Game 97 - Wheeler, Still Bitter, Dominates Tigers; More from the All-Star Village

Philadelphia Phillies	5
Detroit Tigers	0

2026 Chachi Freindly
Encounters #6

Sunday Afternoon, July 12th

Comerica Park - Detroit, MI
54-43, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Still bitter over his All-Star Game snub, Zack Wheeler improved to 10-1 with a two-hit, 10-strikeout performance against the Tigers in this 5-0 win.

What It Means:  Wheeler was eventually invited to the All-Star Game but felt "disrespected" and declined the invite.  It's a shame, as the fans, including me, would have loved to have seen him at least introduced prior to the game on Tuesday.

What Happened:  Wheeler, Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan combined for the two-hit shutout, striking out 14 Tigers batters.  Wheeler out-dueled Tarik Skubal, who departed after five innings with the Phillies leading, 2-0.  The big hit for the Phillies was a bases-clearing double by J.T. Realmuto in the sixth inning.  Bryson Stott would beat out an infield hit to shortstop, scoring Realmuto with the Phillies' fifth run.

Featured Card / Field Report:  I was back at the All-Star Village on Sunday morning, this time as a volunteer manning the booth for ALS United Mid-Atlantic as part of the MLB Together initiative.  I enjoyed early morning access to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, snapping quite a few pictures of the many fantastic exhibits before the crush of eager fans arrived for the day.  I also made a new friend in the Athletics' mascot, Stomper, who helped guide a bunch of wondering fans over to the MLB Together booths during the mid-morning rush.  It was a fantastic day, and I left incredibly impressed by what the Phillies and MLB had put together for their fans.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

The Philly Show Report - Only 16 More Needed for '69 Topps Set

This morning I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  (One of the perks of having him so close is that I was able to stop by and see him on my way home, and he even "bought" me a coffee.)

The showroom floor is ginormous and even though I was there for over three hours, I still didn't visit every table.  Vintage cardboard is still well-represented, although there were more tables selling Pokemon cards or nothing but slabs of graded cards than I remember from past shows.  I had two goals for this show - come close to completing my 1969 Topps set and look for any old and/or oddball Phillies stuff.  I succeeded in my first goal, but failed in my second.  When the final score was tallied, I had added 91 cards to my 1969 Topps set, leaving me with needing just 16 more.  I'm collecting 666 cards - the base 664, plus the variations for Clay Dalrymple and Donn Clendenon.  I have no interest in the white letter variations or the checklist anomalies.

• The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.  I took my time and found 32 common and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set.  It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to the next table.  I paid a nicely discounted sum for the star cards of Harmon Killebrew, Tug McGraw, Bobby Cox (rookie card) and Rod Carew.  Set progress - 36 added, 71 still needed.

• My next stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.  Set progress - 28 added, 43 to go.  Appreciating the deal, I also added 10 cards to my not-yet-officially-collecting 1959 Topps set build.

• I next found a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.  I made sure to ask for a card, and I'll be making Niagara Sports Cards one of my first stops when I return to the Philly Show, hopefully in December.  Set progress - 12 added, 31 to go.

• After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set.  Set progress - 6 added, 25 to go.

• I'm not even sure how best to describe the next table I visited.  I typically steer clear of tables that look incredibly disorganized or tables that look as if the dealer put minimal effort into his/her display.  This table was both.  But the crudely designed, hand-made sign advertising "Entire Table is 50% Off" made me stop and at least look at what was in the 1969 Topps hodgepodge of cards.  And I'm glad I did.  It took me a solid 20-25 minutes to go through the cards that were loosely in order, but I found seven cards I needed with either mislabeled prices (?) or prices that hadn't been updated since the 1980s.  I paid $7.50 for a perfectly decent Carl Yastrzemski card, and I suddenly wished I had made this table my first stop.  Set progress - 7 added, 18 to go.

• And finally, I made one last stop at Uncle Dick's, the source of 486 cards in our set, or almost 75% of my entire set build.  I wanted to make sure I had completely cleaned him out of all 1969 Topps cards I needed, and I was able to add two more cards from the neon green binder, the last two cards I'll likely purchase from Uncle Dick's for our 1969 Topps set - the Ray Fosse rookie and the Al Kaline card.  Set progress - 2 added, 16 to go.

