Game 59 - 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter #295 Zack Wheeler

Rays 4, Phillies 3
Game 59 - Saturday Night, September 26th in St. Petersburg
Record - 28-31, 3rd Place, 7 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A lack of clutch hits and a few mistakes by Zack Wheeler were the difference in this 4-3 loss to the Rays.

What It Means:  With the Giants also losing to the Padres, somehow the Phillies are still a possibility for the postseason.  Do they deserve to reach the playoffs?  Probably not.  But if the Phillies win AND both the Giants and Brewers lose, they'll take the 8th and final seed in the crowded N.L. playoff structure.  Today will either be their final game of 2020, or they'll open up a three-game series with the Dodgers on Wednesday.  Either way, we'll have our answer by around 6pm this afternoon.

What Happened:  The Phillies offense went 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position and grounded into two rally-killing double plays.  Andrew McCutchen went 4 for 5 and fell a triple short of the cycle.  Ironically enough, he originally had a triple but the umpires ruled his ball had become wedged in the Rays' outfield wall and sent him back to second with a ground-rule double.  Alec Bohm and Jean Segura each had multi-hit days.

Featured Card:  Wheeler battled through seven innings of work, throwing 118 pitches and allowing four runs on seven hits.  He struck out eight but unlike the Phillies, the Rays got key hits when they needed them most.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 58 - Wake Me Up When September Ends

Rays 6, Phillies 4
Game 58 - Friday Night, September 25th in St. Petersburg
Record - 28-30, 3rd Place, 6 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Up 4-1 in the fifth, the Phillies couldn't add on runs or hold off the Rays in this crushing 6-4 loss.

What It Means:  It means so much.  First and foremost, it means I'm looking forward to taking a break from the Phillies.  This has been a frustrating season in more ways than one, and going to bed angry at the Phillies most nights can't be great for my mental health.

The loss also guarantees the Phillies won't have a winning season.  They've not enjoyed a winning season since 2011, which is also the year of their last playoff appearance.  And if they can't win the next two games against the Rays AND the Giants win their next two games, the Phillies playoff drought will be the longest in the National League.  

It means we could be watching the final games of Didi Gregorius and more painfully J.T. Realmuto in Phillies uniforms.  Finally, it means General Manager Matt Klentak and team President Andy MacPhail should and hopefully will be out of jobs by mid-October.  It means too much.

What Happened:  Alec Bohm (RBI single) and Bryce Harper (RBI triple and single) paced the offense, but then the Phillies line-up was handcuffed by a strong Rays bullpen from the sixth inning on.  Vince Velasquez gave way to Tommy Hunter in the fifth and Hunter gave up a game-tying home run to Brett Phillips in the sixth.  In the decisive eighth inning, Adam Morgan replaced Connor Brogdon (who had struck out the side in the seventh) and Morgan promptly loaded the bases.  Hector Neris replaced Morgan, allowed a two-run single to Joey Wendle, and the Rays had the lead.

Featured Card:  Ugh.  And of all the teams that could have possibly led to the Phillies' demise this season, it's going to come down to the performance of Gabe Kapler's Giants.  Hard to believe, Harry.

Transaction:  Mickey Moniak (of) and Ramon Rosso (rhp) were optioned to Lehigh Valley.  Ranger Suarez (lhp) was recalled and Spencer Howard (rhp) was activated from the injured list.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

1982 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  35
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  This is the first of eight years during which Tastykake sponsored the Phillies team issued set.  The cards feature black and white pictures, with a mix of action shots and portraits.  Some of the cards include blue facsimile autographs on the fronts, and the backs of all cards are blank.

How Distributed:  The Phillies released two versions of most of these cards.  The first version, and the more readily available version, was released early in the 1982 season and included the Tastykake logo and cards of the coaches and manager with most cards adding a blue facsimile autograph. My best guess is that these cards weren't ever distributed in set form, although I could be wrong.  The cards were most likely handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.

The second version was issued in set form later in the 1982 season and omitted the coaches, the manager, the Tastykake logo and the blue facsimile autographs.  There are 25 cards in this rare issuance, with Bill Robinson replacing Dick Davis as Robinson was acquired from the Pirates on June 15th and Davis was swapped to the Blue Jays on the same day.  The Dave Roberts card shown below is an example of what the cards from this second set look like.  (I'm not sure of the exact make-up of this 25-card set, other than the fact there's a Bill Robinson card and no Dick Davis card.)

