Game 155 - Phils Fall Short in Desert

Philadelphia Phillies	3
Arizona Diamondbacks	4

2025 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs (Series 2) #10

Saturday Night, September 20th

Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ
92-63, 1st Place, 12 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola's shaky season continued and the Phillies couldn't figure out Diamondbacks' pitcher Zac Gallen in this 4-3 defeat.

What It Means:  For the record, I told my wife, "They should take Nola out here," following the fifth inning and before he gave up two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a quick 1-0 lead in the first when Harrison Bader drew a lead-off walk and Kyle Schwarber doubled him home.  Bryce Harper's groud out moved Schwarber to third, and he came home on J.T. Realmuto's sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.  Nola immediately gave back a run in the bottom of the first and the Diamondbacks tied it up in the bottom of the third on a Ketel Marte single.  The Phillies would take a 3-2 lead in the fourth on Alec Bohm's solo home run, his 10th of the season.  That was to be all the scoring the offense could muster, and the two runs charged to Nola in the sixth would be the difference in this game.  Gallen pitched seven strong innings, earning the win.

Featured Card:  I've got nothing.  I'll use this space to pay tribute to Rafael Lantigua, a big-leaguer with the Phillies for two games in the Dodgers series, called up to replace an injured Edmundo Sosa and then sent back down when Alec Bohm was activated.  Lantigua has played nine seasons in the minor leagues and I sincerely hope he gets another shot to actually make his major league debut.  For the record, he wore #19 for his two games with the club.

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The Philly Show Report - Only 16 More Needed for '69 Topps Set

This morning I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  (One of the perks of having him so close is that I was able to stop by and see him on my way home, and he even "bought" me a coffee.)

The showroom floor is ginormous and even though I was there for over three hours, I still didn't visit every table.  Vintage cardboard is still well-represented, although there were more tables selling Pokemon cards or nothing but slabs of graded cards than I remember from past shows.  I had two goals for this show - come close to completing my 1969 Topps set and look for any old and/or oddball Phillies stuff.  I succeeded in my first goal, but failed in my second.  When the final score was tallied, I had added 91 cards to my 1969 Topps set, leaving me with needing just 16 more.  I'm collecting 666 cards - the base 664, plus the variations for Clay Dalrymple and Donn Clendenon.  I have no interest in the white letter variations or the checklist anomalies.

• The first place I stopped was a table with well-organized and well-marked binders of commons and semi-stars with 20% Off notes across the front of each binder.  I took my time and found 32 common and semi-stars needed before asking to see the dealer's star cards from the set.  It turned out this first purchase was also my biggest, as I spent over half my allotted budget here, America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, before moving on to the next table.  I paid a nicely discounted sum for the star cards of Harmon Killebrew, Tug McGraw, Bobby Cox (rookie card) and Rod Carew.  Set progress - 36 added, 71 still needed.

• My next stop was the aptly named Vintage Sports table.  I always appreciate a dealer with clear signage explaining their pricing method, and Vintage Sports had a marker in their selection of 1969 Topps cards laying out that cards without a sleeve were $1 and cards with a sleeve were $2.  I had one "high number" in a sleeve, and that was a whopping $4.  Set progress - 28 added, 43 to go.  Appreciating the deal, I also added 10 cards to my not-yet-officially-collecting 1959 Topps set build.

• I next found a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked.  The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell.  The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.  I made sure to ask for a card, and I'll be making Niagara Sports Cards one of my first stops when I return to the Philly Show, hopefully in December.  Set progress - 12 added, 31 to go.

• After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set.  Set progress - 6 added, 25 to go.

• I'm not even sure how best to describe the next table I visited.  I typically steer clear of tables that look incredibly disorganized or tables that look as if the dealer put minimal effort into his/her display.  This table was both.  But the crudely designed, hand-made sign advertising "Entire Table is 50% Off" made me stop and at least look at what was in the 1969 Topps hodgepodge of cards.  And I'm glad I did.  It took me a solid 20-25 minutes to go through the cards that were loosely in order, but I found seven cards I needed with either mislabeled prices (?) or prices that hadn't been updated since the 1980s.  I paid $7.50 for a perfectly decent Carl Yastrzemski card, and I suddenly wished I had made this table my first stop.  Set progress - 7 added, 18 to go.

