Game 162 - Fan Appreciation Day; Long Offseason Begins

Marlins 4, Phillies 3
Game 162 - Sunday Afternoon, September 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 81-81, 4th place, 16 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies missed out on their first winning season since 2011, dropping the 2019 season finale by a 4-3 score to the last place Marlins.

What It Means:  Was this manager Gabe Kapler's final Phillies game at the helm?

What Happened:  With Maikel Franco representing the tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Knapp struck out swinging on a ball out of the zone to end the game and the Phillies extremely disappointing season.  Bryce Harper and Adam Haseley had a pair of hits.  The offense went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, leaving 13 men on base.  A bullpen game from the start, the Marlins jumped on starting pitcher Blake Parker for three runs early.

Featured Card:  Brad Miller hit two more home runs (13) and went 4 for 5 overall with three RBIs.  Matt Breen Tweeted Miller is the first player in Phillies history with three multi-home run games in a nine-game span and Corey Seidman added Miller's 12 home runs and 16 extra-base hits were both the most by any Phillies player ever with 130 or fewer plate appearances in a  season.

Field Report:  My family arrived to the ballpark early, as we've now made it a tradition to attend the final game of the year and enjoy Fan Appreciation Day.  While Jenna, Ben and I decided to eat first (Jenna and Ben at Pass and Stow and me at Bull's BBQ), Doug took off as soon as the gates opened for a prime spot down the first base line to hopefully add a few last autographs to his collection.  Fellow collector Rick kept him company and both were featured in the Phillies' Instagram story of the day.

Doug added autographs from Miller, Jared Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Scott Kingery and Rick passed along a Phil Gosselin Chachi Photo Card he had signed for us.  Doug was bummed Bryce Harper didn't make his way over to the waiting crowd to sign any autographs.  In between eating his pizza, Ben and I got pictures with Jared Hughes and Edgar Garcia, and we caught part of the broadcast team - Larry Andersen, Scott Franzke, Ben Davis and Gregg Murphy as they were leaving the Diamond Club entrance lobby.

Once at our seats, we noticed Aaron Nola talking to a small group of people and the ace of the staff posed for a quick picture with Ben.  We didn't come away with any prizes or other souvenirs, but we had a great day and we're already anxious for Opening Day 2020.

Memory Lane - Game 162
This is my 11th season of posting on this blog and I truly enjoy and appreciate the outlet this has provided for me to share my love of baseball, baseball cards and (occasionally) the Phillies.  Unlike some of the Phillies current coaching staff, I'll be back in 2020 and I sincerely thank you for following along, commenting and sharing your Phillies stories.

October 4, 2009 - Catcher Paul Hoover singled in the winning run in the 10th in a 7-6 win over the Marlins.
October 3, 2010 - The Phillies lost 8-7 to the Braves in their final tune-up before facing the Reds in the NLDS.
September 28, 2011 - The Phillies closed out the 2011 regular season with a 13-inning victory against the Braves, setting a franchise record with their 102nd regular season win.
October 3, 2012 - The Phillies closed out their 2012 season with a lethargic 5-1 loss to the N.L. East Champion Nationals.
September 29, 2013 - Zach Miner got the ball for the Phillies and lasted 2 1/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to the Braves.
September 28, 2014 - Cole Hamels pitched another fine game and suffered through another outing with minimal run support.
October 4, 2015 - Phillies avoid 100 losses and Ichiro makes his pitching debut in a 7-2 victory.
October 2, 2016 - Phillies bid an emotional farewell to franchise icon Ryan Howard.
October 1, 2017 - Phils clobber Mets in Pete Mackanin's final game as manager.
September 30, 2018 - Lame duck Phillies win season finale in Gabe Kapler's frustrating debut season.
September 29, 2019 - Phillies miss postseason for 8th year in a row, Brad Miller finishes the season red hot.

Want to revisit every game of the 2019 season?  My handy game summary index can be found here.

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 47 - On the Field for Batting Practice #StrikeOutALS

Phillies 4, Braves 0
Game 47 - Wednesday Night, May 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 28-19, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta dealt against the Braves, helping secure the series win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are a half game behind the Braves in the division as they open up a Memorial Day weekend series at home against the Blue Jays.

What Happened:  Arrieta struck out 7 in his 6 2/3 innings of work.  Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris took care of the final 7 outs.  Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez contributed RBI singles while Maikel Franco and Nick Williams added RBI doubles.

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #4

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #3

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #6

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Back in November, my wife Jenna and I attended the 40th Anniversary Gala of the Philadelphia ALS Association.  A close family friend of ours is battling ALS and the work of the Association is invaluable to the ALS patients and families in our community.