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Luis Aguayo 2. Porfi Altamirano 3. Dave Bristol CO 4. Warren Brusstar 5. Marty Bystrom 6. Steve Carlton 7. Larry Christenson       8. Pat Corrales MG 9. Dick Davis 10. Mark Davis 11. Ivan DeJesus 12. Bob Dernier

13. Bo Diaz (action) 14. Ed Farmer 15. Greg Gross 16. Deron Johnson CO       17. Mike Krukow 18. Sparky Lyle 19. Garry Maddox 20. Gary Matthews 21. Len Matuszek 22. Tug McGraw 23. Sid Monge 24. Claude Osteen CO

25. Ron Reed 26. Dave Roberts 27. Pete Rose 28. Dick Ruthven 29. Mike Ryan CO 30. Mike Schmidt 31. Manny Trillo (without hat)       32. Del Unser 33. Ozzie Virgil 34. George Vukovich 35. Bobby Wine CO

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (11):  Altamirano, M. Davis, DeJesus, Dernier, Diaz, Farmer, Krukow, Matuszek, Monge, Roberts, Virgil
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (18):  Aguayo, Brusstar, Bystrom, Carlton, Christenson, D. Davis, Gross, Lyle, Maddox, Matthews, McGraw, Reed, Rose, Ruthven, Schmidt, Trillo, Unser, Vukovich

Manager (1):  Corrales
Coaches (4):  Bristol, Johnson, Osteen, Ryan, Wine
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Surprises:  None, and the player selection is representative of the players who suited up the most for the Phillies in 1982.

Omissions:  Had there been a normal update set, and not the later logo less update set, Bill Robinson would have been a natural inclusion.  Other potential update cards could have been issued for Julio Franco (16 games), Willie Montanez in his return to the club (18 games), Bob Molinaro (19 games) and Stan Bahnsen (8 games).

Variations/Rarities:  The Beckett database entry for this set omits the Bystrom card and adds three cards for a total of 37 cards in the master set. The three cards added are photo variations for Diaz and Trillo, along with a card for ball girl Karen Eberhard.  As fellow collector Rick recently pointed out to me, this Eberhard card shouldn't be included within the set's checklist as a photo of the card shows it has a completely different design.  Also, I'm not sure which versions of the Diaz and Trillo cards are more prevalent or if both versions were printed in equal quantities.

Photo Variations 1. Bo Diaz (portrait) 2. Manny Trillo (with hat)

Second Set, No Tastykake Logo 1. Bill Robinson

Ball Girl Card   1. Karen Eberhard

Also See:  1982 Topps Phillies, 1982 Topps Traded #28T Bob Dernier

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in October 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past five years.

1981 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1983 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Series Preview - Phillies at Rays: September 25th to September 27th

1991 Topps #689

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #26

Friday 6:40, Saturday 7:07 and Sunday 3:10
Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, FL

At the Ballpark:  It's simple, really.  If the Phillies win and a few other teams lose, the Phillies will reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.  If the Phillies lose and a few other teams win, the club will begin its offseason pondering what went wrong and attempting to get back on track in 2021.

Phillies 28-29
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 6 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Vince Velasquez (1-1, 5.46)
Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.67)
Aaron Nola (5-4, 3.06)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Didi Gregorius - .289
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 40
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper -13
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 40
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 12

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.67

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 90
Saves:  Hector Neris and Brandon Workman - 5

Rays 37-20
1st Place in the A.L. East, 5 games ahead of the Yankees

Rays Probables
Charlie Morton (2-2, 4.64)
TBD
TBD

Rays Leaders
Average:  Brandon Lowe - .274
Runs:  Brandon Lowe - 35
Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe - 14
RBIs:  Brandon Lowe - 36
Stolen Bases:  Manuel Margot - 12

Wins:  Pete Fairbanks and Tyler Glasnow - 5
ERA:  Tyler Glasnow - 4.08

Strikeouts:  Tyler Glasnow - 91
Saves:  Nick Anderson - 6

2020 Chachi #53 Adonis Medina

#77
Adonis Medina
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  187
Opening Day Age:  23
Born:  December 18, 1996, Santo Domingo, DR
How Obtained:  Signed as an amateur free agent, May 29, 2014
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020

First Phillies Card:  2017 Bowman Prospects #BP104
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #26
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2019 Bowman Heritage #53P-24

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

26 - Medina baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 9/24/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2020 Chachi #53

When Adonis Medina made his big league debut with the Phillies on September 20th, he became the first wearer of uniform #77 in team history.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 57 - 2020 Topps Total #370 Zach Eflin

Phillies 12, Nationals 3
Game 57 - Wednesday Night, September 23rd in Washington
Record - 28-29, 3rd Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zach Eflin dazzled in the most important start of his career as the Phillies defeated the Nationals and avoided a four-game sweep.

What It Means:  So you're saying there's a chance.  Following the game, the team headed to Tampa with a faint glimmer of hope.