• And finally, I made one last stop at Uncle Dick's, the source of 486 cards in our set, or almost 75% of my entire set build.  I wanted to make sure I had completely cleaned him out of all 1969 Topps cards I needed, and I was able to add two more cards from the neon green binder, the last two cards I'll likely purchase from Uncle Dick's for our 1969 Topps set - the Ray Fosse rookie and the Al Kaline card.  Set progress - 2 added, 16 to go.

The 16 cards I need to complete the set are superstars, stars or semi-stars with nary a common in the bunch.  I have a feeling the Nolan Ryan card will be the last to fall, as I don't think I saw any 1969 Ryan cards at the show unslabbed.  I probably won't wait until adding the remaining 14 cards to officially start collecting the 1959 Topps set, the next set on deck.  I've enjoyed collecting this set over the past three-plus years, and I've definitely enjoyed blogging about each of the cards added, but I already have my sights set on moving backwards into the 1950s.

The last 16 cards needed:

82 Richie Hebner / Al Oliver Rookie

85 Lou Brock

90 Jerry Koosman

100 Hank Aaron

150 Denny McLain

190 Willie Mays

270 Mickey Lolich

394 Lou Piniella Rookie

533 Nolan Ryan

540 Curt Flood

547 Billy Martin

570 Ron Santo

573 Jim Palmer

600 Tony Oliva

630 Bobby Bonds

640 Fergie Jenkins

Game 154 - Phils Storm Phoenix Late in Victory

Philadelphia Phillies	8
Arizona Diamondbacks	2

2025 Topps #733

Late Friday Night, September 19th

Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ
92-62, 1st Place, 12 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  After falling behind 2-0, the Phillies scored eight unanswered runs in this 8-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

What It Means:  The magic number to clinch a Wild Card Series bye is down to three.

What Happened:  Dubbed the Walker-Buehler game by manager Rob Thomson, Taijuan Walker pitched the first four innings, with Walker Buehler taking over for the next 3 2/3 innings.  Walker allowed the two first inning runs and then settled down, while Buehler didn't give up a run in his outing while picking up the win.  The Phillies scored their first run in the second on an RBI-double from Alex Bohm and tied the score in the fifth when Harrison Bader hit a solo home run.  Weston Wilson drove home the go-ahead run in the sixth with an RBI-single.

In the eighth, Nick Castellanos, who entered in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter for Max Kepler, hit a two-run home run, the 250th of his career.  The offense piled on three more runs in the ninth with RBI hits from Bohm and Castellanos.

Featured Card:  Castellanos is adjusting to life as a role player, and he didn't waste his opportunity in this game, going 2 for 3 off the bench with three RBIs.  Topps Now issued this card to celebrate his milestone home run.

Transaction:  Rafael Lantigua (inf) was optioned back to Lehigh Valley without appearing in a game to make room for Bohm (3b), activated from the injured list.

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Game 153 - Snell Snoozes Phils' Bats

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Los Angeles Dodgers	5

2013 Topps Archives 1969 Topps
4-in-1 Stickers #69S-SKCK

Late Wednesday Night, September 17th

Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
91-62, 1st Place, 12 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Blake Snell threw seven shutout innings, striking out 12, in this 5-0 win over the Phillies.

What It Means:  The hangover had to come sooner or later, and it apparently waited to arrive for the last game of this series.

What Happened:  If I had to completely miss one game of this Dodgers series, I'm glad I missed this one.  The Phillies' offense had just three singles in the game, with only two allowed by Snell and the other coming off reliever Tanner Scott in the ninth inning.  Jesus Luzardo took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits over seven innings of work.  He exited in the eighth inning after Shohei Ohtani hit his 51st home run of the season.

Featured Card:  Clayton Kershaw announced his retirement from baseball the day after this game, as the legendary left-hander decided this would be his last season.  That made me check to see how many Kershaw cards I have in my Phillies Collection, and I was surprised to learn I had nine of his cards in my collection, all of them showing him paired with a Phillies pitcher.  This is the best one I have, in my opinion, showing a quartet of some of the all-time greatest left-handed pitchers in the history of the game.

