Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves - Time to Score Some Runs

2005 Topps #689

2005 Topps Update #UH2

Friday, June 27th - 7:15
Saturday, June 28th - 7:15
Sunday, June 29th - 1:35

Truist Park - Atlanta, GA
The Braves shoot off fireworks after every Friday night home game.  On Sunday, the first 3,000 kids will receive a Spencer Strider growth chart.

Philadelphia Phillies 47-34
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Mick Abel (2-1, 3.47)
Jesus Luzardo (7-3, 4.08)
Ranger Suarez (6-2, 2.08)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .295
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 57
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 24
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 55
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 19

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo and Zack Wheeler - 7
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.55
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 126
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 8

Atlanta Braves 37-43
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 10 games behind the Mets

Braves Probables
Bryce Elder (2-4, 4.77)
Spencer Schwellenbach (6-4, 3.21)
Spencer Strider (3-5, 4.07)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Austin Riley - .269
Runs:  Matt Olson - 46
Home Runs:  Matt Olson - 15
RBIs:  Michael Harris - 52
Stolen Bases:  Michael Harris - 11

Wins:  Spencer Schwellenbach - 6
ERA:  Chris Sale - 2.52

Strikeouts:  Chris Sale - 114
Saves:  Raisel Iglesias - 9

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

Introducing the 2025 Chachi Set - Getting Nostalgic for 2005

2025 Chachi Preview #2

2025 Chachi Preview #1

2025 Chachi Friendly Encounters #1

Time is going quicker these days, and I'm at the age where events that seemed to have happened five or six years ago actually happened closer to 20 or 25 years ago in reality.  I've been doing better, I think, on focusing on the present and making sure to "Be Here Now" as the wise sage George Harrison once sang.  I I still get nostalgic though, and it's crazy for me to realize I've been making these custom Chachi Phillies sets since way back in 2005.  A ton has happened in 20 years.  It's staggering how much has happened.

When it came time for me to pick a design I'd work with this year to make my Chachi set, I really didn't feel any excitement about tackling one of the sets from the 1970s or 1980s I've not worked with yet - 1972, 1987 or 1989.  I honestly considered double dipping and going back to one of the earlier designs of these Chachi sets (1981, 1975 or 1976) but that didn't necessarily seem like fun either, even though I love those designs.  That's when I turned my attention to the Topps sets of the 2000s.  I found myself with a new found appreciation of a set I had likely dismissed when it first came out.  I found myself getting nostalgic about 2005 and the 2005 Topps set.

We were newly married in 2005, not yet with children.  My Dad's health issues hadn't fully surfaced yet, and he was grumbling daily about bad decisions Charlie Manuel had made or complaining about the team's playoff drought.  The world didn't seem so cruel or so divided in 2005.  I didn't actively avoid the news and social media in 2005 in an effort to protect my mental health.

The 2005 Topps set has a fun design.  Yes, there's a lot going on, but it's color-coded to the team (a huge plus for me) and I love the glittery gold big last name with a unique font (Colossalis Bold) emblazoned at the top of each card.  It's one of the few Topps sets that advertise its year on the front, so I got to update that from 2005 to 2025 for my Chachi set.  These cards are fun, and making custom baseball cards, especially after doing it for 20 years, and particularly as I work on Being Here Now, should be fun too.

The cards shown above are the first three cards I created for the set.  Cole Hamels had his first Topps flagship card in the 2005 Topps set, on a card shared with Ryan Howard, and he was a guest instructor this spring for the Phillies down in Clearwater.  Bob Dernier is my all-time favorite player, and creating his card gave me a chance to play with the colors of the intertwining borders for a retro Phillies card.  And I literally bumped in to Mickey Morandin between 18th and 19th Streets on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia on February 3rd.  The Phillies' equipment truck, bound for Florida, made stops at a few Citizens Bank locations prior to making the trek southward.  Morandini and Dickie Noles were handing out rally towels and autographs as I walked down Market Street to pick up my lunch that day.  I told Morandini I'd regret it later if I didn't stop and get a selfie, and he kindly obliged.

So here's to the 2005 Topps design, now the 2025 Chachi design, and here's to remembering simpler times that weren't as long ago as we think, and are hopefully closer to returning than we expect.

