Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals - Baseball is Back!

2025 Chachi 2005 Topps Missing Links #3

2025 Chachi Series Previews #1

Thursday, March 27th - 4:05
Saturday, March 29th - 4:05
Sunday, March 30th - 1:35

Philadelphia Phillies 95-67
2024 National League East Champions

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (16-7, 2.57)
Jesus Luzardo (3-6, 5.00)
Aaron Nola (14-8, 3.57)

Phillies Spring Leaders
Average:  Kody Clemens - .327
Runs:  Alec Bohm and Kody Clemens - 11
Home Runs:  Four tied with - 3
RBIs:  Max Kepler and Edmundo Sosa - 11
Stolen Bases:  Oscar Mercado - 4

Wins:  Jose Ruiz - 2
ERA:  Jose Alvarado - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Jose Alvarado - 20
Saves:  Jack Dallas - 2

Nationals Park - Washington, DC
The first 20,000 fans will receive a Nationals opening day t-shirt on Thursday.

Washington Nationals 71-91
4th place in the National League East

Nationals Probables
MacKenzie Gore (10-12, 3.90)
TBD
TBD

Nationals Spring Leaders
Average:  CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews - .273
Runs:  Dylan Crews - 13
Home Runs:  James Wood - 4
RBIs:  Keibert Ruiz and James Wood - 11
Stolen Bases:  Nasim Nunez - 7

Wins:  MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams - 2
ERA:  Trevor Williams - 3.93

Strikeouts:  Trevor Williams - 19
Saves:  Clay Helvey - 2

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

Nationals at Phillies: September 9th to September 11th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #18

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #19

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Friday night is the annual Nemours Children's Health Childhood Cancer Awareness Night.  On Saturday night, all kids 14 and under receive a Phillies fleece blanket.

Nationals 49-89
5th Place in the N.L. East, 38 games behind the Mets

Nationals Probables
Patrick Corbin (6-17, 6.28)
Erick Fedde (6-9, 5.08)
Anibal Sanchez (2-5, 4.56)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Josh Bell - .301
Runs:  Juan Soto - 62
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 21
RBIs:  Nelson Cruz - 64
Stolen Bases:  Victor Robles - 14

Wins:  Josiah Gray - 7
ERA:  N/A

Strikeouts:  Josiah Gray - 145
Saves:  Tanner Rainey - 12

Phillies 75-62
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 11 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Noah Syndergaard (3-1, 4.63)
Ranger Suarez (8-5, 3.52)
Aaron Nola (9-11, 3.35)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .294
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 82
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 36
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 78
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 17

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 11
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.07

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 200
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 12

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

Spring Training Game 9 - Remembering Rheal Cormier

Blue Jays 4, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 9 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 9th in Dunedin
Record - 3-5-1

One Sentence Summary:  It was another quiet afternoon for the offense as the Blue Jays topped the Phillies, 4-1.

What It Means:  Since their 15-run outburst against the Yankees on Thursday, the Phillies have been held to five runs over their last four games.  With no radio or TV broadcast of this game, I watched a portion of this game via a wind blown camera stationed in center field and live-streamed on the Blue Jays' website.

What Happened:  Vince Velasquez threw 39 pitches in 1 2/3 innings, allowing an earned run on a hit and two walks.  Matt Moore continued his perfect spring with two more scoreless innings.  Connor Brogdon, Archie Bradley and Jose Alvarado also threw scoreless frames.  The Phillies' sole run came in the eighth when Nick Maton doubled home Mickey Moniak.  Moniak continues to swing a hot bat and with his triple in this game his average is up to .556.

Featured Card:  On Monday afternoon, we learned former Phillies reliever Rheal Cormier had passed away after a battle with cancer.  Cormier was 53 years old.  He was one of the original Phillies Room Favorites and also one of my wife Jenna's favorite players.  By all accounts he was a good guy, and Jim Salisbury wrote a nice tribute here to the former lefty reliever.

In six seasons with the Phillies between 2001 and 2006, Cormier appeared in 363 games, which is second on the all-time franchise list among lefty relievers behind Tug McGraw.  He went 8-0 with a 1.70 ERA in 2003, appearing in 65 games.  He was the winning pitcher in the final game the Phillies won at Veterans Stadium on September 27, 2003, and then was the winning pitcher in the first game the Phillies won at Citizens Bank Park on April 7, 2004.