The 16 cards I need to complete the set are superstars, stars or semi-stars with nary a common in the bunch.  I have a feeling the Nolan Ryan card will be the last to fall, as I don't think I saw any 1969 Ryan cards at the show unslabbed.  I probably won't wait until adding the remaining 14 cards to officially start collecting the 1959 Topps set, the next set on deck.  I've enjoyed collecting this set over the past three-plus years, and I've definitely enjoyed blogging about each of the cards added, but I already have my sights set on moving backwards into the 1950s.

The last 16 cards needed:

82 Richie Hebner / Al Oliver Rookie

85 Lou Brock

90 Jerry Koosman

100 Hank Aaron

150 Denny McLain

190 Willie Mays

270 Mickey Lolich

394 Lou Piniella Rookie

533 Nolan Ryan

540 Curt Flood

547 Billy Martin

570 Ron Santo

573 Jim Palmer

600 Tony Oliva

630 Bobby Bonds

640 Fergie Jenkins

Spring Training Game 22 - Phils Slip by Jays on St. Patty's Day

Toronto Blue Jays	2
Philadelphia Phillies	4

2003 Topps Retired
Signature Edition #109

Spring Training Game 22

Monday Afternoon, March 17

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 11-9-2

One Sentence Summary:  Decked in green hats for St. Patrick's Day, the Phillies took care of the Blue Jays in Clearwater, winning 4-2.

What It Means:  It doesn't really mean anything, but the Phillies have won seven of their last nine games.

What Happened:  In one of his final tune-ups before the regular season, Aaron Nola gave up a pair of home runs and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings.  In the fourth, Trea Turner singled, stole second and came around to score on a J.T. Realmuto double.  The Phillies tied the game in the seventh on an RBI-single from Dylan Campbell, scoring Edmundo Sosa, and took the lead on a wild pitch that allowed Buddy Kennedy to score.  Prospect Keaton Anthony made it 4-2, Phillies, with a solo home run in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Here's a card I recently added of my favorite Phillies leprechaun.

Camp Head Count:  41

Phillies at Mets - May 13th to May 14th

1984 Topps #728

1984 Topps Traded #74T

Monday 7:10 and Tuesday 1:10
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies play four games this week against the rival Mets - two away and two back home.  There are no giveaways for the two-game series starting tonight in Queens.

Philadelphia Phillies 28-13
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.22)
Aaron Nola (4-2, 3.67)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .343
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 30
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 9
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 32
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott and Trea Turner - 10

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 7
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.50
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 65
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 7

New York Mets 18-20
4th Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Phillies

Mets Probables
Sean Manaea (2-1, 3.31)
Jose Butto (1-2, 3.00)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Starling Marte - .255
Runs:  Francisco Lindor - 23
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso - 9
RBIs:  Brandon Nimmo - 27
Stolen Bases:  Starling Marte - 7

Wins:  Reed Garrett - 5
ERA:  Luis Severino - 3.00

Strikeouts:  Luis Severino - 41
Saves:  Edwin Diaz - 5

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

Phillies at Mets: May 30th to June 1st

1965 Topps #203

1965 Topps #533

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10, Thursday 1:10
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

At the Ballpark:  On Wednesday night, the first 15,000 fans will receive a bobble head of Mets' broadcaster Howie Rose.

Phillies 25-28
4th Place in the N.L. East, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (0-1, 9.82)
Aaron Nola (4-3, 4.59)
Zack Wheeler (4-4, 3.60)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Nick Castellanos - .300
Runs:  Nick Castellanos - 35
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 13
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 37
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 8

Wins:  Four tied with - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.60

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 76
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 7

Mets 27-27
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 5 games behind the Braves

Mets Probables
Kodai Senga (4-3, 3.94)
Carlos Carrasco (1-2, 6.75)
Max Scherzer (4-2, 3.54)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Brandon Nimmo - .306
Runs:  Pete Alonso - 38
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso - 20
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 46
Stolen Bases:  Starling Marte - 14

