Game 28 - Winning Streak Snapped at One; Topper's Last Game

Philadelphia Phillies	2
Atlanta Braves	6

2024 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Sunday Afternoon, April 26th

Truist Park - Atlanta, GA
9-19, Tied for 4th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies managed two hits in a lifeless loss against the Braves, dropping them to an unsightly 9-19 for the season.

What It Means:  This was the game when president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski decided he had seen enough and a change at the helm was needed.  He apparently made a call to Joey Cora, recently fired from the Red Sox manager's job, on Sunday morning, asking if Cora wanted the Phillies' job.  

Cora declined and Dombrowski would go to Plan B on Tuesday morning, dismissing Rob Thomson and naming Don Mattingly interim manager for the remainder of the season.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola allowed all six runs in 4 2/3 innings.  He gave up a pair of home runs in the outing that ultimately cost Thomson his job.  Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run home run in the eighth, accounting for the only Phillies offense for the day.

Featured Card:  Fare thee well, Topper!  Maybe my favorite Phillies manager ever?  I love Larry Bowa, but I was never really a huge fan of his constant temper.  And I came to love Charlie Manuel, but he had a rough start with the club.  For anyone who knows me, it's probably no surprise I'm a huge fan of the "steady as she goes" leadership style and I can appreciate a leader who stays calm when everyone else is panicking.  He leaves with the highest winning percentage (.568) of any Phillies manager since 1900.  

Thomson led the team to the 2022 World Series, and they've competed in the playoffs each year since.  Interim manager Don Mattingly inherits a club that is supposedly built to reach the postseason, but needs to first climb out of the hole they've dug over the first month of the season.

Our oldest son Doug went to the Phillies game on Tuesday night, and I convinced him to stop by the Kids Club kiosk to pick up a few of the Thomson team-issued cards before they removed them from circulation.  The featured card at top is from the little-seen 2024 team-issued photo card set.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall (Coming Soon) / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 22 - Losing Streak Reaches Six

Philadelphia Phillies	1
Chicago Cubs	5

2009 Topps Heritage #465

Monday Night, April 20th

Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
8-14, 4th Place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A shaky start from Aaron Nola, dazzling Cubs defense and the complete absence of any Phillies offense led to this 5-1 loss.

What It Means:  Amazingly enough, the only thing keeping the Phillies out of last place is that the Mets are playing even worse.  The Mets have lost 11 in a row and are a game behind the Phillies in the standings.

What Happened:  Nola was chased in the fifth inning after laboring through the start of the ballgame.  He gave up a three-run home run to Dansby Swanson in the bottom of the second, and the way the Phillies have been playing, the game seemed out of reach at that early stage.  Brandon Marsh singled to start the fourth and Justin Crawford would double him home.  Kyle Schwarber was 0 for 5 with a pair of strikeouts, Alec Bohm was 0 for 3 with some bad at-bats, dropping his season average to .133.  And back-up catcher Rafael Marchan, filling in while J.T. Realmuto is out with a bad back, had a hit to raise his season average to .065.

Featured Card:  Hitting coach Kevin Long hasn't appeared on a baseball card since 2009.  He's been with the Phillies since the 2022 season, and has previously coached with the Yankees (2007-14), Mets (2015-17) and Nationals (2018-21).  Yet he's completely avoided any oddball or team-issued cards.  The Phillies continue to produce a small print run of team-issued photo cards for their coaches, but as far as I  know, they've never produced a card for Long.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall (Coming Soon) / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

2025 Chachi #27 Rob Thomson MG

Opening Day 2025 Age:  61

Born:  August 16, 1963, Sarnia, Canada

Contract Status:  Signed through 2027
Major League Teams (as a manager):  Philadelphia Phillies 2022-25

Major League Teams (as a coach):  New York Yankees 2008-17; Philadelphia Phillies 2018-23

Postseason Appearances:  New York Yankees 2009-12, 2015, 2017; Philadelphia Phillies 2022-25

2025 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

Rob Thomson continues to guide the Phillies to the postseason, and 2025 marked the fourth year in a row Topper had managed in the play-offs.  The club's 96-win season was a high-water mark for Thomson during his tenure, and his lifetime record with the Phillies is now 346-251.  His .580 winning percentage is currently tops all time among Phillies managers to have managed 50 or more games.  Thomson switched his uniform number from #59 to #49, in honor of Ron Guidry, when Jhoan Duran was acquired from the Twins on July 30th.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2009 Topps Heritage #465
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Favorite 2025 Card:  2025 Philadelphia Phillies Kids Club / Club 215
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  10 as of 12/30/25, 2 added in 2025

