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Monday, June 25, 2012

Pirates at Phillies: June 25th to June 28th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05

At the Ballpark:  Monday and Tuesday nights are fireworks nights at the ballpark.  I've only ever attended one Phillies fireworks show, and it was absolutely spectacular.

1979 Topps Flashback:  This is the final meeting of 2012 between these two teams, so I'm featuring the final three Pirates cards from the 1979 Topps featuring players with Phillies connections.

Bill Robinson spent three season (1972-1974) patrolling the Phillies outfield before being traded to Pittsburgh and helping the 1979 Pirates win their fifth and most recent World Championship.  Robinson's eight years with the Pirates were by far the most successful of his 16-year career.  In June 1982, Robinson was shipped back to the Phillies where he finished out his career as a spare outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench.  The Phils released him in June 1983.

1979 Topps #637, #117 and #264
Grant Jackson began his 18-year career with six seasons with the Phillies.  Initially a relief pitcher, Jackson developed into a semi-reliable starting pitcher for the Phils in the late 1960s.  Between 1965 and 1970, he went 23-43 with a 3.99 ERA.  Jackson was traded to the Orioles following the 1970 season in the deal that brought Roger Freed to Philly.  Not counting his 1 game appearance in 1982, Jackson spent five full seasons with the Pirates between 1977 and 1981.  He pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Orioles in the 1979 World Series.

Don Robinson is perhaps best remembered by Phillies fans as the pitcher who surrendered Mike Schmidt's 500th career home run on April 18, 1987.  Robinson faced off against the Phillies quite a bit during his nine-plus seasons with the Pirates (1978-1987) and his four and a half seasons with the Giants (1987-1991).  The Phillies picked up Robinson during their awful 1992 season.  He compiled a 1-4 record and a 6.18 ERA in eight starts before the Phillies released him, ending his Major League career.
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2 comments:

  1. Jim from DowningtownJune 25, 2012 at 9:03 PM

    Jim, I remember watching a Phillies/Pirates game on TV shortly after Robinson was traded back to the Phillies.

    (By that time, both Robinson and Willie Stargell were primarily pinch-hitters, and they must have spent a lot of time sitting next to each other in the dugout.)

    They showed a shot of Stargell seated in the dugout, with the seat next to him left empty (and "reserved" with several towels), as a tribute to his friend and former teammate Robinson.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JimJune 29, 2012 at 3:37 PM

    What a great story. I love hearing about stuff like that.

    ReplyDelete