Game 64 - Phils, Harper Take London (Remastered)

Consider this the remastered version of the original June 8th game summary post, as I went back after the fact and decided Harper's British home run deserved its own highlight card in my 2024 Chachi set.

2024 Chachi #40

Phillies 7, Mets 2

Game 64 - Saturday Afternoon, June 8th in London
Record - 45-19, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Bryce Harper took London by storm, with The Showman living up to his name with a big day at the plate.

What It Means:  This was fun to watch, although we quickly switched over to the Phillies radio broadcast to avoid the Fox announcers.  The Phillies had a contingent of former players on hand, and I spent Saturday morning following along with the events in London on social media.  This two-game series has the feel of an All-Star Weekend, except with the Phillies as the main characters and the Mets in town since the Phillies needed an opponent.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez gave up a first inning run, but then settled down to pitch 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.  The win improved his record to 10-1.  The Phillies' offense seemed to struggle at first given the early evening sun glare, but once that went away, they jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1, sliding into a football/soccer goal celebration as he returned to the Phillies dugout.  An RBI single followed from Edmundo Sosa to score Alec Bohm, and then Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.  Cristian Pache doubled and Kyle Schwarber singled him home, chasing Manaea from the game.  Nick Castellanos capped the Phillies scoring with a solo home run to left in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  Harper doubled in the first, becoming the first Phillies player with a hit in Europe.  His thrilling home run in the fourth will be replayed for years, and I'm waiting for the e-mail from Topps with the celebration image on an inevitable Topps Now card.  Here's a card with several symbols from the first time Philadelphia and England mixed things up.

Transaction:  The Phillies and Mets were both given an extra roster spot for this series, with the Phillies recalling Rafael Marchan (c).  Nick Nelson (rhp) and Darick Hall (1b) are also in London as a two-player taxi squad, just in case they're needed.

L to R: Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #39 Rafael Marchan / 2024 Chachi #41 Michael Mercado

Game 75 - Hamels Officially Retires; D-Backs Down Phils

2020 Topps Now Turn
Back the Clock #199

Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 4
Game 75 - Friday Night, June 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 49-26, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker couldn't hold off the Diamondbacks on the night Cole Hamels officially retired and was honored in a pre-game ceremony.

What It Means:  We'd find out a few days later that Walker has a blister on a finger on his pitching hand, requiring an Injured List stint.

What Happened:  Walker only lasted four innings, allowing four runs on three home runs.  Spencer Turnball, slated to take his spot in the rotation, pitched three shutout innings.  For the Phillies, Trea Turner hit a two-run home run in the third, and the suddenly hot Nick Castellanos connected for a solo home run, his 10th of the season, in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Like they did for Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in 2019, the Phillies honored Cole Hamels with a cool pre-game ceremony.  Hamels gave a great speech, thanking the Phillies fans, as his ex-teammates and other former Phillies greats looked on.  Steve Carlton delivered the ceremonial first pitch ball to Hamels, with Hamels winding up and throwing to his former battery-mate, Carlos Ruiz.  The Phillies are incredible at putting on these ceremonies, and while we weren't there in person, it was great to watch on TV before a busy weekend.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 64 - Phils, Harper Take London

2022 Topps Home Field
Advantage #HA-3

Phillies 7, Mets 2
Game 64 - Saturday Afternoon, June 8th in London
Record - 45-19, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Bryce Harper took London by storm, with The Showman living up to his name with a big day at the plate.

What It Means:  This was fun to watch, although we quickly switched over to the Phillies radio broadcast to avoid the Fox announcers.  The Phillies had a contingent of former players on hand, and I spent Saturday morning following along with the events in London on social media.  This two-game series has the feel of an All-Star Weekend, except with the Phillies as the main characters and the Mets in town since the Phillies needed an opponent.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez gave up a first inning run, but then settled down to pitch 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.  The win improved his record to 10-1.  The Phillies' offense seemed to struggle at first given the early evening sun glare, but once that went away, they jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1, sliding into a football/soccer goal celebration as he returned to the Phillies dugout.  An RBI single followed from Edmundo Sosa to score Alec Bohm, and then Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.  Cristian Pache doubled and Kyle Schwarber singled him home, chasing Manaea from the game.  Nick Castellanos capped the Phillies scoring with a solo home run to left in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  Harper doubled in the first, becoming the first Phillies player with a hit in Europe.  His thrilling home run in the fourth will be replayed for years, and I'm waiting for the e-mail from Topps with the celebration image on an inevitable Topps Now card.  Here's a card with several symbols from the first time Philadelphia and England mixed things up.