TCDB Stats:  29 total as of 12/30/25, my 10 cards overall are ranked 3rd, 1st is Rayeveryplayerand76e with 16

Complete Chachi Checklist

2018 Chachi #27
2019 Chachi #27
2019 Chachi Photo Night #10
2020 Chachi #32
2021 Chachi #28

2022 Chachi #30

2022 Chachi #41

2022 Chachi #88 - World Series Game 6

2022 Chachi Fan Appreciation Day #4

2023 Chachi #27

2023 Chachi #45 - All-Star

2023 Chachi #70 - NLCS Game 4

2024 Chachi #27

2025 Chachi #27

2025 Chachi #60 - NLDS Game 1

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2025 Chachi #26 Matt Strahm 

/ 

2025 Chachi #28 Coaches

The Phillies Room: December Notes / Schwarber Signs!

2025 Philadelphia Phillies Kids Club / Club 215

2025 Topps Now #845

2025 Chachi Special Edition #5

2020 Bowman Draft #BD-112

2024 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-YCU

November 24 - Mercado Returns:  The Phillies brought back Michael Mercado (rhp), non-tendered three days earlier, on a minor league contract.

December 9 - Topper Extended:  With rumors swirling Kyle Schwarber was about to re-sign with the Phillies, the team announced manager Rob Thomson's contract had been extended through the 2027 season.  Also happening in the background are ongoing talks with Don Mattingly to join Thomson's staff in 2026 as the Phillies' new bench coach.

December 9 - SCHWARB:  On my way to a work function on Tuesday morning, I received a one-word text from our oldest son Doug: "SCHWARB."  I had to wait until I wasn't driving to better understand the context, but I was excited to read the reports that Schwarber (dh) would be coming back to the Phillies on a five-year deal.  It was made official later that night, with the Phillies bringing back the popular slugger and clubhouse leader on a five-year deal, worth $150 million.  I'm thrilled with this, and I'm also quick to point out to those few balking at the dollars involved that it's not my money, and even if Schwarber is productive for three of the next five years, it's worth it.

December 10 - Rule 5 Draft / Trade with Rays:  As the Winter Meetings came to a close, there were a flurry of activities around the annual rule 5 draft.  The Phillies added a pitcher but lost a former top prospect.  Griff McGarry (rhp) was selected by the Washington Nationals and the Phillies picked up Zach McCambley (rhp) from the Miami Marlins.  In 47 relief appearances last year between Double and Triple-A, McCambley was 2-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 62 innings pitched.

In the minor league portion of the draft, the Phillies lost Carson Taylor (1b) to the Mariners, but picked up Even Gates (rhp) from the Giants, and Austin Murr (of) from the Tigers.

In a separate deal, the Phillies acquired Yoniel Curet (rhp) from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league prospect Tommy McCollum (rhp).  Curet was a combined 3-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 16 appearances, including 14 starts, at three minor league levels in 2025.  The Phillies 40-man roster now stands at 35 players.

December 11 - Doug Turns 19:  Speaking of our oldest son, he spent his 19th birthday with friends and a surprise visit from his girlfriend on the campus of Villanova University.  He continues to make us extremely proud, and we can't wait to have him home for almost a month over the winter break.  I'll probably stop making these annual custom cards for him at some point, but this photo from his final home high school baseball game was too good not to turn into a baseball card.  I posted back in May with some thoughts on his Senior Night, one of the true highlights of the year.

NLDS Game 1 - Offense, Bullpen Stumble in Loss to Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers	5
Philadelphia Phillies	3

Saturday Night, October 4th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Dodgers lead series, 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  The top of the Phillies line-up was 1 for 11 with six strikeouts, while David Robertson and Matt Strahm couldn't contain the Dodgers in the seventh inning in this gut-wrenching 5-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1.

What It Means:  Emphasis on gut-wrenching.