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Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks - Final Road Series of Regular Season

2005 Topps #630

2025 Chachi Series Preview #6

Friday, September 19th - 9:40
Saturday, September 20th - 8:10
Sunday, September 21st - 4:10

Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ
It's a Stranger Things special event night at the ballpark tonight, complete with a postgame fireworks show.

Philadelphia Phillies 91-62
1st Place in the N.L. East, 12 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Taijuan Walker (5-8, 4.17)
Aaron Nola (4-9, 6.44)
Ranger Suarez (12-6, 2.84)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .305
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 106
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 53
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 128
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 36

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo - 14
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.66
Strikeouts:  Jesus Luzardo - 206
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 15

Arizona Diamondbacks 77-76
3rd Place in the N.L. West, 9 games behind the Dodgers

Diamondbacks Probables
Ryne Nelson (7-3, 3.34)
Zac Gallen (12-14, 4.73)
Eduardo Rodriguez (8-8, 5.12)

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  Geraldo Perdomo - .289
Runs:  Corbin Carroll - 103
Home Runs:  Corbin Carroll - 30
RBIs:  Geraldo Perdomo - 97
Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll - 29

Wins:  Brandon Pfaadt - 13
ERA:  Zac Gallen - 4.73

Strikeouts:  Zac Gallen - 163
Saves:  Justin Martinez - 5

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Game 152 - Marchan Shocks Dodgers with Ninth Inning Homer

Philadelphia Phillies	9
Los Angeles Dodgers	6

2021 Topps Chrome Platinum
Anniversary #76

Late Tuesday Night, September 16th

Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
91-61, 1st Place, 12 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies scored nine runs after being no-hit by Shohei Ohtani through five innings in this this thrilling 9-6 win over the Dodgers.

What It Means:  The Phillies won the season series over the Dodgers, which gives them the tiebreaker if needed for home field advantage, if the teams finish with identical records.

What Happened:  Absolutely nothing happened for the Phillies' offense until Ohtani was removed from the pitching mound, as the Dodgers held a 4-0 lead through five innings.  The Phillies plated six runs in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead, doing most of the damage against reliever Justin Wrobleski.  Rafael Marchan, Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber all singled to load the bases with one out.  Bryce Harper connected for a two-run double, scoring a pair.  Brandon Marsh then hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.  After Wrobleski was relieved by Edgardo Henriquez, Max Kepler hit a solo home run to give the Phillies a two-run lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the year to welcome David Robertson to the game.  The Dodgers would tie the game before Robertson was able to get out of the inning.  With two outs in the top of the ninth, Weston Wilson doubled, Bryson Stott was intentionally walked and Rafael Marchan hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies an improbable 9-6 lead.  Jhoan Duran set the Dodgers down in order in the bottom of the ninth and the night again belonged to the Phils.

Featured Card:  The Rafael Marchan Game!  I admittedly went to bed early, having watched all of Monday night's game.  But I awoke to gleefully read about Marchan's heroics and what could be his career highlight game with the team.  I added this card last week, giving me 14 Marchan cards so far in my Phillies Collection.

Transaction:  Edmundo Sosa (inf) was placed on the injured list with a mild right groin strains and Rafael Lantigua (inf) had his contract purchased from Lehigh Valley.  Brewer Hicklen (of) was designated for assignment to make room for Lantigua on the 40-man roster.

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Game 151 - PHILS REPEAT AS N.L. EAST CHAMPS!

Philadelphia Phillies	6
Los Angeles Dodgers	5

10 Innings

Late Monday Night, September 15th

Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
90-61, 1st Place, 12 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  In a roller coaster of a game, the Phillies finally prevailed in 10 innings, giving the club their second straight National League East pennant.

What It Means:  It's the first back-to-back pennant clinching for the Phillies since the glory years of 2007-11, when they won five division titles in a row.  With the division clinched, they'll now turn their attention to earning a first round bye in the playoffs.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez didn't have his best stuff, and the Phillies found themselves in a 3-1 deficit heading to the seventh inning.  Kyle Schwarber had hit his 53rd home run of the season in the first, with Dodgers' pitcher Emmet Sheehan shutting down the line-up, and allowing no hits until Otto Kemp doubled to lead off the seventh.  Bryson Stott brought Kemp home with an RBI single, and Weston Wilson gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead with a two-run home run.  Orion Kerkering couldn't keep that lead, giving up a laser of a home run to Mookie Betts in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.

