Game 77 - Mets Batters Mash 7 Solo Homers, Crushing Phils

New York Mets	11
Philadelphia Phillies	4

2016 Topps Gypsy Queen #234

Saturday Night, June 21st

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
46-31, Tied for 1st Place, 10 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets hit seven solo home runs, four off Phillies' starter Mick Abel in the first three innings of the game, in this 11-4 thrashing.

What It Means:  Flush it.  And I despise the Mets.

What Happened:  Abel was hit hard, allowing the four solo home runs and departing with his team trailing, 4-3.  Joe Ross, Michael Mercado and Taijuan Walker contributed to the barrage, each allowing a solo home in the later innings.  The Phillies scored twice in the first, on an RBI double from Nick Castellanos and an RBI ground out from Max Kepler.  They briefly took the lead in the second when Otto Kemp doubled, went to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.

Featured Card:  Matt Gelb posted on Bluesky that Abel is the fifth pitcher in Phillies history to allow four or more home runs in three innings pitched or fewer.  He joins the club also occupied by Jerad Eickhoff (2019), Brian Sanches (2007), Vicente Padilla (2005) and Robert Person (1999).

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

Stay on Target . . . Getting Closer to Baseball

2020 Chachi New Additions #10

Most of my offseason attention has been turned towards building and posting my two other blogs, covering the 1956 and 1965 Topps sets.  After the Zack Wheeler and Didi Gregorius signings in December, transactions and non-roster invitees have slowly trickled in and I wanted to run another catch-up post before the joy of pitchers and catchers reporting kicks in.  Phillies pitchers and catchers are set to officially report on February 11th.

A number of ex-Phillies recently found new homes, as updated below.  The Phillies also made another waiver claim, taking Reggie McClain from the Mariners.  McClain has no major baseball card appearances to his name to date.

Trevor Kelley was designated for assignment to make room for McClain on the 40-man roster, but at least Kelley has a coveted Chachi New Additions insert card to show for his time in the Phillies organization.

2020 Chachi Departures #15

2020 Chachi Departures #1

2020 Chachi Departures #17

2020 Chachi Departures #9

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency, signed the San Francisco Giants (1/18/20).
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (1/7/20).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/9/20).
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers (1/22/20).
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (1/16/20).
• Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released.
• Jared Hughes - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jason Vargas - lhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jerad Eickhoff - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres (12/27/19).
• Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/31/20).
• Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1/8/20).
• Maikel Franco - 3b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Kansas City Royals (12/27/19).
• Cesar Hernandez - 2b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (12/29/19).

2020 Chachi Departures #7

2020 Chachi Departures #16

Coming Back - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (12/20/19).

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Robert Stock - rhp (10/30/19) - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
• Cristopher Sanchez - lhp (11/20/19) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for Curtis Mead.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/2/19) - Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
• Zack Wheeler - rhp (12/9/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (12/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• Nick Martini - of (1/14/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (1/31/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

Latest Round of Roster Moves - 8 More Free Agents

2020 Chachi Departures #12

2020 Chachi Departures #13

2020 Chachi Departures #14

In a flurry of roster moves on late Monday afternoon, the Phillies parted with eight more players and they now have 35 spots taken on their 40-man roster.

The club declined their options on pitchers Jared Hughes, Pat Neshek and Jason Vargas.  Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, as expected, exercised his player option for 2020 and he'll attempt to bounce back from two lackluster seasons.

2020 Chachi Departures #15

2020 Chachi #13

2020 Chachi Departures #16

2020 Chachi #38

2020 Chachi Departures #17

Pitchers Jerad Eickhoff, Mike Morin, Blake Parker and Edubray Ramos along with infiedler Phil Gosselin were all outrighted off the 40-man roster and all five elected free agency.  The Morin and Parker moves surprised me a little, as I could see both playing a role in the team's 2020 bullpen.  I assume one or both could come back on minor league deals.  It's also tough to see Phillies Room favorite Gosselin let go.

Finally, pitchers Victor Arano, Arrieta, Seranthony Dominguez, Adam Morgan, David Robertson and Robert Stock along with outfielder Andrew McCutchen were activated from the 60-day IL.