Transaction:  The Phillies and Mets were both given an extra roster spot for this series, with the Phillies recalling Rafael Marchan (c).  Nick Nelson (rhp) and Darick Hall (1b) are also in London as a two-player taxi squad, just in case they're needed.

L to R: Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2009 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  41
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The Phillies went with black borders for the first time ever.  The cards have a very basic design featuring the team logo and the player's number, name and position in a digital font.  Other than the 2008 World Champions card, which is my all-time favorite card from a team-issued set, there's no indication the Phillies had won the World Championship in 2008 on the cards themselves.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 37-card set was available at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of the season.  Following the signing of Pedro Martinez on July 15th and the acquisition of Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco on July 29th, cards of Martinez, Lee and Francisco, along with back-up catcher Paul Bako, were inserted into the set.  With the addition of these four cards to the updated set, five cards available from the original set were removed - the 2008 World Champions card, along with the cards for Chris Coste, Tim Gradoville, Geoff Jenkins and Ronny Paulino.  Jenkins and Paulino had been released prior to the start of the season and Coste was claimed off waivers by the Astros on July 10th.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position): 

1. 2008 World Champions 2. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - Bullpen Coach) 3. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP) 4. Eric Bruntlett (#4 - INF/OF) 5. Clay Condrey (#55 - RHP) 6. Chris Coste (#27 - C) 7. Greg Dobbs (#19 - INF/OF) 8. Rich Dubee (#30 - Pitching Coach) 9. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP) 10. Scott Eyre (#47 - LHP) 11. Pedro Feliz (#7 - 3B) 12. Tim Gradoville (#60 - Bullpen Catcher)         13. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP)

14. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP) 15. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B) 16. Raul Ibanez (#29 - LF) 17. Geoff Jenkins (#10 - OF) 18. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 19. Davey Lopes (#15 - First Base Coach) 20. Pete Mackanin (#45 - Bench Coach) 21. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 22. Charlie Manuel (#41 - Manager)         23. Jamie Moyer (#50 - LHP) 24. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP) 25. Chan Ho Park (#61 - RHP)

26. Ronny Paulino (#23 - C) 27. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - Third Base Coach) 28. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 29. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP) 30. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 31. Matt Stairs (#12 - OF) 32. Milt Thompson (#25 - Hitting Coach)         33. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 34. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF) 35. Jayson Werth (#28 - RF) 36. Phillie Phanatic 37. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position):

1. Paul Bako (#23 - C) 2. Ben Francisco (#10 - OF)

3. Cliff Lee (#34 - LHP) 4. Pedro Martinez (#45 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Bako

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (8):  Eyre, Francisco, Ibanez, Lee, Martinez, Park, Paulino, Stairs
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (21):  Blanton, Bruntlett, Condrey, Coste, Dobbs, Durbin, Feliz, Hamels, Happ, Howard, Jenkins, Lidge, Madson, Moyer, Myers, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Utley, Victorino, Werth

Paul Bako wrapped up his 12-year career playing 44 games with the Phillies in 2009.  His card in this set is his sole Phillies baseball card.  Paulino was traded on March 27th to the Giants for Jack Taschner, and never appeared in a game for the Phillies.  He has a second Phillies card in the 2009 Topps Heritage set.

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gradoville, Lopes, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Thompson

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown atop the dugout is his alternate day-game uniform.

Broadcasters (1):  Harry Kalas, who passed away on April 13, 2009, is joined on this card by Tom McCarthey, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke.
Commemorative Cards (1):  2008 World Champions

The 2008 World Champions card (see below) features manager Charlie Manuel along with the team's main stars (minus Pat Burrell who had departed during the offseason) decked out in tuxedos with red bow ties flanking the World Series trophy.

Set Composition:  The Phillies created the first 37-card checklist a few days before the start of the regular season, accounting for the cards in the set for Paulino and Jenkins.  Miguel Cairo and Taschner, both on the opening day roster, got left out of the original set and the update set.  J.C. Romero started the season on the Restricted List, but he's in the set as well.