Wins:  Tylor Megill - 5
ERA:  Tylor Megill - 4.67

Strikeouts:  Kodai Senga - 61
Saves:  David Robertson - 8

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

Spring Training Games 20 & 21 - Phils Win Twice on St. Patrick's Day

1983 Donruss #371

Phillies 4, Blue Jays 2
Spring Training Game 20 - Friday Afternoon, March 17th in Clearwater

Phillies 8, Blue Jays 1
Spring Training Game 21 - Friday Afternoon, March 17th in Dunedin
Record - 11-9-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies split their squad, donned green hats for St. Patrick's Day, and won both games against the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  The Phillies will be playing meaningful baseball in less than two weeks, as the spring schedule has 11 games remaining over the next 11 days.

What Happened:  In Clearwater, Rhys Hoskins hit a first inning home run on his 30th birthday and doubled later in the game.  Minor leaguer Gabriel Rincones, Jr. hit a two-run home run for the Phillies in the sixth.  Bailey Falter, likely the team's fifth starter, went five innings, allowing a run on three hits.

In Dunedin, Jake Cave and Kody Clemens led the offense, with both players fighting for the same bench job.  Cave was 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs, including an RBI double in the first and a two-run single in the fourth.  Clemens was 2 for 4 with a solo home run in the fourth and an RBI-single in the fifth.  Matt Strahm drew the start for the Phillies, and looked great in two shutout innings, allowing a hit and striking out four.

Featured Card:  I'm fine with any excuse to post a Tug McGraw card, and I'll feature him here as it was McGraw who pushed the Phillies to wear green jerseys and hats for St. Patrick's Day beginning in the early 1980s.  There were only green hats yesterday, which was a little jarring given the bright red jersey pairing.

Camp Head Count:  55

Phillies at Astros: November 5th to November 6th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #37

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #38

Saturday and Sunday 8:03
Minute Maid Park - Houston, TX

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies need two more wins to earn their third World Championship title in franchise history.

Phillies 2-3
Defeated Padres in NLCS, 4-1

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (1-2, 2.67)
Ranger Suarez (2-0, 1.23)

Phillies Postseason Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .373
Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 12
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 6
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 13
Stolen Bases:  Kyle Schwarber - 3

Wins:  Four tied with - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.67

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 28
Saves:  Five tied with - 1

Astros 3-2
Defeated Yankees in ALCS, 4-0

Astros Probables
Framber Valdez (2-0, 1.42)
TBD

Astros Postseason Leaders
Average:  Yuli Gurriel - .347
Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 11
Home Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 4
RBIs:  Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman - 11
Stolen Bases:  Yuli Gurriel - 2

Wins:  Four tied with - 2
ERA:  Cristian Javier - 0.71

Strikeouts:  Justin Verlander - 25
Saves:  Ryan Pressly - 5

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

Mets at Phillies: April 11th to April 13th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #1

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #33

Monday and Tuesday 6:45, Wednesday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Somewhat surprisingly for this early in the season, there are no giveaways or theme nights planned for any of the three games. Wednesday's game isn't even listed as a Businessperson's Special, as it would have been called in the past.

Mets 3-1
1st Place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game ahead of the Phillies

Mets Probables
Taijuan Walker (0-0, 0.00)
Tylor Megill (1-0, 0.00)
Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.50)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Mark Canha - .700
Runs:  Three tied with - 3
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 3
RBIs:  Pete Alonso and Starling Marte - 4
Stolen Bases:  Francisco Lindor - 1

Wins:  Three tied with - 1
ERA:  Chris Bassitt - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Chris Bassitt - 8
Saves:  N/A

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

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (0-0, 0.00)
Zack Wheeler (0-0, 0.00)
Aaron Nola (1-0, 6.00)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .444
Runs:  Three tied with - 3
Home Runs:  Jean Segura - 2
RBIs:  Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins - 3
Stolen Bases:  N/A

Wins:  Kyle Gibson and Aaron Nola - 1
ERA:  Kyle Gibson - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Kyle Gibson - 10
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 1

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

1979 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  38
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1979.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below. 

How Distributed:  The photo cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.  The set's checklist is comprised of the manager, four coaches, all but one of the 25-man opening day roster (Mike Anderson is omitted) and eight players who would make their season debut with the team between May and early July. 