This is a good time to link over to my Virtual Phillies Wall, which has been updated to reflect the current status of the team's 40-man roster.  As players are added, such as Stock, they'll appear on a 2020 Chachi New Additions insert card.  The next date to circle on our calendars is December 2nd, when the Phillies will need to make a decision on tendering contracts to Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco in advance of the annual Rule 5 draft.

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released.
• Jared Hughes - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jason Vargas - lhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Jerad Eickhoff - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.
• Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency.

New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason

• Robert Stock - rhp (10/30/19) - Claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres.

Highlights from the 2019 Phillies Phestival (Part 1) #StrikeOutALS

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16

On Thursday afternoon, we attended the annual Phillies Phestival, which raises money in the fight against ALS.  One of my collecting regrets (and a regret as a lifelong Phillies fan) is that we never even considered going to this event until three years ago.  As rookies in 2017, we meandered through the ballpark using our pre-assigned autograph tickets and paying cash for autographs when the lines died down.  In 2018, I attended the event on behalf of my employer, which unbeknownst to me, had been a long-time sponsor of the Phestival.  I became involved with the Philadelphia ALS Chapter over the past few years partly in tribute to our friend Bob who passed away in January 2019 after a courageous battle with the disease.  I'm looking forward to continuing (and increasing) my involvement in the coming years.

This year, we again attended as sponsors and it's the first year we were fully prepared to collect autographs as efficiently as possible while still having fun.  Sponsors are given a button to wear, which allows us to stand in any autograph line.  Within the sponsors packet were explicit instructions informing us we couldn't go to the front of any line, which makes complete sense, and that we couldn't go to the Bryce Harper photo booth.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14

Similar to the past two years, I created a special set of Chachi cards to commemorate our day and the autographs we hunted down.  Here's a summary of what and how we did:

• The sponsors assemble in the Diamond Club and my company's name was called around 2:45.  We made our way down to the field to meet with Phil Gosselin and Jay Bruce who would be signing autographs at our designated station.  I let Bruce know it was great not to boo him this season, and my son Doug talked to Gosselin about their mutual history with the All-Star Baseball Academy.  Gosselin is an alumni and Doug is currently on one of their travel teams.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

• We had a plan.  Doug and I took the left side of the ballpark while Jenna and Ben took the right side.  Doug and I started in the Hall of Fame Club, where the lines were very short to start and some of the tables had no lines.  We walked right into the suite where Gabe Kapler was signing and had two people in front of us.  Kapler's a fascinating guy.  Very intense, very polite, very engaging and he made his hat work.

• Jenna and Ben made Aaron Nola their first target, so they had a longer wait to get started.  Doug and I had cleared four tables by the time they were getting Nola's autographs.

• All the players were engaging and friendly, and even though there was a loose "no posed photographs" policy in place this year, pretty much everyone stopped to look and smile while we were taking pictures.  Rhys Hoskins said he remembered being in our Christmas card, although he may have just been being polite.

• Ben's highlight was getting Maikel Franco to sign the back of his favorite Franco t-shirt.  He also talked to the broadcast team for awhile.  When he asked why they didn't have any cards to sign, Scott Franzke said it was because the Phillies couldn't get them all together at the same time.  He was then invited by Ben Davis to sign their table cloth, and he obliged.

• Larry Andersen had run out of photo cards by the time we got to his station (with John Kruk and Mickey Morandini) so he offered Doug a cookie instead of an autograph.  Doug took him up on the offer.

• I was bummed that none of the newer Phillies players had any photo cards produced for them to sign.  I had come prepared with a list of potential exclusive photo cards - Bruce, Edgar Garcia, JD Hammer, Adam Haseley and Ranger Suarez - but there were no new cards to be had.  Bruce and Gosselin had what looked like regular paper at their station with their names printed at the top.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

• When the autograph session time expired, we had visited all but three tables - J.T. Realmuto (by choice since we had already received his autographs in May), Charlie Manual (since we forgot to bring anything for him to sign) and Pat Neshek/Jim Gott.  The Neshek/Gott omission was a symptom of simply running out of time.  The only table we doubled up on was Scott Kingery's as we both had time to visit with him as the clock was ticking down.

