Thursday, July 23, 2009

2009 Upper Deck #801 Clay Condrey

Clay Condrey recently returned from a stint on the disabled list to resume his role as a valuable middle-inning right handed reliever. A benefactor of being in the right place at the right time, Clay is tied for third on the team with 6 wins.

Clay was acquired from the Padres towards the end of Spring Training 2004 in a move completely ignored by most Phillies fans, including me. In 2004, Clay led AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in games started (27) and innings pitched (155). In 2005, Clay was summoned to the Phils on July 21, but unfortunately did not appear in any games with the team before being sent back down on July 24. (His inclusion on the roster was good enough for a Chachi card however, and Clay appears as card #43 in the inaugural Chachi set).

Clay was shuttled back and forth between the Phillies and AAA in 2006 and 2007, getting the call to the big leagues seven different times over the two year period. In Spring Training 2008, Clay set a personal goal of being on the Phils' big league roster from Opening Day through the end of the season. He accomplished his mission by making it not only to the end of the regular season, but by being a contributor on the Phils' Postseason roster.

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