What Happened:  Game 1 starter Christopher Sanchez was locked in until the sixth inning, allowing one hit, a walk and a hit batter through the first five.  In the bottom of the second, the fans got their only real chance to go wild when Alec Bohm drew a lead-off walk, Brandon Marsh singled to center and J.T. Realmuto tripled to the center field wall on a ball Teoscar Hernandez seemed uninterested in cutting off.  Harrison Bader next just missed a home run, settling for a sacrifice fly to score Realmuto. That 3-0 score held until the top of the sixth.  With two outs, Freddie Freeman walked, Tommy Edman singled, and Kiké Hernandez brought them both home with a double to left.

That chased Sanchez (prematurely?) from the game, and Robertson entered.  Robertson got out of that inning but was immediately in trouble in the top of the seventh.  He allowed a lead-off single to Andy Pages and then hit Will Smith to put two runners on.  Matt Strahm replaced Robertson, struck out Shohei Ohtani looking and got Mookie Betts to pop up to third.  Hernandez launched the first pitch he saw from Strahm into the right-center field stands and that was essentially the ballgame.

Ohtani got the win, allowing the three runs on three hits and striking out nine.  Trea Turner (0 for 3), Kyle Schwarber (0 for 4) and Bryce Harper (1 for 4) came up small in the loss, with a combined six strikeouts.

Featured Card:  I hate making these cards when the Phillies lose.

Field Report:  Doug and I watched/agonized over this game from our preferred Section 315.  I reminded him before the game we were lucky to be attending postseason games for the fourth year in a row, to which he responded, like a true Phillies fan, "But we haven't won anything yet."  We did a full, pregame lap of the ballpark, buying a few NLDS souvenirs and choosing Uncle Charlie's Steaks as our playoff dinner.  

As usual, the pregame ceremony was fantastic, the crowd was raucous and the energy levels were high.  Similar to a year ago in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Mets, the crowd fell flat when the Phillies went inning after inning without scoring any more runs.  If all is right with the world, our next game will be NLCS Game 1 against either the Cubs or Brewers.

Transaction:  Garrett Stubbs (c) and Lou Trivino (rhp) were omitted from the postseason roster with the Phillies opting to go with Otto Kemp (inf) and Tim Mayza (lhp).

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2025 Chachi #59 Trea Turner HL / 2025 Chachi #61 NLDS Game 2

Game 73 - Phils Fall Flat Against Fish

Philadelphia Phillies	3
Miami Marlins	8

2025 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

Tuesday Night, June 17th

loanDepot park - Miami, FL
43-30, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jesus Luzardo was rudely welcomed back to Miami, and the Phillies offense struggled in the clutch in this 8-3 loss.

What It Means:  With the series split, these two teams will match up two more times today and tomorrow.  The Phillies will then come home for a crucial weekend series against the first place Mets.

What Happened:  Luzardo departed the game with the Phillies holding a slim 3-2 lead and runners on first and second (via walks) in the top of the sixth inning.  Tanner Banks allowed both inherited runners to score and allowed another run himself, giving the Marlins a 5-3 lead once the inning ended.  Relievers Joe Ross and Michael Mercado allowed the Marlins to pile on with three more runs over the final two innings.

Trea Turner homered again in the fourth.  Johan Rojas and Kyle Schwarber added RBI singles in the fifth, giving the Phillies a temporary lead.

Featured Card:  Manager Rob Thomson benched Nick Castellanos for this game, following what the manager deemed as an "inappropriate" remark from Castellanos after he was removed from the game for a defensive upgrade on Monday.  The benching ended Castellanos' 236-game starting streak, which had been the second longest active streak in baseball.

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #27 Rob Thomson MG

#59 / Robert Lewis Thomson / Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  200
Opening Day Age:  60

Born:  August 16, 1963, Sarnia, Canada

Contract Status:  Signed through 2026

Major League Teams (as manager):  Philadelphia Phillies 2022-24

Major League Teams (as coach):  New York Yankees 2008-17; Philadelphia Phillies 2018-23

Postseason Appearances:  New York Yankees 2009-12, 2015, 2017; Philadelphia Phillies 2022-24

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

Rob Thomson has guided the Phillies into the postseason each of the three years he's managed the team and the hope is he'll guide them to a World Championship in 2025.  Thomson took over 51 games into the 2022 season following the firing of Joe Girardi.  Since then, he's managed the team to a 250-185 record overall with 2024 as the best season by far, with 95 wins.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2009 Topps Heritage #465
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Favorite 2024 Card:  2024 Philadelphia Phillies Kids Club / Club 215
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  8 as of 12/21/24, 2 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2018 Chachi #27
2019 Chachi #27
2019 Chachi Photo Night #10
2020 Chachi #32
2021 Chachi #28