• We met up with fellow collector Steve and his son in time to stand in line for our mystery grab bags.  Our five bag haul was decent, with baseballs signed by Roman Quinn (two), Nick Pivetta, and Hector Neris.  We received a pair of Raul Ibanez bobble heads, three solar Liberty Bells, a Jimmy Rollins World Series ring and Jenna got her Mother's Day fleece she had wanted from the May giveaway.

We had a blast, the Phillies raised over $768,000 to aid in the fight against ALS, and we're already making our plans for next year's Phestival!  I've share Part 2 with the rest of the cards from the event in a post coming soon.

The almost completed checklist

Our grab bag haul

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2
2019 Part 1 and Part 2

2019 Chachi #32 Jerad Eickhoff

#48
Jerad Joseph Eickhoff
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  244
Opening Day Age:  28
Born:  July 2, 1990, Evansville, IN
Drafted:  Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round of the June 2011 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2015-
Acquired:  Acquired with Matt Harrison, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Alec Asher from the Texas Rangers for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations, July 31, 2015
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2020, free agency eligible in 2022

2015 Chachi #60

2016 Topps #2

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

2017 Chachi Photo Night #8

First Phillies Card:  2016 Topps #2
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2016 Topps #2
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #48
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #48

2016 Phillies Team Issue #48

25 - Eickhoff baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/4/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi #60
2016 Chachi Preview #2
2016 Chachi #17
2016 Chachi #68 ERA Leaders (with Jeremy Hellickson)
2016 Chachi #69 Pitching Leaders (with Jeremy Hellickson and Vince Velasquez)
2016 Chachi #70 Strikeout Leaders (with Jeremy Hellickson and Vince Velasquez)
2017 Chachi Preview #3
2017 Chachi #15
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19 (with Andres Blanco)
2017 Chachi Archives #6
2017 Chachi Photo Night #8
2018 Chachi #55
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11 (with Jesmuel Valentin and Pedro Guerrero)
2019 Chachi #32

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

2019 Chachi #29 Phillies Coaches - Pedro Guerrero

#60
Pedro Manuel Guerrero
Assistant Hitting Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  177
Opening Day Age:  30
Born:  December 3, 1988, San Pedro de Macoris, DR
Teams - As Coach:  Phillies 2018-

2018 Chachi #28

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #58
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #58
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #60

3 - Guerrero baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/1/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #28 (with Dusty Wathan, Chris Young and Jim Gott)
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11 (with Jesmuel Valentin and Jerad Eickhoff)
2019 Chachi #29 (with Dave Lundquist and Bobby Dickerson)

I shouldn't have added "Jr." to Guerrero's name on his 2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival card, and this should be considered an uncorrected error within the set.

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

Game 26 - 2018 Topps #621 Jerad Eickhoff

Phillies 4, Marlins 0
Game 26 - Friday Night, April 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 14-12, 1st place, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff pitched seven scoreless innings and the Phillies relied solely on the long ball for their offense in this 4-0 win.

What It Means:  The Mets lost, meaning the Phillies traded places with them again in the N.L. East standings.

What Happened:  Eickhoff allowed only two hits in his outing, striking out six.  J.T. Realmuto (4), Maikel Franco (7) and Bryce Harper (6) all homered in the win.

Featured Card:  This is Eickhoff's card from the second series of last year's Topps flagship set.  To date, his only 2019 baseball card can be found within the team-issued photo card set.

Field Report:  Jenna and I should have been at this game, but the weather and the wear and tear from the past week kept us home.  Instead of using our two tickets, we bet on the game getting washed out and we opted to watch a movie instead.  We bet incorrectly and the game started after a 93 minute rain delay.  Not that I wasn't rooting for Eickhoff to throw a no-hitter, but I was secretly relieved when Jorge Alfaro singled to start the fifth.

Transactions:  Designated for assignment on Wednesday, James Pazos was traded to the Rockies on Friday for minor league infielder Hunter Stovall.  I expect we'll see Stovall playing for the Lakewood BlueClaws this summer.

Game 21 - 2019 Phillies Team Issue #48 Jerad Eickhoff

Rockies 4, Phillies 1
Game 21 - Sunday Afternoon, April 21st in Denver
Record - 12-9, 1st place, 1 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense managed two hits prior to the ninth inning in this 4-1 loss to the Rockies.