Jenna bid on and won a Phillies VIP Package that included a signed baseball from Rhys Hoskins, a signed bat from Nick Williams and a signed catcher's mitt from Cameron Rupp.  The package also included the opportunity to watch the Phillies take batting practice before a game and a behind the scenes tour of Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies contacted Jenna in April and we picked this game against the Braves for our "VIP" experience, partly because it was also Star Wars Night.  The experience did not disappoint.

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #9

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #8

2018 Chachi Friendly Encounters #10

The highlight of course was getting to watch the Phillies take batting practice from right behind home plate.  We were told not to call over to the players, but several of them wandered over to us anyway.  Thanks to Scott Kingery, Carlos Santana, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jesmuel Valentin for taking time to sign some autographs and pose for pictures.  Santana offered Ben a hug, and Ben managed to avoid touching the pine tar already accumulating on Santana's right shoulder.  Broadcasters Tom McCarthy and Gregg Murphy also obliged with autographs and pictures.

After the players had all batted, manager Gabe Kapler made his way over to us and asked to see Doug's stack of Phillies baseball cards.  He looked at each one, pausing for comments, and then was impressed to see a Williams card in the style of the original 1983 Topps set.  It's something we and our sons will never forget.  Thanks again to the Phillies for a truly memorable experience!

Trio of Kevins Joins Broadcast Booth

1994 Fleer #601

2001 Topps #172

2012 Choice International League All-Stars #19

During the Phillies Broadcaster Golden Age between 1977 and 1997, the core broadcasting team consisted of Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler.  There were some supporting players that came and went during that time, but the core four were the primary voices of the Phillies.  I miss listening to Harry and Whitey call a game, and no one will ever replace them (in my opinion).

In recent years, I've thoroughly enjoyed the radio broadcast tandem of Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen and those two have worked together since 2006.  My wife Jenna fully supports the nightly ritual of me muting the TV and turning up the radio so that we can listen to Franzke and L.A. call the game.  With Andersen announcing he'll no longer travel for road games in 2018, a replacement was needed to give Franzke a new partner.  The Phillies will fill Andersen's void with three former players - Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker - and I can't help but feel the broadcast booth is getting way too crowded at this point.

If you're keeping score at home, here's the Phillies broadcasters' line-up for the 2018 season that now includes 11 (!) voices.

Television
Play-by-play - Tom McCarthy
Color commentary - Ben Davis and John Kruk (although not always together)
Color commentary, home weekends - Mike Schmidt
Roving reporter/occasional fill-in for play-by-play - Gregg Murphy

Radio
Play-by-play - Scott Franzke
Play-by-play, middle innings - Jim Jackson
Color commentary, home games - Larry Andersen
Color commentary, road games - Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker

2017 Phillies Team Issue - Broadcasters

Doug "Interviews" Gregg Murphy; Ben Successfully Nabs Water Ice

Phillies 7, Nationals 5
Game 159 - Wednesday Night, September 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 64-95, 5th place, 31 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies used two separate three-run innings to overcome the Nationals in this 7-5 victory.

What It Means:  The Phils took the series from the division-winning Nationals, and they'll close out the season with a final weekend series against the Mets at home.

What Happened:  The offense had three big hits in this game - Jorge Alfaro's two-run double in the second, Aaron Altherr's two-run triple in the fifth and then Odubel Herrera's double to bring home Altherr.  Yacksel Rios picked up his first Major League win in relief after starting pitcher Mark Leiter, Jr. failed to complete five innings.  Hector Neris recorded his 26th save.

Doug's autograph haul. Morandini signed the sweet spot of one of Doug's baseballs.

Field Report/Featured Cards:  The whole family attended this game, as we found ourselves with a rare week night off.  Doug positioned himself at his now-usual spot at the corner of the Phillies dugout, and scored autographs (all repeats) from coaches Larry Bowa, Mickey Morandini and Juan Samuel along with players Ty Kelly and Neris.  Kudos to all those guys for never failing to sign this season for Doug whenever he's asked for an autograph.

Doug also got to "interview" Phillies TV broadcaster Gregg Murphy before the game.  Doug asked Murphy for a picture and Murphy obliged only after asking Doug to hold his microphone.  For that, and for being a genuinely good guy, Murphy earns a Chachi Fan Favorites card along with frequent autograph signer Neris.

As for our youngest son Ben, he hasn't caught the autograph bug like Doug, but he was still very happy with his nachos, crab fries and water ice.

2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6 Ty Kelly - Signature Edition

Phillies 4, Braves 3 (11)
Game 101 - Saturday Night, July 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 37-64, 5th place, 24 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Odubel Herrera tied up the game in the ninth with a solo home run and Ty Kelly delivered a game-winning hit in the 11th to give the Phillies a 4-3 win.

What It Means:  Don't look now, but the Phillies are playing decent baseball.

