Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: May 13th to May 14th

Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35 and 7:05
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

Phillies 13-19, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Nationals
Nationals 22-12, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (0-2, 5.40), Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.49), Vince Velasquez (2-3, 5.94)
Nationals Probables:  Tanner Roark (3-1, 3.46), Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.64), Max Scherzer (4-2, 2.59)

At the Ballpark:  With the rain out yesterday, the Phillies and Nationals will play a split double header on Sunday.  In the first game, the first 5,000 fans will receive a Mother's Day carnation and both teams will wear special Mother's Day hats and jerseys with pink accents.  Fans attending the second game will receive a Trea Turner bobble head.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .324
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 29
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 7
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 25
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 5

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 2.81
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 35
Saves:  Hector Neris - 3

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Ryan Zimmerman - .393
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 37
Home Runs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 13
RBIs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 34
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 6

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 4
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.59
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 62
Saves:  Shawn Kelley and Blake Treinen - 3

1982 Topps #131

1982 Topps #292

1982 Topps Traded #83T

1982 Topps Traded #104T

1982 Topps Appreciation:  Here's a hodge podge of four former Expos to have played with the Phillies at some point during the 1980s.  Stan Bahnsen actually pitched for the Phillies in 8 games during the 1982 season, compiling a respectable 1.35 ERA over 13 1/3 innings.  I created a Phillies Missing Links card for Bahnsen here.

By the way, this Phillies Missing Links series isn't dead yet.  I have plans to finish up the 23-card set featuring the Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s at some point . . .

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #4 Stan Bahnsen

#37
Stanley Raymond Bahnsen
Relief Pitcher

The 1968 A.L. Rookie of the Year, Stan Bahnsen was at the end of an impressive 16-year Major League career when the Phillies signed him as a free agent on May 31, 1982.  Bahnsen had recently been released by the California Angels, and he'd spend the bulk of the 1982 season with the Phillies Triple-A team in Oklahoma City.  As a September call-up, Bahnsen appeared in 8 games for the Phillies, pitching impressively in relief in the final month of the season.  Released in November 1982, Bahnsen would sign a minor league contract with the Phillies and appear in 15 more games for their new Triple-A affiliate in Portland before calling it a career.

Bahnsen is perhaps best remembered by Phillies fans as the pitcher who surrendered Mike Schmidt's 48th home run of the 1980 season, leading the Phillies to the 1980 N.L. East division title.  Audio of that blast, featuring Andy Musser's call, can be found here.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  December 15, 1944, Council Bluffs, IA
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4th round of the 1965 amateur draft
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1966, 1968-1971, Chicago White Sox 1972-1975, Oakland Athletics 1975-1977, Montreal Expos 1977-1981, California Angels 1982, Phillies 1982
Professional Affiliations:  New York Yankees 1965-1971, Chicago White Sox 1972-1975, Oakland Athletics 1975-1977, Montreal Expos 1977-1981, California Angels 1982, Phillies 1982-1983

Phillies Career
8 games, 0-0, 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the California Angels, May 31, 1982
Debut:  September 1, 1982 - Pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Mike Krukow against the Braves
Final Game:  October 2, 1982
Departed:  Released by the Phillies organization in spring of 1983

1967 Topps #93

1975 Topps #161

1982 Donruss #392

1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #23

4 Bahnsen Baseball Cards in My Collection
First Card:  1982 Donruss #392
Last Card:  1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #23

The fantastic Cards That Never Were blog created a Bahnsen Phillies card in the style of 1982 Topps a few years ago.

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #93 (with Bobby Murcer)
First Topps Base Card:  1967 Topps #93 (with Bobby Murcer)
Last Mainstream Card:  1982 Topps #131
Other Notable Cards:  1972 Topps #662, 1975 Topps #161, 1977 Topps #383, 1981 Topps #267

Sources:  Baseball Birthdays, Cards That Never Were, SABR, Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

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.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

1973 Topps - Phillies Cards

1973 Topps #535, #396, #572 and #394

We're entering that part of the season when it's time to tie up a few loose ends here on the blog, and set our sights on the better and brighter days that lie ahead for the Phillies.  The 2013 Chachi set uses the design of the 1973 Topps set, and I've enjoyed featuring 1973 Topps cards with some connection to each series opponent in my series preview posts.

