Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies: It's Heating Up

2006 Topps #287

2006 Topps #286

Monday, June 29th - 6:40
Tuesday, June 30th - 6:40
Wednesday, July 1st - 6:40
Thursday, July 2nd - 12:35

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
All kids will receive a 2026 All-Star Game pennant on Monday night.  Following the games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights will be the always popular, and extremely impressive, fireworks shows.

Pittsburgh Pirates 42-42
4th Place in the N.L. Central, 9 1/2 games behind the Brewers

Pirates Probables
Braxton Ashcraft (7-3, 3.07)
Bubba Chandler (3-7, 4.42)
Paul Skenes (6-7, 3.10)
Jared Jones (1-1, 5.76)

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Nick Gonzales - .297
Runs:  Bryan Reynolds - 56
Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe - 20
RBIs:  Brandon Lowe - 56
Stolen Bases:  Oneil Cruz - 21

Wins:  Paul Skenes - 6
ERA:  Paul Skenes - 1.98

Strikeouts:  Paul Skenes - 56
Saves:  Gregory Soto - 4

Philadelphia Phillies 47-37
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (3-4, 5.58)
Cristopher Sanchez (9-3, 2.13)
Zack Wheeler (8-1, 2.03)
Alan Rangel (0-1, 4.50)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .321
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 55
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 30
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 54
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott and Trea Turner - 16

Wins:  Cristopher Sanchez - 9
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.13

Strikeouts:  Cristopher Sanchez - 127
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 21

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 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.

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Mets: July 9th to July 11th

2018 Chachi 1978 Topps Missing Links #8

1978 Topps #134

Monday 4:10 Double Header, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

The double header on Monday includes the make-up game for the contest originally scheduled on April 2nd.

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: May 4th to May 6th

1978 Topps #420

1978 Topps #399

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

Phillies 17-13, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 2 games behind the Mets
Nationals 16-16, 4th place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (1-1, 3.27), Vince Velasquez (1-4, 5.70), Jake Arrieta (3-1, 3.49)
Nationals Probables:  Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 2.67), Tanner Roark (2-2, 3.55), Max Scherzer (6-1, 1.79)

At the Ballpark:  On Friday night, the first 25,000 fans will receive a Max Scherzer Cy Young Bobblehead.  On Saturday, which the Nationals are incorrectly identifying* as Star Wars Day, the first 10,000 fans will receive a pair of Star Wars socks.

*Star Wars Day is annually on May 4th.  And May the 4th be with you.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .333
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 21
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco and Rhys Hoskins - 4
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 23
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 5

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 4
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.17
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 35
Saves:  Hector Neris - 5

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Howie Kendrick - .292
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 27
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 10
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 25
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 12

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 6
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 1.79
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 65
Saves:  Sean Doolittle - 6

1982 Topps - Phillies Cards

1982 Topps #720

1982 Topps Traded #69T

1982 Topps #438

1982 Topps Traded #52T

Each year I sincerely enjoy planning out my Chachi set of custom cards, and I have fun spending the entire year with the design and cards from a vintage Topps set.  I spent a lot of time with the 1982 Topps set and design in 2017, and get ready to see a whole bunch of 1978 Topps cards in 2018.  Before closing the book on the 1982 Topps set, I wanted to tally the number of Phillies and Phillies-related cards in the set, as I've done in prior years with other Topps sets - see below.

By my very unofficial count, there are a whopping 172 cards in the 1982 Topps and 1982 Topps Traded sets featuring players, coaches or managers who at one point suited up for the club.  I attribute the high count to the massive number of trades the Phillies pulled off in the late 1970s/early 1980s.  Here's the complete list and some cards that weren't previously featured this year in series preview or game summary posts.