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Ramon Aviles (action) 2. Doug Bird 3. Bob Boone (action, auto) 4. Larry Bowa (action, auto) 5. Warren Brusstar (action) 6. Jose Cardenal (action) 7. Steve Carlton (action, auto) 8. Larry Christenson (action) 9. Rawly Eastwick (action, auto)       10. Nino Espinosa (auto) 11. Greg Gross 12. Bud Harrelson (action) 13. Jim Kaat (auto)

14. Randy Lerch (action) 15. Jim Lonborg (action) 16. Greg Luzinski (action, auto) 17. Pete Mackanin (auto) 18. Garry Maddox (action, auto) 19. Bake McBride (action, auto)       20. Tim McCarver (action) 21. Tug McGraw (action, auto) 22. Rudy Meoli (action, auto) 23. Dickie Noles (action) 24. Danny Ozark MG (auto) 25. Dave Rader 26. Ron Reed (action, auto)

27. Pete Rose (action, auto) 28. Dick Ruthven (auto) 29. Kevin Saucier (action) 30. Mike Schmidt (action) 31. Lonnie Smith (auto) 32. Herm Starrette CO (auto) 33. Tony Taylor CO (auto) 34. Bobby Tiefenauer CO (auto) 35. Manny Trillo 36. Manny Trillo (action) 37. Del Unser 38. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Meoli

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (12):  Aviles, Bird, Espinosa, Gross, Mackanin, Noles, Rader, Rose, Saucier, Smith, Trillo (2)
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (20):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Cardenal, Carlton, Christenson, Eastwick, Harrelson, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, McBride, McCarver, McGraw, Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Unser

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coach (4):  Starrette, Taylor, Tiefenauer, Wine

Surprises:  The biggest surprise here is the inclusion of a Bud Harrelson card, although his photo could ver well be from 1978.  Harrelson had retired from baseball following the 1978 season, but injuries to Larry Bowa and Manny Trillo in the early part of the season forced the club to reach out to him.  Harrelson resigned with the Phillies on May 25th and made his season debut a day later.  The last player to make his debut during the season and appear within the set is Dickie Noles, who made his big league debut on July 5th.

Omissions:  For some reason, hitting/third base coach Billy DeMars didn't card a new card for this set.  He'd return to the checklist in 1980.  Also odd is the omission of outfielder Anderson who returned to the Phillies via free agency on March 5th and appeared in 79 games for the team.  Five other players, all September call-ups, appeared with the Phillies in 1979 and didn't receive photo cards - John Vukovich, John Poff, Jack Kucek, Keith Moreland and Dan Larson.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Steve let me know of a few rarities and variations for this set.

Signature Variation 1. Rawly Eastwick (no auto) 2. Dick Ruthven (no auto)

Error 1. Warren Brusstar (actually depicts Randy Lerch)

And while it's definitely not part of the team-issued photo card set, I'm including a scan of the Richie Ashburn photo below which could have fit in nicely with the set.  The photo is 5" x 7" and the note on the back indicates the Phillies broadcaster signed the photo on June 16, 1979 at Whitehall Mall.

Also See:  My First Phillies Game; 1979 Burger King Phillies #13 Pete Rose

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Steve F.

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

1978 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1980 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

1978 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  35
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1978.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.  Tug McGraw's card features a rare horizontal format to fit his post wind-up photo.

How Distributed:  The photo cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.  The set's checklist is comprised of the manager, five coaches, the entire 25-man opening day roster and two players acquired via trades in mid-June - Rawly Eastwick and Dick Ruthven.  As fellow collector Rick pointed out in a comment to this set's original post, there are action and portrait variations for the Tim McCarver and McGraw cards.  I'm not sure which versions are more prevalent, so I've included both in the standard checklist below.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Carroll Beringer CO         2. Bob Boone (action, auto) 3. Larry Bowa (auto) 4. Warren Brusstar (action) 5. Jose Cardenal (auto) 6. Steve Carlton (action, auto)       7. Larry Christenson 8. Billy DeMars CO 9. Rawly Eastwick (action) 10. Barry Foote (action) 11. Gene Garber (action) 12. Bud Harrelson (action)

