Saturday, March 7, 2015

2015 Topps Inspired Play #I-5 Cole Hamels & Steve Carlton

Yankees 4, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 4 - Friday Afternoon, March 6th in Clearwater
Record - 1-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels made his first appearance of 2015 as the Phillies lost to the Yankees, 4-1.

What It Means:  Reports indicated that "dozens" of scouts were on-hand to witness Hamels' first start of the spring.  I would think at this point, the Phillies wouldn't entertain a trade for Hamels until closer to the non-waiver trade deadline in July.  Then again, what do I know?

What Happened:  Hamels pitched two scoreless innings, allowing a hit while striking out two.  The Yankees roughed up prospect Mike Nesseth, batting around in the fourth inning and scoring three runs.  Xavier Paul hit a home run for the Phils in the seventh.

Featured Card:  Topps included a 15-card insert set in its Series One release, pairing two players from a specific franchise and calling the set, "Inspired Play."  The set seems unnecessary and the name of the set is fairly ambiguous.  Hamels is paired with Steve Carlton on the card representing the Phillies franchise and if nothing else, it's nice to have a card featuring two of the greatest left-handed pitchers in franchise history.

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