Omissions:  The Phillies could have included a few more update cards, in addition to the four players who were added late in the season to the set.  Cairo and Taschner would have been in the set had the Phillies waited until early April to create the checklist.  Kyle Kendrick, John Mayberry, Jr., Sergio Escalona and Tyler Walker all spent sufficient enough time on the roster to merit cards as well.  Escalona spent quite a bit of time going back and forth between Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley, as the lefty pitcher was with the team in six different stints.

Variations/Rarities:  I'm going to separate the known rarities into two different groups - non-set cards and cards with a 2009 National League Champions logo on the back.  14,000 Phillies featured a post many years ago containing a Jayson Werth card I had never seen before, and I've never seen since.  The card was distributed to kids participating in the team's annual Home Run Derby competition and contains a purple facsimile autograph and the Home Run Derby logo. The card uses a different photo than Werth's regular team issued card.

As pointed out in a comment from Steve F. in an earlier post, a card was issued for Placido Polanco in the style of the 2009 team-issued set.  Polanco was signed as a free agent on December 3rd.  Finally, fellow collector and invaluable resource Rick added a comment to this set's original post with a number of other rarities available - clipped and shown below.  Roy Halladay received his first Phillies baseball card in the style of this set, as the future Hall of Famer had signed with the Phillies on December 16, 2009.

Other than the Halladay card, which is an original, the cards featuring the 2009 National League Champions logo on the back use the same photos as the cards found in the set sold at the ballpark.

Non-Set Cards 1. Kyle Drabek (#4 - Reading Phillies) 2. Lou Marson (#3 - C) 3. Placido Polanco (#27 - blank back) 4. Brian Schneider (#23 - blank back) 5. Michael Taylor (#40 - Reading Phillies)         6. Jayson Werth (#28 - Home Run Derby)

National League Champions 1. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP) 2. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP) 3. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 4. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP) 5. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 6. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 7. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)

Also See:  Here's my original post from August 31, 2009, covering the discovery of the updated team issued set.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 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.

2008 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2010 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition

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

Phillies at Rays: July 4th to July 6th

2014 Topps Heritage #483

2014 Topps Heritage #328

Tuesday 4:10, Wednesday and Thursday 6:40
Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, FL

At the Ballpark:  The Rays' giveaway and promotional schedule shows nothing planned for this three game series, which is a little surprising given the series opener comes on the 4th of July.

All staff and paid personnel from The Phillies Room will be taking some much-needed vacation time and live posting will resume upon our return at the All-Star Break.

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

Phillies at Braves: May 23rd to May 26th

2000 Topps #393

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #5

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:20
Truist Park - Atlanta, GA

At the Ballpark:  On Monday night, the first 40,000 fans will receive a replica of the 2021 Braves World Series ring.  On Thursday night, the first 15,000 fans will receive a Beat the Freeze Bobblehead.

Phillies 19-22
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (2-3, 3.49)
Kyle Gibson (3-2, 3.98)
Ranger Suarez (4-2, 4.12)
Aaron Nola (1-4, 3.96)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .295
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 29
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 10
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 27
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 6

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.96

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 64
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 8

Braves 19-22
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Mets

Braves Probables
Tucker Davidson (1-0, 5.87)
Max Fried (4-2, 3.31)
Charlie Morton (3-3, 4.95)
Kyle Wright (4-2, 2.49)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Matt Olson - .242
Runs:  Ozzie Albies - 22
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley - 8
RBIs:  Marcell Ozuna - 20
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna - 8

Wins:  Max Fried and Kyle Wright - 4
ERA:  Kyle Wright - 2.49

Strikeouts:  Kyle Wright - 56
Saves:  Kenley Jansen - 10

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

2006 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  43
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The Phillies moved back to a simplified design with their 2006 team-issued set, with the fronts featuring full color photos and a white block design in one of the top corners.  The horizontal card backs once again feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 37-card, first version of this set was available for sale at Citizens Bank Park throughout at least the first month of the season.  At some point after the season was underway, and perhaps even as early as mid-May, four player cards were added, and for some reason the cards of coaches Mick Billmeyer and Milt Thompson were re-issued with different photos.  The cards of Tomas Perez, Ricardo Rodriguez and Robinson Tejada were removed from the second version of the set.  Rodriguez was released on March 29th, Tejada was traded to the Rangers on April 1st for David Dellucci and Perez was released on April 2nd.