13. Richie Hebner (auto) 14. Dave Johnson (auto) 15. Jay Johnstone (action, auto) 16. Jim Kaat (auto) 17. Randy Lerch (action) 18. Jim Lonborg (action) 19. Greg Luzinski (auto) 20. Garry Maddox (action, auto) 21. Jerry Martin (action) 22. Bake McBride (action, auto)       23. Tim McCarver (portrait)         24. Tim McCarver (action)

25. Tug McGraw (portrait) 26. Tug McGraw (action) 27. Jim Morrison 28. Danny Ozark MG (auto) 29. Ron Reed (action) 30. Ray Rippelmeyer CO 31. Dick Ruthven (action) 32. Mike Schmidt 33. Ted Sizemore (action, auto) 34. Tony Taylor CO (auto) 35. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (4):  Cardenal, Eastwick, Harrelson, Morrison
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (25):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Carlton, Christenson, Foote, Garber, Hebner, Johnson, Johnstone, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, Martin, McBride, McCarver (2), McGraw (2), Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Sizemore

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coach (5):  Beringer, DeMars, Rippelmeyer, Taylor, Wine

Surprises:  The Phillies made two fairly significant trades on back-to-back days on June 14th and June 15th.  First, Jay Johnstone and Bobby Brown were traded to the Yankees for Eastwick.  A day later, Gene Garber was sent to the Braves for Ruthven.  Both Eastwick and Ruthven are featured in action photos for their cards, meaning these update cards were issued as early as late June.

Bob Boone's card uses the same photo as his 1977 photo card, but with a slightly different autograph placement.

Omissions:  The Phillies teams of the late 1970s were mostly very good teams, which correlates to little to no roster turnover.  There were 10 players who appeared with the 1978 Phillies who did not appear in this photo card set, and all with good reason.  Of the 10, only Orlando Gonzalez made his season debut before September and he only appeared in 26 games.  Pete Mackanin, Horacio Pina and Dan Larson all joined the organization in September.  Three September call-ups saw action early that month - Lonnie  Smith, Todd Cruz and Kerry Dineen - while three other prospects made their season debuts on the final day of the season, October 1st - Keith Moreland, Kevin Saucier and Dan Boitano.

Variations/Rarities:  Rick also confirmed the existence of a Mike Schmidt variation, with a blue facsimile autograph.

Signature Variation 1. Mike Schmidt (auto)

Harrison/Erickson 1. Phillie Phanatic

And while not part of the team issued set, there is a 1978 color postcard of the Phillie Phanatic issued by the Phanatic's creators Harrison/Erickson.  Perhaps this could be considered the Phanatic's rookie card?  Finally, I added a photo card of coach Carroll Beringer to my collection over the past few years that is slightly larger than the standard 3 1/4" x 5 1/2" photo cards.  I don't know what year this would have been issued, but I've included it below for reference.  Beringer was the team's bullpen coach between 1973 and 1978.

Also See:  1978 Phillies Spring Training and 1978 SSPC Baseball the Phillies Way - Part One and Part Two.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick G.

This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

 

1977 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

1985 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  47
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Description:  Beginning in 1985, the Phillies used the exact same card design for three straight years.  The only differences with these cards are the photos used and the copyright line on the bottom right of the cards' fronts.  The design removes the Phillies script logo found on the 1984 cards and adds the player's uniform number and position.  The set's sponsor, Tastykake, has its logo featured on the backs of the cards.

How Distributed:  All fans attending the Phillies game at Veterans Stadium on April 21, 1985, received a complete shrink-wrapped set with a header/checklist card on the top.  The back of the header/checklist card advertised that additional sets could be purchased from the Phillies via mail order for $3.50.  The Phillies raised the price of a complete set by fifty cents over the previous year.

