New York Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies: The LeBron Era Begins

2006 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH100

2006 Topps #20

Friday, July 24th - 6:45
Saturday, July 25th - 6:05
Sunday, July 26th - 7:20

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
On Sunday, all kids receive a Phanatic hat.

New York Yankees 57-45
2nd Place in the A.L. East, 2 games behind the Rays

Yankees Probables
Cam Schlittler (9-6, 2.20)
Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.40)
Will Warren (7-4, 4.00)

Yankees Leaders
Average:  Ben Rice - .277
Runs:  Ben Rice - 66
Home Runs:  Ben Rice - 30
RBIs:  Ben Rice - 71
Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisolm - 27

Wins:  Cam Schlittler - 9
ERA:  Cam Schlittler - 2.20

Strikeouts:  Cam Schlittler - 145
Saves:  David Bednar - 18

Philadelphia Phillies 56-47
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Jesus Luzardo (9-4, 3.43)
TBD
Cristopher Sanchez (12-4, 2.65)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .292
Runs:  Trea Turner - 69
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 33
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 61
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott and Trea Turner - 17

Wins:  Cristopher Sanchez - 12
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.65

Strikeouts:  Cristopher Sanchez - 151
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 24

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 88 - Offense, Bullpen Melt Down in Heat

Pittsburgh Pirates	6
Philadelphia Phillies	1

2006 Flair Showcase
Hot Numbers #HN-4

Thursday Afternoon, July 2nd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
49-39, 2nd Place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies had four hits in this sweltering hot game, and the bullpen duo of Jose Alvarado and Lee Trivino allowed four runs late in this 6-1 loss.

What It Means:  Game time temperature was 98 degrees at 12:35, and I'm impressed by anyone who sat through this clunker at the ballpark.  Following yet another Friday off-day, the Phillies will open a three-game set in Kansas City on Saturday night.  Happy Semiquincentennial to everyone!

What Happened:  Alan Rangel had a solid outing, shutting down the Pirates over the first four innings, but allowing three hits and walking four.  The Phillies' only run scored when Bryce Harper doubled home Rafael Marchan in the third.  With the scored tied 1-1, Alvardo allowed two runs in the seventh, Trivino allowed two more runs in the eighth and Kyle Backhus gave up another run in the ninth.

Featured Card:  It's hot, and energy levels are low.  Here's an appropriate card for the current weather.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Seattle Mariners at Philadelphia Phillies - Phils Home for 6

2005 Topps #123

2005 Topps #194

Monday, August 18th - 6:45
Tuesday, August 19th - 6:45
Wednesday, August 20th - 1:05

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
There are special ticketed theme nights tonight (Oktoberfest) and tomorrow night (Harry Potter Night).  The Harry Potter theme ticket comes with an exclusive Phillies Harry Potter House Hat.

Seattle Mariners 68-57
2nd Place in the A.L. West, 1 1/2 games behind the Astros

Mariners Probables
Logan Gilbert (3-4, 3.31)
Bryce Miller (2-5, 5.73)
Luis Castillo (8-6, 3.48)

Mariners Leaders
Average:  J.P. Crawford - .262
Runs:  Cal Raleigh - 82
Home Runs:  Cal Raleigh - 47
RBIs:  Cal Raleigh - 102
Stolen Bases:  Randy Arozarena - 24

Wins:  Bryan Woo - 10
ERA:  Bryan Woo - 3.02

Strikeouts:  Bryan Woo - 153
Saves:  Andres Munoz - 29

Philadelphia Phillies 71-53
1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (8-6, 3.28)
Cristopher Sanchez (11-4, 2.45)
Jesus Luzardo (11-6, 4.21)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .291
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 85
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 43
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 102
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 28

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez - 11
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.45
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 195
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 8

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in large capital letters framing one of the corners of the card.  Scott Rolen's card features a badge on the front celebrating his 1997 National League Rookie of the Year win, while Curt Schilling's card celebrates his league leading 319 strikeouts in 1997.  The card backs feature biographical information with the Phillies wordmark logo in the background.  There are some strangely cropped photos in the set - see the cards for Billy Brewer and Bobby Abreu as examples.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fourth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - OF) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Alex Arias (#26 - INF) 4. Matt Beech (#55 - LHP) 5. Ricky Bottalico (#52 - RHP) 6. Billy Brewer (#49 - LHP) 7. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 8. Galen Cisco (#42 - Pitching Instructor) 9. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 10. Bobby Estalella (#27 - C) 11. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 12. Doug Glanville (#6 - OF)

