Thursday, June 4, 2009

1999 Topps #159 Mike Lieberthal

In his 13 seasons with the Phillies, Mike Lieberthal caught in more games (1,139) than any other player in franchise history. Lieby was the Phils' first round draft pick in 1990, and he made his Major League debut with the club on June 30, 1994, following another trip to the DL by Darren Daulton.

His best season by far was 1999, when he hit career highs in games played (145), runs (84), doubles (33), home runs (31) and RBI (96). Mike was named to the NL All-Star team and won his only Gold Glove in '99. Mike's next best season was 2003 (the final year of The Vet), when he hit .313 with 13 home runs and 81 RBI.

In 2006, Mike shared catching duties with Chris Coste, Sal Fasano and rookie Carlos Ruiz. He left the team via free agency following the season, and played the 2007 season with the Dodgers before calling it a career. On June 1, 2008, Lieby signed a one-day contract with the Phillies, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before that day's game, and officially retired as a Phillie.

Did You Know?: On the TV show The Office, Dwight Schrute has a Mike Lieberthal bobble-head on his desk.

2 comments:

Jenna said...

Does Dwight have any other bobble-heads?

Jim said...

I think he has a custom-made Dwight bobble-head?