Game 97 - Phils Can't Solve Strider in Loss

1977 Topps #638

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 97 - Tuesday Night, July 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-47, 3rd Place, 10 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A late rally wasn't nearly enough in this 6-3 loss to the Braves.

What It Means:  At least the sunset was pretty?  The Phillies couldn't figure out rookie pitcher Spencer Strider who held their line-up to three hits and struck out six in his six innings of work.

What Happened:  The Braves scored early and often on a night Aaron Nola didn't have close to his best stuff.  Nola was chased after six innings having allowed five runs on seven hits, including home runs to Michael Harris II and Matt Olson.  The slumping Kyle Schwarber hit his 31st home run in the sixth and J.T. Realmuto added a two-run home run in the ninth, but they weren't able to overcome the early deficit.

Featured Card:  Dick Allen should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame this past weekend, and hopefully he gets the call the next time the Veteran's Committee casts their votes.  The only Phillies connection to Cooperstown this past induction weekend was lefty Jim Kaat, who joined the Hall with a plaque showing the interlocking "TC" of the Twins logo on his cap.  Kaat was dealt to the Phillies from the White Sox in December 1975 with Mike Buskey for Alan Bannister, Dick Ruthven and Roy Thomas.  A veteran workhorse, he threw 227 2/3 innings for the club in the pennant-winning 1976 season, going 12-14 with 3.48 ERA in 38 appearances.  He made one start for the Phillies in the 1976 NLCS, as the starting pitcher in the decisive Game 3 won by the Reds, completing their 3-game sweep.  Kaat went six innings, allowing two runs on the way to a no decision.

Overall, Kaat appeared in 102 games for the Phillies between 1976 and 1979, and was 27-30 with a 4.23 ERA, compiling 11 complete games including two shutouts.

Field Report:  I watched this game from the suite level at the ballpark as part of a work function.  The food and the company was great, the game not so much.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

1977 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  38
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.  Also as indicated below, and for the first time ever, the Phillies started using action photos for some players in lieu of the portrait cards they had issued up until this point.  Some of the cards are cropped so that there's a larger than usual white space on the bottom border, with the Tommy Hutton card above being a good example of this.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1977.

How Distributed:  The photo cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.  Every player on the opening day 25-man roster is included in the set, along with four players who made their season debuts after the start of the season (Richie Hebner, Warren Brusstar, Jim Lonborg and Tim Blackwell) and two players acquired via trades in June (Bake McBride and Barry Foote).  Given that McBride and Foote didn't play their first games with the Phillies until mid-June and the fact that their cards aren't included on the checklist found at the Trading Card Database, these could be considered short printed cards.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Fred Andrews (auto) 2. Carroll Beringer CO 3. Tim Blackwell (auto) 4. Bob Boone (action, auto) 5. Larry Bowa (action, auto) 6. Ollie Brown (action, auto) 7. Warren Brusstar (auto) 8. Steve Carlton (action, auto) 9. Larry Christenson (action) 10. Billy DeMars CO  11. Barry Foote 12. Gene Garber (action) 13. Terry Harmon (action, auto)

14. Richie Hebner (auto) 15. Tommy Hutton 16. Dane Iorg (action) 17. Dave Johnson (action) 18. Jay Johnstone (action, auto) 19. Jim Kaat (auto) 20. Randy Lerch (action) 21. Jim Lonborg (action) 22. Greg Luzinski (action, auto)      23. Garry Maddox (action) 24. Jerry Martin (action) 25. Bake McBride 26. Tim McCarver (action)

27. Tug McGraw (action, auto) 28. Danny Ozark MG 29. Ron Reed (action, auto) 30. Ray Rippelmeyer CO 31. Mike Schmidt 32. Mike Schmidt (action) 33. Ted Sizemore (action) 34. Tony Taylor CO (auto) 35. Bobby Tolan (action, auto) 36. Wayne Twitchell (action, auto) 37. Tommy Underwood (auto) 38. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (3):  Andrews, Blackwell, Iorg

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (7):  Brusstar, Foote, Hebner, Johnson, Lerch, McBride, Sizemore
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (22):  Boone, Bowa, Brown, Carlton, Christenson, Garber, Harmon, Hutton, Johnstone, Kaat, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, Martin, McCarver, McGraw, Reed, Schmidt (2), Tolan, Twitchell, Underwood

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coach (5):  Beringer, DeMars, Ripplemeyer, Taylor, Wine

Surprises:  After appearing in 4 games with the Phillies in 1976, catcher Tim Blackwell received his one and only Phillies baseball card in this set.  He appeared in one game for the Phillies in 1977, entering a game on June 11th as a pinch-runner for Bob Boone and scoring a run.  A few days later, he was shipped to the Expos with Wayne Twitchell for Foote and Dan Warthen.  

