Game 119 - Twins Pitching, Home Plate Ump Dominate Phils

1989 Score #357

Twins 3, Phillies 0
Game 119 - Sunday Afternoon, August 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-54, 2nd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't overcome the Twins' pitching or a rookie home plate umpire in this 3-0 defeat.

What It Means:  This was an extremely anti-climatic end to the 10-game homestand that saw the Phillies go 6-4 with a no-hitter thrown, a blow-out in the opener against the Twins, and good vibes from Alumni Weekend.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez battled through 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight.  The Phillies' offense couldn't get anything going against Sonny Gray and four Twins' relievers, managing only five hits, and striking out 11 times.  In the seventh, the Phillies loaded the bases with one out, but Kyle Schwarber popped up and Alec Bohm struck out looking to end the threat.  The called third strike on Bohm was at least a few inches inside, leading to Bohm's ejection by the home plate umpire.  Manager Rob Thomson would follow Bohm with his own ejection an inning later.

Featured Card:  This game was a bummer, but the pregame ceremony honoring returning alumni from the 1983 and 1993 National League Championship teams was awesome.  My all-time favorite player, Bob Dernier, was a big part of the weekend, signing as many autographs as requested and spending an inning in the broadcast booth during this game.

Transaction:  The Phillies swapped bullpen arms, recalling Luis Ortiz (rhp) from the IronPigs and sending Yunior Marte (rhp) back down.

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

Game 118 - '83 and '93 Phillies Return for Alumni Weekend

Twins 8, Phillies 1
Game 118 - Saturday Night, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-53, 2nd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker and Gregory Soto were hit hard in this 8-1 loss to the Twins, and the Phillies offense went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

What It Means:  A series win is still a possibility with Ranger Suarez on the mound for the Phillies this afternoon.

What Happened:  On the field, after the first pitch was thrown, not much happened from the Phillies' perspective.  Off the field, and prior to the game, several Wall of Famers returned to Philadelphia to induct three more members - former general managers John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter and the newly elected Hall of Famer Scott Rolen.  It was a lackluster event, given Rolen wasn't able to attend and the election of two former executives to the Wall of Fame didn't exactly induce a strong emotional reaction.  In the Hall of Fame Club, Doug and I braved the crowds and autograph seekers to once again load up on signatures for Doug's Quinn/Carpenter/Rolen Wall of Fame print.  The key above shows who signed the newest treasure in his collection.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Fellow collector Rick and his wife were kind enough to save us a spot at the front of the club entrance line, and we quickly staked our territory outside the alumni suite in the Hall of Fame Club level.  As has been the case in recent years, many of the returning players took their time and honored all autograph requests, sometimes signing several things for the same collector.  Stand-outs included Tony Longmire, Kevin Gross, Steve Jeltz and my personal favorite player, Bob Dernier.  Dernier was outside the suite the longest, signing everything, posing for pictures, talking with fans and genuinely seeming to enjoy himself.  Runner-up to Dernier in terms of signing was probably Danny Jackson, who graciously signed everything handed to him and posed for several pictures letting fans model his 1993 National League Champions ring.

Old favorites Mickey Morandini, Dickie Noles, Charlie Manuel and Manny Trillo were there again too and the time these players spend patiently signing dozens of autographs should be appreciated.  Doug's personal highlight was getting Jim Kaat to sign his print as Kaat snuck out a back door of the suite and walked down the hall, largely unrecognized.

Riding home, Doug and I recapped the night and discussed our plans for next year.  He realizes he's reached the age where he's "aged-out" of the cute kid asking for autographs, and as fun as the night is, it's also a bit exhausting.  As he prepares to look at colleges, and depending who the Wall of Fame inductee is next year, we may decide to take 2024 off.  We're both looking forward to the Phillies breaking the seal on the 2008 team and starting to induct some of the players for those team into the Wall of Fame.

As I've done the last few years, I created a limited edition Chachi insert set from photos I took throughout the evening.  My favorite four are featured below, and a second post with the rest of the set can be found here.

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Game 118 (Continued) - Alumni Weekend Chachi Cards

I didn't have enough room to tag everyone in my main game summary post, so here's a continuation post featuring the bulk of the Chachi Alumni Weekend insert cards.  This is always a fun night, and creating these cards is annually a fun project.

Show Report: Authentic Expo, Philadelphia Airport

It was a busy weekend for Phillies fans, with the annual Alumni Weekend again delivering great promotions and festivities at the ballpark and returning players making several autograph appearances throughout the Philadelphia area.  On Saturday morning, Doug and I braved the never-ending roadwork between South Jersey and Philadelphia to drive to the DoubleTree Hilton by the Philadelphia Airport.  A small-ish baseball card and memorabilia show was being held, with the key attraction being several returning players from the 1983 and 1993 National League Champions squads.

We quickly made our way around the room of tables, finding mostly slabbed and overprice Phillies cards, and very little of anything more than a few decades' old.  Luckily, I spotted a cheese box of "Older Baseball Cards" at one table, and came away with a nice stack of 1955 Bowmans and 1959 Topps cards, two sets I'm not yet officially collecting.  (My 1969 Topps blog and set build is on pause until our summer schedules calm down a little.)

The autograph process was slightly disorganized, given all signers were seated in the same medium-sized conference room.  Doug's only goal was getting Ron Reed to sign his Wall of Fame print from last summer, and I took advantage of the timing of Reed's visit, buying autograph tickets to a few favorites of mine signing around the same time.  All four former players we interacted with - Ozzie Virgil, Reed, Sixto Lezcano and Dave Hollins - were gracious with their time and happy to chat with fans.  None of them hesitated when Doug asked if we could take a quick photo.  Overall it was a good experience and if Authentic Expo hosts something similar in 2024, we'll be back.

Game 117 - Phils Offense Explodes on Twins

Phillies 13, Twins 2
Game 117 - Friday Night, August 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-52, 2nd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense continues to heat up, banging out 15 hits and three more home runs in this 13-2 series opening win.

What It Means:  The Phillies have won nine of their last 12 games and six of their last seven.  They have a 4 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card race, 2 1/2 games ahead of the second Wild Card team, the Giants.

What Happened:  The Twins scored first, with Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler hitting two quick home runs off Cristopher Sanchez in the second inning.  But the Phillies powered back in the bottom of the second, plating six runs.  Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto, Johan Rojas, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm and Trea Turner all knocked in runs in the inning.  Turner would add an RBI-double in the fourth to make it 7-2 Phillies, and Nick Castellanos singled home Turner for another run.  Bryson Stott and J.T. Realmuto hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth, and Rojas capped the scoring with his first big league home run in the eighth, off Twins' left fielder, Jordan Luplow.  Luplow had imitated Phillies' closer Craig Kimbrel before delivering the pitch to Rojas, arm bent at an angle prior to entering his "windup."  Sanchez was the beneficiary of the run support, pitching six solid innings and earning his first win of 2023.

Featured Card/Field Report:  All four of us were there, enjoying the offensive outburst from Section C of the Diamond Club.  Pregame, I was happy to catch up with a former college suite mate of mine visiting with his family from Milwaukee.  It was also cool to watch Hall of Famer Jim Kaat throw out a ceremonial first pitch to his former catcher, Bob Boone.  This was the first night of Alumni Weekend, and we'll be back tonight, hoping to add as many autographs as possible to Doug's growing collection.

I achieved a personal milestone at this game.  The Twins were the only one of 30 MLB teams I had never seen in person until last night.  With the Twins off the list, I've now seen all 30 teams live in action.

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2023 Chachi #41 Dylan Covey

#54

Dylan Charles Covey
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  215
Opening Day Age:  31

Born:  August 14, 1991, Glendale, CA
Acquired:  Selected off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers, May 20, 2023

Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible 2023
Major League Teams:  Chicago White Sox 2017-2019; Boston Red Sox 2020; Los Angeles Dodgers 2023; Philadelphia Phillies 2023

Primarily a starting pitcher throughout his career, the Phillies have used Dylan Covey so far this season as a load-bearing middle reliever.  Covey appeared in 71 games with the White Sox and Red Sox between 2017 and 2020, pitching to a 6-29 record with a 6.57 ERA in 71 games, including 45 starts.  He returned to the majors earlier this season, pitching four innings of relief in one game for the Dodgers.  The Phillies claimed him off waivers on May 20th, and he was recalled on May 23rd, taking the bullpen spot of Andrew Bellatti.

