Philadelphia Phillies at San Francisco Giants

2005 Topps #44

2005 Topps #636

Monday, July 7th - 9:45
Tuesday, July 8th - 9:45
Wednesday, July 9th - 3:45

Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
The Giants are offering three theme tickets for this series - Anime Night on Monday, Law Enforcement Appreciation Night on Tuesday, and Fellowship Day on Wednesday afternoon.

Philadelphia Phillies

2005 Phillies Leaders
Average:  Chase Utley - .291
Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 115
Home Runs:  Pat Burrell - 32
RBIs:  Pat Burrell - 117
Stolen Bases:  Jimmy Rollins - 41

Wins:  Jon Lieber - 17
ERA:  Brett Myers - 3.72

Strikeouts:  Brett Myers - 208
Saves:  Billy Wagner - 38

San Francisco Giants

2005 Giants Leaders
Average:  Ray Durham - .290
Runs:  Pedro Feliz - 69
Home Runs:  Pedro Feliz - 20
RBIs:  Pedro Feliz - 81
Stolen Bases:  Omar Vizquel - 24

Wins:  Noah Lowry - 13
ERA:  Noah Lowry - 3.78

Strikeouts:  Noah Lowry - 172
Saves:  Tyler Walker - 23

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

Game 110 - 3rd Annual Doug's Big Night of Autographs

For the third year in a row, Doug and I attended the Wall of Fame night at Citizens Bank Park with every intention of not watching any of the actual Phillies game.  Staked out at great location right in front of the door of the alumni suite in the Hall of Fame Club, little did Doug (or I) know that when we arrived at 5:30 we wouldn't leave our spots for the next four hours.  There was a steady stream of Phillies alumni coming in and out of the suite and most of them were very gracious with their time, happy to sign several dozen autographs.


My role was limited to hanging back and taking pictures while Doug asked for autographs on his Bobby Abreu Wall of Fame print, that night's giveaway item.  I had Phillies photo cards from my collection with me and the deal was that if Doug already had his print signed, he'd try to get my photo card signed too.  He ended up with 25 signatures on his print (shown above) to go along with two vintage baseball cards signed by Tony Taylor.  I ended up adding 15 signed photo cards to my collection, thanks to Doug's hard work.  We were hungry and our feet were sore at the end of night, but it was worth it.  The print will occupy a prime spot in Doug's collection along with the prints from the prior two years.  Some other observations:

• Everyone who signed was great, but interactions with Dickie Noles, Greg Dobbs, Scott Eyre and Dale Murphy stuck with me.  Dobbs got dinner with his family, promised to come back to sign for everyone and he did.  Several other notable alumni promised to come back, but never did.
• Doug was really hoping for Bobby Abreu to come back through at some point, but he never returned.
• Ozzie Guillen was there to celebrate Abreu's big night and he was the sole non-Phillie autograph Doug added.
• Shane Victorino signed for maybe five or six people but then ducked inside the suite.  Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley didn't sign at all, quickly making their way to and from the suite.
• We missed getting an autograph from Ben Francisco as he skipped over a bunch of people standing in Doug's area.
• I blew it with Jack Taschner as I didn't recognize the former relief pitcher at all.  He lingered around our area talking to other alumni, but none of the autograph seekers standing around us knew who he was.  I didn't realize it was Taschner until seeing him in Sunday's pre-game ceremony.
• I did however recognize short-time Phillies Paul Bako and Tyler Walker who were mostly unrecognized by the people standing around us.
• Steve Carlton refused to sign, but he did agree to look in my general direction for a picture.
• There were too many new cards for one post, so I'll post the rest of the custom cards I've created in a follow-up post.

Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome
2017 - Tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton
2018 - Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick
2019 - Bobby Abreu

Meanwhile, we watched most of the game on the wall monitor positioned outside the alumni suite.

Phillies 3, White Sox 2
Game 110 - Saturday Night, August 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 58-52, Tied for 2nd place, 7 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The offense stayed mostly dormant but Aaron Nola and Nick Pivetta managed to keep the White Sox quiet as well in this 3-2 win.

What It Means:  The win moved the Phillies into a tie for second place with the Nationals.

What Happened:  Nola went seven strong innings, striking out 10 and allowing only three hits.  Pivetta pitched the final two innings to record his first career save.  Bryce Harper (19) and Rhys Hoskins (24) hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth.

Transactions:  Mitch Walding was sent outright to Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers and Yacksel Rios was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"Unreleased" Team Issued Photo Cards for 2008 Alumni

Fellow collector Rick recently informed me that 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 event last Sunday during 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.