Omissions:  Only 5 of the 36 players to appear with the Phillies in 1977 are not in this set, and the Phillies can't really be blamed for omitting any of them.  Pitcher Warthen came over from the Expos with Foote, but he only appeared in three games for the Phillies.  The other four omissions - infielders Mike Buskey, Jim Morrison and John Vukovich, along with pitcher Manny Seoane - were all September call-ups.

Variations/Rarities:  As mentioned above, the McBride and Foote photo cards were added to the set at some point after mid-June.  Fellow collector Rick also let me know about a Mike Schmidt variation that is a portrait photo of the slugger and not an action shot of him swinging.  Not knowing which version is more prevalent, I've included both versions in the standard checklist above.  Also, the Larry Bowa card I have in my collection doesn't have a blue facsimile autograph.  There may be other instances of these signature variations as well.

Also See:  1977 Hostess Phillies team set.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collector Rick G.

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

 

1976 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1978 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Realmuto Earns First Gold Glove

2019 Chachi #70

On Sunday night, J.T. Realmuto was named the Gold Glove award winner for N.L. catchers, edging out Yadier Molina and Austin Hedges.  Aaron Nola and Bryce Harper were also finalists for Gold Gloves, but they finished behind Zack Greinke and Cody Bellinger, respectively.  Realmuto became the third catcher in franchise history to win the award, following Mike Lieberthal in 1999 and Bob Boone in 1978 and 1979.  No Phillies player had won the award since Jimmy Rollins at shortstop back in 2012.

All that remains now for the All-Star catcher on his offseason to-do list is to sign a long-term contract extension with the Phils.

Chachi Gold Glove Cards
2005 - Bobby Abreu
2007 - Jimmy Rollins & Aaron Rowand
2008 - Jimmy Rollins & Shane Victorino
2009 - Jimmy Rollins & Shane Victorino
2010 - Shane Victorino
2011 - Placido Polanco
2012 - Jimmy Rollins
2019 - J.T. Realmuto

2005 Chachi #60

2007 Chachi #71

2008 Chachi #86

Just One Card & Missing Links - 1970s Phillies Edition

1975 Topps #405

1977 Topps #394

1979 Topps #169

1980 Topps #277

1981 Fleer #585

Having tackled the Phillies Missing Links from 1980 through 2008 at this point, I wanted to see what a Phillies Missing Links set from the 1970s would look like.  As far as I can tell, and please offer revisions in the comments if needed, listed below are the players who suited up with the Phillies between 1970 and 1979 and never received a Phillies baseball card.

Below this list, I've presented what I believe to be those Phillies players who received just one Phillies card, with most of these occurring in the team-issued photo card sets from the '70s.  I don't know if creating cards for these players is a project I'll tackle in the near-term, but with the checklist in place the next step would be hunting and gathering pictures of these players in red pinstripes (or baby blue road uniforms).

Phillies Missing Links of the 1970s - Initial Checklist
1 Del Bates (1970)
2 Mike Jackson (1970)
3 Manny Muniz (1971)
4 Dave Downs (1972)
5 Bob Terlecki (1972)
6 Dave Wallace (1973-1974)
7 John Stearns (1974)
8 Larry Fritz (1975)
9 Ron Clark (1975)
10 John Montague (1975)
11 Rick Bosetti (1976)
12 Bill Nahorodny (1976)
13 Mike Buskey (1977)
14 Manny Seoane (1977)
15 Dan Warthen (1977)
16 Orlando Gonzalez (1978)
17 Kerry Dineen (1978)
18 Todd Cruz (1978)
19 Horacio Pina (1978)
20 Dan Boitano (1978)
21 John Poff (1979)
22 Jack Kucek (1979)