Bryce Harper countered with a clutch, solo home run of his own in the top of the eighth.  With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jhoan Duran surrendered his first home run in a Phillies uniform.  Andy Pages tied the game at 5-5 and put the champagne on hold for a little longer.  J.T. Realmuto brought home ghost runner Harrison Bader in the top of the 10th, after Bader had stolen third base.  David Robertson was handed the bottom of the 10th, and he'd retire Max Muncy for the final out of the game after loading the bases and making things way too interesting.

Featured Card:  I'm cognizant these things don't happen too often, and when they do, I've been sure to take them in and enjoy the moment.  The Phillies are postseason bound for the fourth season in a row, and we'll now wait to see if they're facing off against the Dodgers or the Mets in (hopefully) the NLDS.

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2025 Chachi #55 Walker Buehler / 2025 Chachi #57

Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers - N.L. Powerhouse Match-Up

2025 Chachi 2005 Topps Missing Links #2

2005 Topps #114

Monday, September 15th - 10:10
Tuesday, September 16th - 10:10
Wednesday, September 17th - 10:10

Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
On Monday night, all fans will receive a replica Freddie Freeman World Series ring.

Philadelphia Phillies 89-61
1st Place in the N.L. East, 12 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (12-6, 2.77)
Cristopher Sanchez (13-5, 2.57)
Jesus Luzardo (14-6, 4.03)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .305
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 104
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 52
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 127
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 36

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo - 14
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.57
Strikeouts:  Jesus Luzardo - 200
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 14

Los Angeles Dodgers 84-65
1st Place in the N.L. West, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Padres

Dodgers Probables
Emmet Sheehan (6-3, 3.32)
Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 3.75)
Blake Snell (4-4, 2.79)

Dodgers Leaders
Average:  Freddie Freeman - .296
Runs:  Shohei Ohtani - 135
Home Runs:  Shohei Ohtani - 49
RBIs:  Shohei Ohtani - 93
Stolen Bases:  Shohei Ohtani - 18

Wins:  Anthony Blade - 2
ERA:  Blake Snell - 2.00
Strikeouts:  Yoshinobu Yamamoto - 14
Saves:  Tanner Scott - 2

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Game 150 - Royals Thwart Home Clinching Plans

Kansas City Royals	10
Philadelphia Phillies	3

1981 Topps #403

Sunday Afternoon, September 14th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
89-61, 1st Place, 12 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola got hit hard (again) and the Phillies will need to wait to celebrate a division clincher with this 10-3 loss to the Royals, combined with a Mets win over the Rangers.

What It Means:  Bummer.  The clincher is coming, but now I'll need to lose sleep to enjoy it as the Phillies began a late-night stint in Los Angeles and Phoenix, beginning on Monday night.

What Happened:  Nola gave up six runs on six hits in six innings of work, putting the game too far out of reach for the Phillies to mount a late comeback.  The big blow was a three-run home run from Salvador Perez in the top of the sixth, giving the Royals a 6-2 lead.  The Phillies had taken a quick, 2-0 lead in the first on Kyle Schwarber's 52nd home run of the year, followed quickly by J.T. Realmuto's 12th home run of the year.  Royals' starter Noah Cameron settled down after that, pitching six scoreless innings before his exit.  In the bottom of the eighth, Bryson Stott hit a solo home run.  The Phillies offense had five hits overall and didn't come to the plate once with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  I'll go ahead and post my favorite Royals baseball card.

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Game 149 - Magic Number Drops to One!

Kansas City Royals	6
Philadelphia Phillies	8

2025 Topps #233

Saturday Night, September 13th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
89-60, 1st Place, 13 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies once again battled back to win a ballgame, with all members of the team contributing in an 8-6 win over the Royals.

What It Means:  The Phillies continue to win and the Mets continue to lose.  Amazingly enough, the magic number to clinch the division pennant is down to one.