My family and I met Cormier briefly on two occasions, both during the 2014 season.  He was signing autographs before the game on April 12, 2014, and he posed for a picture with our oldest son Doug before taking the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.  He was back signing autographs on August 9, 2014, joined by Ricky Jordan, as part of that season's Alumni Weekend/Wall of Fame celebration.  This time Jenna got to pose with one of her favorite players and he signed the photo card shown above for her.

At some point during his years with the club, we purchased one of his game-used hats at the annual offseason clubhouse sale.  The hat is sweat-stained with his number 37 written in permanent marker on the underside of the brim.  There's a small religious charm safety-pinned to the inside of the back of the hat.  On the off chance anyone from Cormier's family ever comes across this post I'd love to find a way to get this hat to you as it's something that rightfully belongs with his family.

Camp Head Count:  73

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

2010-2022 Phillies Alumni Photo Cards

Number of Known Cards (2010-2019):  110

Number of Known Cards (2022):  4

Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  Either a full color or black and white photo on the front are accompanied by the official Phillies Alumni logo at the top of the card and the subject's name in white letters on a dark red background on the bottom of the card.  The vast majority of the card backs contain a second player photo, biographical information, career and Phillies highlights.  Copyright dates can be found either on the back or fronts of most cards.

Photo from September 2020 Phantastic Auction

How Distributed:  Between 2010 and 2019, the Phillies created special alumni photo cards for returning players, coaches, managers and one executive to sign at various autograph events, during alumni weekends and as part of any reunion-related public appearances.  Locations and dates of where and when I obtained some of these cards are contained in the checklist below.  In September 2020, as part of their Phantastic Auction to benefit Phillies Charities, the Phillies gave collectors the opportunity to bid on 101 of these alumni photo cards, giving us the best opportunity yet to form a complete checklist of the cards released and unreleased over the past decade.

Collectors should note the copyright date on these cards does not necessarily correspond to the year of first issuance.  Complicating any efforts to fully checklist these cards is the fact the Phillies had originally printed the cards with a copyright date on the back reflecting the date of issuance.  In the mid-2010s, the copyright date on the backs of some of these cards is for the date of the photo on the front.  For example, Nick Punto's card contains statistical information through Punto's final season in 2014, but the card contains a 2003 copyright date which corresponds to the photo used.  In 2017, 2018 and 2019 the Phillies seemed to have switched back to using a copyright date that corresponds with the date of issuance and not the date of the photo.

In August 2018, the Phillies produced 20 new alumni photo cards for the express purpose of having them available for returning members of the 2008 World Championship team to sign at a potential pre-game autograph session during that season's Alumni Weekend.  For whatever reason, the planned autograph event was significantly curtailed with only Eric Bruntlett and Pedro Feliz stationed at one sole table for fans.  These 2008 alumni cards remain generally unreleased to the public, with the exception of one copy of each card made available in the 2020 Phantastic Auction along with cards for Joe Blanton, Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers which were all made available during the 2019 Alumni Weekend.

I've hopefully captured the vast majority, if not all, of these cards produced and issued by the Phillies between 2010 and 2019.

2022 Update:  New photo cards for Bobby Abreu, Greg Gross, Dick Ruthven and Kevin Saucier were made available prior to the game on Sunday, August 7th as part of the annual Phillies Alumni Weekend.  I'm going to keep these four new cards separate from the list below.