Just One Card
1970
Doc Edwards - 1970 Phillies Photocards*
Bill Laxton - 1970 Phillies Photocards

1971
Bobby Pfeil - 1971 Phillies Photocards

1972
John Bateman - 1972 Phillies Photocards
Gary Neibauer - 1972 Phillies Photocards

1974
Allan Bannister - 1975 Phillies Photocards
Jesus Hernaiz - 1974 Phillies Photocards
Frank Linzy - 1974 Phillies Photocards
Pete Richert - 1974 Phillies Photocards
Erskine Thomason - 1976 SSPC #600^


1975
Cy Acosta - 1975 Phillies Photocards
Don Hahn - 1975 Phillies Photocards
Wayne Simpson - 1976 SSPC #599^

1976
Fred Andrews - 1977 Phillies Photocards
Tim Blackwell - 1977 Phillies Photocards

1977
Dane Iorg - 1977 Phillies Photocards

1978
Dan Larson - 1980 Phillies Photocards

1979
Rudy Meoli - 1979 Phillies Photocards

*As a coach, with two variations so he might not technically belong on this list.
^Wearing a Toledo Mud Hens uniform.

Just One Card Links
1970 to 1979
1980 to 1989
1990 to 1995
1996 to 1999
2000 to 2004
2005 to 2009

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #30 Andy Tracy

#33
Andrew Michael Tracy
First Base

When the Phillies invited Andy Tracy to spring training in 2008 as a non-roster invitee, he had 12 professional seasons under his belt including stints with the Expos (2000-2001) and Rockies (2004).  He spent most of the 2008 season with the IronPigs before getting the call from the Phillies on August 23rd when Geoff Jenkins landed on the disabled list.  A week later he was back with the IronPigs when manager Charlie Manuel decided to use his roster spot for an extra bullpen arm.  When rosters expanded on September 1st, he returned to the Phillies again and in his 4 appearances that season he was used exclusively as a pinch-hitter, going 0 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly.

His story followed the same script in 2009 - non-roster invitee to spring training, full season with the IronPigs, September call-up.  His sole start came on the final day of the 2009 season when he entered the playing field for the first time as the Phillies starting first baseman.  In the other 11 games in which he appeared during 2009 he was again used as a pinch-hitter, going 4 for 8 with an RBI.  Tracy returned to the IronPigs for the entire 2010 season, but he wouldn't get the call that September.  In his 3 full seasons with the IronPigs, Tracy hit .272 with 69 home runs and 261 RBIs, averaging 23 home runs and 87 RBIs per season.  His home run and RBI career totals are the franchise records for the IronPigs.

Tracy has been with the Phillies organization since 2012 serving in some capacity as a minor league manager, coach or roving instructor.  He's the team's minor league hitting/assistant field coordinator this season.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  220
Born:  December 11, 1973, Bowling Green, OH
Drafted:  Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 16th round of the 1996 amateur draft, June 4, 1996.
Major League Teams:  Montreal Expos 2000-2001; Colorado Rockies 2004; Phillies 2008-2009
Professional Affiliations:  Montreal Expos 1996-2001; New York Mets 2002; Colorado Rockies 2003-2005; Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Japan) 2005; Baltimore Orioles 2006; New York Mets 2007; Phillies 2008-2010; Arizona Diamondbacks 2011

Phillies Career

13 games, 5 for 14 (.357), triple, 1 RBI
Acquired:  November 20, 2007 - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Mets organization.
Debut:  August 24, 2008 - In a game against the Dodgers that the Phillies would eventually win on a Pedro Feliz walk-off home run in the 11th, Tracy pinch-hit for Carlos Ruiz in the 9th, drawing a walk.  Kyle Kendrick then pinch-ran for Tracy.
Final Game:  October 4, 2009 - Started at first base, going 1 for 4 with a triple off the Marlins' Josh Johnson.
Departed:  November 6, 2010 - Granted free agency and signed as a minor league free agent by the Arizona Diamondbacks, December 15, 2010.

