Nationals at Phillies - August 15th to August 18th

1984 Topps #620

2024 Chachi 1984 Topps Missing Links #11

Thursday and Friday 6:40, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  It's Alumni Weekend this weekend, one of the best weekends of the year to attend Phillies games.  Tonight, all adults will receive a Phillies floppy hat.  On Friday night, there will be a pre-game celebration honoring Carlos Ruiz and John Oates will sing the national anthem.  Before Saturday's game, former Phillies executive David Montgomery will be posthumously inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  And Sunday is Phillies Alumni Day, with dozens of former players, coaches and managers honored before the game.

Washington Nationals 55-66
4th Place in the N.L. East, 15 1/2 games behind the Phillies

Nationals Probables
Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83)
Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98)
MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50)
Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Luis Garcia - .291
Runs:  CJ Abrams - 71
Home Runs:  CJ Abrams - 17
RBIs:  CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia - 59
Stolen Bases:  Lane Thomas - 28

Wins:  Jake Irvin - 9
ERA:  Jake Irvin - 3.72
Strikeouts:  MacKenzie Gore - 130
Saves:  Kyle Finnegan - 30

Philadelphia Phillies 70-50
1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.78)
Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60)
Cristopher Sanchez (8-8, 3.63)
Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .297
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 82
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 28
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 81
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 24

Wins:  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler - 11
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.78
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 156
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Blue Jays: May 14th to May 16th

1986 Topps #736

1986 Topps #775

Friday and Saturday 7:37, Sunday 1:07
TD Ballpark - Dunedin, FL

At the Ballpark:  This looks to be a promotion-less series, as the Blue Jays continue to play their home games at their spring training home in Dunedin.  With travel restrictions to and from Canada in place, the Blue Jays will move their home games to Sahlen Field in Buffalo in June.

Phillies 20-18
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Vince Velasquez (1-0, 4.18)
Aaron Nola (3-2, 3.59)
Chase Anderson (2-3, 5.23)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .314
Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 24
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 8
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 22
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper and Roman Quinn - 4

Wins:  Four tied with - 3
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.85
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 56
Saves:  Hector Neris - 7

Blue Jays 20-16
Tied for 2nd Place in the A.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox

Blue Jays Probables
Steven Matz (5-2, 4.86)
TBD
Robbie Ray (1-1, 3.38)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. - .307
Runs:  Bo Bichette - 31
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 8
RBIs:  Randal Grichuk - 28
Stolen Bases:  Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien - 6

Wins:  Steven Matz - 5
ERA:  Hyun Jin Ryu - 2.95

Strikeouts:  Robbie Ray - 39
Saves:  Rafael Dolis - 3

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Series Preview - Phillies at Rangers: May 16th to May 18th

Tuesday and Wednesday 8:05,  Thursday 2:05
Globe Life Park - Arlington, TX

Phillies 14-21, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 9 games behind the Nationals
Rangers 19-20, Tied for 2nd Place in the A.L. West, 8 games behind the Astros

Phillies Probables:  Jerad Eickhoff (0-3, 4.76), Zach Eflin (0-0, 2.81), Nick Pivetta (0-2, 6.14)
Rangers Probables:  Yu Darvis (3-2, 2.96), Andrew Cashner (0-3, 2.43), Martin Perez (1-5, 3.89)

It's a shame Cole Hamels is on the disabled list right now with an oblique injury.  A Hamels-Eickhoff match-up tonight would have been really cool.

At the Ballpark:  On Thursday afternoon, the first 10,000 fans will receive a Papa John's Texas Rangers Throwback Thursday Collector Pin.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .311
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 30
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 8
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 25
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 6

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 3.71
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 39
Saves:  Hector Neris - 4

Rangers Leaders
Average:  Elvis Andrus - .289
Runs:  Joey Gallo - 26
Home Runs:  Joey Gallo - 12
RBIs:  Joey Gallo - 27
Stolen Bases:  Elvis Andrus and Delino DeShields - 7

Wins:  A.J. Griffin - 4
ERA:  Yu Darvish - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Yu Darvish - 52
Saves:  Matt Bush - 4

1982 Topps #16

1982 Topps #463

1982 Topps #590

1982 Topps #624

1982 Topps Appreciation:  Similar to what I did with the weekend series with the Nationals, here are four 1982 Topps cards with connections to both teams in this Phillies series.  Steve Comer and Jim Kern featured prominently in my Phillies Missing Links custom set, with Comer's custom Phillies card here and Kern's custom Phillies card here.

Al Oliver and Fergie Jenkins received actual Phillies baseball cards to commemorate their time in Philadelphia.  Oliver hit the trifecta with Phillies cards in the 1985 Donruss, Fleer and Topps sets. I added Jenkins' 1966 Topps rookie card to my collection a few Christmases ago and this card has had a number of reprinted versions over the years.

