Sunday afternoon's debacle.  Romero (lhp), the 29th man from the double header remained on the roster.

In the first of hopefully a few trades, the Phillies acquired Hale from the Yankees for Addison Russ (rhp).  It's tough to see Russ go, and we first met him back at a BlueClaws game in 2018.  He's been pitching in Lehigh Valley at the team's alternate training site since July.  He appeared in 55 games last season for Double-A Reading, all in relief and as the team's primary closer, and had a 2.54 ERA with 22 saves.  Russ has exactly 200 minor league strikeouts over 152 2/3 innings pitched.

2019 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #30

2014 Topps #363

Hale has pitched for the Braves, Rockies, Yankees, Twins and Yankees again in parts of seven seasons dating back to 2013.  He had appeared in five games for the Yankees so far this year, and had a 3.00 ERA over 6 innings, with 7 strikeouts and 3 walks.  He was designated for assignment on August 17th, who needed his roster spot for the recently activated Aroldis Chapman.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Hale, Austin Davis (lhp) was designated for assignment.  I'll write about the Red Sox trade in a separate post.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! (Social Distancing Version)

Tax day has been pushed back to at least July 15th this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  However, that didn't stop my best client, my Mom, from paying for her tax services in advance and in full.  As has been the tradition in recent years, she took it upon herself to wipe out my Ten Most Wanted list from my sidebar as payment for preparing her tax returns.  The payment received does not come close to matching the value of the services rendered, but she insists on overpaying and I'm certainly not complaining.

These Most Wanted lists are getting more difficult to populate as I've slowly accumulated most of the Phillies cards from the Bowman and Topps sets of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  The cards remaining on my want lists from those sets are mostly high priced cards I'll eventually track down one at a time.  Here's a look at the cards from my Mom and an update on where I stand with completing some landmark Phillies team sets.

1952 Topps #187 Bob Miller and #281 Tommy Brown - This might be it for a little while in terms of progress on my 1952 Topps Phillies team set.  The remaining cards I need are all from the high number series, meaning they're all somewhat pricey.  As of this writing, I need four more cards for a complete 1952 Topps Phillies team set.

1953 Topps #22 Howie Fox - This card completes the 9-card 1953 Topps Phillies team set for me.  I still have Johnny Lindell (#230) on my want list, as Lindell appears in the set with the Pirates but he played in 1953 with the Phillies.


1956 Topps #7 Ron Negray and #60 Mayo Smith - I always feel a little selfish adding second versions of these cards to my collection.  My Dad and I collected the entire 1956 Topps set together, and now I'm adding second copies of the Phillies cards from the set to my 1950s Phillies binder.  I'm four cards away from completing a Phillies team set (for the second time).  I'm pretty sure these Negray and Smith cards are in better shape than the cards in our actual 1956 Topps set.

1957 Topps #332 Bob Bowman - This completes my 27-card Phillies team set from the 1957 Topps set.  I've never been a big fan of the 1957 Topps set, but these cards look incredible together.

1966 Topps #595 Larry Jackson - With the addition of this card, I'm one card away from completing this Phillies team set as well.  I'm down to needing only the Roger Craig card (#543) which is one of the pricier Phillies cards from the 1966 Topps set.  (I tracked down the elusive Grant Jackson Rookie Stars card a few years ago.)

1967 Topps #244 N.L. Home Run Leaders - This might be my favorite card out of this lot.  Featuring two Hall of Famers with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, and someone who should be in the Hall of Fame - Dick Allen.  I still need to track down the high-number Rookie Stars card of Gary Sutherland to complete my 1967 Topps Phillies team set.

1970 Topps #539 Doyle/Bowa and #654 Oscar Gamble - These two cards close out my 1970 Topps Phillies team set.  Larry Bowa looks so young here.


Finally, I've scheduled this post to publish on my Mom's birthday.  I'm eternally grateful for her health, her humor, her good spirits and her constant encouragement.  I can't wait to celebrate properly when everything gets back to normal.  Happy birthday Mom!