Complete Standard Checklist - 2010 to 2019 (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with copyright date and other notes): 

1. Bobby Abreu (2004) - Bat lowered, first available at some point after 2014. 2. Dick Allen (2017) 3. Ruben Amaro, Jr. (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 4. Larry Andersen (2010) 5. Marlon Anderson (2003) - First available in 2016. 6. Mick Billmeyer CO (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card.  7. Joe Blanton (2018) - Obtained on 8/4/19 during 2019 Alumnni Weekend. 8. Bob Boone (2010) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 9. Ricky Bottalico (2010) 10. Larry Bowa (No date) - Wall of Fame plaque is on the back. 11. Eric Bruntlett (2018) - From 2018 Alumni Weekend. 12. Warren Brusstar (2017) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 13. Jim Bunning (2011) 14. Pat Burrell (2012) - Cream alternate jersey. 15. Pat Burrell (2008) - Red pinstripes jersey, available as part of the 2015 Phillies Team-Issued 2nd Edition set. 16. Marty Bystrom (2010) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 17. Steve Carlton (2017) 18. Dave Cash (2011) 19. Wes Chamberlain (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 20. Larry Christenson (2010) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 21. Clay Condrey (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 22. Rheal Cormier (2011) - Obtained on 8/12/14 at Citizens Bank Park. 23. Darren Daulton (2010) 24. Roly deArmas CO (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 25. Bob Dernier (2017) - Obtained on 7/7/17 at Citizens Bank Park. 26. Greg Dobbs (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 27. Denny Doyle (2010) 28. Rich Dubee CO (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 29. Mariano Duncan (2018) 30. Chad Durbin (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 31. Jim Eisenreich (2010) 32. Lee Elia CO (2010) 33. Scott Eyre (2011) 34. Pedro Feliz (2009) - First available at some point after 2012. 35. Paul Fletcher (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 36. Ben Francisco (2019) - First available during 2019 Alumni Weekend. 37. Gene Garber (2010) 38. Pat Gillick GM (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 39. Doug Glanville (2010) 40. Wayne Gomes (2012) 41. Dallas Green MG (2010) 42. Tyler Green (2010) 43. Tommy Greene (2010) - Obtained on 3/30/13 at Citizens Bank Park. 44. Von Hayes (2012) 45. Al Holland (2011) 46. Dave Hollins (2010) 47. Ryan Howard (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 48. Raul Ibanez (2019) - Unused 2019 Alumni Weekend card. 49. Pete Incaviglia (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 50. Danny Jackson (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 51. Geoff Jenkins (2014) 52. Ricky Jordan (2011) - Obtained on 8/9/14 during 2014 Alumni Weekend.  53. Kyle Kendrick (2018) - Obtained on 8/4/19 during 2019 Alumnni Weekend. 54. John Kruk (2011) 55. Brad Lidge (2014)

56. Mike Lieberthal (2012) 57. Tony Longmire (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 58. Greg Luzinski (2010) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 59. Pete Mackanin CO (2019) - Unused 2019 Alumni Weekend card. 60. Garry Maddox (2017) - First available on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 61. Jeff Manto (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 62. Charlie Manuel MG (2011) - Red pullover, available as part of the 2015 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Card set. 63. Charlie Manuel MG (2017) - Red pinstripes jersey, available for autographs at the 2018 Phillies Phestival on 6/21/18. 64. Jerry Martin CO (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 65. Roger Mason (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 66. Gary Matthews (2010) 67. John Mayberry, Jr. (2019) - Unused 2019 Alumni Weekend card. 68. Bake McBride (2017) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 69. Tim McCarver (2012) 70. Jason Michaels (2004) - First available at some point after 2011. 71. Don Money (2015) - Old Phillies logo on back. 72. Willie Montanez (2011) 73. Mickey Morandini (2018) - Obtained at 2018 ALS Phillies Phestival. 74. Jamie Moyer (2018) - Obtained on 8/4/19 during 2019 Alumnni Weekend. 75. Dale Murphy (2018) - Obtained on 8/4/19 during 2019 Alumnni Weekend. 76. Brett Myers (2018) - Obtained on 8/4/19 during 2019 Alumnni Weekend. 77. Dickie Noles (2012) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend.  Includes black facsimile autograph. 78. Roy Oswalt (2014) 79. Placido Polanco (2010) 80. Todd Pratt (1993) - First available in 2016. 81. Nick Punto (2003) - First available at some point after 2014. 82. Randy Ready (1995) - First available in 2016. 83. Ben Rivera (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 84. Mike Rogodzinski (2010) 85. Jimmy Rollins (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 86. J.C. Romero (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 87. Aaron Rowand (2014) 88. Carlos Ruiz (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 89. Juan Samuel (Unknown) 90. Curt Schilling (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 91. Matt Stairs (2011) 92. Kevin Stocker (2012) 93. Tony Taylor (2010) 94. Bobby Thigpen (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 95. Jim Thome (2016) - Available briefly as part of the 2016 Phillies Team-Issued 2nd Edition set. 96. Milt Thompson (2016) 97. Milt Thompson CO (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 98. Manny Trillo (2017) - Obtained on 8/13/17 during 2017 Alumni Weekend. 99. Del Unser (2012) 100. Chase Utley (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 101. Wilson Valdez (2011) - Obtained on 7/12/14 at Citizens Bank Park. 102. Shane Victorino (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 103. Ozzie Virgil (2012) 104. Jayson Werth (2018) - Unused 2018 Alumni Weekend card. 105. David West (2018) - First available on 6/10/18, 25th Anniversary of '93 team. 106. Mitch Williams (2010) 107. Bobby Wine (2015) - Old Phillies logo on back. 108. Rick Wise (2010) - Posed pitching photo 109. Rick Wise (2011) - Pitching from mound 110. Randy Wolf (2016)