What Happened:  Eflin tossed eight efficient innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out nine.  Bryce Harper, ailing back and all, hit a pair of home runs in the win.  Andrew McCutchen, Didi Gregorius and Andrew Knapp also homered.  Alec Bohm had two more hits.

Featured Card:  Eflin's Topps Total card shows him wearing the all-burgundy Saturday Night Special uniforms the Phillies broke out for one game last season on July 27th.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 56 - 2020 Topps Pro Debut #PD-125 Alec Bohm

Nationals 8, Phillies 7 (Game 2 - 8 Innings)
Game 56 - Tuesday Night, September 22nd in Washington
Record - 27-29, 3rd Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies battled back and sent the game to extra innings, only to have Brandon Workman's performance lead to another brutal loss.

What It Means:  This is most likely the back breaker.  The team's chances of reaching the postseason in 2020 are now slim as this loss dropped them to 10th place in the National League rankings, with only the top 8 teams making the play-offs.

What Happened:  With the score tied 6-6, the Phillies took the lead in the 8th when Phil Gosselin (the ghost runner to start the inning) came around to score on a Roman Quinn bunt and a throwing error from Nationals' third baseman Brock Holt.  Workman allowed a two-run home run to rookie Yadiel Hernandez in the bottom of the inning to give the Nationals the win.  

In his 14 appearances with the Phillies, Workman has been a nightmare.  He's now 1-4 with a 6.92 ERA, having allowed 11 runs on 23 hits and 9 walks over 13 innings pitched.  

Featured Card:  In an otherwise very frustrating season, Alec Bohm has at least provided some promise of the future's potential.  He had two more hits in this game to raise his average to .333.  He leads the entire National League in hits for the month of September.  Bohm is currently first among all N.L. rookies in RBI (22) and average, and second among all N.L. rookies in doubles (10), OPS (.884) and runs scored (23).

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 55 - 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter #280 Jean Segura

Nationals 5, Phillies 1 (Game 1 - 7 Innings)
Game 55 - Tuesday Afternoon, September 22nd in Washington
Record - 27-28

One Sentence Summary:  Sloppy defense and a lifeless offense contributed in equal parts to this devastating 5-1 loss to the Nationals.

What It Means:  Devastating for a few reasons - (1) Poor play wasted an Aaron Nola start when every single one of these games is now a crucial must-win and (2) for what would happen later Tuesday in Game 2.

What Happened:  Nola battled and wasn't helped by his defense.  The Nationals scored in the first on a costly Mickey Moniak misplay, and they'd pile on four more runs in the third.  The Phillies offense managed three hits off Nationals' starter Austin Voth, who entered the game with a 7.17 ERA.

Featured Card:  Jean Segura has had a consistent year while being asked to jump back and forth between second and third base.  His fourth inning home run off Voth was the only Phillies run scored in this game.

Transaction:  The Phillies added Ranger Suarez (lhp) as the 29th man for this double header.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 54 - 2020 Topps #256 Roman Quinn

Nationals 5, Phillies 1
Game 54 - Monday Night, September 21st in Washington
Record - 27-27, 3rd Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies looked sloppy and lifeless in this 5-1 loss to the Nationals.

What It Means:  Following this loss, the Phillies dropped to the eighth seed for the postseason with the Giants and Brewers only a half game back.  With six games remaining, they most likely need to win at least four to see playoff baseball.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler, still battling with his fingernail issue, worked through 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out seven.  The Phillies committed three errors in this game, from Wheeler, Andrew Knapp and Mickey Moniak.  Their lone run scored on a fifth inning balk.

Featured Card:  Roman Quinn (now batting .218) was ejected in the third inning for arguing a called third strike and manager Joe Girardi quickly followed him.

Transaction:  Adonis Medina (rhp) was optioned back to Lehigh Valley and Heath Hembree (rhp) was placed on the injured list with a right elbow strain.  Mickey Moniak (of) and Ramon Rosso (rhp) took their places on the roster.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 53 - 2019 Topps Pro Debut #33 Adonis Medina

Blue Jays 6, Phillies 3
Game 53 - Sunday Afternoon, September 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 27-26, 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Adonis Medina made his big league debut but was outdueled by Taijuan Walker as the Phillies dropped the series finale against the Blue Jays and couldn't complete the four-game sweep.

What It Means:  This was the last home game of the 2020 season and the Phillies will attempt to clinch a postseason spot with four games in Washington followed by three games in Tampa.

What Happened:  Medina was jittery in his debut and a costly balk in the first inning indirectly led to a pair of Blue Jays runs.  His final line shows that he calmed down somewhat after the first inning - 4 innings pitched, 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.  Heath Hembree continued to get hit hard, allowing four runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

The Phillies offense managed only six hits, going 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position.  Only Alec Bohm (2 for 4) and Didi Gregorius (RBI double) seem to be swinging the bat well, as everyone else in the Phillies line-up has slumped.  Bryce Harper went 0 for 4 and removed himself from the game with a stiff back.

Featured Card:  Unsurprisingly, I have quite a few Medina cards already in my collection given that he's been one of the team's top pitching prospects for the last several years.

Transaction:  Medina (rhp) was recalled and Mickey Moniak (of) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.  Additionally, the Phillies acquired Joel Cesar (rhp) from the Pirates to complete the Austin Davis trade and sent Cesar to Lehigh Valley.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: September 21st to September 23rd

2020 Chachi 1991 Topps Missing Links #12

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #11

Monday 6:05, Double Header Tuesday 3:05, Wednesday 6:05
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

At the Ballpark:  The final push for a play-off spot begins with four games in Washington.

Phillies 27-26
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (4-0, 2.62)
Aaron Nola (5-3, 2.92)
TBD
Zach Eflin (3-2, 4.28)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Didi Gregorius - .289
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 36
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 11
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 35
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 11

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.62

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 84
Saves:  Hector Neris and Brandon Workman - 5

Nationals 20-32
5th Place in the N.L. East, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

Nationals Probables
Anibal Sanchez (2-5, 7.38)
Austin Voth (0-5, 7.17)
TBD
Erick Fedde (2-3, 4.36)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Juan Soto - .353
Runs:  Trea Turner - 41
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 11
RBIs:  Juan Soto and Trea Turner - 32
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 9

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 4
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 3.67

Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 85
Saves:  Daniel Hudson - 9

Game 52 - 2020 Topps Heritage #19 Vince Velasquez

Phillies 3, Blue Jays 1
Game 52 - Saturday Night, September 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 27-25, 3rd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Vince Velasquez turned in six quality innings and the bullpen mercifully did their jobs in this 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  With 8 games remaining, the Phillies are still the 7th seed in the postseason race.  The Brewers and Giants are now a game behind them.

What Happened:  The only run allowed by Velasquez was a solo home run to Travis Shaw in the fifth.  He allowed only one other hit while striking out six.  Blake Parker, David Phelps and Tommy Hunter combined to throw three hitless and scoreless innings, striking out a combined five batters, with Hunter getting his first save of the season.  All Phillies runs came from RBI singles - Andrew Knapp and Andrew McCutchen in the fifth, with Adam Haseley driving in another in eighth.

Featured Card:  It brings me joy to be able to feature a Velasquez baseball card in a game summary post, as he's been mostly maddeningly inconsistent again this season.  But his strong start was sorely needed and he picked an excellent time to record his fist win of 2020.

Transaction:  On Friday afternoon it was officially announced the three prospects heading to the Brewers to complete the David Phelps trade are Brandon Ramey (rhp), Israel Puello (rhp) and Juan Geraldo (rhp).  The trio haven't been in the Phillies system long enough to appear in any minor league team sets.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 51 - 2018 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17 Rafael Marchan

Phillies 8, Blue Jays 7 (Game 2 - 7 Innings)
Game 51 - Friday Night, September 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 26-25, 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Huge clutch hits from Rafael Marchan and Bryce Harper gave the Phillies an improbable 8-7 win and a sweep of the Friday double header with the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  This was the first double header sweep by the Phillies since September 2012, over eight years ago.

What Happened:  David Hale drew the short straw and started this game for the Phillies, and he did a respectable job.  Hale pitched three scoreless innings before tiring in the fourth and combining with JoJo Romero to allow five Blue Jays runs.  Marchan hit his first professional home run in the fourth, a three-run shot off A.J. Cole, to tie the game 5-5.  The Blue Jays retook the lead quickly in the fifth, courtesy of Heath Hembree.

In the bottom of the sixth, Mickey Moniak walked, Marchan singled and then Harper doubled them both home to tie the game 7-7.  Alec Bohm grounded to second (it was ruled a single and an error on second baseman Joe Panik) scoring Harper with the go-ahead run.  Hector Neris allowed a pair of walks (one intentional, one not) in the bottom of the seventh before locking down his fifth save.

Featured Card:  I only have four Marchan baseball cards in my collection to date, and I've already featured two of them.  This is his first baseball card from the 2018 Williamsport Crosscutters team set.  I was really hoping he'd get a Topps Now card to celebrate his big home run, but he was omitted from this day's offerings.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 50 - 2020 Topps #361 Zach Eflin

Phillies 7, Blue Jays 0 (Game 1 - 7 Innings)
Game 50 - Friday Afternoon, September 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 25-25, 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zach Eflin tossed a four-hit complete game shutout against the Blue Jays in Game 1 of Friday's double header.