What Happened:  As has been a pattern recently for Phillies' starting pitchers, Taijuan Walker was in trouble early, allowing three runs in the first inning, but then he settled in after that.  Walker went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.  Jhoan Duran took over in the ninth, throwing a perfect inning and securing the win.

The Phillies started their comeback in the first with two runs of their own when Brandon Marsh laced a two-run double to deep center.  Realmuto got the Phils to within a run with a sacrifice fly in the third.  Kyle Schwarber tied the game up in the fifth with his 51st home run of the season and pinch-hitter Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies the lead later in the inning with a sacrifice fly.  Otto Kemp's double to left would give the Phillies a 6-4 lead.  A few insurance runs were added in the seventh (Schwarber RBI single) and eighth (Marsh solo home run) which were more than enough for Duran to protect the lead.

Featured Card:  Marsh continued his hot streak, starting the scoring in the first and capping the scoring with his home run in the eighth.  Since August 1st, he's batting .339 with 11 doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBIs.

Field Report:  Jenna and I attended this game with friends, enjoying a beautiful night for baseball and another Phillies win.  This was also the night I made my debut on the Phillies' look-alike cam, getting paired with a young(er) George Lucas.  I'll take it.

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Game 148 - Offense Stays Hot in Support of Buehler's Debut

Kansas City Royals	2
Philadelphia Phillies	8

2025 Topps x Bob Ross:
The Joy of Baseball #16

Friday Night, September 12th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
88-70, 1st Place, 12 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Walker Buehler had a solid first start with the Phillies, with Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott both contributing two-run home runs in this 8-2 series opening win over the Royals.

What It Means:  The Mets lost to the Rangers, and the Phillies magic number to clinch the division pennant is down to three.

What Happened:  Buehler battled through a long first inning, allowing one run, before settling in for four scoreless innings after that.  The Phillies quickly tied the game on Rafael Marchan's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second.  They'd take a 3-1 lead on Harper's two-run blast in the third, his 26th of the season.  Brandon Marsh then tripled and came home on Otto Kemp's RBI single to make it 4-1.  Three doubles in a row from Marchan, Harrison Bader and Kyle Schwarber to start the fourth led to two more runs.  And Stott capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the seventh.

Featured Card:  It's fitting this card arrived in the mail on Friday afternoon.  The Joy of Baseball, indeed.

Transaction:  Buehler (rhp) had his contact selected and Jose Alvarado (lhp) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm strain.  Alvarado's Phillies career may sadly be over.  To make room on the 40-man roster for Buehler, Matt Manning (rhp) was designated for assignment.

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Kansas City Royals at Philadelphia Phillies - Magic Number is 5

2005 Topps #581

2025 Chachi 2005 Topps Missing Links #15

Friday, September 12th - 6:45
Saturday, September 13th - 6:05
Sunday, September 14th - 1:35

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Tonight at the ballpark is Philadelphia Negro Leagues tribute night.  On Saturday, all kids 14 and under will receive a yellow Phillies bucket hat, as part of the Nemours Children's Health Childhood Cancer Awareness Night.  And on Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies lunch tote.

Kansas City Royals 74-73
3rd Place in the A.L. Central, 10 games behind the Tigers

Royals Probables
Michael Lorenzen (5-10, 4.63)
Ryan Bergert (1-2, 4.17)
Noah Cameron (7-7, 3.00)

Royals Leaders
Average:  Bobby Witt, Jr. - .293
Runs:  Bobby Witt, Jr. - 91
Home Runs:  Vinnie Pasquantino - 30
RBIs:  Vinnie Pasquantino - 102
Stolen Bases:  Bobby Witt, Jr. - 35

Wins:  Michael Wacha - 9
ERA:  Michael Wacha - 3.45

Strikeouts:  Seth Lugo - 125
Saves:  Carlos Estevez - 39

Philadelphia Phillies 87-60
1st Place in the N.L. East, 11 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Walker Buehler (0-0, 0.00)
Taijuan Walker (4-8, 4.03)
Aaron Nola (4-8, 6.24)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .305
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 100
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 50
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 123
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 36

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo - 14
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.57
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 200
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 13

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Game 147 - Luzardo Settles Down to Tame Mets; Phils Sweep

New York Mets	4
Philadelphia Phillies	6

2025 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs (Series 2) #9

Thursday Night, September 11th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
87-60, 1st Place, 11 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jesus Luzardo allowed four first inning runs and then retired the next 22 Mets batters, as the Phillies came from behind in this 6-4, series sweeping victory.