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: May 13th to May 14th

Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35 and 7:05
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

Phillies 13-19, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Nationals
Nationals 22-12, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (0-2, 5.40), Jeremy Hellickson (4-1, 3.49), Vince Velasquez (2-3, 5.94)
Nationals Probables:  Tanner Roark (3-1, 3.46), Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 2.64), Max Scherzer (4-2, 2.59)

At the Ballpark:  With the rain out yesterday, the Phillies and Nationals will play a split double header on Sunday.  In the first game, the first 5,000 fans will receive a Mother's Day carnation and both teams will wear special Mother's Day hats and jerseys with pink accents.  Fans attending the second game will receive a Trea Turner bobble head.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .324
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 29
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 7
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 25
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 5

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 2.81
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 35
Saves:  Hector Neris - 3

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Ryan Zimmerman - .393
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 37
Home Runs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 13
RBIs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 34
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 6

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 4
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.59
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 62
Saves:  Shawn Kelley and Blake Treinen - 3

1982 Topps #131

1982 Topps #292

1982 Topps Traded #83T

1982 Topps Traded #104T

1982 Topps Appreciation:  Here's a hodge podge of four former Expos to have played with the Phillies at some point during the 1980s.  Stan Bahnsen actually pitched for the Phillies in 8 games during the 1982 season, compiling a respectable 1.35 ERA over 13 1/3 innings.  I created a Phillies Missing Links card for Bahnsen here.

By the way, this Phillies Missing Links series isn't dead yet.  I have plans to finish up the 23-card set featuring the Phillies Missing Links of the 1990s at some point . . .

Series Preview - Phillies at Pirates: July 22nd to July 24th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:35
PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA

Phillies 44-53, 4th place in the N.L. East, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Pirates 49-46, 3rd place in the N.L. Central, 8 1/2 games behind the Cubs

Phillies Probables:  Zach Eflin (2-3, 4.14), Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.41), Vince Velasquez (8-2, 3.15)
Pirates Probables:  Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.11), Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 6.75), Jameson Taillon (2-1, 3.44)

At the Ballpark:  The first 20,000 fans tonight will receive a Pirates Emoji tee-shirt and tomorrow afternoon's give-away is an oversized Andrew McCutchen Topps card.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a set of Josh Harrison wall decals.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .282
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 51
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco - 18
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 18
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 12

Wins:  Vince Velasquez - 8
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 3.84
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 111
Saves:  Jeanmar Gomez - 26

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Starling Marte - .313
Runs:  Gregory Polanco - 53
Home Runs:  Andrew McCutchen - 14
RBIs:  Gregory Polanco - 51
Stolen Bases:  Starling Marte - 33

Wins:  Jeff Locke and Jon Niese - 8
ERA:  Jon Niese - 4.89
Strikeouts:  Francisco Liriano - 106
Saves:  Mark Melancon - 28

1970 Topps #141

1970 Topps #166

1970 Topps #264

1970 Topps #643

1970 Topps Appreciation:  We've got a series coming up with a non-expansion team, which means it's time to look back on some cards from the 1970 Topps set with both Pirates and Phillies conections.  With the exception of Johnny Jeter, the other four players featured on these cards would go on to spend parts of their careers with the Phillies.

Dave Cash was traded by the Pirates to the Phillies in October 1973 for pitcher Ken Brett.  As I wrote in a Pirates series preview post a few years ago:  He'd make an immediate impact on the Phillies, playing in all 162 games in both 1974 and 1975 and making the National League All-Star team three years in a row.  In 484 games with the Phils, Cash hit .296 and his positive attitude was a huge contributing factor to the team's pennant winning 1976 season.  Following the 1976 season, Cash left via free agency, signing with the Expos.

I originally covered the other three future Phillies in another Pirates series preview post:  Of the players featured here, I know the least about Jose Pagan and I was surprised to see he accumulated a solid 15-year career as an occasional starting shortstop and utility infielder.  Pagan played in just 46 games for the 1973 Phillies at the very end of his career.  Prior to that, he spent eight seasons with the Pirates (1965-1972) and parts of seven seasons with the Giants (1959-1965).

Pagan, Richie Hebner and Al Oliver were all teammates on the World Champion 1971 Pirates club.  Hebner joined the Phillies for two seasons in 1977 and 1978, and Scoop spent a brief time with the Phils in the summer of 1984.

These repetitive series preview posts make me anxious to move onto a different era of Phillies baseball for the 2017 season.  I had originally pegged the 1971 Topps design as the early favorite for the 2017 Chachi set and by extension the 2017 series preview posts.  But I'm starting to yearn for something from the 1980s or perhaps even the early 1990s.  The 2017 Chachi Set Planning Committee will have to meet soon to ponder this crucial decision further.

Dodgers at Phillies: August 4th to August 6th

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Dodgers 60-45, 1st Place in the N.L. West, 3 games ahead of the Giants
Phillies 41-65, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 15 games behind the Mets

Dodgers Probables:  Alex Wood (7-6, 3.54), Brett Anderson (5-6, 3.14), Zack Greinke (10-2, 1.41)
Phillies Probables:  Jerome Williams (3-8, 6.36), Aaron Harang (5-11, 3.97), David Buchanan (2-5, 6.44)

At the Ballpark:  On Thursday afternoon, all fans will receive a Pride of the Phillies print featuring the recently dedicated Phillies Mural.  Kids can also run the bases after Thursday's game.