What It Means:  The Phillies are doing their best to stave off the teams below them in the standings, hanging on to one of the two Wild Cards up for grabs this year.  They played as the visiting team in this game, as it was a make-up of a contest originally scheduled to be played in Toronto in early August.

What Happened:  Eflin was in complete control, striking out nine and giving the Phillies fans a much-needed break from the bullpen.  Big hits came from Didi Gregorius, who had an RBI double in the first, Bryce Harper, who homered again, and Andrew Knapp, who added a two-run triple in the five-run fifth.  Since taking an 0 for 5 on Wednesday night, Harper has gone 6 for 9 (.667) with two doubles and three home runs.

Featured Card:  Eflin earned a Topps Now card for his efforts, and this is his card from this year's Topps flagship set.

Transaction:  Jay Bruce (of) was activated from the injured list, Garrett Cleavinger (lhp) was sent back to Lehigh Valley and Ramon Rosso (rhp) was added as the 29th man for the double header.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 49 - 2020 Topps Total #194 Brandon Workman

Mets 10, Phillies 6
Game 49 - Thursday Night, September 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 24-25, 3rd Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies led 6-3 going into the sixth, but that lead evaporated quickly along with any good feelings caused by back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first from Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Didi Gregorius.

What It Means:  I sat down to write this game summary post on Friday, and I just couldn't do it.  This is the game, and it usually happens a few times a season, where afterwards I wanted to take a few days' break from the Phillies and gather my thoughts.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola didn't have his good stuff, lasting just 5 1/3 innings.  It was the usually reliable Blake Parker who entered after Nola had departed and gave up a two-run triple to Brandon Nimmo as the Mets tied the score 6-6.  Brandon Workman was brought in to try and preserve the tie in the ninth, but he allowed a lead-off home run to Nimmo followed shortly by an RBI triple to Dominic Smith.  Garrett Cleavinger, making his big league debut, replaced Workman and was greeted by a two-run home run from Robinson Cano.

Featured Card:  Workman has been dreadful, and the 2020 Phillies are in danger of possessing the worst bullpen in MLB history once this season ends.  In 11 2/3 innings over his 12 games with the Phillies, Workman has allowed 22 hits, 9 walks and 9 runs for a 6.94 ERA.  He may not ever get an actual Phillies baseball card, and at this point, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Transaction:  Ronald Torreyes (inf) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley.  Also, on Tuesday, the Phillies signed free agents Greg Bird (1b) and Jonathan Lucroy (c) as additional roster depth in case the injury bug continues to bite.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

1975 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  39
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photocards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The cards are unnumbered.  The backs of the cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1975.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.

The Johnny Oates card shown above features an actual autograph and the original Oates card was distributed without an autograph - facsimile or legitimate.

How Distributed:  The cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Cy Acosta (auto) 2. Dick Allen 3. Mike Anderson 4. Alan Bannister (auto) 5. Carroll Beringer CO (auto)   6. Bob Boone (auto) 7. Larry Bowa 8. Ollie Brown (auto) 9. Steve Carlton 10. Dave Cash (auto) 11. Larry Christenson (auto) 12. Larry Cox (auto) 13. Billy DeMars CO (auto)

14. Jim Essian (auto) 15. Gene Garber 16. Don Hahn 17. Terry Harmon 18. Tom Hilgendorf 19. Joe Hoerner 20. Tommy Hutton 21. Jay Johnstone (portrait)   22. Jim Lonborg 23. Greg Luzinski 24. Garry Maddox (auto) 25. Jerry Martin 26. Tim McCarver

27. Tug McGraw 28. Willie Montanez (auto) 29. John Oates 30. Danny Ozark MG (auto) 31. Ray Rippelmeyer CO (auto)   32. Mike Rogodzinski 33. Dick Ruthven 34. Mike Schmidt 35. Ron Schueler (auto) 36. Tony Taylor 37. Wayne Twitchell 38. Tom Underwood (auto) 39. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (3):  Acosta, Bannister, Hahn

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (6):  Hilgendorf, Maddox, Martin, McGraw, Oates, Underwood
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (25):  Allen, Anderson, Boone, Bowa, Brown, Carlton, Cash, Christenson, Cox, Essian, Garber, Harmon, Hoerner, Hutton, Johnstone, Lonborg, Luzinski, McCarver, Montanez, Rogodzinski, Ruthven, Schmidt, Schueler, Taylor, Twitchell

This set is the only hope of finding Phillies baseball cards for Acosta, Bannister and Hahn.  Acosta's card is particularly interesting to me, as his 1973, 1974 and 1975 Topps cards feature a relatively clean cut pitcher while his card in this set features '70s hair gone wild.