Grapefruit Game 1 - 2019 Bowman Heritage #53P-49 Alec Bohm

Phillies 8, Tigers 8 (10 Innings)
Spring Training Game 1 - Saturday Afternoon, February 22nd in Lakeland
Record - 0-0-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies opened their spring schedule playing to a tie against the Tigers in Lakeland.

What It Means:  And here we go.

What Happened:  By the time the semi-regulars were out of this game, the Phillies were trailing 5-2 heading into the eighth inning.  The team's prospects plated six runs in the eighth, started by an Alec Bohm RBI single.  Big hits followed from Arquimedes Gamboa (RBI single), Nick Maton (2-run double), Mickey Moniak (RBI double) and Darick Hall (RBI triple).

Nick Pivetta got the start.  He looked good in the first but had a rough second inning with a couple of bloop hits falling in and a misplayed ball in the outfield contributing to his three runs allowed.

Featured Card:  Bohm, the team's top draft pick in 2018, could be up in the majors at some point this season.  A third baseman for now, Bohm had a pair of hits in the game, including the one that started the team's eighth inning rally.  He's already had his share of baseball card appearances, including this one in the Bowman Heritage set released in December.

Camp Head Count:  71 - 1 = 70 - Officially, the spring opened with 71 players on the roster but David Robertson was placed on the 60-day injured list on the first day of camp.  By comparison, there were 61 players in camp for the first spring game in 2019. 

Nick Martini was designated for assignment on February 15th and after he passed through waivers, the Phillies brought him back as a non-roster invitee on February 21st.  Here's a final (?) list of Phillies 2020 non-roster invitees, adding Martini and subtracting Tyler Gilbert who was traded to the Dodgers.

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)

2.  Josh Harrison (inf) - Tigers - 2019 Topps Heritage #552 (Tigers)

3.  Mikie Mahtook (of) - Tigers - 2019 Topps #477 (Tigers)

4.  Matt Szczur (of) - Diamondbacks - 2018 Topps Heritage #528 (Padres)
5.  Christian Bethancourt (c) - NC Dinos (Korea) - 2017 Topps #697 (Padres)
6.  Ronald Torreyes (inf) - Twins - 2019 Topps #537 (Twins)
7.  Francisco Liriano (lhp) - Pirates - 2019 Topps Update #US61 (Pirates)
8.  Bud Norris (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2018 Topps #686 (Cardinals)
9.  Drew Storen (rhp) - Royals - 2017 Topps Heritage #573 (Reds)
10.  Neil Walker (inf) - Marlins - 2019 Topps Update #US132 (Marlins)
11.  Logan Forsythe (inf) - Rangers - 2019 Topps Heritage #635 (Rangers)
12.  Blake Parker (rhp) - Twins/Phillies - 2020 Topps #286 (Phillies)
13.  Anthony Swarzak (rhp) - Mariners/Braves - 2019 Topps Total #387 (Braves)
14.  Trevor Kelley (rhp) - Red Sox - N/A
15.  Nick Martini (of) - Athletics - 2019 Topps Big League #281 (Athletics)

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Card Added to Collection

16.  Alec Bohm (inf) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #1

17.  Connor Brogdon (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #44

18.  Kyle Dohy (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 R-Phils Phillies Top 25 Prospects #5

18.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #10
19.  Darick Hall (1b) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #7
20.  Spencer Howard (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League #27
21.  Damon Jones (lhp) - Phillies - 2018 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #13
22.  Henri Lartigue (c) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #12
23.  Austin Listi (1b-of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #13
24.  Nick Maton (ss) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #6
25.  Mickey Moniak (of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #15
26.  Ramon Rosso (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #19
27.  Addison Russ (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #20
28.  Zach Warren (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #33
29.  Luke Williams (inf-of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #23
30.  JD Hammer (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #8