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Thursday, December 29, 2022

Santa/Mom Kicks Off Collecting the 1955 Bowman Set (Again)

Alternate Post Title:  Family Tradition - Collecting the 1955 Bowman Set for the Third or Fourth Time

Having re-entered the realm of the baseball card set-builder a few years ago, I've so far completed our 1965 Topps set and made an impressive dent in the daunting 1934-36 Diamond Stars set.  My main focus will now turn to the 1969 Topps set, and once we've polished off that 664-card collection we'll have a complete Topps flagship 54-set run from 1969 to 2022.

In the background, and unofficially, I've started lists for three other sets I'm kind of collecting and I'll gladly add a card or two to these collections in the coming years if the opportunity presents itself.  The 1959 Topps set is next.  After the design of the 1965 Topps set, this is my favorite vintage set design from the golden age of baseball cards.  As of this writing, I already have 15 cards accumulated for that set.

The 1966 Topps set may be collected concurrently with 1959 or after that pricer set is near completion.  The hard-to-find and expensive high numbers from 1966 are going to be an issue, but having briefly started to collect the set in 1988, we already have the Mickey Mantle card.  ("We've already got the Mantle," is something I can still hear my Dad saying.)  I don't remember the specifics of how or why my Dad and I added this particular Mantle card, but it's in my collection and ready to have a set built around it.

And then there's the 1955 Bowman set, with its wood-grained color TV borders, its gorgeous photography and its iconic baseball cards that define the sport from the mid-1950s.  My Dad once told me he had built this set several times over, as this was his favorite growing up, and "I had them all, Jimmy."  He would have been 11 years old at the time these cards were first for sale at corner stores and five and dimes.  Seven years later when he departed for college, his mother, my Mom-Mom, bundled the entire collection, including his treasured 1955 Bowman sets, in trash bags and took them to the curb in front of their duplex on Oak Street.  The thought of that still gives me chills.  Cleaning out my Mom-Mom's attic in early 1985 after she had passed away, my parents found only one remnant of my Dad's lost collection - the torn off back of a 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle card, its front lost forever as it had been separated and likely affixed to a notebook or tacked to a bulletin board.  Horrifying.

In the summer of 1983 (or 1984), when the Magic Shoebox of vintage baseball cards arrived in my life, and I spent several glorious afternoons in our screened-in porch on 12th Street sorting and documenting those treasures, I first learned of my Dad's fondness for the 1955 Bowman set.  There were 44 cards in the box from the 1956 Topps set, but 18 cards in the box from the 1955 Bowman set.  Had those quantities been reversed, we probably would have started a 25-year journey collecting the 1955 Bowman set.  But with '56s more than doubling '55s, the decision was made to keep the wood-grained cards in the Magic Shoebox and begin our 1956 Topps set quest.  A few decades later, with the help of my Mom over several Christmases, I did ultimately finish off a 1955 Bowman Phillies team set.

A month or so ago, not having any baseball cards to wrap and present to me on December 26th, the day my sister and I officially exchange gifts with our families, my Mom asked me for a list.  Over the past decade, she's single-handedly crossed off most vintage Phillies baseball cards I've needed, leaving only a handful of expensive high numbers from the 1952 Topps set and one elusive 1967 Topps Rookie Stars card for Gary Sutherland.  I'll add those cards one day, but they're way too expensive to ask Santa/Mom to track down.

I didn't want to give her my 1969 Topps or Diamond Stars lists, as I planned on adding a few of those to our sets at the December Philly Show.  So I put together a list for our 1955 Bowman set, crossing off 17 cards (one card from the Magic Shoebox was a double) and highlighting the Phillies in the set.  True, I've collected the Phillies cards from the set once, but those are secure within my 1950s Phillies baseball card binder.  The baseball card set builder's paradox is adding cards for a set build that could already be included in another part of his collection.  But I digress.


On Monday, as our families gathered at my Mom's, among the laughter, joking and piles of cast off wrapping paper, I spotted the box likely containing baseball cards and saved that present to open last.  As suspected, inside was my baseball card haul from Santa for the year - nine 1955 Bowman cards, including eight Phillies cards, and one Athletics card purchased by accident since the text with team names on my list was hard for Santa to read.  These nine cards mark the official start of collecting the 1955 Bowman set, 67 years after my Dad had built the set several times.  ("I had them all, Jimmy!")  Once again, my Mom outdid herself this Christmas - not only because of these cards but with every thoughtful gift she presented to her entire family.  She shines every day of the year, but always a little brighter on December 26th.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you all the best for 2023!  Go ahead and get yourself some vintage baseball cards in the coming year - Mel Clark and his many bats would approve.

1955 Bowman #41


Tuesday, December 27, 2022

1965 Topps - 4th Series Phillies Alumni

Having recently completed our 1965 Topps set, the final card we added was posted on my 1965 Topps blog yesterday.  The only remaining tasks are to finish up a few more of this Phillies Alumni posts, showcasing the cards of former players, coaches and managers who appeared in that iconic set.  And I'll be spending all of 2023 with this set's design as it's the basis of the 2023 Chachi custom card set.

Here's a look at the 15 cards in the fourth series of the 1965 Topps set (cards 265 to 352) with a Phillies connection.

#275
#280
#288
#294
#296
#310
#313
#322
#324
#327
#334
#338
#339
#346
#352

1965 Topps 3rd Series Phillies Alumni / 1965 Topps 5th Series Phillies Alumni

Friday, December 16, 2022

Phillies Officially Add Walker, Strahm; Eflin Signs with Rays

2023 Chachi New Additions #3
2023 Chachi New Additions #2
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

On Friday morning, the Phillies officially announced the signing of Taijuan Walker (rhp) to a four-year contract, seemingly setting the top of their 2023 starting pitching rotation.  Walker will join Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez, with the fifth spot to be taken by some combination of Bailey Falter, Andrew Painter, Cristopher Sanchez or other options as the season progresses.  I didn't realize how much of a veteran Walker was, as the 30-year-old came up with the Mariners in 2013.  He was an All-Star with the Mets in 2021, and was 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA last season in 29 starts.  Walker has appeared in a number of Topps flagship sets since 2014.

Matt Strahm (lhp) signed with the Phillies on December 9th, giving the Phillies two strong lefty relievers in Stram and Jose Alvarez, out of the bullpen.  Strahm appeared in 50 games last year for the Red Sox, striking out 52 and walking 17 in 44 2/3 innings.  His deal with the club is for two years, and a short-haired Strahm first appeared in a Topps set in 2017 with the Royals.

Officially moving on from the Phillies is Zach Eflin (rhp) who signed a three-year $40 million contract with the Rays on Tuesday.  The Phillies acquired Eflin from the Dodgers in December 2014 as part of the Jimmy Rollins trade, and he pitched in parts of seven seasons with the club.  In 127 games, including 115 stars, Eflin was 36-45 with a 4.49 ERA with 552 strikeouts over 659 1/3 innings pitched.  He became a surprise closer option during the 2022 postseason, appearing in 10 games and recording a key save in the clinching Wild Card Series against the Cardinals.  He'll be missed by The Phillies Room, and I hope he spends the next three years injury-free.

Also officially moving on are Johan Camargo (inf), who signed a minor-league deal with the Twins and Chris Devenski (rhp), who signed a minor league deal with the Angels.  Kyle Gibson (rhp) landed with the Orioles on a one-year deal.  Gibson appeared in 43 games overall for the Phillies between 2021 and 2022, going 14-14 with a 5.06 ERA.  He pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the 2022 postseason.  Finally, the Phillies will be seeing a lot of David Robertson (rhp) who signed with the Mets.  In his return to the Phillies, Robertson appeared in 22 games and recorded the team's only save in the World Series.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Minnesota Twins, 11/27/22.
  • Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels, 11/28/22.
  • Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Baltimore Orioles, 12/5/22.
  • Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets, 12/9/22.
  • Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/13/22.
  • Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Mark Appel - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Jorge Bonifacio - of (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Nick Duron - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Yairo Munoz - inf (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Bubby Rossman - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Jake Cave - of (12/2/22) - Claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
  • Noah Song - rhp (12/7/22) - Selected from the Boston Red Sox in the annual rule 5 draft.
  • Trea Turner - ss (12/8/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • Matt Strahm - lhp (12/9/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.
  • Taijuan Walker - rhp (12/16/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Happy Birthday Doug!


Our oldest son Doug turns 16 today, and he's had himself quite the year.  He's at the top of his high school class academically, he's excelling at baseball and he's recently started competing in the pole vault (!) for his winter track team.  Doug's year included a starring role in his friend's quinceañera court, a trip to Europe and witnessing his first (of many) Phillies World Series games.  He continues to be a leader on his baseball teams and most importantly, he's having fun playing the game.  Doug's South Jersey Rams travel team joined the Combat affiliation this past season, and he led his team in stolen bases while finishing in the top three of nearly every major offensive category.  He was one of the team's most effective pitchers, getting better and stronger as the season progressed.  Doug has a good heart, a healthy sense of humor and his future holds limitless possibilities.

We're so proud of this kid.

Memory Lane
2006 to 2008 - Pre-The Phillies Room years
2009 - Doug turns 3
2010 - Took the year off . . . bad father!
2011 - A Shane Victorino card for Doug
2012 - Doug with the Phanatic, turns 6
2013 - Doug on the Braves, turns 7
2014 - Doug on the Marlins, turns 8
2015 - Doug on the Diamondbacks, turns 9
2016 - Doug and Pete Mackanin
2017 - Warming up with the Braves
2018 - On the mound for the Phillies
2019 - With All-Star Baseball and White Sox
2020 - Pandemic era baseball action
2021 - So much baseball . . . Dodgers, All-Star, Rams
2022 - Combat!

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Phils Add Shortstop Turner with 11-Year Deal


On Monday, reports started emerging the Phillies had landed free agent superstar shortstop Trea Turner in a blockbuster 11-year deal.  Turner's signing became official on Thursday and the newest Phillie was introduced at a celebratory press conference at Citizens Bank Park.  Turner improves an already solid line-up, adding a strong bat, speed and steady defense.  His 11-year deal will take him through the 2033 season at a total of $300 million or an annual average value of $27.3 per year.  The 29-year-old Turner apparently turned down more money from the Padres as he clearly wanted to join the Phillies.

Turner has appeared in each Topps flagship set dating back to 2016.  According to my Phillies baseball card database, I already have two of his cards in my collection as he shared league leaders cards with Bryce Harper in the 2022 Topps set and with Roman Quinn in the 2021 Topps Big League set.

There were other Phillies moves during the recently held Winter Meetings, and I'll summarize those in an upcoming post.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Minnesota Twins, 11/27/22.
  • Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels, 11/28/22.
  • Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Baltimore Orioles, 12/5/22.
  • Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Mark Appel - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Jorge Bonifacio - of (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Nick Duron - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Yairo Munoz - inf (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Bubby Rossman - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Jake Cave - of (12/2/22) - Claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
  • Noah Song - rhp (12/7/22) - Selected from the Boston Red Sox in the annual rule 5 draft.
  • Trea Turner - ss (12/8/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • Matt Strahm - lhp (12/9/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.
2021 Topps Big League #260
2022 Topps #59

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - 1965 Topps Set COMPLETED


On Saturday morning, Doug and I made the hour-plus drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks for our first baseball card show since March.  The Philly Show, known formally as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, moved from the Valley Forge Casino Resort to the facility at Oaks presumably to accommodate more dealers and more people.  The place was packed, and by the time we departed around 2pm, it was difficult to navigate our way to the exit.

We arrived in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd.  My goal for the show was simple:  Find the last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set.  That goal was achieved and then some, as summarized below.
  • The first two cards needed to complete our set took a while to find, but I eventually added the Orlando Cepeda and Gordy Coleman cards within the first hour of walking around.  I still have no idea why the Coleman card proved to be so elusive.  Spying a great looking 1969 Topps Roberto Clemente card at the same table I found the Coleman card, I swung a deal to add that card as well.  I told the dealer the Clemente card marked by first big purchase for our new 1969 Topps set, which seemed to genuinely make his day.
  • We made a brief pitstop to the autograph section to secure signatures from Phillies outfielder Matt Vierling.  We were told no photos by Vierling's handler.  Photos were taken anyway.
  • With Cepeda and Coleman out of the way, I turned my attention to the Tony Perez rookie card and the BIG final card needed for our set - Mickey Mantle.  Perez came quickly, as I found a gorgeous version of the card for sale from dealer America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  Again looking to bundle that card with another card needed for our 1969 Topps set, I set my sights on the Reggie Jackson rookie card.  What followed was my first of two successful negotiation sessions of the day, as I was able to add both cards for what I deemed to be extremely reasonable (and fair) price.  The Jackson card will find its way under the Christmas tree for Doug, so please keep that one quiet for now.
  • The Mantle card finally entered our collection and completed our 1965 Topps set relatively quickly and somewhat surprising.  Most of the vintage Mantle cards these days appear to be graded, with very few available "raw" as the dealers termed cards not yet slabbed.  After walking most of the floor, I had made notes on the locations of five non-graded Mantle cards, with prices ranging from the ridiculous ($2,000) to the reasonable (less than $500).  I found a nearly perfect raw Mantle card from Sports Card Plus from Cooper City, Florida, but the price was way too high.  Next to the 1965 Topps Mantle was am equally pristine 1969 Topps Mantle.  I'm sure I'll embellish this story upon retellings for years to come, but to cut to the chase, the dealer and I started negotiating what he'd sell both cards for in a combined packaged deal.  We landed on a combined price somewhat easily, and both cards were ours.  Our 1965 Topps set was complete and a huge chunk for our 1969 Topps set was also out of the way.  Typing this now, this is still hard to believe and somewhat shocking.
There was a little more added after those big hauls, as we were looking to kill time until it was time to obtain autographs from Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott.  I'll be sure to cover those purchases on both my Diamond Stars blog and my newly launched 1969 Topps blog.  We added autographs from Schwarber and Stott before making our escape from the over-crowded show.  Schwarber was especially friendly, shaking both our hands and telling us the Phillies would be returning to the World Series in 2023.

Doug made out extremely well too.  He did a lot of free-style picking, as he likes to call it, adding a great assortment of autograph and relic cards from this year's N.L. Champions, particularly cards of Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola.  He was extremely pleased with the autograph from Schwarber, with the slugger adding "2022 N.L. Champs" under his signature.  We also picked up quite a few supplies from the Ultra Pro table as he looks to work on displaying his growing and impressive autograph collection.


Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Oaks 1 - October 2015 - Meeting Pete Rose and Steve Carlton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017 - Doug's big day
Valley Forge 7 - December 2017 - Ben's first baseball card show with Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins!
Oaks 2 - December 2018 - Meeting Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels
Valley Forge 8 - March 2019 - 5 Phillies Autographs and Vintage Phillies Additions
Valley Forge 9 - September 2019 - Closing in on 1971 Topps set and Andrew McCutchen
Valley Forge 10 - December 2019 - Finishing 1971 Topps set, Starting 1965 Topps set, adding key autographs from Ryan Howard and Brad Lidge
Valley Forge 11 - February 2020 - More 1965 Topps cards, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Lieberthal and Jim Kaat
Valley Forge 12 - December 2021 - Huge haul of 1965 Topps, Jim Thome
Valley Forge 13 - March 2022 - Easy like Sunday morning, close to completing 1965 Topps
Oaks 3 - December 2022 - 1965 Topps set completed, dent made in 1969 Topps, Schwarber, Vierling and Stott

Saturday, November 12, 2022

List of Departures Grows with Minor League Free Agents

2022 Topps Now #433
On Friday, a lengthy list of Phillies minor league players electing free agency was released, featuring five players who had appeared in at least one game with the club over the past few seasons.  I've added those five to the list of departures below, and the full list can be found here and here.

You can be forgiven if you don't remember the Phillies' careers of Nick Duron or Bubby Rossman.  Both were added to the roster during the away series in Toronto as a result of a number of players being unable to enter Canada due to their vaccination status.  Duron pitched a scoreless inning on July 13th and Rossman entered that game a few innings later.  He didn't fare as well as Duron, allowing a two-run home run to the Blue Jays' Teoscar Hernandez.

Jorge Bonifacio spent all of 2022 in the minor leagues after appearing in seven games for the Phillies in 2021, batting .091 (1 for 11).  Mark Appel appeared in six games this season for the Phillies, making his big league debut nine years after being selected as the first pick by the Astros in the 2013 draft.  Yairo Munoz appeared in 29 games with the Phillies, batting .211, and seeing his playing time decrease significantly with the arrival of Edmundo Sosa.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Mark Appel - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Jorge Bonifacio - of (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Nick Duron - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Yairo Munoz - inf (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Bubby Rossman - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

Thursday, November 10, 2022

First Transactions of the 2022-2023 Offseason

2022 Topps #179
2022 Topps Living Set #565
2022 Topps Update #US14
2019 Topps #678
2021 Choice St. Paul Saints

I'm a natural list-maker and one list subject every year since the mid-1980s is a listing of Phillies' off-season transactions.  Whether it be in my old scrapbooks, in spiral-bound notebooks or on this blog, I've maintained lists of the players coming and going between the final pitch of one season and the first pitch of the next.  I realize these lists aren't needed now as much as they were back in the day, given there are multiple websites around tracking these sort of things, but with the World Series over and offseason transactions starting . . . here we go again.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
  • Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
Johan Camargo and Michael Kelly, both dropped from the team's 40-man roster earlier in the year, became free agents in the midst of the Phillies' postseason run.  On Sunday, the next six players listed above became free agents.  On Monday, the Phillies declined the option on Jean Segura and Zach Eflin declined his side of a mutual option, making them both free agents.

I wouldn't mind seeing Segura, Eflin, Robertson and/or Syndergaard come back in 2023 and if I had to guess the latter two probably have the best chance of donning red pinstripes again.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason
  • Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
  • Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
On Wednesday, the Phillies added two potential 2023 pitchers to their arsenal, claiming Luis Ortiz and Andrew Vasquez off waivers from the Giants.  Ortiz appeared in six games for the Giants in 2022, earning a 1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched.  He had previously appeared in three games for the Orioles in 2018 and 2019, and his last mainstream baseball card can be found in the 2019 Topps set.

Vasquez appeared in nine games for the Blue Jays and one game for the Giants, spending 12 days on the Phillies' 40-man roster in August before re-entering the waiver wire shuffle.  He's got several minor league baseball card appearances, but nothing mainstream to date.

Sunday, November 6, 2022

World Series Game 6 - Phils' Bats Go Quiet as Astros Win World Series


Astros 4
, Phillies 1
World Series Game 6 - Saturday Night, November 5th in Houston
Astros win series, 4-2

One Sentence Summary:  For the third consecutive game, the Phillies offense was almost completely quiet and a three-run home run off the bat of Yordan Alvarez in the sixth proved to be the back-breaker in this 4-1 loss to the Astros.

What It Means:  It's Saturday night for a few more minutes and I'm going to power through this game summary post.  I'm sure in time I'll appreciate the October/early November run the 2022 Phillies just gave us way more than I do right now, but I'm still reeling from the little mistakes and missed opportunities that ultimately sunk the team after they held what appeared to be a commanding 2-1 advantage in the World Series.  There were too many strikeouts, too many runners left on base, too many defensive miscues and one huge questionable decision by manager Rob Thomson to bring in Jose Alvarado in this game with Zack Wheeler seemingly cruising.

Still, there's no way I ever imagined I'd be typing up a World Series Game 6 summary back in late May when the team was 22-29, costing Joe Girardi his job.  There's no way I could have predicted back in late June after the Phils lost Bryce Harper with a broken hand that I'd take my family to an NLDS game and watch Rhys Hoskins spike his bat following a dramatic home run.  And I certainly didn't foresee Harper going nuclear in the NLCS and delivering a World Series berth following a game-winning home run against the Padres.

I described losses back in September with words and phrases such as "'Pen implodes," "Phils fall again," "Phils still flat," and "Collapse seems imminent."  And then a little over a month later, I got to take my family to World Series games, temporarily losing my hearing following a Game 3 home run barrage.  I will remember some of these moments forever - the ninth inning comeback in the Wild Card series against the Cardinals, the clinching game of the NLDS against the Braves, buying postseason merchandise for every series, Doug devouring his standard Bull's BBQ order every night we went, Ben proudly waving his red rally towel, my whole family together, cheering the Phillies, and the five home runs on Tuesday night.  I wanted two more wins, and I wanted a few more memories, but the wins we did get and the memories I made will have to be enough for now.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Wheeler and Astros' starting pitcher Framber Valdez were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first five frames, putting zeroes on the board each half-inning.  In the top of the sixth, Kyle Schwarber drilled a lead-off, line drive home run to right field to give the Phillies a slim 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the sixth, needing just 12 more outs to send the series to a Game 7, Wheeler hit Martin Maldonado with a pitch, with Maldonado clearly leaning over the plate.  Jose Altuve grounded into a fielder's choice, and Jeremy Pena followed with a single to put runners on the corners with one out.

With just 70 pitches thrown and seemingly in a groove, Wheeler was removed by manager Thomson in favor of Alvarado.  The decision immediately backfired when Alvarez hit his three-run home run, an absolute bomb over the center field batter's eye, to give the Astros a 3-1 lead.  Another Astros run would score, but honestly it didn't really matter.  Save a ninth inning single from J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies went down quietly over the final three innings, with Nick Castellanos popping out in foul territory to right fielder Kyle Tucker to end the game, and the Phillies' season.

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Phillies at Astros: November 5th to November 6th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #37
2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #38

Saturday and Sunday 8:03

Minute Maid Park - Houston, TX

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies need two more wins to earn their third World Championship title in franchise history.

Phillies 2-3
Defeated Padres in NLCS, 4-1

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (1-2, 2.67)
Ranger Suarez (2-0, 1.23)

Phillies Postseason Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .373
Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 12
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 6
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 13
Stolen Bases:  Kyle Schwarber - 3

Wins:  Four tied with - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.67
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 28
Saves:  Five tied with - 1
Astros 3-2
Defeated Yankees in ALCS, 4-0

Astros Probables
Framber Valdez (2-0, 1.42)
TBD

Astros Postseason Leaders
Average:  Yuli Gurriel - .347
Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 11
Home Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 4
RBIs:  Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman - 11
Stolen Bases:  Yuli Gurriel - 2

Wins:  Four tied with - 2
ERA:  Cristian Javier - 0.71
Strikeouts:  Justin Verlander - 25
Saves:  Ryan Pressly - 5

Friday, November 4, 2022

World Series Game 5 - Phils Can't Push Across Runs

Astros 3, Phillies 2
World Series Game 5 - Thursday Night, November 3rd in Philadelphia
Astros lead series, 3-2

One Sentence Summary:  A few misplays in the field and the lack of clutch hitting downed the Phillies in this 3-2 loss, as the World Series heads back to Houston for a do or die Game 6.