Complete Standard Checklist - 2022

1.  Bobby Abreu (No date) - Bat in air, and first available on 8/7/22 during Alumni Weekend

2.  Greg Gross (2022) - First available on 8/7/22 during Alumni Weekend

3.  Dick Ruthven (2022) - First available on 8/7/22 during Alumni Weekend

4.  Kevin Saucier (2022) - First available on 8/7/22 during Alumni Weekend

Surprises/Omissions:  I'm aware of 8 additional cards that were not part of the 101 cards auctioned off in September 2020 - Pat Burrell (red pinstripes jersey), Bob Dernier, Denny Doyle, Lee Elia, Gene Garber, Charlie Manuel (red pinstripes jersey), Mike Rogodzinski and a second card for Milt Thompson featuring him as a coach.

The biggest omission here is that no card has ever been produced (that we're aware of) for the greatest Phillies alumnus of all-time - Mike Schmidt.

Variations/Rarities:  There are a few variations to these cards available, all with identical photos to their "regular" counterparts.  A second Rheal Cormier card was issued with a 2017 copyright date and omitting his Minor League Career notes on the back.  There are also cards available for Dave Hollins, Ricky Jordan and Tony Taylor with both 2010 and 2011 copyright dates.  These three cards with 2010 copyrights have glossy backs as opposed to the usual matte backs.

Also See:  This is my third attempt at posting a checklist for these cards with prior attempts coming in December 2016 and June 2018.  Fellow collector Rick has been a huge help with gathering information on these cards over the years.  More recent thanks goes to fellow collector Matt who sent me the Eric Bruntlett and Paul Fletcher cards for my collection.

Please see here for a smaller checklist for the team-issued alumni photo cards issued in 2007, 2008 and 2009.  These cards use a different design than the alumni cards issued between 2010 and 2019.

Checklist by Era:  This is how I've sorted these cards in a binder, and I thought if it was helpful for me it might be helpful for other collectors too.

1960s (2) - Bunning, Wine

1970s (11) - Allen, Cash, Doyle, Garber, McCarver, Money, Montanez, Rogodzinski, Taylor, Wise (2)

1980 World Champions (17) - Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Bystrom, Carlton, Christenson, Elia, D. Green, G. Gross, Luzinski, Maddox, McBride, Noles, Ruthven, Saucier, Trillo, Unser

1980s (6) - Dernier, V. Hayes, Holland, Matthews, Samuel, Virgil

1993 N.L. Champions (26) - Amaro Jr., Andersen, Chamberlain, Daulton, Duncan, Eisenreich, Fletcher, T. Green, Greene, Hollins, Incaviglia, Jackson, Jordan, Kruk, Longmire, Manto, Mason, Morandini, Pratt, Rivera, Schilling, Stocker, Thigpen, Thompson, West, Williams

1990s - 2000s (15) - Abreu x 2, Anderson, Bottalico, Cormier, Glanville, Gomes, Lieberthal, Michaels, Murphy, Punto, Ready, Rowand, Thome, Wolf

2008 World Champions (30) - Billmeyer, Blanton, Bruntlett, Burrell (2), Condrey, deArmas, Dobbs, Dubee, Durbin, Eyre, Feliz, Gillick, Howard, Jenkins, Kendrick, Lidge, Manuel (2), Martin, Moyer, Myers, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Stairs, Thompson, Utley, Victorino, Werth

2009 N.L. Champions (4) - Francisco, Ibanez, Mackanin, Mayberry Jr.

2010s (3) - Oswalt, Polanco, Valdez

2000-Present Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

2002 Topps #359 United We Stand: Braves-Phillies

This post was originally published in February 2013.