National League East (63 - 17 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (6) - #32 Gene Garber, #296 Bob Walk, #502 Steve Bedrosian FS, #668 Dale Murphy, #733 Larry McWilliams, #4T Steve Bedrosian
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (3) - #399 Pat Zachry, #743 John Stearns, #783 Greg Harris
Philadelphia Phillies (46)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (8) - #118 Terry Francona/Brad Mills FS, #131 Stan Bahnsen, #292 Dave Palmer, #779 Grant Jackson, #788 Woodie Fryman, #7T Tim Blackwell, #83T Al Oliver, #104T Dan Schatzeder

National League Central (34)
Chicago Cubs (14) - #23 Willie Hernandez, #89 Steve Henderson, #117 Rawley Eastwick, #215 Mike Krukow, #273 Doug Bird, #374 Tim Blackwell, #484 Ivan DeJesus, #10T Larry Bowa, #16T Bill Campbell, #49T Fergie Jenkins, #52T Jay Johnstone, #76T Keith Moreland, #82T Dickie Noles, #92T Mike Proly
Cincinnati Reds (3) - #763 Tom Hume, #41T Greg Harris, #56T Jim Kern
Milwaukee Brewers (4) - #93 Larry Hisle, #466 Randy Lerch, #487 Bob McClure, #709 Don Money
Pittsburgh Pirates (7) - #235 Mike Easler, #332 Don Robinson, #458 Willie Montanez, #485 Kent Tekulve, #543 Bill Robinson, #24T Dick Davis, #77T Jim Morrison
St. Louis Cardinals (6) - #27 Tom Herr, #86 Dane Iorg, #262 Doug Bair, #367 Jim Kaat, #727 Sixto Lezcano, #108T Lonnie Smith

1982 Topps #669

1982 Topps Traded #42T

1982 Topps #629

1982 Topps #27

National League West (19)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (11) - #6 Fernando Valenzuela LL, #166 Fernando Valenzuela LL, #213 Dave Stewart, #338 Dave Lopes AS, #345 Fernando Valenzuela AS, #348 Derrel Thomas, #510 Fernando Valenzuela, #681 Ron Roenicke, #740 Dave Lopes, #741 Dave Lopes IA, #774 Jay Johnstone
San Diego Padres (3) - #330 Rick Wise, #434 Joe Lefebvre, #63T Sixto Lezcano
San Francisco Giants (5) - #406 Al Holland, #722 Jerry Martin, #754 Joe Morgan, #755 Joe Morgan IA, #66T Renie Martin

American League East (8)
Baltimore Orioles (0)
Boston Red Sox (3) - #255 Tony Perez, #256 Tony Perez IA, #619 Bill Campbell
New York Yankees (5) - #472 Oscar Gamble, #669 Larry Milbourne, #694 Dave Wehrmeister, #706 Barry Foote, #95T Shane Rawley
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (29)
Chicago White Sox (9) - #269 Jim Essian, #328 Ed Farmer, #363 Bob Molinaro, #521 Billy Almon, #599 Jay Loviglio FS, #654 Jim Morrison, #714 Jerry Koosman, #720 Greg Luzinski, #721 Greg Luzinski IA
Cleveland Indians (8) - #141 Von Hayes FS, #258 Bo Diaz, #287 Allan Bannister, #601 Sid Monge, #773 John Denny, #42T Von Hayes, #69T Bake McBride, #71T Larry Milbourne
Detroit Tigers (6) - #238 Kevin Saucier, #261 Dave Rucker FS, #535 Lance Parrish, #603 Rich Hebner, #629 Johnny Wockenfuss, #691 Dan Schatzeder
Kansas City Royals (5) - #397 Ken Brett, #594 Renie Martin, #625 Hal McRae, #46T Grant Jackson, #65T Jerry Martin
Minnesota Twins (1) - #438 Pete Mackanin

1982 Topps #706

1982 Topps #238

1982 Topps #603

1982 Topps #258

American League West (19)
Houston Astros (5) - #218 Dave Roberts, #377 Kiko Garcia, #404 Dickie Thon, #539 Vern Ruhle, #698 Tony Scott
Los Angeles Angels (California Angels) (1) - #9T Bob Boone
Oakland Athletics (4) - #29 Dwayne Murphy, #392 Rick Bosetti, #757 Tom Underwood, #64T Dave Lopes
Seattle Mariners (3) - #52 Larry Andersen, #197 Shane Rawley, #31T Jim Essian
Texas Rangers (6) - #16 Steve Comer, #36 Al Oliver TL, #463 Jim Kern, #590 Al Oliver, #591 Al Oliver IA, #624 Fergie Jenkins

Memory Lane

1970 Topps - 114 cards with Phillies connections
1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more
1982 Topps - 172 cards with Phillies connections
1985 Topps - 153 cards with Phillies connections
1988 Topps - 154 cards with Phillies connections