Dodgers Leaders
Average:  Justin Turner - .323
Runs:  Adrian Gonzalez - 59
Home Runs:  Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson - 21
RBIs:  Adrian Gonzalez - 61
Stolen Bases:  Jimmy Rollins - 8

Wins:  Zack Greinke - 10
ERA:  Zack Greinke - 1.41
Strikeouts:  Clayton Kershaw - 192
Saves:  Kenley Jansen - 19

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .283+
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 40+
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 18
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 60
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 15+

Wins:  Ken Giles and Aaron Harang - 5*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 3.97*
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 76*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 2^

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with a .298 batting average, 49 runs and 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins, 3.64 ERA and 137 strikeouts
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Naitonals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

1985 Topps Traded #88T

1985 Topps #130

1985 Topps Appreciation:  On August 20, 1984, I tuned in to watch the Phillies-Giants game and paid no mind when Harry Kalas mentioned that Al Oliver was on deck.  I was probably sorting baseball cards at the time and was only half paying attention.  Oliver was the Giants first baseman at the time and the mention of his name barely registered.

So imagine my shock and surprise when I looked up and realized that Oliver was coming to the plate wearing the maroon pinstripes of the Phillies!  Before the interwebs, we found out about trades when the TV or radio broadcasters announced them or when we read the Sports page in the morning news paper.  The Phils travelled to San Francisco to open a three-game series with Oliver's Giants and immediately prior to the start of the series the two teams consummated the trade that meant Oliver would be getting dressed in the visitor's clubhouse and not the Giants clubhouse.

Oliver played out the season with the Phillies and was traded to the Dodgers on February 4, 1985 for Pat Zachry.

1983 Fleer Stickers

Not to be confused with the 1983 Fleer Stamps set (which is a good candidate for a future gallery post), the stickers featured here are from the 1983 Fleer Stickers set.  Similar to other awesome sticker/stamp products from this era, the set was designed to be affixed into a sticker/stamp book which could be purchased for roughly a quarter.

And why does Pete Rose look so miserable about meeting up with Al Oliver?

#143

#145

#169

#170

#171

#172

#173

#174

#175

#176

#177

#178

Phillies at Pirates: July 2nd to July 4th

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:35
PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA

Phillies 39-44, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves
Pirates 51-30, 1st Place in the N.L. Central, 2 games ahead of the Cardinals

Phillies Probables:  Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.17), John Lannan (1-2, 4.83), Cole Hamels (2-11, 4.58)
Pirates Probables:  Jeff Locke (7-1, 2.06), Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.76), Gerrit Cole (4-0, 3.70)

At the Ballpark:  There aren't any special giveaways or promotions during this series - just three games between the best team in baseball . . . and the Phillies.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .289

Runs:  Domonic Brown - 43

Home Runs:  Domonic Brown - 21

RBIs:  Domonic Brown - 57

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 20

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 9

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 2.59

Strikeouts:  Cliff Lee - 115

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 15

1973 Topps #37, #659, #2 and #225

1973 Topps Flashback:  Today's flashback features a quartet of players who spent time with both Major League teams from the Keystone State.

Of the players featured here, I know the least about Jose Pagan and I was surprised to see he accumulated a solid 15-year career as an occasional starting shortstop and utility infielder.  Pagan played in just 46 games for the 1973 Phillies at the very end of his career.  Prior to that, he spent eight seasons with the Pirates (1965-1972) and parts of seven seasons with the Giants (1959-1965).  This is his sole mainstream Phillies baseball card appearance.

Pagan, Richie Hebner and Al Oliver were all teammates on the World Champion 1971 Pirates club.  Hebner joined the Phillies for two seasons in 1977 and 1978, and Scoop spent a brief time with the Phils in the summer of 1984.

Bill Robinson was serving his first stint with the Phillies when his 1973 Topps card was released, and he was traded to the Pirates in April 1975 for pitcher Wayne Simpson.  Robinson would win a ring with the 1979 Pirates as their starting left fielder.  Like Pagan, he finished up his impressive career with a short stint with the Phillies in 1982 and 1983.

1984 Topps Phillies - Missing Links

A few years ago, I went through the process of creating Topps Phillies cards for every Phillies player between 1980 and 1988 who didn't make it onto an official card during the year (or years) they played with the club.  Presented here are eight of the 1984 Topps Phillies "cards that never were."  I'd share the card I created for Mike LaValliere, but it's not one of my best.  I'll consider that one to be a work in process until I can find a better picture of Spanky in a Phillies uniform, or until my Photoshop skills greatly improve.

PR1

PR2

PR4

PR11

PR12

PR13

PR14

PR15