Almost a year ago to the day, I posted a comprehensive list of cards from the 1979 Topps set that somehow had a Phillies connection.  This post will serve to do the same with the 1973 Topps set, and it will give me an excuse to show off some cards from teams the Phillies did not face during the 2013 season.

There are 112 (out of 726) cards in the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections* and I've determined the 1973 Topps set has 107 (out of 660) cards with Phillies connections.

*My original post tallied 111 cards in the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections, but when the team named Steve Henderson its new hitting coach last October, the number jumped up one to 112.

National League East (41 - 10 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (5) - #72 Ron Reed, #169 Ron Schueler, #237 Lew Burdette/Ken Silvestri CO, #550 Davey Johnson, #653 Joe Hoerner
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (4) - #30 Tug McGraw, #184 Jerry Koosman, #223 Bud Harrelson, #525 Jim Fregosi
Philadelphia Phillies (31)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (1) - #377 Gene Mauch MG

National League Central (24)
Chicago Cubs (2) - #180 Fergie Jenkins, #393 Jose Cardenal
Cincinnati Reds (9) - #28 Hal McRae, #52 Denis Menke, #130 Pete Rose, #202 Pete Rose NLCS, #208 Bobby Tolan/Denis Menke NLCS, #230 Joe Morgan, #275 Tony Perez, #296 Sparky Anderson MG, #335 Bobby Tolan
Milwaukee Brewers (7) - #71 Johnny Briggs, #74 Billy Champion, #332 John Felske, #386 Don Money, #451 John Vukovich, #526 Ollie Brown, #646 Harvey Kuenn CO
Pittsburgh Pirates (3) - #2 Rich Hebner, #225 Al Oliver, #397 Dave Cash
St. Louis Cardinals (3) - #128 Ted Sizemore, #269 Tim McCarver, #364 Rick Wise

National League West (10)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (3) - #239 Pete Richert, #490 Claude Osteen, #609 Davey Lopes RS
San Diego Padres (4) - #12 Johnny Podres/Bob Skinner CO, #57 Derrel Thomas, #133 Dave Roberts, #542 Pat Corrales
San Francisco Giants (3) - #121 Dave Rader, #322 Garry Maddox, #606 Gary Matthews RS

1973 Topps #9, #20, #301 and #362

American League East (9)
Baltimore Orioles (3) - #9 Johnny Oates, #362 Eddie Watt, #396 Grant Jackson
Boston Red Sox (1) - #317 Danny Cater
New York Yankees (5) - #68 Sparky Lyle LL, #116 Jim Hegan CO, #394 Sparky Lyle, #479 Hal Lanier, #535 Johnny Callison
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (18)
Chicago White Sox (6) - #20 Stan Bahnsen, #62 Dick Allen LL, #63 Dick Allen LL, #310 Dick Allen, #356 Joe Lonnett CO, #379 Cy Acosta
Cleveland Indians (4) - #247 Del Unser, #272 Ed Farmer, #372 Oscar Gamble, #425 Alex Johnson
Detroit Tigers (3) - #29 Tony Taylor, #146 Woodie Fryman, #369 Lerrin LaGrow
Kansas City Royals (3) - #188 Cookie Rojas, #428 Wayne Simpson, #593 Galen Cisco CO
Minnesota Twins (2) - #530 Jim Kaat, #622 Larry Hisle

American League West (5)
Houston Astros (2) - #242 George Culver, #572 Gary Sutherland
Los Angeles Angels (1) - #301 Billy Grabarkewitz
Oakland Athletics (1) - #274 Darold Knowles
Seattle Mariners (0)
Texas Rangers (1) - #138 Horacio Pina

1973 Topps #12, #208 and #606

Memory Lane

1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more

1982 Phillies - The Missing Links

1983 Donruss #525, 1982 TCMA Oklahoma City 89ers #9 and #7, and 1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #23

The 2012 game summary posts are done, the offseason is upon us and I'm dusting off a few draft posts to fill the Phillies void while other teams battle it out in the postseason.  My last Missing Links post was published way back in June, when I looked at the 1981 Phillies players with little to no cardboard appreciation.  This post examines the 1982 squad, of which all but 3 of the 37 total Phillies that year ended up on a Phillies baseball card.

1982 Fleer #486

3 Cards to More
32 Players

Willie Montanez didn't appear on any Phillies cards during his short 18-game swan song with the Phillies in 1982, but he appeared on plenty of Phillies cards during his initial stint with the club in the early '70s.