The 1985 Tastykake Phillies set seems to be the most ubiquitous of all the team-issued sets from the 1980s.  Up through the mid-2010s, the sets could be readily found on eBay and for sale at Citizens Bank Park.  The Memorabilia Store from Hunt Auctions located behind Section 126 had several of these sets for sale throughout the 2014 season.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here based on the numbered checklist found on the back of the header card): 

1. Header Card / Checklist 2. John Felske (#7 - MG) 3. Dave Bristol (#4 - CO) 4. Lee Elia (#2 - CO) 5. Claude Osteen (#3 - CO) 6. Mike Ryan (#5 - CO) 7. Del Unser (#25 - CO) 8. Manager and Coaches 9. Pitchers 10. Catchers 11. Infielders 12. Outfielders 13. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP)      14. Steve Carlton (#32 - LHP) 15. Don Carman (#42 - LHP) 16. John Denny (#40 - RHP)

17. Tony Ghelfi (#35 - RHP) 18. Kevin Gross (#46 - RHP) 19. Al Holland (#19 - RHP) 20. Charles Hudson (#49 - RHP) 21. Jerry Koosman (#24 - LHP)      22. Shane Rawley (#48 - LHP) 23. Pat Zachry (#38 - RHP) 24. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 25. Bo Diaz (#6 - C) 26. Ozzie Virgil (#17 - C) 27. John Wockenfuss (#14 - C) 28. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 29. Kiko Garcia (#18 - INF) 30. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 31. John Russell (#29 - OF-1B) 32. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B)

33. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 34. Tim Corcoran (#22 - 1B-OF) 35. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B) 36. Von Hayes (#9 - CF) 37. Joe Lefebvre (#23 - OF) 38. Garry Maddox (#31 - OF) 39. Jeff Stone  (#26 - OF) 40. Glenn Wilson (#12 - OF) 41. Ramon Caraballo / Mike Diaz 42. Mike Maddux / Rodger Cole 43. Rick Schu / Chris James 44. Francisco Melendez / Ken Jackson 45. Randy Salava / Rocky Childress 46. Rich Surhoff / Ralph Citarella 47. Team Photo

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Zachry

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (1):  Rawley
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (26):  Aguayo, Andersen, Carlton, Carman, Corcoran, Daulton, Denny, Diaz, Garcia, Ghelfi, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, Holland, Hudson, Jeltz, Koosman, Lefebvre, Maddox, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt, Stone, Virgil, Wilson, Wockenfuss

Manager (1):  Felske
Coaches (5):  Bristol, Elia, Osteen, Ryan, Unser
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0):  But see below.
Future Phillies (6):  Caraballo / Diaz, Maddux / Cole, Schu / James, Melendez / Jackson, Salava / Childress, Surhoff / Citarella
Other Cards (2):  Header Card / Checklist, Team Photo

Surprises:  There was very little roster turnover between the end of the 1984 season and spring training 1985, as Shane Rawley and Pat Zachry are the only two new additions to the set.  Along with Zachry's one and done Phillies card, this set includes the only Phillies baseball card of Rich Surhoff.  The stand-alone cards feature the entire opening day line-up and adds Tony Ghelfi, Darren Daulton and Joe Lefebvre, who would spend the entire season on the disabled list.

The set's designer's decided to try something different with group photos of coaches and players by position.  Batting practice pitcher Hank King is featured on the coach's card, making this (I believe) his sole Phillies baseball card.  Bill Campbell is featured on the pitcher's card and Ivan DeJesus is featured on the infielder's card, but both are omitted from the regular set.  As the regular season was about to begin, Campbell and DeJesus were traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Dave Rucker.

Of the players receiving solo cards in the regular set, Ghelfi was left off the pitcher's card, John Wockenfuss was (sadly) left off the catcher's card, Kiko Garcia was left off the infielder's card and Lefebvre and Garry Maddox were not on the outfielder's card.

Omissions:  The day before these sets were handed out to fans, the Phillies traded Al Holland to the Pirates for Kent Tekulve.  An update set could have featured Tekulve and other players acquired during the season, such as Derrel Thomas, Tom Foley, Freddie Toliver, Alan Knicely and with a few weeks left to go in the regular season, Dave Stewart.

Variations/Rarities:  Once again, fellow collector Rick came through with a few rarities back when I originally published a post for this set.  These could have been first made available during this season's ALS Autograph Party which would have been in its second season in 1985.  (The Phestival became an official event in 1989.)  Tug McGraw announced his retirement following the 1984 season and this card seems to be a final tribute to the popular lefty reliever.  Fronts and backs of these cards are presented below.

