Friday, May 31, 2024

Cardinals at Phillies - May 31st to June 2nd

1984 Topps #649
1984 Topps #17

Friday 6:40, Saturday 7:15, Sunday 7:10
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the annual Irish Heritage Celebration and the Phillies will again wear their City Connect uniforms.  On Saturday, all kids will receive a Phillies London 2024 Double Decker Bus.  And Sunday is the annual Lou Gehrig Day and ALS Awareness Night.

St. Louis Cardinals 27-27
2nd Place in the N.L. Central, 5 games behind the Brewers

Cardinals Probables
Miles Mikolas (3-5, 5.64)
Sonny Gray (7-2, 2.60)
Lance Lynn (2-3, 3.45)

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Masyn Winn - .308
Runs:  Paul Goldschmidt - 28
Home Runs:  Nolan Gorman - 10
RBIs:  Three tied with - 25
Stolen Bases:  Masyn Winn - 7

Wins:  Sonny Gray - 7
ERA:  Lance Lynn - 3.45
Strikeouts:  Sonny Gray - 67
Saves:  Ryan Helsley - 18
Philadelphia Phillies 39-18
1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.04)
Ranger Suarez (9-1, 1.75)
Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.51)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .308
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 43
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 13
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 47
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 14

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 9
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.75
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 85
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 9
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Game 57 - Sanchez, Casty Help Phils End Skid

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club
Phillies 6, Giants 1
Game 57 - Wednesday Afternoon, May 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 39-18, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez and timely hitting from the Phillies offense combined to end the three-game losing streak.

What It Means:  The Phillies have always seemed to have issues on the West Coast, and this trip was no different as they went 2-4.  They're home for six games with the Cardinals and Brewers before heading to London for a pair of highly anticipated games against the Mets.  (I still can't believe we're not going to this, but school and work commitments have won out.)

What Happened:  Sanchez pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits while striking out seven.  Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez pitched scoreless frames and Spencer Turnbull allowed a ninth inning run.  Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run, his 11th of the season, and Cristian Pache added an RBI single in the second.

Bases cleared in the fourth when a few pitches from Giants' pitcher Kyle Harrison got a little too close to Bryce Harper's head.  Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies some breathing room when he connected for a two-run home run in the fifth.  And the Phillies added two more in the eighth on RBI singles from Schwarber and Harper.

Featured Card:  Castellanos has had a mostly miserable season so far, so it was good to see him go 3 for 5 with a double, home run and a pair of RBIs in this game.  Here's his Kids Club card, available exclusively at the ballpark.
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Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Game 56 - Giants' Bullpen Stifles Phils

2021 Topps Archives #56
Giants 1, Phillies 0 (10 Innings)
Game 56 - Late Tuesday Night, May 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 38-18, 1st Place, 5 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost their season-high third game in a row in a lifeless affair in San Francisco.

What It Means:  I am so glad I decided to turn this game off in the fourth inning and go to bed.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler did his job, pitching six strong innings and allowing two hits while striking out nine.  The offense couldn't get anything going against the Giants, who went with a bullpen game.  The Phillies left nine runners on base and were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

In the 10th, with no score in the game, ghost runner Brandon Marsh started at second and was moved to third when Kody Clemens grounded out to first.  Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto couldn't push across Marsh and the game went to the bottom of the 10th.  Matt Strahm gave up a few fly balls as the Giants scored the winning run on a sac fly to left.

Featured Card:  The reliever who went the longest out of the Giants' bullpen was former Phillies' prospect Spencer Howard, making his Giants debut.  Spencer threw four scoreless innings, scattering five hits and striking out four.  Here's one of Howard's many, many Phillies cards issued in 2021.
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Tuesday, May 28, 2024

2008 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards


Number of Cards:  39
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  Full color action photos are featured over a gold tinted background.  The Citizens Bank Park logo makes an appearance on the card fronts for the second year in a row and Jimmy Rollins' card contains a golden logo marking his 2007 National League MVP win. 

The set features a blank-backed header card with a photo of Chase Utley fist bumping a young fan and the declaration that a portion of the proceeds received from the sale of the set would benefit The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  (This was a nice gesture, and it's odd this is the first and last year - at least publicly - the Phillies have done this.)  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

 How Distributed:  The original 37-card set was available at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of season.  Given the inclusion of Rudy Seanez, acquired on March 31st, and Chris Snelling, recalled on April 12th, the set was likely not sold until late April.  Following the acquisition of Joe Blanton on August 3rd, cards of Blanton and J.A. Happ were inserted into the set.  The only way to add the two update cards was to purchase the complete set at the ballpark, which included all 37 cards found in the originally released set.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Header Card / Chase Utley
2. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - Catching Instructor)   
3. Eric Bruntlett (#4 - INF-OF)
4. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF)
5. Clay Condrey (#55 - RHP)
6. Chris Coste (#27 - C)
7. Greg Dobbs (#19 - INF-OF)
8. Rich Dubee (#30 - Pitching Coach)
9. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP)
10. Adam Eaton (#21 - RHP)
11. Pedro Feliz (#7 - 3B)
12. Tom Gordon (#45 - RHP)
13. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP)
14. Ramon Henderson (#31 - Bullpen Coach)   
15. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B)
16. Geoff Jenkins (#10 - OF)
17. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP)
18. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP)
19. Davey Lopes (#15 - First Base Coach)
20. Ryan Mason (#63 - RHP)
21. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG)
22. Jamie Moyer (#50 - LHP)
23. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP)
24. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)
25. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP)
26. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C)		27. Rudy Seanez (#57 - RHP)
28. Steve Smith (#2 - Third Base Coach)   
29. Chris Snelling (#9 - OF)
30. So Taguchi (#99 - OF)
31. Milt Thompson (#25 - Hitting Coach)
32. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B)
33. Shane Victorian (#8 - CF)
34. Jayson Werth (#28 - OF)
35. Jimy Williams (#22 - Bench Coach)
36. Phillies Broadcasters
37. Phillie Phanatic

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):
1. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP)
2. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Seanez
First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (10):  Blanton, Bruntlett, Condrey, Durbin, Feliz, Jenkins, Happ, Kendrick, Lidge, Snelling, Taguchi
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (17):  Burrell, Coste, Dobbs, Eaton, Gordon, Hamels, Howard, Kendrick, Madson, Moyer, Myers, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Utley, Victorino, Werth

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Henderson, Lopes, Smith, Thompson, Williams
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  Tom McCarthy returned to the Phillies in 2008, and he's joined on this card by Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen and Harry Kalas.
Phillies Prospects (1):  Features eight prospects on one card - Tom Barrett, Brad Brink, Steve DeAngelis, Ron Jones, Keith Miller, Brad Moore, Howard Nichols and Shane Turner.  DeAngelis and Nichols never played for the Phillies.
Other Cards (1):  Header Card with Utley

Set Composition:  The Phillies waited a week or so before creating the checklist for this set.  Both Wes Helms and Tim Lahey were on the opening day roster, with Helms lasting just one game and Lahey sticking around for four games.  Snelling was recalled on April 12th when Shane Victorino landed on the Disabled List, and he was active for all of seven games between then and April 19th.

J.A. Happ had a brief stint with the club the first week of July and the last week of July, and was up for good beginning September 1st.  Joe Blanton's inclusion makes sense, and if the Phillies had waited another week, they could have snuck Scott Eyre, acquired on August 7th, into the set as well.

Omissions:  Eyre is the clear omission, especially given his postseason role for the Phillies.  Mike Cervenak could have been included in an update set, as he was on the active roster for 48 games.  Matt Stairs was acquired too late in the season to be an option for the update set, but he would get a 2008-style photo card - see below.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collectors Steve and Rick clued me in to the existence of three more cards via comments to this set's original post, back in December 2014.  The Phillies created a card in this style for Stairs to sign at a February 2009 meet and greet.  There was also a late season Meet and Greet in the Hall of Fame Club with Minor League Pitcher of the Year Happ and Minor League Player of the Year, Lou Marson.  Happ is wearing a Lehigh Valley IronPigs jersey in this version.  All three of these rare photo cards have blank backs.

Non-Set Cards
1. J.A. Happ (Lehigh Valley IronPigs)
2. Lou Marson (Reading Phillies)
3. Matt Stairs

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Steve and Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

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Game 55 - Phils Can't Get It Going by the Bay

2008 Danbury Mint
Philadelphia Phillies
Giants 8, Phillies 4
Game 55 - Monday Afternoon, May 27th in San Francisco
Record - 38-17, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped this Memorial Day matinee with a combination of shaky starting pitching and poor fielding, losing to the Giants, 8-4.

What It Means:  This marks the first back-to-back losses for the Phillies since April 24th and 25th in Cincinnati.

What Happened:  Alec Bohm had two errors, and could have been charged with a third, leading to three Giants' unearned runs.  Taijuan Walker allowed six runs (five earned) in six innings, allowing nine hits and a pair of walks while striking out five.  Kyle Schwarber ended a homerless draught with his 10th home run in the third inning that nearly went into McCovey Cove and Edmundo Sosa hit his league-leading fourth triple.

Featured Card:  I recently added scans of the 2008 Danbury Mint Philadelphia Phillies set to the TCDB, and it was nice to revisit these cards after adding them to my collection 15 years ago.  My Dad is responsible for taking the bait and buying a complete set following the joyous afterglow of the 2008 Phillies World Series victory.  There's a nice red album that came with the set and personalized pockets for each of the 38 22kt gold cards, including this card of current Giants' hitting coach, Pat Burrell.  Cards would come two or three at a time, and he'd drop off the latest arrivals during his frequent visits to his grandson in early to mid 2009.

Fun fact about this set - it's the only place you can find "cards" for short-time Phillies Mike Cervenak and Les Walrond.

Transaction:  Rafael Marchan (c) was activated from the Injured List and optioned to Lehigh Valley.

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Monday, May 27, 2024

Phillies at Giants - May 27th to May 29th

1984 Topps #755
1984 Topps #633

Monday 5:05, Tuesday 9:45 and Wednesday 3:45
Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA

 At the Ballpark:  If you bought a theme ticket to Chinese Heritage Night on Tuesday, you're set to receive a cool Year of the Dragon long sleeve shirt.

Philadelphia Phillies 38-16
1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Taijuan Walker (3-0, 5.06)
Zack Wheeler (6-3, 2.53)
Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.15)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .315
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 41
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 13
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 47
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 13

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 9
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.75
Strikeouts:  Ranger Suarez - 77
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 9
San Francisco Giants 27-27
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. West, 5 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Giants Probables
Blake Snell (0-3, 11.40)
TBD
Kyle Harrison (4-1, 3.90)

Giants Leaders
Average:  Matt Chapman - .240
Runs:  Matt Chapman - 35
Home Runs:  Matt Chapman and Thairo Estrada - 8
RBIs:  Thairo Estrada - 30
Stolen Bases:  Matt Chapman - 5

Wins:  Four tied with - 4
ERA:  Jordan Hicks - 2.33
Strikeouts:  Logan Webb - 61
Saves:  Camilo Doval - 9
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Game 54 - Rocky Mountain Low

1969 Topps #312
Rockies 5, Phillies 2
Game 54 - Sunday Afternoon, May 26th in Denver
Record - 38-16, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell flat against the last place Rockies, dropping this game 5-2, and more surprisingly, losing the series.

What It Means:  They'll try to rebound with a three-game set against the Giants, beginning on Memorial Day afternoon.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez had his first rough outing of the year, quickly finding himself in trouble in the first two innings.  Suarez allowed a two-run home run in the first to Ryan McMahon.  He allowed four walks and a double in a three-run second inning, with Alec Bohm contributing a costly throwing error.  The Phillies scored a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings on RBI singles from Bohm and Johan Rojas, but they couldn't add any more runs the rest of the day.

Featured Card:  Happy Memorial Day to everyone, and I hope you found some time this weekend to enjoy yourselves and spend time with family and friends.  We had a relatively quiet weekend, by design, and I was happy to spend some time catching up on my 1969 Topps blog.  Despite the lack of a logo on his hat, former Phillies manager Lee Elia wishes you all the best and is optimistic about the upcoming summer.

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Sunday, May 26, 2024

Game 53 - Marsh, Sosa, Stubbs Spark 9th Inning Comeback

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club
Phillies 8, Rockies 4
Game 53 - Late Saturday Night, May 25th in Denver
Record - 38-15, 1st Place, 7 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Trailing 3-2 in the ninth inning, the bottom of the line-up came through and Bryce Harper added a three-run home run, sending the Phillies to a 8-4 victory.

What It Means:  The one-game losing streak is over and a new winning streak begins.  The Phillies will go for a series win this afternoon.

What Happened:  Brandon Marsh walked to lead off the top of the ninth, and then raced around the bases to tie the game when Edmundo Sosa lined a triple to right field.  Garrett Stubbs followed with an RBI single to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead.  Following a double play ground out by Kody Clemens, Kyle Schwarber doubled and Bryson Stott walked.  Bryce Harper crushed his 13th home run of the year to left, giving the Phillies a 7-3 lead.  Not done yet, Alec Bohm doubled and Nick Castellanos singled him home.  Spencer Turnbull allowed a ninth inning run before locking down the win.

Earlier in the game, Aaron Nola battled through six innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Ruiz kept the Rockies from scoring, setting up the ninth inning heroics.

Featured Card:  We're collecting these cards based on popularity, and each time we go to collect two more cards before the games we're attending, I ask the Phillies employees at the Kids Club booth which cards are going fastest.  Surprisingly, or maybe not given his popularity, we were told this Stubbs card is one of the most popular.  Granted, he was hitting .103 entering this game, but he is fairly popular and he doesn't really appear on a ton of baseball cards, so I guess it makes sense.
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Saturday, May 25, 2024

Game 52 - Phils Fall Flat in Denver

2024 Topps Heritage #91
Rockies 3, Phillies 2 (11 Innings)
Game 52 - Friday Night, May 24th in Denver
Record - 37-15, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A lack of timely hits and a rare blown save from Jose Alvarado led to this 3-2 extra-inning loss against the Rockies.

What It Means:  Baseball is unpredictable, and it's fitting the Phillies' historic run and seven-game winning streak would come to an end against the worst team in the National League.

What Happened:  Bryce Harper was ejected in the first inning for "discussing" balls and strikes, and the game seemed to lose some steam from that point forward.  Cristopher Sanchez pitched into the sixth inning, allowing a run on seven hits.  The Phillies' only runs came on solo home runs in the fifth inning from Nick Castellanos and Edmundo Sosa.

Holding a 2-1 lead, Alvarado got the first two outs of the ninth before pinch-hitter Jacob Stallings homered to left-center to tie the game.  Gregory Soto walked the bases loaded (one intentional, one unintentional) in the 11th.  Ezequiel Tover singled to left to score the winning run and giving the Rockies' their walk-off win.

Featured Card:  Jake Cave came to the plate with two runners on and a chance to win the game in the 11th, but Soto struck him out.  This is probably his final Phillies baseball card, from this year's Topps Heritage set.
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Game 51 - Phils' Historic Pace Continues in Sweep of Rangers

1980-87 SSPC HOF #146
Phillies 5, Rangers 2
Game 51 - Thursday Afternoon, May 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 37-14, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler's solid start and a two-run triple from Cristian Pache led to this 5-2 win over the Rangers, completing the series sweep.

What It Means:  The Phillies have won 29 of their last 35 games, tying the franchise record (set in 1892!) for most wins in a 35-game span.  This also marked their seventh series sweep of 2024.  Things are going well.

I tried to watch as much of this game as possible while toiling away in my office.

What Happened:  Wheeler won his sixth game of the year, allowing a pair of runs on five hits while striking out five.  Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman closed the door over the final two innings, with Hoffman earning his fourth save.

J.T. Realmuto tied the game at 1-1 in the third with a solo home run, his seventh of the season.  Pache tripled to deep center in the fourth, giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead, and Kyle Schwarber then singled Pache home.  An insurance run was added when Nick Castellanos hit a solo home run, his fifth of the season, in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  I've run out of Phillies cards for Pache to feature, Hoffman has no Phillies cards yet, and I'd like to save up my Wheeler cards for a game in which he truly shines.  So here's a card of Hall of Famer Sam Thompson, an outfielder on that 1892 Phillies team, that went on to a fourth place finish in the National League with a record of 87-66-2.

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Game 50 - Phils Roll Over Rangers

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club
Phillies 11, Rangers 4
Game 50 - Wednesday Night, May 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 36-14, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies showed no signs of letting up in this decisive 11-4 win over the Rangers.

What It Means:  As Matt Gelb posted on X, the Phillies are the 26th team since 1901 to begin with 36 wins in its first 50 games, and the first team to do that since the 2001 Mariners.  11 of the 25 teams to do it before the Phillies went on to win the World Series.  The Phillies have never had a better start to their season in franchise history.

What Happened:  The Rangers scored first off Taijuan Walker, but the Phillies scored way more often.  They put up three different innings scoring more than a pair of runs, including a big four-run sixth inning.  In the sixth, and already leading 6-3, J.T. Realmuto lined a two-run single to left and Alec Bohm followed that with his league-leading 20th double that dropped into center among four converging Rangers' fielders, scoring two more runs.  Realmuto and Edmundo Sosa had homered earlier in the game, with Bryce Harper hitting his 12th home run in the eighth inning.

Walker labored and exited in the fifth inning, but the bullpen, led by Matt Strahm's scoreless 1 1/3 innings, took care of the Rangers the rest of the way.

Featured Card:  Realmuto went 2 for 5 with three RBIs, including his sixth home run of the year in the third inning.  According to @BoopStats, Realmuto's blast was the 14,000th in Phillies' club history.  Here's his team-issued Phillies Kids Club card, and as of this writing, I'm three away from a team set.

Field Report:  Jenna and I had dinner at Pass and Stow and then settled into our seats in Section 315 for this game, two of the 39,595 in attendance on a gorgeous Wednesday night in May.

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Friday, May 24, 2024

Phillies at Rockies - May 24th to May 26th

2024 Chachi 1984 Topps Missing Links #16
2024 Chachi Series Previews #2

Friday 8:40, Saturday 9:10, Sunday 3:10
Coors Field - Denver, CO

At the Ballpark:  Purchasers of a special Class of 2024 Ticket Package to the game tonight will receive a Class of 2024 Rockies t-shirt.  The Rockies will wear their City Connect uniforms on Saturday night.

Philadelphia Phillies 37-14
1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.31)
Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05)
Ranger Suarez (9-0, 1.36)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .323
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 38
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 12
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 46
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 13

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 9
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.36
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 76
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 9
Colorado Rockies 16-33
5th Place in the N.L. West, 15 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Rockies Probables
Ty Blach (1-2, 5.14)
Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89)
Cal Quantrill (3-3, 3.59)

Rockies Leaders
Average:  Elias Diaz - .320
Runs:  Brenton Doyle - 30
Home Runs:  Ryan McMahon - 9
RBIs:  Ryan McMahon - 30
Stolen Bases:  Brenton Doyle - 10

Wins:  Cal Quantrill - 3
ERA:  Austin Gomber - 2.76
Strikeouts:  Ryan Feltner - 48
Saves:  Jalen Beeks - 4
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Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Game 49 - Suarez's Historic Run Continues in Win

Phillies 5, Rangers 2
Game 49 - Tuesday Night, May 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 35-14, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez improved to 9-0 on the season, striking out 10 and dropping his ERA to 1.36 in this 5-2 win over the defending World Champions.

What It Means:  Each additional win signifies another high water mark and highlights that this season could go down as one of the best seasons in Phillies franchise history.  The Phillies look confident and unbeatable.

What Happened:  Suarez is the best pitcher in baseball right now.  He allowed a run on five hits before yielding to his bullpen, and Jose Alvarado struck out a pair to record his ninth save.  The Phillies offense tied the game at 1-1 in the third when Kyle Schwarber singled home Brandon Marsh.  In the fourth, they took the lead when Bryce Harper laced a lead-off double to center and Alec Bohm singled him home.  Harper hit his 11th home run of the season to center in the sixth, and two more runs scored in the eighth on Bohm's RBI double and Bryson Stott's sacrifice fly.

Bohm's 44 RBIs leads the National League, and his 19 doubles leads the majors.

Featured Card:  Sarah Langs posted that only four pitchers since 1913 have started a season with a 9-0 record and a sub-1.50 ERA:  Cy Falkenberg in 1913, Eddie Cicotte in 1919, Juan Marichal in 1966 and Suarez in 2024.  This is Suarez's rarest (?) baseball card from 2024, available to members of the Phillies Kids Club.

Field Report:  Along with 41,000 other fans, I was at the ballpark, enjoying the latest win from the breezeless Section 138 as part of a work event.

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2024 Chachi #5 Alec Bohm


#28
Alec Daniel Bohm
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  225
Opening Day Age:  27
Born:  August 3, 1996, Omaha, NE
Acquired:  Drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 2018 amateur draft, June 4, 2018
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible 2025
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2020-2024
World Series Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022

The Phillies' 1st round draft pick in 2018, Alec Bohm made his big league debut during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.  He'd bat .338 with four home runs and 23 RBIs, finishing as the runner-up that season in Rookie of the Year voting behind the Brewers' Devin Williams.  He suffered through a sophomore slump in 2021, which included a stint back in Lehigh Valley, but in 2022 Bohm proved he was up with the Phillies to stay.  After a rough beginning to his season, Bohm would go on to bat .280 with 13 home runs and 72 RBIs, starting 132 games at third base and five games at first base.  He batted .286 (6 for 21) in the 2022 World Series, with a home run and three RBIs.

In 2023, he split his time between third and first base due to injuries to Rhys Hoskins and Darick Hall.  Bohm batted .274 while attaining career highs in both home runs (20) and RBIs (97).  He's off to a torrid start in 2024, batting .330 with 42 RBIs and a league-leading 18 doubles.

2021 Topps #277
2022 Topps #452
2023 Topps #128
2024 Topps #266

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2018 Bowman Draft #BD-25
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  2021-2024
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2024 Topps Now #96
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  120 as of 5/21/24.

2024 Chachi #5

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Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Rangers at Phillies - May 21st to May 23rd

1984 Topps #352
2024 Chachi 1984 Topps Missing Links #7

Tuesday and Wednesday 6:40, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Tuesday is the annual Greek Heritage Celebration and Wednesday is a Youth Baseball and Softball Celebration.  On Thursday, and I can't find any specific details for this yet, the Phillies will continue their 20th Anniversary of Citizens Bank Park celebration with a continued look back at highlights from the past 20 seasons.

Texas Rangers 24-24
 2nd Place in the A.L. West, 2 games behind the Mariners

Rangers Probables
Jon Gray (2-1, 2.08)
Andrew Heaney (0-5, 4.43)
Jose Urena (1-3, 3.29)

Rangers Leaders
Average:  Josh Smith - .284
Runs:  Marcus Semien - 35
Home Runs:  Adolis Garcia - 11
RBIs:  Adolis Garcia - 35
Stolen Bases:  Adolis Garcia and Leody Taveras - 4

Wins:  Four tied with - 3
ERA:  Jon Gray - 2.08
Strikeouts:  Jon Gray - 52
Saves:  Kirby Yates - 7
Philadelphia Phillies 34-14
1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (8-0, 1.37)
Taijuan Walker (3-0, 4.91)
Zack Wheeler (5-3, 2.52)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .330
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 36
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 10
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 42
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 12

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 8
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.37
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 71
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 8
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Monday, May 20, 2024

Game 48 - Phils Stay Hot, Complete Sweep of Nats

2023 Topps Now #407
Phillies 11, Nationals 5
Game 48 - Sunday Afternoon, May 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 34-14, 1st Place, 5 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Kody Clemens stayed red-hot at the plate and Alec Bohm took over the major league lead for RBIs as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep over the Nationals with an 11-5 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are on an historic pace for victories, and I'm doing my best to enjoy this run while it lasts.  This is their sixth series sweep of the season, and the wins continue to come in bunches.  They're a season-high 20 games over .500 and after an off-day Monday, the Rangers come to town for a three-game series.

What Happened:  Trailing 3-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth, the Phillies received two big two-out hits from Clemens and Nick Castellanos to take a 5-3 lead.  Clemens doubled home a pair, with Castellanos then driving the back-up infielder home with a line drive single.  The offense piled on in the form of a two-run double from Bryce Harper in the sixth and a three-run home run from Alec Bohm in the eighth.  The home run gave Bohm 42 RBIs for the season, the most in the majors.

Aaron Nola was strong through seven innings.  His only two hits allowed were home runs and he struck out five as his record improved to 6-2.

Featured Card:  Clemens received this Topps Now card last season following his walk-off double in a game against the Tigers on June 8th.
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Sunday, May 19, 2024

Game 47 - Phils Win Following Clemens' Clutch 9th Inning Homer

2024 Choice
Lehigh Valley IronPigs #2
Phillies 4, Nationals 3 (10 Innings)
Game 47 - Saturday Night, May 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 33-14, 1st Place, 4 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Kody Clemens hit a game-tying ninth inning home run and the Phillies battled back in the 10th to stun the Nationals in this thrilling 4-3 victory.

What It Means:  The Phillies lead the division by four games for the first time since the 2011 season.  Their 33-14 start ties the 1976 and 1993 Phillies teams for the best starts to a season in franchise history.

What Happened:  The team didn't give the 43,000+ in attendance much to cheer about until late in the game.  The Phillies were trailing 2-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh.  Bryson Stott, suddenly fairly hot, hit a solo home run to right center field to tie the score at 2-2.  The Nationals pushed across a run in the top of the ninth off reliever Orion Kerkering.  Down to their final out in the bottom of the ninth, Clemens came through with a dramatic home run to center off Nationals' closer Kyle Finnegan.

After a clean top of the 10th from Gregory Soto, the Phillies started the bottom of the 10th with ghost runner Johan Rojas at second.  Rojas went to third on J.T. Realmuto's fly ball to center, and he'd score the winning run on Bryce Harper's deep fly to center.

Featured Card:  Clemens has had a bunch of clutch performances so far this season, and his only 2024 baseball card to date in my collection is from the IronPigs team set.

Field Report:  Jenna and I met up with family for a pre-game meal at Pass and Stow, before heading to our seats in Section 315.  It's awesome to see the ballpark at capacity, and the atmosphere reminded me of the early 2010s when it seemed as if the Phillies won every night.  We also picked up two more cards from the Phillies Kids Club kiosk, putting us just eight cards away from a complete set.  Finally, we happened to stop by Bull's BBQ late in the game where Domonic Brown was a guest in lieu of the Bull himself, Greg Luzinski.
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Game 46 - Wheeler Back on Track in Win Over Nats

2024 Topps Now
Road to Opening Day #OD-189
Phillies 4, Nationals 2
Game 46 - Friday Night, May 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 32-14, 1st Place, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler made quick work of the Nationals' line-up in this 4-2 Friday night win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are hot, and fun to watch, and they improved to 3-1 in their City Connect uniforms.

What Happened:  The Phillies scored four runs in the first three innings, which was more than enough for Wheeler.  Alec Bohm delivered his league-leading 18th double in the first inning to score J.T. Realmuto who had singled earlier.  Up 3-1 after two innings, the offense added their fourth run when Brandon Marsh doubled home Stott in the third.

Wheeler went 7 1/3 innings, allowing a pair of runs on three hits while striking out six.  Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman took it the rest of the way, with Hoffman earning his third save.

Featured Card:  Here's Wheeler's card from the Topps Now Road from Opening Day set, which had a reported print run of just 888 sets.
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Game 45 - Phils Can't Complete Extra Inning Comeback

2009 MultiAd
Lakewood BlueClaws #11
Mets 6, Phillies 5 (11 Innings)
Game 45 - Thursday Night, May 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 31-14, 1st Place, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Phils can't complete the four-game home and home series sweep as the Mets push through in 11th inning win.

What It Means:  The Phillies took three of four games from the Mets, and the Nationals come to town next for a three-game weekend series.  With the Braves off on Tuesday, their division lead dropped to 2 1/2 games.

What Happened:  Trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, the Phillies scored their first run when Alec Bohm singled home J.T. Realmuto.  Nick Castellanos would launch a sacrifice fly to left to tie the score, and the Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the seventh when Kyle Schwarber doubled home Bryson Stott.  Reliever Jeff Hoffman had a rare less than stellar outing when he allowed the Mets to take the lead in the eighth.  But in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies again got to Mets' closer Edwin Diaz.  Brandon Marsh walked to start the inning, went to second on a wild pitch, and came home to tie the game 4-4 on Stott's single to right.

The Mets quickly took the lead in the 11th when J.D. Martinez singled home ghost runner Francisco Lindor off Jose Alvarado.  The Phillies threatened in their half of the 11th, but former Phillies' reliever Jake Diekman held them off to deliver the win for the Mets.

Featured Card:  This marks Diekman's first appearance on the blog since 2018, and this is his first baseball card from the 2009 Lakewood BlueClaws team set.  He's put together a solid 13-year big league career, spending time with eight different teams since departing the Phillies in 2015.
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Game 44 - Bryce's Big Day Backs Ranger's 8th Win

2024 Topps Heritage
New Age Performers #NAP-14
Phillies 10, Mets 5
Game 44 - Wednesday Night, May 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 31-13, 1st Place, 3 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Bryce Harper had three RBIs and Ranger Suarez recorded his league-leading eighth win in this 10-5 romp over the Mets.

What It Means:  The Phillies continue to fire on all cylinders, using dominant starting pitching and timely hitting to make easy work of the Mets.

What Happened:  Suarez didn't have his best stuff, but he held the Mets to two runs (both unearned as a result of errors by Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache) and he was pulled after five innings.  Bryce Harper hit a solo home run in the first inning.  With the Phillies trailing 2-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth, Kyle Schwarber drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game.  J.T. Realmuto's RBI single gave the Phillies the lead and a two-run double by Bryce Harper made it 5-2, Phillies.  They'd pile on from there, adding five more runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Spencer Turnbull pitched three innings in relief, allowing three runs in the eighth inning, but the Mets were never really a threat following the big, four-run fifth inning from the Phils.

Featured Card:  I'm never lacking for new Harper cards, and this is his New Age Performers insert card from this year's Topps Heritage offering.
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Saturday, May 18, 2024

Game 43 - Nola Shuts Down Mets

2024 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-183
Phillies 4, Mets 0
Game 43 - Tuesday Afternoon, May 14th in Flushing
Record - 30-13, 2nd Place, 2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was masterful in a complete game shutout victory over the Mets.

What It Means:  The Phillies swept the quick two-game set in Flushing, and made the short bus ride to Philadelphia following the game for two more games with the Mets at home.

What Happened:  Nola allowed four hits, no walks and struck out eight in his first CG SHO since August 25, 2022 against the Reds.  For the second day in a row, Alec Bohm was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in the game's first run in the third inning.  Brandon Marsh drew a walk with the bases still loaded, forcing in another run.  The Phillies added a few unneeded insurance runs in the ninth when Bryson Stott singled home Kyle Schwarber and Bohm hit a ground rule double to plate Stott.

Featured Card:  It's definitely Nola for this game, and it's odd I only have two cards for Nola so far from 2024.  He's in the Topps Big League set, and the Topps Now Road to Opening Day set, with that card shown here.
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Game 42 - Late Heroics from Stott Delivers Phils Over Mets

2024 Topps Big League #218
Phillies 5, Mets 4 (10 Innings)
Game 42 - Monday Night, May 13th in Flushing
Record - 29-13, 1st Place, 2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Bryson Stott came up big in the late innings as the Phillies came from behind in this 5-4 extra inning win.

What It Means:  My work schedule and a pesky spring cold means I'm a week behind again with game summary posts, but I'll use a somewhat relaxing weekend to catch back up.  It's not a huge chore to do these things several days after the fact when most of them are wins.

What Happened:  The Phillies were trailing 4-2 heading to the ninth as Mets' closer Edwin Diaz was trumpeted to the mound.  Stott greeted Diaz with a solo home run.  Diaz appeared somewhat rattled as Kody Clemens singled, Brandon Marsh walked and Whit Merrifield walked to load the bases.  With two outs, Diaz hit Alec Bohm, forcing the tying run home.  Orion Kerkering kept the Mets from scoring in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game to extras.  In the top of the 10th, a wild pitch sent ghost runner Bryce Harper to third and Harper would score on Stott's sacrifice fly.  Jose Alvarado pitched a perfect 10th for his eighth save.

Featured Card:  This is Stott's card from Topps Big League, released in March.  Stott received a short-printed foil card in the set.
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