What It Means:  The Phillies lost three out of four to the last place Rockies, and they'll head to New York to open a three-game series with the Mets on Monday night.

What Happened:  With Jean Segura, Odubel Herrera and Scott Kingery on the disabled list and J.T. Realmuto getting a planned day off, a line-up consisting of Roman Quinn, Phil Gosselin and Andrew Knapp couldn't get anything going.  Cesar Hernandez had a particularly bad day, making a baserunning blunder in the fourth and running the Phillies out of a potential rally, striking out with runners on first and second to end the seventh, and grounding out to end the game as the potential tying run.

Featured Card:  Jerad Eickhoff made his first start of the year, pitching well until the wheels came off in the sixth inning.  He allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out eight.  Three of his four runs allowed came in the sixth.

Grapefruit Game 24 - 2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-279 Jerad Eickhoff

Yankees 7, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 24 - Sunday Afternoon, March 17th in Clearwater
Record - 11-10-3

One Sentence Summary:  The bullpen continued to look shaky as the Phillies lost to the Yankees, 7-3 on St. Patrick's Day.

What It Means:  Hector Neris and Adam Morgan gave up six total runs in their 2 1/3 innings of work.

What Happened:  After getting drilled in the ankle with a pitch on Friday, Bryce Harper returned to the line-up in the DH role, going 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.  He's now 0 for 8 for the spring.  Shane Robinson had a two-run triple for the Phillies in the 5th.

Featured Card:  Jerad Eickhoff has lost most of the past two seasons due to injury, and he's hoping to make a comeback this year.  Slated to start the season in the IronPigs' rotation, Eickhoff pitched three shutout innings while striking out 5.  His baseball card appearances were scarce in 2018, and this is his card from the 2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day set, limited to 411 copies.

Camp Head Count:  48.

Memory Lane

2010 - Mike Schmidt and the entire 1986 team go green.

2011 - Chase Utley models the green jerseys worn during Spring Training 2006.

2012 - A smiling card of Tugger and Roy Halladay models a green jersey.

2013 - Irish Mike Ryan's 1972 Topps card and Freddy Galvis in green.
2015 - David Buchanan started the game last year.  This year, he's already in minor league camp.
2016 - Vince Velasquez pitched well and Ryan Howard hit his first spring home run.
2017 - Kendrick and Altherr homered while Venditte made his switch-pitching debut.
2018 - Santana hits his first spring home run in a win against the Braves.
2019 - Harper still hitless, Eickhoff sharp in his start.

Game 160 - 2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #48 Jerad Eickhoff

Braves 10, Phillies 2
Game 160 - Friday Night, September 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-82, 3rd place, 12 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff made his first start in over a year, but the Braves ruined his return in this 10-2 loss.

What It Means:  Eickhoff was emotional following the game, thanking the Phillies and GM Matt Klentak for allowing him the opportunity to start one of the final games of the season.  A healthy Eickhoff would be huge for the Phillies starting pitching rotation in 2019.

What Happened:  At one point, Eickhoff struck out 7 straight Braves and he exited after 3 1/3 inning having struck out a career high 8.  Luis Garcia won the nightly bullpen award of most runs allowed, giving up three runs in a 1/3 of an inning and seeing his ERA jump to 6.07 for the season.  Rhys Hoskins hit a 9th inning home run, his 34th and final of the season.

2018 Topps Now Player's Weekend #PW-102

2018 Topps Now Player's Weekend #PW-103

2018 Topps Now Player's Weekend #PW-104

Featured Cards/Field Report:  My family attended this game together, our final night game of the 2018 season.  I'll admit that we didn't make it through all nine innings.

Doug had yet another successful autograph haul, netting signatures from Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery and Roman Quinn* on their newly released Topps Now Player's Weekend cards.  He and a few other ambitious young fans enjoyed themselves as players and coaches filed into the dugout prior to the game.

*The Topps quality control department continues to fail as the Topps Now Player's Weekend card for Odubel Herrera, featuring his Torrito nickname, shows a picture of fellow outfielder Roman Quinn.  If nothing else, I'm using Topps' short-comings as a lesson to my sons in what happens when someone doesn't double check their work or when someone flat out doesn't care about his/her job.