I went back through my 2001 and 2002 Topps sets while putting together the recently published 2001 Topps Phillies post and the (hopefully) soon to be published 2002 Topps Phillies post.  In my opinion, one of the best subsets Topps has ever included within its flagship set is the 8-card "America: United We Stand" subset featuring iconic images from the first baseball games following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Found in series one of the 2002 Topps set, the cards served as a poignant reminder of how much baseball meant to our country (and selfishly me) following the attacks.  I didn't remember this until looking up the set's entry at BaseballCardPedia.com, but the cards were in packs of series one as early as November 2001.

Members of the 2001 Phillies team are featured on card #359, standing solemnly along the first base line at Veterans Stadium, listening to the National Anthem prior to their game against the Braves on September 17th.  A few years ago, when scanning the card for an old post, I really started to look at the players featured on the card and I realized they had probably never been properly identified.  There are 11 Phillies players featured in profile on the card - some of which who would never have a proper Topps card or a proper Phillies baseball card.

Using the team's 2002 Media Guide and 2001 transactions listing, I pieced together the active Phillies roster as of September 17, 2001.  With the recent roster expansions, the Phillies were carrying 32 active players with two more players on the disabled list.  I tried to find video of the pre-game ceremony on-line, to no avail.  So based on my recollection of the team at the time, I think the players featured on the card are as follows, from left to right:

1.  Eddie Oropesa
2.  P.J. Forbes (not Nick Punto as originally believed - see update below)
3.  David Coggin
4.  Doug Nickle - I wasn't sure about this one, but according to Baseball Reference, Nickle's height is 6'4", the same height as Coggin who is standing next to him.
5.  Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago as originally believed - see update below)
6.  Felipe Crespo - Crespo was acquired from the Giants in late July.
7.  Randy Wolf - I remember Wolf dyed his hair a garish blonde for some inexplicable reason during the summer of 2001.
8.  Brian L. Hunter
9.  Eric Valent
10.  Rheal Cormier
11.  Perhaps Jimmy Rollins?  This one is just too hard to tell.  (UPDATE - I'm going with Steve F. in thinking that this is actually Bobby Abreu.)

Granted, the identification of these players is something that might only be interesting to me but I'm glad I can now (mostly) identify the Phillies featured on one of the more meaningful baseball cards Topps has ever produced.

UPDATE (9/11/15) - Back in April, I received an e-mail from former Phillies pitcher Doug Nickle who confirmed it was indeed him in the photo standing next to David Coggin.  Doug was kind enough to point out that the players to either side of him are P.J. Forbes (and not Nick Punto) and Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago).  According to the team's 2002 Media Guide, Forbes had his contract purchased from Scranton on September 17th, prior to the this game.  I've updated the listing above to reflect this information.

Thanks again Doug for the e-mail and I'm happy there's now an official record of the Phillies appearing on this important baseball card.

Revisiting the 2004 Phillies Photo Day - 15 Years Ago Today

The 2004 Phillies Photo Day crowd

The first Phillies Photo Day I attended was back in 1984, and I shared some pictures from that day in a post from five years ago.  My Dad was not a fan of crowds or events with any degree of chaos or disorganization, so naturally he hated Photo Day.  After making our way down to the field for the 1984 event, we never went back again.  It would be 20 years until I'd participate in the crowded and controlled chaos that is Photo Day.


Fast forward to May 29, 2004 when Jenna and I were dating and we were invited by my then employer to attend a Phillies game from the comfort of a suite at the newly opened Citizens Bank Park.  Unbeknownst to us, it was also the first Photo Day at the new ballpark and we decided to casually walk down to the field to take some pictures.  This was pre-kids, pre-Chachi sets and pre-The Phillies Room, so I had no real outlet to share any of these pictures back then.  The pictures I took pretty much sat forgotten until recently when I was looking through the thousands (!) of pictures I had taken over the years at Citizens Bank Park.


