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Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Franco's Slam Welcomes Back #JRoll

2015 Topps Archives #85
Phillies 6, Dodgers 2
Game 107 - Tuesday Night, August 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 42-65, 5th Place, 15 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  On the night Jimmy Rollins returned to Philadelphia, Maikel Franco hit a grand slam in the seventh inning that led to the Phillies win.

What It Means:  Rollins received a lengthy standing ovation when he was announced as the Dodgers first batter in the first inning.  He struck out in that first plate appearance against Jerome Williams, but he'd go on to collect a pair of hits.  He'd come to the plate as the potential tying run in the eighth but was called out on strikes (on a 100mph fastball from Ken Giles) to end the inning.

What Happened:  When the game began, it was all about the return of the franchise's all-time hits leader.  But the Phillies bats came through again and ultimately the game wasn't about Rollins but about this 2015 Phillies team that is suddenly fun and exciting to watch.  Odubel Herrera doubled in the third to score Cesar Hernandez and get the Phillies on the board.

Franco's first career grand slam came in the seventh after a bizarre play that was ruled a balk on pitcher Alex Wood.  Giles was called on in the eighth to record his first career four-out save.

Featured Card:  Franco gets the honors, although the featured card could have gone to Giles.  This is Franco's card from this year's Topps Archives set, which uses the design of the original 1957 Topps set.

Field Report:  I took my oldest son Doug to this game to welcome back Rollins.  It was exciting to share Rollins' return with him and even more exciting to jump up and down with him when Franco hit his slam.  I'm now a respectable 5-5 in Phillies games I've attended this season.

Rollins tips his cap to the fans in the first inning

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