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coaches (4):  Beringer, DeMars, Rippelmeyer, Wine
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Surprises:  The aforementioned Acosta is a bit of a surprise here.  He made the team's opening day roster, but only appeared in six games before getting released.  The scan below is a good reference guide for this set, and this is from a 1975 tri-fold brochure that has the team's full roster and schedule on the back.  

There are six players with cards in the set not included in the composite photo below - (1) Garry Maddox, acquired from the Giants on May 4th for Willie Montanez, (2) Dick Allen and (3) Johnny Oates, acquired from the Braves on May 7th, (4) Tim McCarver signed as a free agent on July 1st and finally (5) Jerry Martin and (6) Mike Rogodzinski who played their first games for the club on May 27th and June 15th, respectively.

Omissions:  This set is a fairly complete representation of the 1975 Phillies.  There are five players who briefly played for the team who are not in the set - Wayne Simpson (5 games), John Montague (3 games), Randy Lerch (3 games), Larry Fritz and Ron Clark (both 1 game).

Variations/Rarities:  According to the set's entry at The Trading Card Database, there's a Johnstone variation featuring him kneeling in lieu of the standard portrait photo.  There are also the following variations either including or excluding the blue facsimile autograph

Photo Variation 1. Jay Johnstone (kneeling)

Facsimile Auto Variations 1. Dave Cash (no auto) 2. Tommy Hutton (auto)

Trivia:  The Beckett.com entry for this set lists only 31 cards and the set's entry at The Trading Card Database lists 36 cards (including the Johnstone variation), omitting the Essian, Hahn, Montanez and Rogodzinski cards.

Also See:  1975 Phillies Photo Album

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past five years.

1974 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1976 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Series Preview - Blue Jays at Phillies: September 18th to September 20th

1991 Topps #588

2020 Chachi 1991 Topps Missing Links #13

Double Header Friday 4:05, Saturday 6:05 and Sunday 3:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Blue Jays will play as the home team in Game 1 of Friday's double header.

Blue Jays 26-23
3rd Place in the A.L. East, 6 games behind the Rays

Blue Jays Probables
Robbie Ray (1-0, 4.38)
Ross Stripling (0-2, 7.04)
Hyun Jin Ryu (4-1, 3.00)
Taijuan Walker (1-1, 1.56)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. - .308
Runs:  Cavan Biggio - 31
Home Runs:  Teoscar Hernandez - 14
RBIs:  Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. - 29
Stolen Bases:  Cavan Biggio and Teoscar Hernandez - 5

Wins:  Hyun Jin Ryu - 4
ERA:  Hyun Jin Ryu - 3.00

Strikeouts:  Hyun Jin Ryu - 60
Saves:  Anthony Bass - 5

Phillies 24-25
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zach Eflin (2-2, 5.01)
TBD
Vince Velasquez (0-1, 6.46)
TBD

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Didi Gregorius - .285
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 35
Home Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 11
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 32
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 9

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.62

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 84
Saves:  Brandon Workman - 5

2020 Chachi #52 Mickey Moniak

#16
McKenzie Matthew Moniak
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Opening Day Age:  22
Born:  May 13, 1998, Encinitas, CA
How Obtained:  Selected by Phillies in 1st round (1st overall) of June 2016 amateur player draft
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020

First Phillies Card:  2016 Topps Now #165
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #18
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #15

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

34 - Moniak baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 9/17/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi Almost #9 - Draft Pick
2017 Chachi BlueClaws Signing Autographs #7
2020 Chachi #52

The Phillies #1 draft pick from 2016, and the draft's overall top pick that year, Mickey Moniak was recalled on Wednesday afternoon to take the place of the injured Kyle Garlick on the active roster. Wearing #16, Moniak made his Major League debut as a pinch-runner for Alec Bohm in the ninth inning of a game the Phillies would eventually lose to the Mets.

Not surprisingly, and since he's been one of the team's top prospects for 4 1/2 years, I have quite a few Moniak baseball cards already in my collection. He's been a regular in the Bowman releases since 2016 and he's also featured in a number of Phillies minor league team sets since then too.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 48 - 2020 Topps Now #16 Zack Wheeler

Mets 5, Phillies 4
Game 48 - Wednesday Night, September 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 24-24, 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler, gnarly ruined fingernail and all, battled through 7 1/3 innings only to have the bullpen duo of Adam Morgan and Hector Neris blow another game in this 5-4 loss to the Mets.