I thought the time was right to produce a limited edition insert set to mark the 15th anniversary of this first Photo Day at Citizens Bank Park, and the 16 cards presented here were the best of the bunch.  I had a few other pictures I deemed unusable, such as Chase Utley posing with an unknown female fan, Harry Kalas with his eyes fully closed and a picture featuring only half of Larry Andersen's head.

We hope to return this year to this annual event, even though it's slightly crowded and at times chaotic.


Memory Lane
1984 Photo Day - Hudson, Maddox and Lefebvre
2004 Photo Day - First at Citizens Bank Park
2006 Photo Day - with Rick White
2007 Photo Day - with Shane Victorino
2016 Photo Day - Parts One, Two and Three
2017 Photo Night - Parts One, Two and Three
2018 Photo Night - Cancelled due to rain

Series Preview - Phillies at Marlins: April 30th to May 2nd

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #20

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #21

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10
Marlins Park - Miami, FL

Phillies 16-11, Tied for 2nd place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Mets
Marlins 9-18, 5th place in the N.L. East, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Jake Arrieta (3-0, 1.82), Zach Eflin (0-0, 0.00), Aaron Nola (3-1, 2.58)
Marlins Probables:  Dan Straily (0-0, 0.00), Jarlin Garcia (1-0, 1.00), Jose Urena (0-4, 4.91)

At the Ballpark:  Unless I'm missing it, the Marlins don't even appear to have a link to promotions and giveaways on their website.  In any event, it doesn't look as if there's anything special scheduled in Miami for this three-game series other than hopefully a Phillies sweep.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .337
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 19
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 4
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 20
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 5

Wins:  Three tied with - 3
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.58
Strikeouts:  Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez - 34
Saves:  Hector Neris - 5

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Starlin Castro - .292
Runs:  Starlin Castro - 13
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 4
RBIs:  Justin Bour - 13
Stolen Bases:  Seven tied with - 1

Wins:  Orisamer Despaigne and Dillon Peters - 2
ERA:  Jarlin Garcia - 1.00
Strikeouts:  Caleb Smith - 41
Saves:  Brad Ziegler - 3

2002 Topps #359 United We Stand: Braves-Phillies

This post was originally published in February 2013.

I went back through my 2001 and 2002 Topps sets while putting together the recently published 2001 Topps Phillies post and the (hopefully) soon to be published 2002 Topps Phillies post.  In my opinion, one of the best subsets Topps has ever included within its flagship set is the 8-card "America: United We Stand" subset featuring iconic images from the first baseball games following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Found in series one of the 2002 Topps set, the cards served as a poignant reminder of how much baseball meant to our country (and selfishly me) following the attacks.  I didn't remember this until looking up the set's entry at BaseballCardPedia.com, but the cards were in packs of series one as early as November 2001.

Members of the 2001 Phillies team are featured on card #359, standing solemnly along the first base line at Veterans Stadium, listening to the National Anthem prior to their game against the Braves on September 17th.  A few years ago, when scanning the card for an old post, I really started to look at the players featured on the card and I realized they had probably never been properly identified.  There are 11 Phillies players featured in profile on the card - some of which who would never have a proper Topps card or a proper Phillies baseball card.

Using the team's 2002 Media Guide and 2001 transactions listing, I pieced together the active Phillies roster as of September 17, 2001.  With the recent roster expansions, the Phillies were carrying 32 active players with two more players on the disabled list.  I tried to find video of the pre-game ceremony on-line, to no avail.  So based on my recollection of the team at the time, I think the players featured on the card are as follows, from left to right:

1.  Eddie Oropesa
2.  P.J. Forbes (not Nick Punto as originally believed - see update below)
3.  David Coggin
4.  Doug Nickle - I wasn't sure about this one, but according to Baseball Reference, Nickle's height is 6'4", the same height as Coggin who is standing next to him.
5.  Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago as originally believed - see update below)
6.  Felipe Crespo - Crespo was acquired from the Giants in late July.
7.  Randy Wolf - I remember Wolf dyed his hair a garish blonde for some inexplicable reason during the summer of 2001.
8.  Brian L. Hunter
9.  Eric Valent
10.  Rheal Cormier
11.  Perhaps Jimmy Rollins?  This one is just too hard to tell.  (UPDATE - I'm going with Steve F. in thinking that this is actually Bobby Abreu.)