13. Wayne Gomes (#61 - RHP) 14. Mike Grace (#44 - RHP) 15. Tyler Green (#28 - RHP) 16. Ramon Henderson (#59 - Bullpen Coach) 17. Rex Hudler (#14 - INF) 18. Gregg Jefferies (#25 - LF) 19. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF) 20. Mark Leiter (#31 - RHP) 21. Mark Lewis (#5 - INF) 22. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 23. Billy McMillon (#41 - OF) 24. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor)

25. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 26. Mark Parent (#8 - C) 27. Mark Portugal (#21 - RHP) 28. Desi Relaford (#30 - INF) 29. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Kevin Sefcik (#11 - INF) 32. Jerry Spradlin (#48 - RHP) 33. Garrett Stephenson (#54 - RHP) 34. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach) 35. Darrin Winston (#58 - LHP) 36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0):  But see below under Variations/Rarities . . .

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (12):  Abreu, Arias, Beech, Brewer, Estalella, Glanville, Gomes, Lewis, McMillon, Relaford, Stephenson, Winston
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (16):  Amaro, Bottalico, Brogna, Grace, Green, Hudler, Jefferies, Jordan, Leiter, Lieberthal, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik, Spradlin

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured atop his ATV.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  The entire 25-man opening day roster is represented in the set with the exception of reliever Matt Whiteside, who signed with the Phillies on March 27th, a few days prior to opening day.  Wayne Gomes, Matt Beech and Bobby Estalella would start the season in the minors, but they're in the set too.  Billy McMillon, who spent the entire 1998 season in Triple-A was the only miss for the Phillies on the checklist and the only player in the set not to suit up at some point during the 1998 season for them.

Omissions:  A card for Whiteside would have been nice, as he would never appear with the Phillies on a baseball card.  (His Chachi Missing Links card will have to suffice.)  Other players who spent significant time with the team that could have found their way into an update set include pitchers Yorkis Perez,  Carlton Loewer, Ken Ryan and Mike Welch along with Paul Byrd, who joined the Phillies on August 14th.  Cards for rookies Jon Zuber, Gary Bennett and Marlon Anderson would have welcome additions to an update set too.

Variations/Rarities:  This is the set that first tipped me off that variations and rarities existed for these team-issued photo card sets.  For years, I was comfortable in the knowledge that once I purchased the complete set from the Vet, I was done for the year.  As Steve F. pointed out back in the 1998 Phillies - The Missing Links post in March 2012, Zuber had a card produced in the same style as the rest of the 1998 team issued set, most likely to allow him to respond to autograph requests and making it his sole Phillies baseball card.  Fellow collector Rick noted in a comment to the original post for this set that cards were issued for Perez and Welch to sign at the annual ALS Autograph and Auction Party, held on June 29th.

Toby Borland and Loewer were on the active roster on June 29th, but cards weren't produced for them for the ALS event.  Oddly enough, Welch was not active on June 29th, and the Phillies wouldn't add him to their roster until July 10th, the first game following the All-Star break.

There's also a Dickie Noles card available with a 1998 copyright on the back and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross/Pennsylvania Blue Shield.

ALS Autograph/Auction Party        1. Yorkis Perez (#45 - LHP) 2. Mike Welch (#47 - RHP) 3. Jon Zuber (#40 - 1B/OF)

Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield 1. Dickie Noles (#34 - RHP)

Also See:  1998 Topps Phillies

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick (@rickphils)

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

1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1999 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Game 154 - Rolen Returns, Bohm Walks It Off

Phillies 5, Mets 4 (10 Innings)
Game 154 - Friday Night, September 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 85-69, 2nd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets' attempted comeback fell short when Alec Bohm singled home Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 5-4 walk-off win.