What It Means:  The Phillies are currently the 7th seed in the expanded playoff format, and they're in danger of slipping out of the picture entirely.

What Happened:  Wheeler, pitching with a broken, swollen and glued together fingernail, scattered seven hits over his outing, allowing three runs.  He allowed a two-run home run to J.D. Davis in the sixth, allowing the Mets to creep to within a run, 4-3.  Morgan entered in the eighth, allowed a walk and a double to Davis to tie the score.  In the ninth, Robinson Cano scorched a single up the middle off Neris and was pinch-run for by Armed Rosario.  Rosario went to second on a balk when Neris dropped the ball on the mound, and he'd score the eventual winning run when Andres Gimenez singled to center.

Not to be lost in this loss, the Phillies offense is scuffling too.  Bryce Harper is in the depths of a horrible slump, and the Phillies struck out 10 times in their final 16 at-bats of this game.  Jean Segura was the sole bright spot, going 4 for 4 with a double and a home run.

Featured Card:  Wheeler deserved better.  The Phillies bullpen now has a 7.05 ERA with 12 blown saves.  As a group, the Phillies relievers have been historically bad.

Transaction:  As expected, Jake Arrieta (rhp) was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain and Kyle Garlick (of) also landed on the IL with a right oblique strain.  Connor Brogdon (rhp) and Mickey Moniak (of) were recalled to take their spots on the roster.  Moniak, the team's #1 draft pick from 2016, made his big league debut in the ninth inning, entering as a pinch-runner for Alec Bohm.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

2020 Chachi #51 Rafael Marchan

#13
Rafael Alejandro Marchan
Catcher

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  170
Opening Day Age:  21
Born:  February 25, 1999, San Cristobal, VZ
How Obtained:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent, July 2, 2015
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020

First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2018 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2019 Choice Medusas de Lakewood #14

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

4 - Marchan baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 9/15/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi BlueClaws Signing Autographs #10
2020 Chachi #51

Rafael Marchan's meteoric rise through the Phillies system saw him playing with the Low-A BlueClaws last summer, appearing with the Phillies in spring training, getting added to their Player Pool in July and then making his big league debut on September 14th.  He switched his uniform number from 85 to 13 for the occassion.

I have four Marchan baseball cards in my collection so far, all from recent minor league team sets.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 47 - 2017 Topps Heritage Minor League #13 JoJo Romero

Phillies 4, Mets 1
Game 47 - Tuesday Night, September 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 24-23, 3rd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A key two-run pinch-hit single in the fourth from Adam Haseley, a gritty performance from Jake Arrieta and 3 2/3 surprise scoreless innings from the bullpen fueled this much-needed 4-1 win over the Mets.

What It Means:  With 16 games remaining and the Phillies precariously hanging on to one of the eight postseason spots in the N.L., all of these games are now must win games.

What Happened:  With no score heading to the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies loaded the bases and Haseley came to the plate to pinch-hit for Kyle Garlick.  (Garlick had suffered an oblique injury.)  Haseley came through, lining a single to center and giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.  Didi Gregorius padded the lead with a two-run home run in the fifth.

Arrieta had to be helped off the mound in the sixth after suffering an apparent hamstring injury.  But JoJo Romero, Tommy Hunter and Hector Neris did their jobs with Neris temporarily (?) re-assuming the closer's role and recording his fourth save.

Featured Card:  Romero is quickly becoming a Phillies Room favorite, and our son Doug is especially appreciative of his "flow," meaning his large mass of long hair flowing from the back of his head.  Sadly, none of Romero's older baseball cards capture this majestic flow.

Transaction:  As expected, Rhys Hoskins (1b) landed on the injured list with wrist/arm/elbow issues and Roman Quinn (of) was activated from the injured list.  Garrett Cleavinger (lhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley with Ronald Torreyes (inf) being designated for assignment.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

2012 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 2nd Edition

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  Full bleed photos are the focus of this card's minimalist design.  The player's name can be found at the bottom of each card, with his uniform number and position in one of the top corners on either side of a simple Phillies "P" logo.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  I purchased the original 40-card second edition set at Citizens Bank Park on July 21, 2012.  I was impressed (and I'm still impressed) with the player selection and the actual thought that went into putting together a checklist for this second half set.  Here is my original post documenting the players added and subtracted from the 2012 first edition set.