2022 Chachi #30

2022 Chachi #41

2022 Chachi #88 - World Series Game 6

2022 Chachi Fan Appreciation Day #4

2023 Chachi #27

2023 Chachi #45 - All-Star

2023 Chachi #70 - NLCS Game 4

2024 Chachi #27

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

2024 Chachi #26 Matt Strahm / 2024 Chachi #28 Coaches

Game 71 - Phils Falter on Father's Day

Orioles 8, Phillies 3
Game 71 - Sunday Afternoon, June 16th in Baltimore
Record - 47-24, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler gave up a career-high four home runs and the Phillies offense went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position in this 8-3 Father's Day loss to the Orioles.

What It Means:  That ends the London-Boston-Baltimore road trip, with the Phillies going 3-5 over the 11-day stretch.  It will be good to come back home and open a series against the Padres on Monday night.

What Happened:  Wheeler gave up all eight runs and didn't make it out of the fifth inning.  Gunnar Henderson, Colston Cowser, Adley Rutschman and Jordan Westburg accounted for seven of the eight runs scored by the Orioles with their blasts.  The Phillies scored a pair of runs in the fifth on a Nick Castellanos ground out and a Alec Bohm single.  In the seventh, Bryce Harper doubled and Bohm doubled him home for the Phillies' third and final run.  The Phillies loaded the bases in the ninth but Edmundo Sosa struck out swinging to end the game.

Featured Card:  After a frustrating day of questionable strike calls by home plate umpire Mike Estabrook, manager Rob Thomson had had enough.  Garrett Stubbs was seemingly hit by a pitch and awarded first base in the sixth inning, with Estabrook and the umpiring crew reversing the original call.  Thomson came out to argue, going nose-to-nose with the umpire, and earning his first ejection of 2024 and his fourth ejection as a Phillies manager.

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

Game 33 - Turner's Dash Helps Win Game; Phils in First!

2024 Topps Heritage #181

Phillies 4, Giants 3
Game 33 - Friday Night, May 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 22-11, 1st Place, 1/2 game ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Head's up base running from Trea Turner ultimately won the game but will cost Turner some playing time as the Phillies won the series opener over the Giants, 4-3.

What It Means:  In the fourth, Turner singled, stole second and came around to score from second after ball four to Bryce Harper got by catcher Tom Murphy.  Turner's dash from second on the passed ball scored the eventual winning run, but will cost him six weeks with a hamstring injury suffered on the play.

And for the first time since April 11, 2022, the Phillies are in sole possession of first place with a half game lead over the Braves.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola, perhaps struggling after an extra day of rest, labored through four innings, allowing a pair of runs in the first inning after issuing four walks.  The bullpen was solid though, and Jose Alvarado closed things out to earn his sixth save.  Alec Bohm had an RBI single in the third, followed quickly by a two-run single from Brandon Marsh.

Featured Card:  Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Turner, and it's likely Edmundo Sosa sees extra action and Bryson Stott moves back over to shortstop occasionally in the short-term while Turner recovers.

Field Report:  Jenna, Ben and Jenna's parents took in this game from the Diamond Club, getting their first look at the City Connect jerseys in person.  They stopped by the Kids Club kiosk pregame, adding three more cards to our Kids Club/Club 215 baseball card set.  Five down, 16 to go.

Transaction:  On Thursday, it was announced Ricardo Pinto (rhp) had cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley.  Pinto refused the assignment and became a free agent.  Before this game, Yunior Marte (rhp) was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation and Jose Ruiz (rhp) had his contract selected.  Ruiz appeared in 34 games with the Diamondbacks last season and he's a veteran of seven seasons, spending most of his time with the White Sox.

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

NLCS Game 4 - Nightmare in the Desert Continues

Diamondbacks 6, Phillies 5
NLCS Game 4 - Friday Night, October 20th in Phoenix
Series tied, 2-2

One Sentence Summary:  Holding a 5-2 lead and needing seven outs for a Game 4 victory, the bullpen duo of Orion Kerkering and Craig Kimbrel stumbled again and the Diamondbacks stunned the Phillies, winning 6-5.

What It Means:  Just brutal.  Doug and I watched this game from our hotel room in Providence, Rhode Island.

