Phillies at Pirates - July 19th to July 21st

2024 Chachi 1984 Topps Missing Links #8

1984 Topps #433

Friday and Saturday 6:40, Sunday 1:35
PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA

At the Ballpark:  Tonight kicks off Yinzerpalooza Weekend at the ballpark to "celebrate all the great things we love about Pittsburgh."  On Saturday, the first 20,000 fans will receive a Wiz Khalifa bobble head, and on Sunday, all kids will receive a Kids Pierogi plush.

Philadelphia Phillies 62-34
1st Place in the N.L. East, 8 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.38)
Cristopher Sanchez (7-4, 2.96)
Taylor Phillips (1-0, 4.50)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .301
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 65
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 21
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 70
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 22

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 11
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.70
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 126
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

Pittsburgh Pirates 48-48
3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 6 1/2 games behind the Brewers

Pirates Probables
Martin Perez (1-5, 5.15)
Luis Ortiz (4-2, 2.84)
Marco Gonzales (1-0, 2.45)

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Bryan Reynolds - .284
Runs:  Andrew McCutchen - 47
Home Runs:  Bryan Reynolds - 18
RBIs:  Bryan Reynolds - 61
Stolen Bases:  Ke'Bryan Hayes - 8

Wins:  Mitch Keller - 10
ERA:  Mitch Keller - 3.46
Strikeouts:  Mitch Keller - 105
Saves:  David Bednar - 17

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

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #9 Mike LaValliere

#10
Michael Eugene LaValliere
Catcher

By the time Mike LaValliere was Major League ready for the Phillies, Ozzie Virgil had inserted himself as the team's everyday catcher with John Russell and Darren Daulton waiting in the wings. LaValliere was a September call-up in 1984, appearing in six games and starting only two.

"Spanky" found much more success with the Pirates, winning a Gold Glove in 1987 and helping them win the N.L. East pennant in 1990, 1991 and 1992.  He would later speak of his desire to exact revenge against his first team for letting him go following the 1984 season.  During his years with the Cardinals and Pirates, LaValliere hit .303 (70 for 231) with four home runs against the Phillies including a blast against Kevin Gross on June 19, 1986 in his first meeting against his original team.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 18, 1960, Charlotte, NC
Signed:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent, July 12, 1981
Major League Teams:  Phillies 1984, St. Louis Cardinals 1985-1986, Pittsburgh Pirates 1987-1993, Chicago White Sox 1993-1995
Professional Affiliations:  Phillies 1981-1984, St. Louis Cardinals 1985-1986, Pittsburgh Pirates 1987-1993, Chicago White Sox 1993-1995

Phillies Career
6 games, 0 for 7
Acquired:  Via free agency
Debut:  September 9, 1984 - Entered in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Phillies catcher, replacing Virgil who had been pinch-run for in the top of the inning.
Final Game:  September 30, 1984
Departed:  Signed as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals, January 23, 1985

1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #12

1986 Donruss Rookies #35

1987 Topps #162

1995 Flair #26

1 LaValliere Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #12

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1986 Donruss Rookies #35
First Topps Base Card:  1987 Topps #162
Last Mainstream Card as Player:  1995 Flair #26
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Nickname Greats #NG-ML
Other Notable Cards:  1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #12, 1987 Topps Traded #61T, 1992 Topps #312, 1993 Upper Deck #120, 1994 Topps #147

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Pirates at Phillies: September 8th to September 11th

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

Pirates 74-68, 2nd Place in the N.L. Central, 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals
Phillies 66-76, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 14 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Pirates Probables:  Jeff Locke (6-4, 3.75), Edinson Volquez (11-7, 3.31), Vance Worley (6-4, 3.05), Francisco Liriano (4-10, 3.74)
Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (8-11, 4.77), David Buchanan (6-7, 3.95), Jerome Williams (3-0, 2.84), A.J. Burnett (8-15, 4.29)

At the Ballpark:  Each night of this series is a theme night (military, nurses, students, police and firefighters) but there are no give-aways scheduled.  I was kind of hoping the team would issue a commemorative print celebrating the combined no-hitter in Atlanta.  Perhaps that's something they're still planning to do before the season ends.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .315

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 77

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 91

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 43

Wins:  A.J. Burnett, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick - 8

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.56

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett and Cole Hamels - 172

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 35

1988 Topps #539

1988 Topps Appreciation:  On April 27, 2010, Steve from the fine White Sox Cards blog, finally gave Mike LaValliere the Phillies card he always deserved.  For years, I searched for a nice color photo of LaValliere from his brief time with the Phils, but the only photos I ever found were either black or white or featured a minor league logo prominently.