The second version of the set was advertised with a sticker displayed prominently on the front of the packaging (see below).  Three of the four players added were on the team's opening day roster - Dellucci, Gavin Floyd and Geoff Geary.  Top prospect Cole Hamels was the fourth player added, and he was recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 12th.  As the photo used for Hamels' card was taken during spring training, the Phillies could have rushed an updated version of the set to be ready for Hamels' debut or at least shortly thereafter.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number from the front of cards): 

1. Bobby Abreu (#53)          2. David Bell (#25) 3. Mick Billmeyer CO (#17)           4. Marc Bombard CO (#7) 5. Eude Brito (#58) 6. Pat Burrell (#5) 7. Rheal Cormier (#37) 8. Bill Dancy CO (#16) 9. Rich Dubee CO (#28) 10. Sal Fasano (#13) 11. Ryan Franklin (#23)  12. Aaron Fultz (#46) 13. Alex Gonzalez (#8)

14. Tom Gordon (#45) 15. Ramon Henderson CO (#31)           16. Ryan Howard (#6) 17. Cory Lidle (#30)        18. Jon Lieber (#21) 19. Mike Lieberthal (#24) 20. Ryan Madson (#63) 21. Charlie Manuel MG (#41) 22. Brett Myers (#39) 23. Abraham Nunez (#3) 24. Tomas Perez (#9) 25. Arthur Rhodes (#22)

26. Ricardo Rodriguez (#47) 27. Jimmy Rollins (#11)  28. Aaron Rowand (#33)          29. Julio Santana (#44) 30. Robinson Tejada (#50) 31. Milt Thompson CO (#15)           32. Chase Utley (#26) 33. Gary Varsho CO (#19) 34. Shane Victorino (#18) 35. Randy Wolf (#43) 36. Phillie Phanatic 37. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version:  

1. Mick Billmeyer CO (#17) - In the dugout    2. David Dellucci (#2)

3. Gavin Floyd (#34) 4. Geoff Geary (#56)

5. Cole Hamels (#35)           6. Milt Thompson CO (#15) - Watching BP

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Rodriguez

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (14):  Brito, Dellucci, Fasano, Franklin, Geary, Gonzalez, Hamels, Howard, Nunez, Rhodes, Rowand, Santana, Tejada, Victorino
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (16):  Abreu, Bell, Burrell, Cormier, Floyd, Fultz, Gordon, Lidle, Lieber, Lieberthal, Madson, Myers, Perez, Rollins, Utley, Wolf

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer (2), Bombard, Dancy, Dubee, Henderson, Thompson (2), Varsho
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  The set contains the highly coveted Scott Franzke rookie card.  Franzke is featured along with fellow broadcasters Scott Graham, Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen and Harry Kalas.

Version 1

Version 2

Version 1

Version 2

Surprises:  The Phillies made a flurry of roster moves before opening day, so the creator of this set's checklist can be forgiven for opting to include Rodriguez (who never played a game for the Phillies) Perez and Tejada and missing out on Dellucci, Floyd and Geary.

Omissions:  There are a few omissions here, although none are egregious.  Reliever Chris Booker started the season on the disabled list and was claimed off waivers by the Royals on May 10th.  There are a number of players who were seeing regular time with the club prior to the All-Star Break.  Catchers Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste were both recalled at various points over the first few months of the season due to injuries to Mike Lieberthal and Sal Fasano.  Relievers Clay Condrey and Brian Sanches were up and down a few times as was outfielder Chris Roberson.  Rick White was claimed off waivers from the Reds on June 23rd.

The annual ALS Phillies Phestival was held on May 22nd.  The only players on the active 25-man roster on that date without photo cards are Coste, Roberson and Ruiz.  The Phillies acquired veterans Jamie Moyer, Jose Hernandez and Jeff Conine in August for an improbable pennant run, so there were plenty of options had the team decided to issue an update set.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Rick clued me in to cards being available with black facsimile autographs for four of the team's stars.