He made a spot start on May 28th and was hit hard by the Braves, allowing seven runs (five earned) in just two-thirds of an inning.  In his 14 relief appearances for the Phillies so far this season, he has a 3.20 ERA over 25 1/3 innings with seven walks and 18 strikeouts.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Update #US46
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2017
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  N/A
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  0 as of 8/11/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi #41

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2023 Chachi #40 Erich Uelmen / 2023 Chachi #42 Craig Kimbrel HL

Twins at Phillies: August 11th to August 13th

2014 Topps Heritage #89

2023 Chachi 1965 Topps Missing Links #11

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

At the Ballpark:  It's one of the best (if not the best) weekends of the season at the ballpark, as dozens of Phillies alumni will return for the annual Alumni Weekend celebrations.  Tonight, Jim Kaat will throw out the first pitch to Bob Boone.  On Saturday, the Phillies will honor two of their three Wall of Fame inductees - former general managers John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter.  On Sunday, the Phillies will salute the 1983 and 1993 National League Championship teams, with a pregame ceremony honoring all alumni on hand.  Larry Andersen will throw out a ceremonial first pitch to catcher Ozzie Virgil.

Twins 60-57
1st Place in the A.L. Central, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Guardians

Twins Probables
Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 1.80)
Pablo Lopez (7-6, 3.81)
Sonny Gray (5-5, 3.18)

Twins Leaders
Average:  Carlos Correa - .227
Runs:  Byron Buxton - 49
Home Runs:  Joey Gallo and Max Kepler - 18
RBIs:  Carlos Correa - 53
Stolen Bases:  Willi Castro - 29

Wins:  Joe Ryan - 9
ERA:  Sonny Gray - 3.18
Strikeouts:  Pablo Lopez - 173
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 20

Phillies 64-52
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (0-3, 3.44)
Taijuan Walker (13-4, 3.98)
TBD

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryson Stott - .300
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 68
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 30
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 73
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott and Trea Turner - 22

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 13
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.74

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 155
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 19

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Game 116 - Turner, Casty, J.T. All Homer in Win Over Nats

2023 Topps #475

Phillies 6, Nationals 2
Game 116 - Thursday Night, August 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 64-52, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals collected 10 hits in this game, but the Phillies again used the long-ball to send them to a 6-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phils are a season high 12 games over .500, and they now hold a 1 1/2 game lead over the Giants for the top Wild Card spot.  Alumni Weekend kicks off tonight, as the Phillies welcome the Twins to town for a three-game series.

What Happened:  The game was scoreless until the sixth.  Aaron Nola put two runners on and then was replaced by Matt Strahm.  Strahm gave up an RBI double to Ildemaro Vargas, but escaped further damage.  In the bottom of the sixth, Trea Turner continued to swing a hot bat, hitting a two-run home run to give the Phils a 2-1 lead.  Nick Castellanos would add a two-run home run of his own the following inning, and J.T. Realmuto would get in on the act a few batters later with his two-run home run.  Craig Kimbrel shut down the Nationals in the ninth in a non-save situation to secure the win.

Featured Card:  Here's Turner's first official Topps flagship card, and what should be the first of many given his 11-year contract.

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

2023 Chachi #40 Erich Uelmen

#47

Erich William Uelmen
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Opening Day Age:  26

Born:  May 19, 1996, Las Vegas, NV
Acquired:  Purchased by the Phillies from the Chicago Cubs, January 4, 2023

Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible, 2026
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 2022; Philadelphia Phillies 2023

Erich Uelmen pitched in 25 games last season for the Cubs, all in relief, going 2-1 with a 4.67 and a save in the process.  He started the season with the IronPigs and was recalled on May 16th when Bailey Falter lost his spot in the starting pitching rotation.  Uelmen appeared in one game with the Phillies, pitching one inning on May 19th against his former team, the Cubs.  It did not go well.  He faced eight batters, allowing four runs on three hits and a walk and his current Phillies' ERA is an unattractive 36.00.  The following day, Uelmen would be sent back down to Lehigh Valley with Yunior Marte taking his place in the bullpen.

Uelmen is currently on the 60-day Injured List with the IronPigs, so he may need to wait until next year to improve upon his Phillies ERA.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2018 Bowman Prospect Autographs #PA-EU
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2023 Topps Heritage #493
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  2 as of 8/9/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi New Additions #4

2023 Chachi #40

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

2023 Chachi #39 Ranger Suarez / 2023 Chachi #41 Dylan Covey

Game 115 - LORENZEN THROWS NO-HITTER!

Phillies 7, Nationals 0
Game 115 - Wednesday Night, August 9th in Philadelphia
Record - 63-52, 2nd Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  On an absolutely unforgettable night of baseball, Michael Lorenzen pitched a no-hitter against the Nationals in his home Phillies debut.