Before he was known as Spanky, LaValliere was a catching prospect in the Phillies system.  He earned a September call-up in 1984, appearing in six games and going 0 for 7.  He signed with the Cardinals as a free agent in January 1985 and was traded along with Andy Van Slyke to the Pirates in April 1987.  He'd spend seven seasons with the Pirates, earning a Gold Glove in 1987.  He played three seasons with the White Sox before calling it a career following the 1995 season.

1984 Phillies - The Missing Links

1987 Topps #357, 1984 Topps #603, 1983 Topps #772 and 1986 Fleer Update #U-65

A few days ago, I sat down to try to finally start a post on the Phillies cards within the 2001 Topps set.  My Topps Phillies series of posts has laid dormant since I published the 2000 Topps Phillies post way back in late April 2012.  Instead of focusing on the 2001 Topps Phillies post, however, I decided to tackle the next year in The Missing Links series - 1984.  These Missing Links posts are way more fun to research than the Topps cards of the Phillies teams from the 2000s.

1984 was a lost season for the Phillies, and they tried to plug various roster holes with a combination of fading veterans and suspicious prospects.  Four members of this squad join the ranks of cardboard-less Phillies.

3 Cards or More
33 Players

Al Oliver was acquired from the Giants in late August and appeared in just 28 games for the 1984 Phillies.  But he had Phillies cards in each of the big three sets - Donruss, Fleer and Topps - in 1985.

2 Cards

1984 Cramer Pacific
Coast League #199

Francisco Melendez (30 games in 1984 and 1986) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies and 1986 Tastykake Phillies

First baseman Melendez never had the pleasure of appearing on a Phillies card by himself.  He shares his 1985 Tastykake card with Ken Jackson and his 1986 Tastykake card with Ricky Jordan.  Both cards use the same picture of Melendez, just cropped differently.  He earned his first proper baseball card within the 1989 Donruss set as a member of the Giants.

1 Card
Dave Wehrmeister (7 games in 1984) - 1984 Tastykake Phillies Update
Steve Fireovid (6 games in 1984) - 1984 Tastykake Phillies Update

Ah, yes.  Dave Wehrmeister.  Please see this post for one of the finest pieces of investigative reporting ever attempted by this here blog.  The post includes my attempt at the 1984 Topps Wehrmeister card that should have been.

0 Cards
Renie Martin (9 games in 1984)
Jim Kern (8 games in 1984)
Mike LaValliere (6 games in 1984)
Steve Fireovid (6 games in 1984)

1984 Topps #PR5

Martin wrapped up his 6-year career with 9 uneventful games with the Phils late in the 1984 season.  He was the player to be named later sent by the Giants in the Oliver deal.  Former All-Star Kern spent a little less than two months as property of the Phillies, pitching to a 10.13 ERA in eight relief appearances in June and July.  I've never even seen a picture of Kern in a Phillies uniform.

Before playing in parts of 11 seasons with the Cardinals, Pirates and White Sox, LaValliere was a September call-up with the Phils in 1984.  He appeared in the 1983 TCMA Reading Phillies set, but I have yet to add that set to my collection.

Finally, Fireovid made a brief stop in Philly in the middle of his 16-year odyssey of a professional baseball career.  When all was said and done, Fireovid had spent time with 9 different organizations - Padres, Phillies, White Sox, Mariners, Blue Jays, Royals, Expos, Pirates and Rangers.  His 10 games with the Mariners in 1986 somehow merited him inclusion within the 1987 Fleer, Sportflics and Topps sets.  He also has a card in the 1992 Bowman set as a member of the Rangers.

UPDATE - Fireovid has a card in the very little known 1984 Tastykake Phillies Update set, although I've never actually seen the card for sale.

Past Missing Link Posts

1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1981 Phillies - Jerry Reed

1982 Phillies - Stan Bahnsen and Alejandro Sanchez

1983 Phillies - Steve Comer

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

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

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

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

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

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