What It Means:  After an impressive four-game sweep of the second place Mets, the Phillies welcome their 1980 World Series opponents, the Royals, to Citizens Bank Park for a weekend series.  After that, they'll play a crucial, late-night series against the Dodgers with major play-off implications.

What Happened:  Luzardo clearly made a huge adjustment after his shaky first inning, baffling the Mets' line-up the rest of the night.  Jhoan Duran struck out the side in the ninth to seal the win and send the Mets to the brink of possibly missing the postseason.  The Phillies' offense started chipping away at the deficit when Otto Kemp connected for a two-run home run in the fourth.  In the fifth, Weston Wilson led off with a single and was doubled home by Bryce Harper.  Nick Castellanos lashed a hustle double to start the sixth, and scored on Kemp's double, misplayed by center fielder Jeff McNeil, tying the score.  The red-hot Harrison Bader, who had two more hits in this game, singled home Kemp to give the Phillies the lead.  A hard-hit infield single by Harper to first scored the Phillies' sixth and final run.

Featured Card:  Luzardo was phenomenal, but I'll give the card to Kemp here.  This is his card from the second set released by the IronPigs this summer.

Field Report:  Jenna and I were lucky enough to attend this game as part of sponsor's night for the important work being done by ALS United Mid-Atlantic.  After a great dinner in the executive dining room, we enjoyed the game from our seats in Section 223, right in front of the broadcast booth.  What a great night for baseball!

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Game 146 - Outfielders Kepler, Marsh, Bader Pace Phils Over Mets

New York Mets	3
Philadelphia Phillies	11

2021 Topps Heritage #120

Wednesday Night, September 10th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
86-60, 1st Place, 10 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Max Kepler drove in five runs and Cristopher Sanchez made it look easy against the Mets' line-up in this convincing 11-3 win.

What It Means:  The magic number to clinch a division title is seven.  The last and only time the Phillies had a 10-game lead in the division on September 10th was in 2011.  Amazingly, the Phillies will try to complete a four-game sweep tonight.

What Happened:  Kepler, Harrison Bader and Brandon Marsh combined to go 8 for 14 in this game with five runs scored and seven RBIs.  The outfield platoon recently put in place by manager Rob Thomson definitely seems to be working, although veteran Nick Castellanos has been the odd man out lately given the hot streaks from Kepler and Marsh.  Bader and Marsh both doubled in this game with Kepler hitting a solo home run in the eighth.  Bryce Harper also homered, his 25th of the season.

Sanchez could have gone longer in this game, but with an 8-1 lead after six, Thomson turned to his bullpen.  Sanchez improved to 13-5, allowing a run on six hits while striking out six.

Featured Card:  The lack of Phillies baseball cards for Kepler means I have to dig back into the archives again, and this is his 1972 Topps inspired card from the 2021 Topps Heritage set.

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Game 145 - 50th Schwarbomb Supports Suarez's Strong Start

New York Mets	3
Philadelphia Phillies	9

2025 Topps Now #682

Tuesday Night, September 9th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
85-60, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez allowed one hit in six innings of work and Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run home in the bottom of the seventh on the way to this 9-3 win over the Mets.

What It Means:  The magic number to clinch a division title is nine.

What Happened:  The Phillies jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea early, going up 4-0 after two innings.  Nick Castellanos starting things off with a two-run double in the first.  Otto Kemp and Harrison Bader hit back-to-back solo home runs in the second.  Schwarber gave the Phillies a commanding 7-1 lead with his blast in the seventh.  Bryson Stott and Bader piled on with two more RBI-singles in the eighth.  Stott and Bader both had three hits in this game.  Suarez improved to 12-6 on the season, striking out a a career-high 12 and allowing just a fifth inning single to Brandon Nimmo.

