1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  45
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  For the fifth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company was in the third year of its sponsorship of the set.  Size-wise, the cards lost an eighth of an inch with this set, settling into the 4" x 6" size that has been used for each team-issued photo card set produced by the Phillies as of this writing.

I always thought this was one of the weakest of the team issued sets from the 1990s, and it's a shame since the 1993 squad is really the only team from the 1990s worth remembering.  Some of the cards suffer from strange cropping, dark backgrounds and/or blurry photos.

How Distributed:  As originally detailed in this post from March 2013, the original 35-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium through at least early August.  A five-card update set was available for sale at some point during the second half of the season.  A second 36-card set was sold at the ballpark late in the season which included a Bobby Thigpen card and four photo variations of players included within the original 35-card set.  This second set would have been sold at The Vet at some point after Thigpen's acquisition from the White Sox on August 10th.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards): 

1. Kyle Abbott (#37 - LHP) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP) 4. Bob Ayrault (#53 - RHP) 5. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 6. Juan Bell (#24 - INF) 7. Larry Bowa (#2 - Third Base Coach) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF) 9. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 10. Jose DeLeon (#50 - RHP) 11. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 12. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF)

13. Jim Eisenreich (#8 - OF) 14. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 15. Tyler Green (#28 - RHP) 16. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP) 17. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 18. Pete Incaviglia (#22 - OF) 19. Danny Jackson (#27 - LHP) 20. Ricky Jordan (#17 - 1B) 21. John Kruk (#29 - 1B-OF) 22. Denis Menke (#14 - Hitting Instructor) 23. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 24. Terry Mulholland (#45 - LHP)

25. Johnny Podres (#46 - Pitching Coach) 26. Todd Pratt (#23 - C) 27. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 28. Mel Roberts (#26 - First Base Coach) 29. Mike Ryan (#9 - Bullpen Coach) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Milt Thompson (#25 - OF) 32. John Vukovich (#18 - Dugout Assistant) 33. David West (#40 - LHP) 34. Mitch Williams (#99 - LHP) 35. Phillie Phanatic

Complete First Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Jeff Manto (#30 - INF-C) 2. Roger Mason (#48 - RHP) 3. Kevin Stocker (#19 - INF)

4. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)          5. 1993 Phillies All-Stars

Complete Second Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Darren Daulton (dugout background) 2. Tommy Greene (dugout background) 3. Mickey Morandini (dugout background)

4. Bobby Thigpen (#37 - RHP) 5. Mitch Williams (bright background)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0):  N/A

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (13):  Bell, DeLeon, Eisenreich, Green, Incaviglia, Jackson, Manto, Mason, Pratt, Stocker, Thigpen, West, Mike Williams
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (23):  Abbott, Amaro, Andersen, Ayrault, Batiste, Chamberlain, Daulton (x 2), Duncan, Dykstra, Greene (x 2), Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Morandini (x 2), Mulholland, Rivera, Schilling, Thompson, Mitch Williams (x 2)

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown walking on the field with the green and black Veterans Stadium outfield wall behind him.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A
Other Cards (1):  1993 Phillies All-Stars, featuring Mulholland, Daulton, Fregosi, Kruk and Hollins.

Set Composition:  The original 35-card set includes the entire 25-man opening day roster and adds cards for Kyle Abbott and Ruben Amaro.  Amaro would be called up in mid-June, but Abbott would spend the entire season pitching in the minors.  The four players added to the first update set first appeared with the Phillies between mid-May and early July, with Kevin Stocker being the newest member of the bunch having been recalled on July 7th.

As mentioned above, the second update set only included one new player - Bobby Thigpen.  The reliever was acquired from the White Sox on August 10th in exchange for Jose DeLeon.

Omissions:  Early season roster additions who could have made an appearance in the first update set include Mark Davis, Doug Lindsey, Tim Mauser and Joe Millette.  All spent time with the club prior to Stocker's debut.  Joining the club prior to Thigpen's acquisition, but omitted from the second update set was Paul Fletcher, but he pitched in just one game.  September additions left out entirely were Tony Longmire, Donn Pall, Kevin Foster and Brad Brink.

Variations/Rarities:   Comments on earlier posts and e-mails from fellow collectors have led me to the six cards listed below, which I'm calling Non-Set Variations.  How and why these cards were created and issued is still unknown to me, although it's possible the Mike Schmidt card was created for the Annual Phillies ALS Charity Event, held on August 2nd.  Then again, the card comes with a printed black facsimile autograph, so it's doubtful it would have been created for Schmidt to add his actual signature.

Dale Murphy was released by the Phillies on April 3, 1993.  I originally thought the Davis and Mauser cards would have been created for the ALS event, but Davis was released on July 2nd and Mauser was traded to the Padres for Mason on July 3rd, a month before the cards would have been needed had both players still been with the team.