What It Means:  I still believe.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Two Astros runs scored as a result of fielding issues by the Phillies.  In the first, Jose Altuve doubled and then went to third when center fielder Brandon Marsh misplayed the ball.  Altuve would easily score on a Jeremy Pena single, with Noah Syndergaard striking out the next two batters and J.T. Realmuto gunning down Pena at second on an attempted steal.  Syndergaard allowed a solo home run to Pena in the fourth before departing.  In the eighth, the Astros scored the eventual winning run when Rhys Hoskins couldn't cleanly field a ground ball hit by Yordan Alvarez, allowing Altuve to score.  Had Hoskins come up with the ball and thrown home, Altuve almost certainly would have been out.

Not to be overlooked here, Connor Brogdon did an amazing job out of the bullpen for two innings, allowing a hit and striking out five.

The Phillies offense had their chances between a lead-off home run from Kyle Schwarber in the first and an RBI single from Jean Segura in the eighth.  They loaded the bases in the second, with Hoskins striking out  to end the inning.  They had a runner in scoring position again in the third, fifth, sixth, eighth innings and went 1 for 7 overall in those clutch spots, with 12 runners stranded on base throughout the game.  In the ninth, Realmuto launched what should have been at least a double to deep center field, with Chas McCormick making a leaping catch to stun Realmuto and the crowd of nearly 46,000.  Following a Bryce Harper hit by pitch, Nick Castellanos grounded out weakly to shortstop to end the game.


Field Report:  Doug and I were back again, for the fourth night in a row, watching this game from the back of Section 105 in right field.  Also for the fourth night in a row, Doug had his standard Bull's BBQ order - pulled pork platter with slaw on top, corn bread and baked beans for sides.  We spent most of our time pregame standing in the front of our section hoping for a stray baseball from one of the Astros shagging batting practice fly balls.  Doug, much like the Phillies in this game, came away empty.

The crowd was much more into this game then they were Wednesday night for Game 4.  We rarely sat and from our vantage point, it seemed as if Realmuto's ninth inning fly ball had gone out.  We departed the ballpark after the Castellanos ground out to end the game, thankful for the opportunity to witness Phillies postseason baseball, but hoping for two more wins in Houston.


Thursday, November 3, 2022

World Series Game 4 - Astros Even Series with Shutout


Astros 5
, Phillies 0
World Series Game 4 - Wednesday Night, November 2nd in Philadelphia
Series tied, 2-2

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola and Jose Alvarado suffered one bad, five-run fifth inning and the Phillies offense went quietly in this 5-0 loss.

What It Means:  With the series now tied at two games a piece, a Game 6 in Houston is guaranteed and the Phillies will attempt to win one last home game in 2022 tonight, behind starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

What Happened / Featured Card:  From a Phillies fan's perspective, the best part of this night was the pregame ceremony, featuring ceremonial first pitches thrown out by future Wall of Famers Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

The Astros had runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings, but Nola worked out of those jams both times.  He wasn't as lucky in the fifth.  After allowing three straight singles to Chas McCormick, Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena to open the inning, Nola yielded to Jose Alvarado who promptly drilled Yordan Alvarez in the back, scoring the first run of the game.  Alex Bregman followed with a two-run double, Kyle Tucker hit a sacrifice fly to center and Yuli Gurriel capped the scoring with an RBI-single.

Astros' starting pitcher Cristian Javier was unhittable, striking out nine and allowing a pair of walks in his six innings of work.  Relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly threw the final three shutout innings with the Phillies managing only a walk off Pressly in the ninth.
 


Field Report:  All four of us went to the game, sitting high above center field in row two of Section 201.  It took me a little getting used to the elevation and the lack of a high railing in front of the first row, but it was less daunting as more fans filled the section.  We loved the pre-game people-watching from above Ashburn Alley and we had an excellent view of the Fox pre-game show with David Ortiz, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez.  It was cool to see the blue 2022 flag now flying above the ballpark, and I'm a little surprised the flag went up with absolutely no fanfare.

We weren't immune to the dread that filled the ballpark as the Astros inched closer to victory each inning, and I'm looking forward to watching the Phillies turn it back around tonight.