Featured Card:  In any other game, Suarez would have been the easy pick for the featured card, but Schwarber's 50th home run of the season made him just the second Phillies player in franchise history to eclipse that mark in a single season.  Ryan Howard hit 58 home runs in 2006.  Topps Now provided us with the card shown here to mark the highlight.  This is the 11th (!) appearance of Schwarber in this year's Topps Now offering.

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Game 144 - Nola Shines in Combined Shutout Against Mets

New York Mets	0
Philadelphia Phillies	1

2025 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Monday Night, September 8th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
84-60, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola reminded Phillies fans he can still pitch in big games, authoring six shutout innings in this 1-0 victory over the second place Mets.

What It Means:  Coming in to the series, the Mets needed to win three out of four to make any headwind in the division race.  Thanks to Nola's gutsy performance, they'll now need to win the next three to gain ground.

What Happened:  Nola faced off against Mets' rookie Nolan McLean, and given Nola's recent performances, there wasn't a whole lot of optimism as the game began.  But he settled in, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven in his 94-pitch outing.  He shut down the heart of the Mets' line-up in order in the top of the sixth - Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo - to end his impressive night.  The big three at the back-end of the Phillies' bullpen - David Robertson, Matt Strahm and Jhoan Duran - did their jobs, preserving the shutout and clinching the win.

The Phillies scored the only run of the game in the second.  Max Kepler singled to lead off the inning and went to third on Harrison Bader's single.  Nick Castellanos singled home Kepler to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead, and the final score of the game.  Bader had a three hit night.

Featured Card:  After posting Nola's cards following games in which he was atrocious, I love posting this card following last night's game.  Hopefully he's figured something out.

Transaction:  In a flurry of pregame moves, Trea Turner (ss) and Alec Bohm (3b) were both placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain and left shoulder inflammation, respectively.  Otto Kemp (3b) was recalled and Donovan Walton (inf) had his contract purchased from Lehigh Valley.  Walton had been playing in the Mets system when the Phillies purchased his contract on July 1st.  To make room for Walton on the 40-man roster, Daniel Robert (rhp) was moved to the 60-day injured list.

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New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies - Play-Off Push Continues

2005 Topps #575

2005 Topps #11

Monday, September 8th - 6:45
Tuesday, September 9th - 6:45
Wednesday, September 10th - 6:45
Thursday, September 11th - 7:15

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
This is a huge series, so no giveaways are really needed to draw fans.  But there are some theme nights being held - Tuesday is both Strike Out the Stigma and Hello Kitty Night, Wednesday is the annual Goya Latino Community Celebration and Thursday is First Responders Night.

New York Mets 76-67
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Phillies

Mets Probables
Nolan McLean (4-0, 1.37)
Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.60)
Clay Holmes (11-7, 3.61)
David Peterson (9-5, 3.72)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Francisco Lindor - .268
Runs:  Juan Soto - 109
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 38
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 113
Stolen Bases:  Juan Soto - 29

Wins:  Clay Holmes - 11
ERA:  Clay Holmes - 3.61

Strikeouts:  David Peterson - 140
Saves:  Edwin Diaz - 26

Philadelphia Phillies 83-60
1st Place in the N.L. East, 7 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (3-8, 6.78)
Ranger Suarez (11-6, 2.89)
Cristopher Sanchez (12-5, 2.60)
Jesus Luzardo (13-6, 4.01)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .305
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 98
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 49
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 120
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 36

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo - 13
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.60
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 195
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 11

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Game 143 - Walker Digs Early Hole in Loss to Marlins

Philadelphia Phillies	4
Miami Marlins	5

2025 Bowman #65

Saturday Afternoon, September 7th

loanDepot park - Miami, FL
83-60, 1st Place, 7 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies chipped away at an early 4-0 deficit, but came away a run short in this 5-4 loss in Miami.

What It Means:  Having won two out of three, they'll come home for a crucial four-game series with the Mets beginning on Monday night.

What Happened:  Taijuan Walker was in trouble early, throwing a ton of pitches in the first inning and allowing the Marlins to stake a 4-0 lead.  He settled down after that, pitching five scoreless innings.  The Phillies' offense chipped away as best they could, but the Marlins' bullpen prevailed.  Nick Castellanos drove in a run with an RBI-triple in the second inning.  Two more runs scored in the sixth on a Trea Turner solo home run and an RBI-single from the red-hot Brandon Marsh.  Kyle Schwarber drove in the team's fourth and final run with a single to right in the ninth.  With runners at the corners and two outs, Bryce Harper grounded to second to end the game.