5 Tracy Baseball Card in My Collection
2008 Multi-Ad Lehigh Valley IronPigs #23
2009 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #23
2010 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #19
2010 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #21
2012 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #30

Complete Chachi Checklist
2008 Chachi #47
2009 Chachi #57

2000 Topps Traded #T2

2008 Chachi #47

2009 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #23

2010 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #21

2012 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #30

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2000 Bowman #396
First Topps Base Card:  2000 Topps Traded #T2
Last Mainstream Card:  2001 Fleer Triple Crown #287
Other Notable Cards:  1996 Best Vermont Expos #28, 2000 Fleer Tradition Update #U14, 2001 Pacific #261

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock
11 Brian Powell
12 Paul Abbott
13 Todd Jones
14 A.J. Hinch
15 Ramon Martinez
16 Matt Kata
17 Aquilino Lopez
18 Adam Bernero
19 Jose Hernandez
20 Randall Simon
21 Anderson Garcia
22 Russell Branyan
23 John Ennis
24 Kane Davis
25 Pete LaForest
26 T.J. Bohn
27 R.J. Swindle
28 Mike Cervenak
29 Les Walrond
30 Andy Tracy

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #26 T.J. Bohn

#12
Thomas Joseph Bohn
Outfield

In the years since the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, I've honestly occasionally wondered, "Did T.J. Bohn receive a World Series ring?"

Bohn was claimed off waivers from the Braves on September 24, 2007 and came to spring training in 2008 as a member of the team's 40-man roster.  Chris Snelling was the first outfielder to join the club when Shane Victorino landed on the disabled list on April 12th, but when Snelling himself got hurt a week later Bohn got the call.  Bohn was sent down once Victorino was healthy, but got another shot when Jayson Werth landed on the disabled list on May 24th.  When Snelling was activated on June 2nd, Bohn was sent back to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, never to return.

Manager Charlie Manuel used Bohn very sparingly in the limited time he was on the roster, only entering 14 games as pinch-hitter, pinch-runner or late inning defensive replacement.  He never entered a game before the 6th inning, tallying 5 total at-bats and collecting 2 hits.

Bohn was let go following the 2008 season and was out of baseball for all of 2009.  He played the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association before calling it a career.  But did he receive a World Series ring?

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  200
Born:  January 17, 1980, St. Louis Park, MN
Drafted:  Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 30th round of the 2002 amateur draft, June 4, 2002
Major League Teams:  Seattle Mariners 2006; Phillies 2008
Professional Affiliations:  Seattle Mariners 2002-2006; Atlanta Braves 2007; Phillies 2008; Sioux City Explorers (Independent) 2010-2011

Phillies Career
14 games, 2 for 5 with 3 RBIs, 1 strikeout, pinch-ran for Pat Burrell 5 times
Acquired:  September 24, 2007 - Selected off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
Debut:  April 20, 2008 - Pinch hit for Chad Durbin, striking out against the Mets' Jorge Sosa.
Final Game:  June 1, 2008 - Pinch ran for Pat Burrell in the 7th inning, playing the remainder of the game in left field.
Departed:  November 3, 2008 - Granted free agency.

1 Bohn Baseball Card in My Collection
2008 Multi-Ad Lehigh Valley IronPigs #4

Complete Chachi Checklist
2008 Chachi #33

2003 Bowman #180

2006 Topps 52 #48

2006 Upper Deck #1177

2008 Multi-Ad Lehigh Valley IronPigs #4

2008 Chachi #33

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2003 Bowman #180
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  2006 Upper Deck #1177
Other Notable Cards:  2003 Topps Total #917, 2006 Topps 52 #48, 2010 Sioux City Exployers Team Issue #4

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock
11 Brian Powell
12 Paul Abbott
13 Todd Jones
14 A.J. Hinch
15 Ramon Martinez
16 Matt Kata
17 Aquilino Lopez
18 Adam Bernero
19 Jose Hernandez
20 Randall Simon
21 Anderson Garcia
22 Russell Branyan
23 John Ennis
24 Kane Davis
25 Pete LaForest
26 T.J. Bohn

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

2008 Chachi #31 Brad Lidge

Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 4
Game 66 - Friday Night, June 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-44, 5th place, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  A three-run seventh inning from the Diamondbacks sunk the Phillies and Aaron Nola.