Granted, the identification of these players is something that might only be interesting to me but I'm glad I can now (mostly) identify the Phillies featured on one of the more meaningful baseball cards Topps has ever produced.

UPDATE (9/11/15) - Back in April, I received an e-mail from former Phillies pitcher Doug Nickle who confirmed it was indeed him in the photo standing next to David Coggin.  Doug was kind enough to point out that the players to either side of him are P.J. Forbes (and not Nick Punto) and Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago).  According to the team's 2002 Media Guide, Forbes had his contract purchased from Scranton on September 17th, prior to the this game.  I've updated the listing above to reflect this information.

Thanks again Doug for the e-mail and I'm happy there's now an official record of the Phillies appearing on this important baseball card.

2003 Phillies Team Issue #37 Rheal Cormier

Angels 5, Phillies 4
Game 106 - Late Thursday Night, August 3rd in Anaheim
Record - 39-67, 5th place, 24 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Luis Garcia couldn't hold a one-run lead in the eighth, and the Angels went on to win, 5-4.

What It Means:  As Todd Zolecki Tweeted, the Phillies have lost 12 in a row to the Angels which is the longest losing streak in interleague history.

What Happened:  The Phillies had a 4-2 lead after three innings thanks to a two-run home run from Nick Williams (5) and a two-run single from Freddy Galvis.  Mike Trout homered again (21) against his home town team.  The eventual winning run scored on a wild pitch from Garcia.

Featured Card:  The Phillies last won against the Angels on June 9, 2003.  Vicente Padilla was the winning pitcher, Rheal Cormier pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Jose Mesa recorded his 16th save.  Jimmy Rollins and Jim Thome both homered for the Phillies.  The Angels and Phillies are expected to face off again in 2020.

2002 Topps #359 United We Stand: Braves-Phillies

This post was originally published in February 2013.

I went back through my 2001 and 2002 Topps sets while putting together the recently published 2001 Topps Phillies post and the (hopefully) soon to be published 2002 Topps Phillies post.  In my opinion, one of the best subsets Topps has ever included within its flagship set is the 8-card "America: United We Stand" subset featuring iconic images from the first baseball games following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Found in series one of the 2002 Topps set, the cards served as a poignant reminder of how much baseball meant to our country (and selfishly me) following the attacks.  I didn't remember this until looking up the set's entry at BaseballCardPedia.com, but the cards were in packs of series one as early as November 2001.

Members of the 2001 Phillies team are featured on card #359, standing solemnly along the first base line at Veterans Stadium, listening to the National Anthem prior to their game against the Braves on September 17th.  A few years ago, when scanning the card for an old post, I really started to look at the players featured on the card and I realized they had probably never been properly identified.  There are 11 Phillies players featured in profile on the card - some of which who would never have a proper Topps card or a proper Phillies baseball card.

Using the team's 2002 Media Guide and 2001 transactions listing, I pieced together the active Phillies roster as of September 17, 2001.  With the recent roster expansions, the Phillies were carrying 32 active players with two more players on the disabled list.  I tried to find video of the pre-game ceremony on-line, to no avail.  So based on my recollection of the team at the time, I think the players featured on the card are as follows, from left to right:

1.  Eddie Oropesa
2.  P.J. Forbes (not Nick Punto as originally believed - see update below)
3.  David Coggin
4.  Doug Nickle - I wasn't sure about this one, but according to Baseball Reference, Nickle's height is 6'4", the same height as Coggin who is standing next to him.
5.  Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago as originally believed - see update below)
6.  Felipe Crespo - Crespo was acquired from the Giants in late July.  This marks his first and only appearance as a Phillie on a baseball card.
7.  Randy Wolf - I remember Wolf dyed his hair a garish blonde for some inexplicable reason during the summer of 2001.
8.  Brian L. Hunter
9.  Eric Valent
10.  Rheal Cormier
11.  Perhaps Jimmy Rollins?  This one is just too hard to tell.  (UPDATE - I'm going with Steve F. in thinking that this is actually Bobby Abreu.)