What Happened/Featured Card:  Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies and allowed two runs (one earned) over 2 1/3 innings before yielding to the bullpen.  The Phillies clawed back with a solo home run from Kyle Schwarber in the fourth and an RBI-double from Brandon Marsh in the fifth, tying the score at 2-2.  They took a 4-2 lead in the sixth when Alec Bohm's infield single to third base plated a pair of runners, aided by a throwing error by Diamondbacks' third baseman Emmanuel Rivera.  An insurance run was added in the seventh when Trea Turner's sacrifice fly scored Johan Rojas, who had tripled to reach.

And then everything started to fall apart.  With two outs and runners on first and second, Kerkering entered the game and allowed two straight walks, making it 5-3 Phillies.  In the eighth, Kimbrel gave up a lead-off double to Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. and then a two-run home run to Alex Thomas, tying the score.  He'd give up another single and drill Corbin Carroll to put runners on first and second before departing.  Jose Alvarado entered, gave up an RBI-single to Gabriel Moreno, and the Diamondbacks had a 6-5 lead.  In the bottom of the ninth, Kyle Schwarber laced a two-out double, but Paul Sewald would strike out Trea Turner to end the game and allowing the Diamondbacks to tie the series.

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

2023 Chachi #69 NLCS Game 3 / 2023 Chachi #71 NLCS Game 5

Thomson Manages National League to All-Star Game Win

National League 3, American League 2
All-Star Game - Tuesday Night, July 11th in Seattle

One Sentence Summary:  The National League, managed by Rob Thomson with help from the entire Phillies coaching staff, beat the American League for the first time since 2012, breaking a nine-year losing streak.

What It Means:  I'm getting old.  Our oldest son Doug had a baseball game on Tuesday night, and I was largely disinterested in the game once we returned home.  I recorded the game, watching the pre-game introductions and the first few innings over this past weekend.  I was not impressed.  The All-Star Game uniforms were atrocious, the game was secondary to the on-field interviews and other non-stop antics and I came away missing the All-Star Games of my youth.  I couldn't tell who most of the players were or even what team they were from.

What Happened:  The American League held a 2-1 lead until the Rockies' Elias Diaz hit a two-run home in the eighth to give the National League the lead and eventual win.  Diaz would win MVP honors for his big hit.

Featured Cards:  Thomson, manager of the 2022 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, in case anyone forgot, brought his entire coaching staff and both bullpen catchers with him to Seattle.  In the bottom of the fifth, Nick Castellanos replaced starting center fielder Mookie Betts.  Castellanos had never before appeared in center field during his 10-plus seasons in the majors.  He came to bat in the top of the sixth and struck out swinging against Orioles' All-Star reliever Yennier Cano.  Cano is a player I didn't realize existed until I just typed that sentence.  In the top of the eighth, with another Orioles' mystery reliever on the mound, Felix Bautista, Castellanos led off with a walk.  Castellanos would get to second on a wild pitch before Diaz hit his eventual game-winning home run.

In the bottom of the ninth, Thomson called on his closer, Craig Kimbrel, to record the final three outs.  Wander Franco flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. struck out swinging.  Kimbrel then walked Kyle Tucker and Julio Rodriguez before striking out the Guardians' Jose Ramirez to end the game and secure the win.

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

2023 Chachi #44 J.T. Realmuto HL / 2023 Chachi #48 Johan Rojas

Game 69 - Phils Win Again; Topper Wins 100th

2023 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards #59

Phillies 5, Diamondbacks 4
Game 69 - Thursday Afternoon, June 15th in Phoenix
Record - 35-34, 3rd Place, 8 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Diamondbacks traded early runs in this game, with the Phillies ultimately hanging on to win by a 5-4 score.

What It Means:  That's 3 out of 4 wins in Phoenix against a first place Diamondbacks club.  The Phillies are seemingly on a roll, and they'll look to continue their winning ways over the weekend in Oakland.

What Happened:  The Diamondbacks scored all their runs in a tough third inning for Aaron Nola, with the big blow a three-run home run from Ketel Marte to give the Diamondbacks a 4-3 lead.  The Phillies had scored their first three runs on a Bryson Stott solo home run, a Trea Turner RBI single and an Alec Bohm RBI double.