What It Means:  Lorenzen threw the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history, the first Phillies no-hitter at Citizens Bank Park since Roy Halladay did in Game 1 of the NLDS on October 6, 2010, and the third Phillies no-hitter overall in the ballpark's history.  Kevin Millwood threw the first no-hitter at the ballpark back on April 27, 2003, a game I attended with my Dad.

What Happened:  Amazingly enough, the no-hitter wasn't the only storyline.  The Phillies took an early 3-0 lead following Bryce Harper's RBI double in the first and Nick Castellanos' 199th career home run a batter later.  Weston Wilson was making his big league debut following seven seasons in the minor leagues, starting in left field.  In the second inning, Wilson connected for a long home run off Nationals' starter MacKenzie Gore in a fairly emotional moment.  We thought that would easily be the game highlight, but we were wrong.  Wilson ended the night with his home run, a pair of walks, a stolen base and three runs scored.

In the third, Castellanos launched his second home run, and the 200th of his career, to make it 5-0, Phillies.  A few more runs would score while the ballpark crowd, 30,406 of us, began to realize the Nationals had a big zero under the H on the scoreboard.  Lorenzen went to work, efficiently getting through the seventh and eighth, and then emerging to a loud standing ovation in the top of the ninth.  Lane Thomas grounded out, Joey Meneses struck out looking and Dominic Smith lofted a fly ball to rookie center fielder Johan Rojas, who easily tracked and caught it for the final out of the game.  What an incredible night!

Featured Cards:  It was going to be Wilson, without a doubt, until Lorenzen made history.  I decided to create Highlight cards for both.

Field Report:  By happenstance and pure luck, my wife Jenna and I were there.  We had had tickets for an early season game that had been delayed for several hours by rain.  The Phillies offered all fans with tickets to that game two free tickets to an upcoming game as a goodwill gesture and I randomly picked this early August contest against the Nationals.  Up until a day ago, I was supposed to be on a Wednesday night flight for an impromptu work trip.  With too many conflicts to make the work trip feasible, I canceled that flight and left it up to Jenna if she wanted to go to the Wednesday night Phillies game instead.  We already knew we wouldn't actually be sitting in our seats in Section 419, and we'd likely leave after five or six innings.  Jenna said she wouldn't mind going, so we went.

We leisurely spent the first four-plus innings watching the game on overhead TVs inside Pass and Stow, cheering with the waning bar crowd after Wilson hit his first big league home run and following both of Castellanos' home runs.  Somewhere around the fifth inning, we made our way over to the Yuengling Beer Garden in Section 107, where we had planned to watch an inning or two more before heading home.  Looking at the scoreboard in the sixth inning, I told Jenna we weren't going anywhere just yet.  We counted down the remaining outs needed, with Jenna capturing the video above of the final out.

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2023 Chachi #51 Weston Wilson / 2023 Chachi #54 Trea Turner HL

2023 Chachi #39 Ranger Suarez

#55

Ranger Jose Suarez
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  217
Opening Day Age:  27

Born:  August 26, 1995, Piedecuesta, Venezuela
Acquired:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent, April 1, 2012

Contract Status:  Free agent, 2026
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2018-2023

World Series Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022

Ranger Suarez made his debut for the Phillies on July 26, 2018, earning the win with five gutsy innings against the Reds.  Current teammate Michael Lorenzen was the losing pitcher in that game.  After a solid year in 2019 in which he appeared in 37 games in relief, Suarez made just three appearances in 2020 after battling injuries and Covid.  He's been an integral part of the Phillies pitching staff since sticking around for good beginning in 2021.  Last season, Suarez pitched in a career-high 155 1/3 innings and was 2-5 with a 4.01 ERA in 15 starts.  He'd dominate in the postseason, appearing in five games and going 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and one save over 14 2/3 innings pitched.

2018 Chachi #46

2019 Chachi Photo Night #11

2020 Chachi #45

2021 Chachi #45

2022 Chachi #17

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2018 Bowman Chrome Prospects Autographs #CPA-RS
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  2019, 2022-2023
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2023 Topps #642
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  27 as of 8/8/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #46
2019 Chachi #47
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12
2019 Chachi Photo Night #11
2020 Chachi #45
2021 Chachi #45 
2022 Chachi #17

2023 Chachi #39

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

2023 Chachi #38 Jeff Hoffman / 2023 Chachi #40 Erich Uelmen