Featured Card:  The loss was the second worse news from this game.  In the top of the seventh, Trea Turner injured his hamstring running out a grounder to first, immediately leaving the game.  He'll likely miss time, and Phillies fans are collectively holding our breath that it's not more than a few weeks.

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Game 142 - Luzardo, Harper Lead Phils Over Fish

Philadelphia Phillies	4
Miami Marlins	2

2025 Topps Heritage 1976 Player Icons
Holographic #76PI-2

Saturday Afternoon, September 6th

loanDepot park - Miami, FL
83-59, 1st Place, 7 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jesus Luzardo notched his team-leading 13th win and Bryce Harper hit a key, two-run home run in this 4-2 defeat of the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies will go for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon with Taijuan Walker on the mound.

What Happened:  Luzardo improved to 13-6, pitching six innings and allowing a pair of runs on five hits while striking out eight.  The late inning trio of David Robertson, Matt Strahm and Jhoan Duran handled it the rest of the way, with Duran earning his 11th save with the Phillies.  Harper provided the Phillies with a quick 2-0 lead when he launched a first inning home run.  Two more runs scored in the fourth on a Harrison Bader RBI single and a Bryson Stott sacrifice fly.

Featured Card:  I'm always happy to share another Harper card, and following the game he dedicated the home run to his first manager with the Nationals, Davey Johnson.  Johnson, who played for the Phillies in 1977 and 1978, passed away on Friday at the age of 82.

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Game 141 - Kepler, Stott Back Sanchez's Stellar Start

Philadelphia Phillies	9
Miami Marlins	3

2018 Topps Heritage #73

Friday Night, September 5th

loanDepot park - Miami, FL
82-59, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies pounded out nine runs on 16 hits and Cristopher Sanchez was stellar for seven innings in this 9-3 series opening win.

What It Means:  They've won five of their last seven while maintaining a six-game lead over the Mets in the division.

What Happened:  Sanchez improved to 12-5, allowing a run on six hits while striking out five.  Tanner Banks had a rare shaky outing, allowing a two-run home run to Brian Navarreto in the bottom of the eighth.  Tim Mayza pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Phillies took a quick lead in the first when Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper all singled to start the game.  Harper's single brought Turner home.  Max Kepler hit his 15th home run in the second.  Three more runs scored in the fourth when Brandon Marsh hit a two-run home run and Harrison Bader followed that with a solo home run of his own.  And the scoring continued with four more runs in the seventh.  Kepler added an RBI-single and Bryson Stott hit a three-run home run, his 10th of the season.

Featured Card:  Stott drove in the most runs, but Kepler paced the offense with a few key hits.  Collectors are still waiting on Kepler's first mainstream Phillies baseball card, and here's his 1969 Topps inspired card from the 2018 Topps Heritage set.

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Game 140 - Suarez Pitches Phils to Series Win Over Brewers

Philadelphia Phillies	2
Milwaukee Brewers	0

2024 Topps Heritage
Image Variation #685

Thursday Night, September 4th

American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
81-59, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez was on in this 2-0 combined shutout win over the Brewers.

What It Means:  This was a great series win against the only team in the National League with a better record than the Phillies.  If the season ended today, the Brewers and Phillies would both have byes in the first round of the playoffs.

What Happened:  Suarez improved to 11-6, allowing six hits and walking a pair in his six shutout innings.  He struck out four.  David Robertson, Matt Strahm and Jhoan Duran shut down the Brewers over the final three innings.  Scoreless through six innings, Alec Bohm tripled with one out in the seventh and scored on Trea Turner's line single to left.  An insurance run was added in the top of the ninth when Bryson Stott doubled home Harrison Bader, who had doubled to start the inning.

Featured Card:  It's got to be Suarez, presumably the team's number two starter heading into the postseason, behind Cristopher Sanchez.  I recently added this image variation card from last year's Topps Heritage set.

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