What It Means:  The one-game winning streak is over.

What Happened:  Nola was in control until the seventh when he allowed a lead-off single and then a two-run home run to Gregor Blanco to tie the game at four.  Pat Neshek came on in relief of Nola, but the go-ahead run ultimately scored on a sacrifice fly.

The big hit for the Phillies had come an inning earlier when Maikel Franco hit a two-run double to give the team a temporary two run lead.  Cameron Rupp hit a solo home run (5) in the fifth.

Featured Card:  Let's remember happier times.  The run allowed by Neshek in the seventh inning had been inherited from Nola, and Neshek escaped without a run being charged to him.  His ERA is now 0.69, which is the lowest by a Phillies reliever through his first 25 innings of a season since Brad Lidge's 0.72 ERA in 2008.  (Via Meghan Montemurro on Twitter.)

2016 Chachi #71 Leading Firemen - Gomez, Neris, Mariot

Perhaps the hardest thing to watch during the latter part of the Phillies season was the complete implosion of Jeanmar Gomez as the team's closer.  Unofficially removed from the closer's roll during the final weeks of September, Gomez tallied a 19.13 ERA (17 earned runs in 8 innings) over his final 12 games.  The emergence (and dominance) of Hector Neris as an extremely effective late inning reliever means that he's probably one of the few pitchers guaranteed a spot in the team's 2017 bullpen.

Memory Lane - Chachi Leading Firemen Cards
2005 - Billy Wagner, 38
2006 - Tom Gordon, 34
2007 - Brett Myers, 21
2008 - Brad Lidge, 41
2009 - Brad Lidge, 31
2010 - Brad Lidge, 27
2011 - Ryan Madson, 32
2012 - Jonathan Papelbon, 38
2013 - Jonathan Papelbon, 29
2014 - Jonathan Papelbon, 39
2015 - Jonathan Papelbon, 17 (no card created)
2016 - Jeanmar Gomez, 37

2005 Chachi #59

2006 Chachi #68

2007 Chachi #66

2008 Chachi #62

2016 Chachi #70 Strikeout Leaders - Eickhoff, Hellickson, Velasquez

Vince Velasquez and Aaron Nola led the Phillies pitching staff in strikeouts for most of the season, but Jared Eickhoff and Jeremy Hellickson were able to pull ahead late in the season due to Nola's injury and the shut down of Velasquez.

Memory Lane - Chachi Strikeout Leaders Cards
2005 - Brett Myers, 208
2006 - Brett Myers, 189
2007 - Cole Hamels, 177
2008 - Cole Hamels, 196
2009 - Cole Hamels, 168
2010 - Roy Halladay, 219
2011 - Cliff Lee, 238
2012 - Cole Hamels, 216
2013 - Cliff Lee, 222
2014 - Cole Hamels, 198
2015 - Cole Hamels, 137 (no card created)
2016 - Jared Eickhoff, 167

2005 Chachi #58

2006 Chachi #67

2007 Chachi #65

2008 Chachi #60

2016 Chachi #68 ERA Leaders - Eickhoff & Hellickson

Only two Phillies pitchers threw the amount of requisite innings (162) to qualify this year for the team's ERA title.  Jared Eickhoff barely squeaked by Jeremy Hellickson with his 3.65 ERA to Hellickson's 3.71.

Memory Lane - Chachi ERA Leaders Cards
2005 - Brett Myers, 3.72
2006 - Brett Myers, 3.91
2007 - Cole Hamels, 3.39
2008 - Cole Hamels, 3.09
2009 - J.A. Happ, 2.93
2010 - Roy Halladay, 2.44
2011 - Roy Halladay, 2.35
2012 - Cole Hamels, 3.05
2013 - Cliff Lee, 2.87
2014 - Cole Hamels, 2.46
2015 - Aaron Harang, 4.86 (no card produced)
2016 - Jared Eickhoff, 3.65

The 2005 through 2008 Chachi ERA Leaders cards have never before been featured on this blog.

2005 Chachi #57

2006 Chachi #66

2007 Chachi #64

2008 Chachi #68