What It Means:  The Magic Number to clinch a postseason berth is three.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth when J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run home run, his 20th of the season.  Kyle Schwarber singled home Johan Rojas in the seventh for an insurance run.  Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run off Gregory Soto in the eighth, bringing the Mets to within a run.  In the ninth, and with Craig Kimbrel on the mound trying to close it out, Brett Baty stunned the crowd with a game-tying solo home run.

With the game in extra innings, Seranthony Dominguez worked out of a mostly self-created bases loaded jam, striking out Lindor and Pete Alonso to end the Mets' threat in the top of the 10th.  With Turner at second as the ghost runner in the bottom of the 10th, Bohm laced his single to right, scoring the winning run and starting yet another on-field celebration.

Featured Card/Field Report:  Jenna, Doug and I braved the windy weather and attended this game, solely to see Scott Rolen officially inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in a pregame ceremony.  Rolen had a scheduling conflict and couldn't attend Alumni Weekend in August.  My feelings toward Rolen have softened over the years, and the bitterness I felt when he unceremoniously left Philadelphia in 2002 has dissipated over time.  His speech was on the mark and sincere and the cheers from the early-arriving fans outweighed the few boos.  Former teammates Wayne Gomes, Mark Grace, Kevin Sefick, Rico Brogna, Kevin Jordan and a few others I couldn't quite place were on hand.  The card shown above shows the Wall of Famers who were in attendance for the ceremony.

Doug staked out the alumni suite within the Hall of Fame club, and his patience was rewarded when Rolen came through and signed for the autograph seekers assembled there.  Rolen signed Doug's Wall of Fame print, which joined his quickly growing, and impressive collection.  Shake Shack was on the menu for all of us, and I continue to be underwhelmed by their burgers.  I think I'm in the minority?

Transaction:  The Phillies purchased the contract of Orion Kerkering (rhp) a 22-year-old 5th round draft pick from 2022 who began the season at Low-A Clearwater.  Kerkering has shot up through the system quickly, having been recently promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Yunior Marte (rhp) was sent down to Lehigh Valley and Drew Ellis (inf) was designated for assignment to make room for Kerkering on the 40-man roster.

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

Game 118 (Continued) - Alumni Weekend Chachi Cards

I didn't have enough room to tag everyone in my main game summary post, so here's a continuation post featuring the bulk of the Chachi Alumni Weekend insert cards.  This is always a fun night, and creating these cards is annually a fun project.

Game 134 - Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show Precedes Another Loss

Giants 5, Phillies 3
Game 134 - Sunday Afternoon, September 4th in San Francisco
Record - 73-61, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't complete the comeback against the Giants, as David Robertson allowed a two-run walk-off home run to Wilmer Flores in this latest loss.

What It Means:  It's not going well, and I'll admit I'm starting to worry.  The Phillies hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Brewers for the National League's third Wild Card spot.  They went 1-6 on a disastrous west coast trip against two teams with losing records.  A six-game homestand begins on Tuesday night against the Marlins and Nationals.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez joined the ranks of Phillies starting pitchers who have been ineffective lately, pitching just four innings and allowing three runs.  The Phillies dramatically tied up the game in the eighth inning when J.T. Realmuto connected for a three-run home run off Giants' reliever John Brebbia.  Robertson couldn't preserve the tie however, allowing Flores' home run and ending the game.

Featured Card:  Before this debacle began, Doug and I drove to the Deptford Mall for a mini baseball card show and Bobby Abreu signing.  We were among the first in line to secure our Abreu signatures, and then we spent about a half hour browsing the six or so tables set up in the mall.  I found one dealer with stacks of vintage commons for sale, adding cards to my not-yet-officially-collecting 1955 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps sets.  It was a good afternoon, diminished a few hours later by the Phillies' loss.

Transaction:  Nick Castellanos (of) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain and Dalton Guthrie (of) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.  To make room for Guthrie on the 40-man roster, Luis Garcia (inf) was designated for assignment.

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

Game 108 - Current Phillies Mash, Past Phillies Return

2022 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #17

Phillies 13, Nationals 1
Game 108 - Sunday Afternoon, August 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 60-48, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies destroyed the Nationals in this Alumni Weekend finale.

What It Means:  The Phillies are hot, having won 11 of their last 13 and now five in a row.