For the sake of completion, I'm going to add these cards to the checklist post found here, but I'll note that these cards should be considered unreleased and are generally unavailable to the collecting public.  I've tried contacting the Phillies to see if any extras of these cards could possibly be released into the wild, only to be met with dead ends.  Either the cards have already been destroyed (unlikely) or they've been stashed away in a closet within Citizens Bank Park for some future potential signings.

New Cards of 2008 Alumni

Mick Billmeyer CO Joe Blanton Eric Bruntlett Clay Condrey Roly deArmas CO

Greg Dobbs Rich Dubee CO Chad Durbin Pat Gillick GM Ryan Howard

Kyle Kendrick Jerry Martin CO Jamie Moyer Brett Myers Jimmy Rollins

J.C. Romero Carlos Ruiz Milt Thompson CO Shane Victorino Jayson Werth

In addition to these 20 new cards, here's a list of previously released Alumni Photo Cards featuring members of the 2008 team and the copyright dates on the cards.  The cards above for Eyre and Feliz were available prior to Alumni Weekend, but signed by both on Saturday night as detailed in this post.

• Pat Burrell (2008) - red pinstripes
• Pat Burrell (2012) - cream alternate uniform
• Scott Eyre (2011)
• Pedro Feliz (2009)
• Geoff Jenkins (2014)
• Brad Lidge (2014)
• Charlie Manuel MG (2011) - red pullover
• Charlie Manuel MG (2017) - red pinstripes
• Matt Stairs (2011)

Game 110 - Doug's Big Night of Autographs, The Sequel

Phillies 8, Marlins 3
Game 110 - Saturday Night, August 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 62-48, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Another Post-Vacation Catch-Up, Part 1 of 7

One Sentence Summary:  Four home runs backed another impressive outing from Zach Eflin as the Phils downed the Fish, 8-3.

What It Means:  The win extended the Phillies' lead in the division to a game and a half over the Braves.

What Happened:  Nick Williams (15), Asdrubal Cabrera (19 overall, 1 with the Phillies), Carlos Santana (17) and Cesar Hernandez (9) all homered.  Eflin went eight strong innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  We were fortunate enough to be able to take two separate vacations this summer and before leaving for vacation #2, Doug and I decided to attend the Phillies Wall of Fame ceremony for the late Roy Halladay and former General Manager Pat Gillick.  We really wanted to witness the ceremony (which was fantastic, as expected) but Doug also wanted to try to get some alumni autographs in the Hall of Fame Club.

It seemed much more crowded than last year (see link below) and Doug wasn't able to wiggle his way to the front of the roped off area outside the suite where the alumni were gathering . . . or so we thought they were gathering.  He just missed getting a Pat Gillick signature and managed autographs from Dickie Noles and Pete Mackanin before frustration and some boredom set in.

That's when I noticed that the players were leaving the suite by another door, mostly unnoticed, and heading down to a different suite.  With most autograph hunters positioned by the first door, the casual fans walking through the Hall of Fame Club didn't notice the alumni leaving by the second door.  But I did.

We stationed ourselves there and Doug was able to top his record from last year by gathering 20 autographs.  Players such as Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, Pedro Feliz and Eric Bruntlett stood casually in the open while Doug asked them politely for an autograph.  Once other fans saw someone signing something, a slightly bigger crowd gathered.  Some of the returning players and coaches were happy to sign for Doug as long as he walked quickly with them to the second suite down the hall.  Brett Myers, Geoff Jenkins and Jamie Moyer were too quick for me to get pictures, but I managed to get a photo of Moyer from the back, featuring his glorious ponytail.

When the evening was through, Doug had collected autographs from most of the returning alumni, and I've included a legend above of his signed Wall of Fame print for our future reference.  (We're in the process of getting this framed.)  Some of the players/coaches lingered around long enough that he was able to get a second autograph to be included in my collection.  Eyre, Feliz, Rich Dubee and Milt Thompson signed photo cards for Doug along with his Wall of Fame print.  The prize of his collection was Pat Burrell.  Burrell personalized his Wall of Fame print from 2015 and he actually chatted a little with Doug before disappearing.  I don't know if Burrell signed for anyone else.

It was another memorable night, and we'll be back for more next year!  Of course I needed to make a very limited edition insert set to mark the occasion, and those cards are featured here.


Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome
2017 - Tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton
2018 - Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick

Grapefruit Game 11 - 2008 Upper Deck Goudey #141 Jimmy Rollins

Phillies 4, Blue Jays 2
Spring Training Game 11 - Sunday Afternoon, March 4th in Clearwater
Record - 3-8

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff pitched well and Scott Kingery had two more hits in this win against the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  We watched Phillies baseball on TV for the second day in a row.  It was glorious.