Facsimile Autographs        1. Pat Burrell (#5) 2. Ryan Howard (#6) 3. Mike Lieberthal (#24) 4. Jimmy Rollins (#11) Also See:  The Phillies gave away a set of Wall of Fame postcards on August 11th featuring cards of the 29 Wall of Famers, up through the 2006 induction of Dallas Green.  On Fan Appreciation Day, September 24th, the Phillies handed out a Topps team card pack containing 27 cards with yellow ink replacing the normal foil found on regular 2006 Topps cards.  There's a nice entry for the set over at 14,000 Phillies.

Resources:  Phillies collectors Steve and Rick (@rickphils).

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information learend (if any) over the past nearly six years.

2005 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2007 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

Dispatches from the Quarantine

2014 Topps Heritage #208

How is everyone doing?

Our family has reluctantly settled into our new routine, staying home and only venturing outside for exercise or a very quick trip to the grocery store.  With everything going on, I consider ourselves extremely lucky as we're all healthy and keeping relatively busy throughout the week.  My wife is a fourth grade teacher and she's essentially running three classrooms throughout the day - her own (virtually), and then assisting with our two boys' homework whenever one of them has questions.  I'm fortunate enough to have a job that can be done just as effectively most of the time from home.  While this is typically my busiest time of the year at work, it's been somewhat slower as the regular pace of my day-to-day job has changed.  I'm on calls or in online meetings for most of the day, and I'm trying to establish healthy barriers between work life and home life.

I miss baseball.  I never took for granted the daily cadence and the mundane regularity of the baseball schedule, as it has been a daily part of my life for the past 40 years between April and October.  I published my first posts on March 30, 2009, and for the past 11 years this blog has served as a daily outlet for me and I miss that routine.  I toyed with the idea of daily posts reliving the 1985 Phillies season through my meticulously kept 1985 Phillies scrapbook, but then two thoughts struck me about this potential project.  First, it was a project that would hopefully not be completed and I don't like not completing things.  I could post the boxscores and write about daily Phillies games from 1985 through April and probably most of May, but then it would halt abruptly when the 2020 season got underway.  Second, what if I did complete this project?  I truly believe baseball will return this season, but what if it doesn't?  Do I want to lock myself into a project where I'm reliving a season 35 years ago, between now and October?  Not really.  So this blog will go somewhat dormant with the occasional post until baseball comes back.  If nothing else, the postponement of the 2020 season has allowed me to focus daily on my other two blogs celebrating the cards from the 1956 and 1965 Topps sets.  I have posts for those blogs scheduled and ready to go through May.

2015 Topps Archives #244

I'm hopeful, trying to stay positive and more and more frequently avoiding the news.  I hope you're doing well too.  Stay healthy, take care of your family and friends and go wash your hands.

* * *

I originally sat down to write this post solely to thank Section 36 for the package that arrived in the mail last week.  The package was dominated by Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels cards, which is somewhat prescient given our family's viewing choices the past few days.  We re-watched the Roy Halladay perfect game on Thursday (what would have been the 2020 Opening Day) and we re-watched Cole Hamels' no-hitter from 2015 on Saturday.  Typically, I would have received Phillies cards from 2010 with this annual shipment, but I'm told there was a tragic accident in the basement of Section 36 headquarters involving water.  Still, it was great to get new baseball cards in the mail, and I'll gladly take what I can get these days.  Thanks Section 36!

Game 56 - 2006 Topps 52 Dynamic Duos #DD8 Chris Coste & Cole Hamels

Cardinals 5, Phillies 3
Game 56 - Thursday Afternoon, May 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 33-23, 1st place, 3 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't complete a comeback and early home runs allowed by Jerad Eickhoff led to a 5-3 series finale loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies head out west next for some late night baseball, which means I'll do my best to at least watch a few innings each night.

What Happened:  Eickhoff settled down to pitch 6 1/3 innings, but he exited with his team trailing 5-1.  Bryce Harper continued to heat up, collecting three hits including a pair of doubles.

Featured Card:  Had the Phillies swept the Cardinals, it would have been their first three-game sweep of the club in 13 years.  Scott Mathieson, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels were the winning pitchers in that three-game sweep back in early August 2006.  Catcher Chris Coste collected four hits in the 8-1 series finale win while Hamels allowed two hits and a run over seven innings of work while striking out 12.