Now trailing, Kyle Schwaber tied the game with an RBI double in the fourth to drive home Garrett Stubbs.  Bryce Harper singled Schwarber home to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.  Nola would depart in the seventh inning, with Gregory Soto, Seranthony Dominguez and Craig Kimbrel handling the rest.  Kimbrel recorded his 10th save.

Featured Card:  Manager Rob Thomson recorded his 100th win.  Of the franchise's 56 managers, he's tied for sixth for reaching the 100 win plateau the quickest (180 games) and he's the fastest to the mark since Pat Corrales in 1983.  

Unfortunately, it seems the Phillies won't be selling any photo card sets this year, which is a shame as collectors such as myself have looked forward annually to the team-issued set.  Cards are apparently only available individually, and they were used as identification in grab bags sold at the recent ALS Night.  This is Thomson's card from this year's set, and I sincerely hope the Phillies reverse course on their decision to not sell complete sets in 2023.

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

2023 Chachi #27 Rob Thomson MG

#59

Robert Lewis Thomson
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  200
Opening Day Age:  59

Born:  August 16, 1963, Sarnia, Canada

Contract Status:  Signed through 2024

Major League Teams (as manager):  Philadelphia Phillies 2022-2023

Major League Teams (as coach):  New York Yankees 2008-2017; Philadelphia Phillies 2018-2023

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 2009; Philadelphia Phillies 2022

The man they call Topper joined Gabe Kapler's coaching staff prior to the 2018 season, and he stuck around following Kapler's firing and the hiring of Joe Girardi.  As the team's bench coach between 2018 and early 2022, Thomson was also in charge of coordinating spring training activities.  He was named the club's interim manager on June 3, 2022, following the dismissal of Girardi, and Thomson guided the Phillies to a 65-46 record and its first postseason appearance since 2011.

The Phillies stunned the Cardinals, Braves and Padres to advance to the World Series, losing to the Astros in six games.  Thomson joins Pat Moran, Eddie Sawyer, Dallas Green, Paul Owens, Jim Fregosi and Charlie Manuel as Phillies managers to reach the World Series with the club.

2018 Chachi #27

2019 Chachi Photo Night #10

2021 Chachi #28

2022 Chachi #41

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2009 Topps Heritage #465
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2023 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards #59
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  6 as of 6/7/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #27
2019 Chachi #27
2019 Chachi Photo Night #10
2020 Chachi #32
2021 Chachi #28

2022 Chachi #30

2022 Chachi #41

2022 Chachi #88 - World Series Game 6

2022 Chachi Fan Appreciation Day #4

2023 Chachi #27

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

2023 Chachi #26 Seranthony Dominguez / 2023 Chachi #28 Phillies Coaches

World Series Game 6 - Phils' Bats Go Quiet as Astros Win World Series

Astros 4, Phillies 1
World Series Game 6 - Saturday Night, November 5th in Houston
Astros win series, 4-2

One Sentence Summary:  For the third consecutive game, the Phillies offense was almost completely quiet and a three-run home run off the bat of Yordan Alvarez in the sixth proved to be the back-breaker in this 4-1 loss to the Astros.

What It Means:  It's Saturday night for a few more minutes and I'm going to power through this game summary post.  I'm sure in time I'll appreciate the October/early November run the 2022 Phillies just gave us way more than I do right now, but I'm still reeling from the little mistakes and missed opportunities that ultimately sunk the team after they held what appeared to be a commanding 2-1 advantage in the World Series.  There were too many strikeouts, too many runners left on base, too many defensive miscues and one huge questionable decision by manager Rob Thomson to bring in Jose Alvarado in this game with Zack Wheeler seemingly cruising.

Still, there's no way I ever imagined I'd be typing up a World Series Game 6 summary back in late May when the team was 22-29, costing Joe Girardi his job.  There's no way I could have predicted back in late June after the Phils lost Bryce Harper with a broken hand that I'd take my family to an NLDS game and watch Rhys Hoskins spike his bat following a dramatic home run.  And I certainly didn't foresee Harper going nuclear in the NLCS and delivering a World Series berth following a game-winning home run against the Padres.