What Happened:  Eickhoff didn't allow a run in his 2 2/3 innings, striking out two.  Carlos Santana collected his first hits of the spring, going 2 for 3.

Featured Card:  Prior to the game, the Phillies honored a small gathering of coaches and players from their 2008 championship team.  The coolest sight was seeing Jimmy Rollins in a Phillies jersey for the first time since being traded to the Dodgers following the 2014 season.  Rollins said he'd be open to retiring as a Phillie after signing a one-day contract, but that he'd want to actually take the field while doing so.  We'll see what happens!  (Photo below from the team's Twitter feed.)

L to R: Jimmy Rollins, Brett Myers, Pedro Feliz, Scott Eyre, Andy Tracy, coach Jimy Williams, coach Rich Dubee and manager Charlie Manuel

Camp Head Count:  63

Baseball Cards from @Section_36 Make January Better

2008 Bowman #62

2008 Topps #238

2008 Topps Opening Day #124

2008 Upper Deck #606

I've never been a big fan of January.  There's the natural post-Christmas let-down, the frigid temperatures, the busyness of my work schedule and the complete and total lack of baseball.  It's dark when I leave the house in the morning and it's dark when I get home.  My attitude towards January is usually, "Let's get this over with," and I'm not entirely proud of that.

Last week, I walked in the door from a long day at work and a crappy commute home and found a small package on our kitchen counter with a familiar return address.  The fine folks from Section 36 had once again cleaned out baseball cards that had reached their 10-year expiration date, and the Phillies cards from this purge came to me.

As has been the case the last few years, I honestly already have most of these cards, but there are always a bunch of gems in the bunch and my sons now reap the bulk of the spoils.  But most importantly, it was such a welcome (and relaxing) exercise to open a package of baseball cards and thumb through each of the three stacks within.  Along with the Phillies cards from 2008, there was a cool selection of older and some more recent Phillies cards.  There were a number of cards from a variety of years for Jimmy Rollins, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard and the Phillies all-time saves leader, the Closer Who Must Not Be Named.  Section 36 also added to my Adrian Cardenas super collection with another autographed card of the former Phillies prospect.  (I received my first two in a surprise mid-season package this past June.)

1998 Bowman #181

2007 TriStar Elegance Signature Marks #SM-AC

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum #75

2013 Bowman #81

I had to count the years linked below, and I'm a little shocked that this exercise has now been happening for nine years.  That means I've been maintaining (and enjoying) this blog for the past nine years and Section 36 has joined me on the journey.  Time really does fly.

Thanks to Section 36 for the baseball cards and I'm excited for 2018 World Series between the Phils and Sox!

Memory Lane - Section 36 Purge
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008

2017 - Mid-Year Surprise Package

2013 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #14 David Buchanan

Phillies 5, Dodgers 3
Game 46 - Saturday Afternoon, May 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-25, 4th Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Backed by timely offense from the top of the order, rookie David Buchanan won his Major League debut, as the Phillies defeated the Dodgers 5-3.

What It Means:  Buchanan certainly has ginormous shoes to fill as he (hopefully) temporarily takes Cliff Lee's spot in the rotation, but the rookie righty looked good in his first start.

What Happened:  Chase Utley gave Buchanan a two-run lead in the first with a home run to right scoring Ben Revere.  Utley should have been out on the pitch before, but Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis dropped what appeared to be a routine foul pop-up, giving Utley new life.  Revere finished the day with four hits, tying a career high, and three runs scored.  Jimmy Rollins also added two RBIs.

Featured Card:  Buchanan will hopefully receive some consideration for set inclusion late in the season, but for now this is his most recent baseball card.

Transaction:  Buchanan took the roster spot of reliever Luis Garcia, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Field Report:  This was the first game my four-year-son Ben and I had ever attended where it was just the two of us.  I checked with Ben on the ride home, and he confirmed that he had had "a lot of fun" and that "the game was exciting."  We just missed visiting with the Phanatic before the game and if returning alum Pedro Feliz was signing autographs before the game, we missed that too.  However, after a hot dog, half a box of popcorn and a full inning in the Phanatic Phun Zone, the game was deemed a success.

Phanatic Phun Zone

Visiting the Phanatic's bedroom

Tom Gordon & Pedro Feliz

Another highlight (mostly for me) was watching Feliz throw out the first pitch to fellow alum and Dee Gordon's father, Tom Gordon.  I also took my chance on a $40 autographed baseball grab bag (all proceeds go to charity) and came away with a signed Carlos Ruiz ball.  I'm proud to say it's now officially the first autographed baseball in Ben's collection.  The win raised my personal 2014 record to 2-3.