Field Report:  Tasked with organizing a group outing for my co-workers at my place of employment, I easily decided a Phillies business person's special was the way to go.  About 60 of my co-workers enjoyed a pre-game happy hour at the High & Inside Pub behind Section 320, complete with a guest appearance from Greg Luzinski.  We then enjoyed the game from our perch in Section 423.

Game 49 - 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter Starting Points #SP-66 Cole Hamels

Cubs 8, Phillies 4
Game 49 - Wednesday Night, May 22nd in Chicago
Record - 28-21, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels made his first career start against the Phillies, and the Cubs roughed up Cole Irvin in this 8-4 loss.

What It Means:  Hamels had a subpar outing, lasting just four innings and allowing three runs on nine hits.  He struck out six, with his first career strikeout against the Phillies coming from Cesar Hernandez.

What Happened:  Irvin gave up seven runs in his 4 2/3 inning outing, with the big blow being a fifth inning grand slam from Albert Almora.  Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper both enjoyed three-hit games with McCutchen hitting a solo home run (7) in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Even though the Phillies lost, I'm always happy to feature a card of this former (and future?) Phillie.

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - Hamels, Stairs, Phillies Oddballs

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #19

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #20

Doug and I managed to go a full year without attending a baseball card show, so we were excited to make the hour drive to The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA on Saturday.  Doug decided to try something different this time, foregoing any lists and opting instead for a day of free-style picking as he liked to call it.  He tends to favor Phillies certified autograph and memorabilia baseball cards and a picture of the latest additions to his collection is found below.

My goal was to add autographs of Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels (two of the guest autograph signers), get closer to completing my 1971 Topps set and add to my vintage Phillies baseball card collection.  All goals were accomplished.

• Stairs and Hamels were both very pleasant and Doug was extremely excited to meet both of them.  The two former Phillies earn the honor of having the final two 2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters insert cards.
• I picked up a reasonably priced 1960 Phillies Yearbook as well as Phillies Media Guides from 1973 and 1974.
• I hunted down some rarely seen oddball Phillies cards from the 1960s including the two Phillies cards in the 1962 Bazooka set (Johnny Callison and Art Mahaffey) and 3 of the 13 cards from the 1967 Phillies Safe Driving set.
• I crossed another 12 cards off my 1971 Topps list, including the semi-pricey cards of Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell.
• I got a nice discount on a 1956 Topps Richie Ashburn card for my 1950s Phillies binder.
• And my splurge was a terrific condition 1911 T205 Gold Border card of John Bates.

Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Oaks 1 - October 2015 - Meeting Pete Rose and Steve Carlton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017 - Doug's big day
Valley Forge 7 - December 2017 - Ben's first baseball card show with Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins!
Oaks 2 - December 2018 - Meeting Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels

Doug's haul for the day

Series Preview - Phillies at Rockies: September 24th to September 27th

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #42

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #43

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8:40, Thursday 3:10
Coors Field - Denver, CO

Phillies 78-77, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves
Rockies 85-70, 2nd place in the N.L. West, 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Phillies Probables:  Zach Eflin (11-7, 4.09), Vince Velasquez (9-11, 4.59), Nick Pivetta (7-13, 4.58), Jack Arrieta (10-10, 3.94)
Rockies Probables:  Jon Gray (11-8, 5.07), Chad Bettis (5-2, 5.18), German Marquez (13-10, 3.91), Antonio Senzatela (6-6, 4.52)

At the Ballpark:  There are no scheduled giveaways for this series.  The Rockies hope to remain in the Wild Card hunt while the Phillies will attempt to score more than a run per game.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .256
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 88
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 32
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 93
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 19

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 16
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.45
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 216
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Rockies Leaders
Average:  Nolan Arenado - .293
Runs:  Charlie Blackmon - 111
Home Runs:  Nolan Arenado - 34
RBIs:  Nolan Arenado - 103
Stolen Bases:  Trevor Story - 26

Wins:  Kyle Freeland - 16
ERA:  Kyle Freeland - 2.84
Strikeouts:  German Marquez - 210
Saves:  Wade Davis - 41