Dave Roberts and Bob Molinaro also barely make it onto the "3 Cards or More" list thanks to their inclusion in Phillies Tastykake sets.

1 Card
Julio Franco (16 games in 1982) - 1983 Donruss #525
**Jay Baller (4 games in 1982 and 8 games in 1992) - 1993 Donruss #356

Franco began his 25-year Major League odyssey with 16 games at short and third base for the 1982 Phillies.  In December 1982, he, along with Baller and three other players were shipped to Cleveland in the infamous 5-for-1 Von Hayes deal.  I first posted my attempt at a 1982 Topps cards for Franco back in the blog's infancy.

If I was doing this post back before 1993, which would have been pretty impressive given that only the government was using a version of the internet at the time and all, Baller would have appeared as a Missing Link.  However, Donruss somehow deemed his 8-game performance with the 1992 Phillies as worthy of a Phillies card, despite his 8.18 ERA in his 11 innings pitched.

0 Cards

1982 Topps #PR9

Alejandro Sanchez (15 games from 1982-1983)
Jerry Reed (11 games from 1981-1982)
Stan Bahnsen (8 games in 1982)

All three players had their share of cardboard with other teams - especially Bahnsen - but they've never been featured on a proper Phillies baseball card.  The awesome Cards That Never Were blog created a 1982 Topps Bahnsen card back in June, linked here.

I created a custom 1982 Topps card for Reed using his picture from the 1982 Phillies Yearbook.  Reed was traded to the Indians in September 1982 as part of the John Denny deal, and he'd go on to enjoy a 9-season career in the Majors.  My sole recollection of Reed's tenure with the Phillies was that it forced Ron Reed to add an "R." to the back of his jersey.

Past Missing Link Posts

1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1981 Phillies - Jerry Reed

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

1999 Phillies - Joel Bennett, Domingo Cedeno, Joe Grahe and Torey Lovullo

2000 Phillies - Clemente Alvarez, Kirk Bullinger, Mark Holzemer and Bryan Ward

**UPDATE (6/19/15) - I know now that Baller had an additional Phillies baseball card in the 1992 Medford Phillies ALS Phillies Phestival/Late Season set.

Nationals at Phillies: September 25th to September 27th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:05

Nationals 93-60, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 games ahead of the Braves
Phillies 77-76, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 16 games behind the Nationals

Nationals Probables:  John Lannan (3-0, 4.43), Ross Detwiler (10-6, 3.10), Edwin Jackson (9-10, 3.77)
Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (15-6, 3.05), Kyle Kendrick (10-11, 3.89), Tyler Cloyd (2-1, 3.86)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the Goya Latino Family Celebration and Thursday night is the annual Fan Appreciation Night.  All fans will receive a postcard pack of the team's highlights from the 2012 season.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .250

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 97

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 22

RBIs:  Jimmy Rollins - 66

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 35

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 15

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.05

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 202

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 36

1979 Topps #269, #124, #468 and #581

1979 Topps Flashback:  There are only three more series left in the 2012 season, and only six more cards to feature in the flashback portion of my series preview posts.  Unfortunately, they're all Expos cards.  Today's quartet features four former pitchers with long careers and ties to both Phillies and Expos organizations.

Woodie Fryman pitched in parts of 18 seasons in the Majors, spending the bulk of his career with the Phillies (1968-1972) and Expos (1975-1976, 1978-1983).  The Phillies originally acquired him from the Pirates in December 1967 as part of the deal that sent Jim Bunning to Pittsburgh.

Dan Schatzeder had two separate stints with the Expos (1977-1979, 1982-1986) and one stint with the Phils (1986-1987).  Although he was a decent pitcher with the Phils (6-4, 3.76 ERA in 51 games), I remember him more as an occasional pinch-hitter.  Schatzeder was a career .240 hitter, although he went just 3 for 17 (.176) in his two years with the Phils.

Stan Bahnsen wrapped up his 16-year career with 8 games with the 1982 Phillies.  Once I get around to continuing my Missing Links series, Bahnsen will be one of the featured players as he has no Phillies baseball cards to his name.

Darold Knowles relieved in 69 games for the 1966 Phillies, going 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA.  Following his playing career, he served as the Phillies pitching coach in 1989 and 1990 under manager Nick Leyva.  He was let go after the 1990 season and replaced by Johnny Podres.