Granted, the identification of these players is something that might only be interesting to me but I'm glad I can now (mostly) identify the Phillies featured on one of the more meaningful baseball cards Topps has ever produced.

UPDATE - Back in April, I received an e-mail from former Phillies pitcher Doug Nickle who confirmed it was indeed him in the photo standing next to David Coggin.  Doug was kind enough to point out that the players to either side of him are P.J. Forbes (and not Nick Punto) and Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago).  According to the team's 2002 Media Guide, Forbes had his contract purchased from Scranton on September 17th, prior to the this game.  I've updated the listing above to reflect this information.

Thanks again Doug for the e-mail and I'm happy there's now an official record of the Phillies appearing on this important baseball card.

2002 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The early 2000s were in full effect with these cards, thanks to the Phillies design department.  Full color photos share the card with a multi-colored, computer-ish looking geometric border, complete with three different sized floating baseballs.  The card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.  Scott Rolen's card celebrates his 2001 Gold Glove win, although the actual text on the card prematurely predicts his 2002 Gold Glove win.
How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

3 - Todd Pratt 5 - Pat Burrell 6 - Doug Glanville 7 - John Mabry 8 - Marlon Anderson 9 - Tomas Perez 10 - Larry Bowa MG 11 - Jimmy Rollins 13 - Turk Wendell 15 - Dave Hollins 16 - Travis Lee 17 - Scott Rolen 18 - John Vukovich CO 21 - Greg Gross CO 24 - Mike Lieberthal 25 - Gary Varsho CO 27 - Ricky Bottalico 30 - Tony Scott CO

31 - Robert Person 33 - Ricky Ledee 34 - Nick Punto 35 - Cliff Politte 37 - Rheal Cormier 40 - Jose Santiago 43 - Randy Wolf 44 - Vicente Padilla 46 - Vern Ruhle CO 48 - David Coggin 49 - Jose Mesa 51 - Terry Adams 52 - Carlos Silva 53 - Bobby Abreu 56 - Brandon Duckworth 59 - Ramon Henderson CO Phillie Phanatic Phillie Broadcasters

One and Done (0)
First Appearances (9):  Adams, Coggin, Duckworth, Ledee, Mabry, Punto, Santiago, Silva, Wendell
Returning Players (18):  Abreu, Anderson, Bottalico, Burrell, Cormier, Glanville, Hollins, Lee, Lieberthal, Mesa, Padilla, Perez, Person, Politte, Pratt, Rolen, Rollins, Wolf

Coggin, Duckworth, Santiago and Wendell appear on 2001 late season additions and I'll change their First Appearance designation above if I can determine whether or not the 2001 late season cards were issued together in an update set form, or if they were one off rarities.  (I believe they would have been issued in update set form.)

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Bowa
Coaches (6):  Gross, Henderson, Ruhle, Scott, Varsho, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  After an 11 year absence and for the first time since 1990, the broadcasters received their own card in the team issued set.  Scott Graham, Harry Kalas, Larry Andersen and Chris Wheeler are featured in a photo taken during spring training.
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  The set entry for the 2003 Phillies Team Issue at Beckett.com makes mention of cards for Jim Thome and Greg Luzinski in the style of the 2002 cards, given away at the team's winter caravan.  The existence of these cards have been confirmed by Rick's and Steve's comments below.

• 19 - Greg Luzinski
• 25 - Jim Thome

Rick also mentions that the Abreu, Burrell, Lieberthal and Rolen cards are available with facsimile autographs.

Also See:  There was a standard-sized 36-card team set given away at The Vet during the year and jointly sponsored by Acme and Nabisco.  I'd like to eventually feature a post on this giveaway set, and a sample of a card from this set can be found here.
Trivia:  The 2002 set is back on Beckett's radar after the 1999, 2000 and 2001 issues had been completely ignored by the online database.
Resources:  Beckett.com; The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Rick and Steve (per their comments below)