What Happened:  The ballpark welcomed back dozens of alumni in a wonderful pregame ceremony, including most of the living members of the 1980 World Championship club, and various Wall of Famers in attendance for the weekend.  Mike Schmidt was a notable absence, as he had tested positive for Covid earlier that morning.  The Hall of Famer sent a pre-recorded message, celebrating the 1980 team and thanking the fans.  Pete Rose made his first appearance at a Phillies event since being banned from baseball, and he quickly reminded everyone why it's probably best he doesn't return again.

On the field, the offense continued to mash.  Four more home runs were hit in this game, including two from Darick Hall and one each from Nick Maton and Rhys Hoskins, and the team set a new franchise record with 14 home runs in a single regular season series.  Bryson Stott was 2 for 5 with three RBIs.  Aaron Nola pitched six innings, allowing a run on five hits on the way to his eighth win.

Featured Card:  Hall gets the honors again, and the Phillies will need to get creative with their line-up once Bryce Harper returns in September to make sure Hall continues to get at-bats.  Hall has four baseball cards available so far in 2022, three Topps Now cards and this card from the IronPigs team set.

Field Report:  After attending Friday and Saturday night's games, we sat this one out.  Friend of the blog Rick reported there were multiple alumni signing stations available briefly before the game throughout the ballpark as follows:

• Bobby Abreu and Juan Samuel in the Hall of Fame Club, at separate tables
• Warren Brusstar and Greg Gross on the main concourse
• Dick Ruthven and Del Unser on the main concourse, and
• Dickie Noles and Kevin Saucier on the  main concourse

New Alumni Photo Cards were available for Abreu, Gross, Ruthven and Saucier.  I won't update the master list I've compiled here (yet), but I'll at least add a note that these four new cards are now out in the wild.

Oddly enough, the new Abreu card features a different photo from his original card, using a photo taken during the same at-bat.  The photo courtesy of Rick below shows the original Abreu card on the left, with the new one on the right.

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

Game 107 - Reed, McBride Inducted Into Wall of Fame

Phillies 11, Nationals 5
Game 107 - Saturday Night, August 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-1, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Following the induction of Bake McBride and Ron Reed into the Phillies Wall of Fame, the current offense stayed hot as the hapless Nationals fell yet again, 11-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies own a four game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten.  They have a one game lead over the Brewers for the third Wild Card spot and they'll go for the four-game series sweep this afternoon.

What Happened:  Every starter except Kyle Schwarber had at least one hit, with Jean Segura leading the way with a three-hit night.  Rhys Hoskins hit his third straight first inning home run in a row.  Matt Vierling added a three-run home run in the first, with J.T. Realmuto contributing a two-run home run in the sixth.  Bryson Stott had a two-run triple and Edmundo Sosa doubled home Realmuto for his first hit with the team.  Ranger Suarez picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Doug and I returned to the Hall of Fame Club, arriving shortly after the gates opened and grabbing a prime spot once again right aside the suite where various Wall of Famers and alumni were gathered.  Doug was on a roll the entire night, adding autographs to his Bake McBride/Ron Reed print (shown above) and adding solo signatures to past Wall of Fame prints.  Some of the signers were repeats from the night before, and other than Charlie Manuel, who gets a second card, I've created cards for all the new alumni who signed for Doug on Saturday night.

We were bummed McBride wasn't able to join the festivities, and it was somewhat surreal for me to see all my heroes from the 1980 team.  Of the former players and coaches stopping to sign, only Luis Aguayo and George Vukovich stopped short of Doug's spot before going into the suite.  Bob Boone, Dick Ruthven and (I believe) Warren Brusstar didn't sign at all.

We found it extremely impressive that Manny Trillo, Bobby Abreu, Manuel, Dickie Noles, Mike Lieberthal, Randy Wolf and Lee Elia all signed as many autographs as wanted.  They were gracious with their time, often stopping to chat with the assembled fans.  Trillo especially took his time, working slowly through the line, signing anything and everything put in front of him.  It was a memorable night, and we're already looking forward to next year!

My early prediction for the 2023 Wall of Fame inductee is Larry Andersen.  The current broadcaster has cut back on his schedule, and he was a member of both the 1983 and 1993 Phillies teams, who will be celebrating their 40th and 30th anniversaries next season, respectively.

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