Non-Set Cards 1. Mark Davis 2. Tim Mauser 3. Dale Murphy

4. Dickie Noles (Blue Cross Blue Shield logo on back)   5. Mike Schmidt (with black facsimile autograph) 6. Kevin Stocker (running)

Also See:  1993 Topps Phillies; 1993 Medford Phillies Variations (March 2013) and Update (April 2013)

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

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

1992 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1994 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

Game 129 - D-Backs Stun Phils in Ugly Comeback

2003 Topps Traded #T98

Diamondbacks 13, Phillies 7
Game 129 - Late Monday Night, August 29th in Phoenix
Record - 72-57, 3rd Place, 10 games behind the Mets

Post-Vacation Catch-Up II, Post 9 of 11

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies blew a 7-0 lead with the Diamondbacks scoring six runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings in this painful, late-night loss.

What It Means:  Woof.

What Happened:  Like most Phillies fans, I went to bed seemingly secure in the knowledge the Phillies would win this contest against the fourth place Diamondbacks.  I was wrong.  Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Andrew Bellatti were the recipients of the damage, although a costly error from Jean Segura meant four of Suarez's six runs allowed were unearned.  Kyle Schwarber had a four-RBI night, which included his 36th home run.

Featured Card:  As a few people pointed out on Twitter, this game was reminiscent of the loss on August 26, 2003 against the Expos.  The Phillies had a 8-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth in that game, and lost 14-10.  Phillies pitchers beat up by the Expos were Vicente Padilla, Terry Adams, Dan Please, Mike Williams and Phillies Room Favorite Rheal Cormier.

Transaction:  The Blue Jays claimed Bradley Zimmer (of) off waivers, returning him to the team where he had started the season.  It seems as if Zimmer was an unofficial rental from the Blue Jays while Brandon Marsh recovered from his leg injuries.  Zimmer appeared in nine games for the Phillies, making five starts in center field, while batting .250 (4 for 16) with a few nice catches in the outfield.

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

Pirates at Phillies: August 26th to August 28th

2000 Topps #22

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #6

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  It's Margaritaville Night on Friday with the first 2,000 fans to purchase special theme tickets receiving a Margaritaville Night Phillies bucket hat.  On Saturday, all kids receive a Nick Castellanos t-shirt and on Sunday all kids receive a J.T. Realmuto back to school cooler bag.

The Phillies Room staff are currently enjoying an offsite late summer training and wellness seminar, and daily posting will return in early September. 

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

1996 Leaf Signature Extended Autographs Mike Williams

Braves 8, Phillies 2
Game 98 - Sunday Afternoon, July 20th in Atlanta
Record - 43-55, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Braves and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick's woes continued as the pitcher was roughed up yet again, and the Phillies couldn't dig out of an early hole.

What It Means:  Just brutal.  There was a lengthy rain delay in the sixth with the Phillies down 6-1, and I was honestly hoping they'd just call the game.

What Happened:  Kendrick's first inning ERA this season decreased to 11.37 after a scoreless first, but then he allowed six total runs in the second and third.  The four Braves runs in the third came on one hit, two walks, two hit batters and an error.  The Phils outhit the Braves 9-8, but had only two runs to show for it.  Both runs came on solo home runs from John Mayberry, Jr. (his 6th) and Marlon Byrd (his team leading 19th).

Featured Card:  As Matt Gelb pointed out in this Tweet, the modern record for the worst first inning ERA by a Phillies pitcher is Mike Williams' 9.93 ERA in 1996.  Kendrick is aiming to shatter that record, and no I will not make a Chachi Record Breaker card to commemorate the event.

2003 Fleer Tradition Update #U152 Mike Williams

6 days away . . . The Phillies Room counts down to the Trade Deadline

July 20, 2003: Mike Williams acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Frank Brooks.

On the day this trade was made, the Phils were 11 games out of first place in the NL East and had six teams ahead of them in the Wild Card standings. For the Phils to have made a run at the Postseason, they probably needed a little more than Mike Williams.

In his second stint with the Phillies, and in his 12th and final Major League season, Mike did not pitch well. In 28 games, Mike went 0-4 with a 5.96 ERA. In 25.2 innings pitched, he allowed 24 hits and 19 walks. That's too many.

If I remember correctly, Mike, along with Jose Mesa, was one of the few active Phillies who did not take the field for the Veterans Stadium closing ceremonies. I was also annoyed at Topps for including Mike in its 2004 Topps Heritage set, even though the Phils had set him loose in October 2003.

1994 Topps #447 Mike Williams

1993 Phillies - Supporting Cast

Uniform Number: 41

1993 Stats: Pitched in 17 games (4 as a starter and 13 as a reliever), with a 1-2 record and a 5.29 ERA.

1993 Notable: His only win came against the Dodgers on July 7th, pitching the final 6 innings of a 20-inning game. (Jim Eisenreich scored on Lenny Dykstra's ground rule double in the bottom of the 20th).

How Acquired: First stint - Drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round of the June 1990 draft; Second stint - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Frank Brooks, July 21, 2003
Phillies Career: 1992-1996; 2003

How Departed: First stint - Granted free agency, December 20, 1996 (Signed with the Boston Red Sox); Second stint - Granted free agency, October 14, 2003 (Signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' organization)

Mike was thisclose to making the Phils' 1993 Postseason roster, but they decided to go with outfielder Tony Longmire instead. His 2nd stint with the Phillies was undeniably a disaster, as he went 0-4 with a 5.96 ERA during the 2003 stretch run.