I described losses back in September with words and phrases such as "'Pen implodes," "Phils fall again," "Phils still flat," and "Collapse seems imminent."  And then a little over a month later, I got to take my family to World Series games, temporarily losing my hearing following a Game 3 home run barrage.  I will remember some of these moments forever - the ninth inning comeback in the Wild Card series against the Cardinals, the clinching game of the NLDS against the Braves, buying postseason merchandise for every series, Doug devouring his standard Bull's BBQ order every night we went, Ben proudly waving his red rally towel, my whole family together, cheering the Phillies, and the five home runs on Tuesday night.  I wanted two more wins, and I wanted a few more memories, but the wins we did get and the memories I made will have to be enough for now.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Wheeler and Astros' starting pitcher Framber Valdez were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first five frames, putting zeroes on the board each half-inning.  In the top of the sixth, Kyle Schwarber drilled a lead-off, line drive home run to right field to give the Phillies a slim 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the sixth, needing just 12 more outs to send the series to a Game 7, Wheeler hit Martin Maldonado with a pitch, with Maldonado clearly leaning over the plate.  Jose Altuve grounded into a fielder's choice, and Jeremy Pena followed with a single to put runners on the corners with one out.

With just 70 pitches thrown and seemingly in a groove, Wheeler was removed by manager Thomson in favor of Alvarado.  The decision immediately backfired when Alvarez hit his three-run home run, an absolute bomb over the center field batter's eye, to give the Astros a 3-1 lead.  Another Astros run would score, but honestly it didn't really matter.  Save a ninth inning single from J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies went down quietly over the final three innings, with Nick Castellanos popping out in foul territory to right fielder Kyle Tucker to end the game, and the Phillies' season.

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2022 Chachi #87 World Series Game 5 / 2022 Chachi #89 J.T. Realmuto HL - Gold Glove

NLDS Game 1 - Castellanos, Seranthony Star in Opening Win

Phillies 7, Braves 6
NLDS Game 1 - Tuesday Afternoon, October 11th in Atlanta
Phillies lead series, 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  Nick Castellanos starred with his bat and glove, while Seranthony Dominguez pitched two shutout innings of relief in this nerve-wracking 7-6 series opening win against the Braves.

What It Means:  This win was huge.  With Zack Wheeler on the mound for Wednesday afternoon's game, the Phillies now have a great chance of bringing the series back to Philadelphia on Friday up 2-0.

What Happened / Featured Card:  The Phillies scored early and often against Braves' starter Max Fried, and they did it with singles and some small ball.  Castellanos and Alec Bohm drove home the first two runs with RBI singles in the first.  An Alec Bohm sacrifice fly and a Jean Segura RBI-single made it 4-1 in the third.  Castellanos singled home two more runs in the fourth with Edmundo Sosa adding the Phillies' seventh run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.  The offense benefitted from a pair of sacrifice bunts (from Bryce Harper and Matt Vierling) along with the two sacrifice flies from Bohm and Sosa.  Castellanos and Harper each had three hits.

Ranger Suarez didn't have it, although he managed to wiggle out of bases loaded jams in both the first and third innings.  He departed after just 3 1/3 innings, having allowed three hits, a run and an uncharacteristic five walks.  Dominguez inherited a 7-2 lead in the sixth, and he mowed down the Braves' heart of the order with two perfect innings, including three strikeouts.  Jose Alvarado did his thing in the eighth, and new closer Zach Eflin once again made it interesting in the ninth.

Eflin allowed a three-run home run to Matt Olson to bring the Braves to within a run.  With one out, Castellnaos made a diving catch of a line drive hit by William Contreras to preserve the lead.  Travis d'Arnaud then grounded out to shortstop Sosa to end the game and give the Phillies an early series lead.

Transactions:  There were a few notable moves before this game.  On Monday's off-day, Rob Thomson had the interim title removed as the Phillies announced they had signed the popular manager to a two-year contract.  With the team reaching the playoffs, and Thomson guiding them to a 64-46 record after the firing of Joe Girardi, there was no way he wasn't coming back in 2023.

For the team's NLDS roster, Nick Nelson (rhp) and Dalton Guthrie (of) were added, replacing David Robertson (rhp) and Nick Maton (inf-of).  Robertson, a big part of the Phillies' bullpen, strained his right calf when he jumped up to celebrate Bryce Harper's home run in NLWCS Game 2 against the Cardinals.

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2022 Chachi #70 NLWCS Game 2 / 2022 Chachi #72 NLDS Game 2

Game 160 - PHILS CLINCH WILD CARD!!