Rarities 1. Tug McGraw - Former Phillies Great 2. Phillies Broadcasters - Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler

Also See:  With the 2020 season put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I went back and recapped the Phillies games played in 1985 between that season's opening day and the All-Star break.  An index to those game summaries can be found here.

And here's a commercial from 1985, featuring Garry Maddox and inviting fans to the game on April 21st for their free Phillies photo cards.

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils).

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

1984 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1986 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

1982 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  35
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  This is the first of eight years during which Tastykake sponsored the Phillies team issued set.  The cards feature black and white pictures, with a mix of action shots and portraits.  Some of the cards include blue facsimile autographs on the fronts, and the backs of all cards are blank.

How Distributed:  The Phillies released two versions of most of these cards.  The first version, and the more readily available version, was released early in the 1982 season and included the Tastykake logo and cards of the coaches and manager with most cards adding a blue facsimile autograph. My best guess is that these cards weren't ever distributed in set form, although I could be wrong.  The cards were most likely handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.

The second version was issued in set form later in the 1982 season and omitted the coaches, the manager, the Tastykake logo and the blue facsimile autographs.  There are 25 cards in this rare issuance, with Bill Robinson replacing Dick Davis as Robinson was acquired from the Pirates on June 15th and Davis was swapped to the Blue Jays on the same day.  The Dave Roberts card shown below is an example of what the cards from this second set look like.  (I'm not sure of the exact make-up of this 25-card set, other than the fact there's a Bill Robinson card and no Dick Davis card.)

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Luis Aguayo 2. Porfi Altamirano 3. Dave Bristol CO 4. Warren Brusstar 5. Marty Bystrom 6. Steve Carlton 7. Larry Christenson       8. Pat Corrales MG 9. Dick Davis 10. Mark Davis 11. Ivan DeJesus 12. Bob Dernier

13. Bo Diaz (action) 14. Ed Farmer 15. Greg Gross 16. Deron Johnson CO       17. Mike Krukow 18. Sparky Lyle 19. Garry Maddox 20. Gary Matthews 21. Len Matuszek 22. Tug McGraw 23. Sid Monge 24. Claude Osteen CO

25. Ron Reed 26. Dave Roberts 27. Pete Rose 28. Dick Ruthven 29. Mike Ryan CO 30. Mike Schmidt 31. Manny Trillo (without hat)       32. Del Unser 33. Ozzie Virgil 34. George Vukovich 35. Bobby Wine CO

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (11):  Altamirano, M. Davis, DeJesus, Dernier, Diaz, Farmer, Krukow, Matuszek, Monge, Roberts, Virgil
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (18):  Aguayo, Brusstar, Bystrom, Carlton, Christenson, D. Davis, Gross, Lyle, Maddox, Matthews, McGraw, Reed, Rose, Ruthven, Schmidt, Trillo, Unser, Vukovich

Manager (1):  Corrales
Coaches (4):  Bristol, Johnson, Osteen, Ryan, Wine
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Surprises:  None, and the player selection is representative of the players who suited up the most for the Phillies in 1982.

Omissions:  Had there been a normal update set, and not the later logo less update set, Bill Robinson would have been a natural inclusion.  Other potential update cards could have been issued for Julio Franco (16 games), Willie Montanez in his return to the club (18 games), Bob Molinaro (19 games) and Stan Bahnsen (8 games).

Variations/Rarities:  The Beckett database entry for this set omits the Bystrom card and adds three cards for a total of 37 cards in the master set. The three cards added are photo variations for Diaz and Trillo, along with a card for ball girl Karen Eberhard.  As fellow collector Rick recently pointed out to me, this Eberhard card shouldn't be included within the set's checklist as a photo of the card shows it has a completely different design.  Also, I'm not sure which versions of the Diaz and Trillo cards are more prevalent or if both versions were printed in equal quantities.

Photo Variations 1. Bo Diaz (portrait) 2. Manny Trillo (with hat)

Second Set, No Tastykake Logo 1. Bill Robinson

Ball Girl Card   1. Karen Eberhard

Also See:  1982 Topps Phillies, 1982 Topps Traded #28T Bob Dernier

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

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

1981 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1983 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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