Very late in the season, the Phillies released a second version of this set, adding the six cards featured in the Complete Update Checklist below and dropping the six cards for Joe Blanton, Mike Fontenot, Hunter Pence, Jason Pridie, Brian Sanches and Shane Victorino who had all left the team via trade or release.  This post discussed the discovery of these late season cards and this post documents the additions and subtractions to the set after I had acquired it in late October 2012.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position on the front of cards): 

1. Antonio Bastardo (#37 - LHP)       2. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO) 3. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP) 4. Jake Diekman (#63 - LHP) 5. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO) 6. Mike Fontenot (#18 - INF) 7. Freddy Galvis (#13 - INF) 8. Greg Gross (#21 - CO) 9. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP) 10. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 11. Jeremy Horst (#47 - LHP) 12. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B) 13. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP) 14. Erik Kratz (#31 - C)

15. Cliff Lee (#33 - LHP) 16. Hector Luna (#29 - INF) 17. Pete Mackanin (#5 - CO) 18. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG) 19. John Mayberry Jr. (#15 - OF) 20. Laynce Nix (#19 - OF) 21. Jonathan Papelbon (#58 - RHP)       22. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF) 23. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - CO) 24. Juan Pierre (#10 - LF) 25. Placido Polanco (#27 - 3B) 26. Jason Pridie (#16 - OF) 27. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)

28. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C)  29. Juan Samuel (#12 - CO) 30. Brian Sanches (#48 - RHP) 31. Joe Savery (#55 - LHP) 32. Brian Schneider (#23 - C) 33. Michael Schwimer (#44 - RHP)       34. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 35. Raul Valdes (#46 - LHP) 36. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF) 37. Ty Wigginton (#24 - INF) 38. Vance Worley (#49 - RHP) 39. Phillie Phanatic 40. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version: 

1. Domonic Brown (#9 - OF) 2. Kevin Frandsen (#28 - INF)

3. Josh Lindblom (#43 - RHP) 4. Michael Martinez (#7 - INF)

5. B.J. Rosenberg (#53 - RHP)       6. Nate Schierholtz (#22 - OF)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (3):  Fontenot, Luna, Pridie

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (10):  Diekman, Frandsen, Horst, Kratz, Lindblom, Rosenberg, Sanches, Savery, Schierholtz, Valdes
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (24):  Bastardo, Blanton, Brown, Galvis, Halladay, Hamels, Howard, Kendrick, Lee, Martinez, Mayberry Jr., Nix, Papelbon, Pence, Pierre, Polanco, Rollins, Ruiz, Schneider, Schwimer, Utley, Victorino, Wigginton, Worley

It's extremely impressive (and surprising) that Pridie has a card in this set, as he appeared in just nine games with the Phillies in July.  Fontenot and Luna also receive their one and only Phillies baseball cards in this set.

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (6):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gross, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic returns to the set after a one year absence.
Broadcasters (1):  After an absence in the first edition, the broadcasters get their own card in the second edition set.  Newcomer Gregg Murphy joins Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler and Jim Jackson.

Omissions:  Pete Orr is the only real omission here, as he appeared in 35 games and didn't make it into either the first or second release of this set.  Orr was on the opening day roster, was sent down to the minors on June 6th and returned to the club on September 4th.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collectors Steve and Rick have been invaluable in helping me checklist the variations and rarities from this set.  There are at least 10 versions of these photo cards available with a Phillies logo on the back, and these cards were used primarily for the players to sign at various public appearances.  The photos for these variations are the same used for the regularly issued cards.  The list below might not be complete and we learned of new variations available as late as December 2019 when Rick attended the annual Phillies holiday sale and completely bought out the team's inventory of autographed photo cards for sale.

Additionally, the Phillies used this design to feature new players and coaches who joined the team during the 2012-2013 offseason.  These cards were presumably produced for the sole purpose of public appearances during the team's various winter caravan stops, and again there's only the Phillies script logo on the backs.

Phillies Logo Back        1. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO) 2. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO) 3. Kevin Frandsen (#28 - INF) 4. Erik Kratz (#31 - C) 5. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG) 6. John Mayberry, Jr. (#15 - OF) 7. Laynce Nix (#19 - OF) 8. Jonathan Papelbon (#58 - RHP)         9. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - CO) 10. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C)

Offseason Additions 1. Mike Adams (#37 - RHP) 2. Steve Henderson (#5 - CO) 3. Wally Joyner (#21 - CO) 4. John Lannan (#27 - LHP) 5. Rod Nichols (#54 - CO) 6. Ben Revere (#2 - CF)

Interestingly enough, all these variations/rarities cards have a 2013 copyright date on the backs (see below) and they're listed here with the 2012 set only because these cards use that set's design.  Revere was acquired from the Twins on December 6, 2012 and Adams was signed as a free agent on December 20, 2012.

Resources:  14,000 Phillies; The Trading Card Database (excludes the additional six late season cards).


This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past five-plus years.

2011 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition / 2013 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition

2000-Present Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page