Phillies 3, Astros 0
Game 160 - Monday Night, October 3rd in Houston
Record - 87-73, 3rd Place, 13 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Behind the fantastic pitching of Aaron Nola and two home runs from Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies defeated the Astros, 3-0 and clinched their first postseason berth since 2011.

What It Means:  The Phillies have gone through some incredibly lean years, managerial stints from Ryne Sandberg, Pete Mackanin, Gabe Kapler, Joe Girardi and now Rob Thomson, rebuilding years where watching the games on a nightly basis became a chore, and now they're back in the postseason.  The Brewers miraculously pulled out their game against the Diamondbacks, meaning it was solely in the Phillies' hands to reduce their magic number from one to zero.  Doug and I stayed up to watch the final out, the on-field celebration and the clubhouse shenanigans because the last time the Phillies were in the postseason, Doug was almost five and he has no recollection of what was an annual occurrence during his first five years.  He mentioned last night, "I've never seen this before," and I had to remind him he in fact had.  It was a great night, a happy night, and I'm excited to see how far this team can go.

What Happened:  Nola was perfect through 6 2/3 innings before Jordan Alvarez singled sharply to right, ending the perfect game and the no-hit bid.  Jose Alvarado entered shortly thereafter, pumping fastball after fastball to record the next four outs, striking out three in the process.  Zach Eflin, the second longest tenured Phillies player behind Nola, entered the ninth to attempt his first career save, and he needed just 14 pitches to end the game and end the playoff draught.

Schwarber had homered on the very first pitch of the game from Astros' starter Lance McCullers, his 45th of the year, and he'd add his 46th in the eighth inning.  In between those two shots, Bryson Stott lined a home run just over the right field wall.

After 11 years of not reaching the postseason, after all the losses (both by the Phillies and personally), all the changes, and getting through the pandemic, this win felt wonderful.

Featured Card:  I'm happy to create my first postseason clinch card in 11 years!  Just like I did back in the day, I'll create a new Chachi card for each playoff and World Series game the Phillies play.

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2022 Chachi #67 Chris Devenski / 2022 Chachi #69 NLWCS Game 1

Game 152 - Fans Left Feeling Unappreciated

Braves 8, Phillies 7 (11 Innings)
Game 152 - Sunday Afternoon, September 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 83-69, 3rd Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell in 11 innings as the Braves simply outlasted them in this home regular season finale.

What It Means:  The Reds defeated the Brewers, dropping the Phillies' Magic Number to 8.

What Happened:  Kyle Schwarber, who addressed the crowd before the game, hit two home runs to raise his season tally to 42.  Rhys Hoskins stayed hot with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.  Brandon Marsh had three hits, but a misplayed fly ball in the first inning led to the Braves' first run.  The Phillies held a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth, and with two outs and two strikes on the batter, David Robertson uncorked a wild pitch allowing the tying run to score.  The Phillies had runners in scoring position in both the ninth and tenth innings, but couldn't get them home.

Andrew Bellatti gave up a pair of runs in the 11th, and while the Phillies scored one run in the bottom half of their inning, it wasn't enough to stop the Braves.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  As has become an annual (non-pandemic season) tradition, we enjoyed this game as a family from the Diamond Club.  Doug almost immediately snagged a signature from Aaron Nola upon our arrival, as Nola was graciously signing from the corner of the Phillies' dugout.  Ben, Jenna and I found Milt Thompson and Mickey Morandini by the Ashburn Alley entrance, but we were too slow to get pictures with the Phillies' broadcast team stationed at the first and third base gates.  Interim manager Rob Thomson signed for a number of fans before the game too, with Doug adding his signature to the sweet spot of a game-used baseball.  And right before the start of the National Anthem, Doug made his way down to the seats along the right field foul line to secure his biggest autograph of the day from J.T. Realmuto.

The game itself was mostly exciting, but ultimately disappointing.  We waited through the entire two-plus hour rain delay to witness the team's demise in the 11th inning, and we were somewhat disappointed when no players took the field following the game as they've done in years' past.  We'll either be back to Citizens Bank Park in three weeks for the NLDS or in six months for the 2023 home opener.  Hopefully it's the former.

Transaction:  Before the game, Brad Hand (lhp) was placed on the injured list with left elbow tendinitis and Chris Devenski (rhp) had his contract selected from the IronPigs.  Johan Camargo (inf) was designated for assignment to make room for Devenski on the 40-man roster.

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