What Happened:  The Phils couldn't get much going early in the ballgame, finding themselves down 3-1 heading to the bottom of the eighth.  Aaron Altherr singled home Cesar Hernandez to get the team to within a run, setting up Herrera's heroics in the bottom of the ninth. Singles by Tommy Joseph and Herrera, followed by a walk to Cameron Rupp, loaded the bases for pinch-hitter Kelly in the 11th.  He delivered, and the on-field celebration commenced!

Featured Cards/Field Report:  We were there and let it be known that if you sign an autograph for Doug before the game, you have a really good chance of doing something big.  Doug spent an hour before the game autograph hunting and came away with signatures of coaches Mickey Morandini and Juan Samuel (both repeat signers), Cameron Perkins (repeat signer), Herrera, Kelly and new Phillie Jessen Therrien.  I'm fairly certain this could be the first autograph Therrien has signed as a major leaguer.

2017 Topps Phillies #PHI-10

2017 Topps #38 (Quin-Sig version)

2017 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #29

Kelly liked his custom card from the Phillies Phestival, pausing to look at it and telling Doug, "This is really cool!"  Doug is particularly proud of his quintuple-signature card which features autographs from Kelly, Samuel, Morandini, Perkins and Phillies broadcaster Gregg Murphy.  (The Kelly and Murphy autographs were from previous games.)

Transaction:  Pitcher Pedro Beato was recalled from Lehigh Valley to take the roster spot of Jeremy Hellickson.  The Phillies played with 24 players in this game as new outfielder Hyun Soo Kim had not yet arrived in Philadelphia.

Phillies Debuts:  Therrien and Beato both made their debuts.  Therrien is the 10th player making his Major League debut for the Phillies this season.

18.  Jesen Therrien (rhp) - Relieved Jerad Eickhoff in the sixth, allowing a hit and striking out one (Micah Johnson).
19.  Pedro Beato (rhp) - Relieved Hoby Milner in the eighth and retired the only two batters he faced before leaving the game with a hamstring injury.  It was Beato's first appearance in the majors since 2014.

2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 - Phillies Broadcasters

Braves 12, Phillies 2
Game 158 - Wednesday Night, September 28th in Atlanta
Record - 70-88, 4th place, 22 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  In his final start of the season, Adam Morgan was hit hard and the Phillies dropped another laugher, 12-2.

What It Means:  Ryan Howard and A.J. Ellis called a players only meeting following this latest loss, discussing the need to finish strong over the final four games.

What Happened:  Morgan finished the 2016 season with a 2-11 record and a 6.04 ERA.  In five innings, he allowed nine runs on 10 hits.  Phil Klein entered the game in the sixth and by keeping the Braves off the scoreboard for that one inning, he became the first Phillies reliever in 11 appearances to not allow a run.

Featured Card:  This is as good a time as any for my annual show of appreciation towards the Phillies primary radio broadcasters - Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen.  I've mentioned before how my preferred method of enjoying a Phillies game is with the television muted and the radio broadcast synced up to the video.  Franzke and Andersen are a fantastic team and they've made the last few weeks of dreadful Phillies baseball almost bearable.

Franzke and L.A. are flanking former big leaguer Ben Davis on this year's broadcaster card found within the series two team-issued photo card set.

Want to revisit every game of the 2016 season?  My handy game summary index can be found here.

Fun at the @Phillies Photo Day! (Part Three)

2016 Chachi Photo Day #26

Marlins 3, Phillies 2 (11)
Game 94 - Monday Night, July 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-51, 4th place, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola's six scoreless innings were wasted when Jeanmar Gomez couldn't convert the save and the Marlins eventually won the game in 11.

What It Means:  The extra inning loss was especially tough to take, given that the Phillies were able to score twice off Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez.  Fernandez struck out 14 and notched his 500th career strike out in this game.

What Happened:  The Phils got their runs on a Maikel Franco ground out in the first and a Tommy Joseph solo home run (12) in the seventh.  Nola lasted six innings, giving up only two hits and striking out five.  Gomez blew his third save of the season and Brett Oberholtzer surrendered a lead-off home run to Martin Prado in the 11th.

Featured Cards:  This is the last round of Phillies Photo Day custom cards in the very limited 2016 Chachi Photo Day insert set.  Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how accommodating and gracious most of the Phillies players, coaches and broadcasters were as they took the time to pose for photos with our sons.  The only player not walking around pre-game was Jared Eickhoff, who was that day's starting pitcher.  Every other player, coach and broadcaster (including veterans Carlos Ruiz and Ryan Howard) spent more than a half hour on the field posing for photos with the fans.

Kudos to the Phillies for a very enjoyable, fan-friendly experience!

Be sure to check out the 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

2016 Chachi Photo Day #23

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