Game 69 - Misiorowski Dominates Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Milwaukee Brewers	6

1970 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Friday Night, June 12th

American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
37-32, 2nd Place, 8 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  In one of the most dominant pitching performances in recent history, Jacob Misiorowski pitched a complete game shutout against the Phillies, striking out 15 batters.

What It Means:  The Phillies had no shot in this game.

What Happened:  Misiorowski faced the minimum 27 batters.  Kyle Schwarber singled to center to start the fourth but was erased on 4-6-3 double play ground out off the bat of Bryce Harper.  The Brewers starter needed 95 pitches for his masterpiece, and the game took two hours, four minutes to complete.  Misiorowski threw 58 pitches topping 100 mph, and he struck out Schwarber in the first on a pitch that hit 104.5 mph - the fastest pitch thrown by a starting pitcher since pitch tracking started in 2008.

The Phillies went with opener Tanner Banks to help ease Andrew Painter into this game.  Banks allowed a first inning run and Painter allowed five runs over five innings, raising his season ERA to 6.43.  It will be interesting to see how Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez continue to measure against each other as the season progresses.  I'll also be interested to see how much longer the Phillies stick with Painter in the rotation.

Featured Card:  The last opposing pitcher to face just 27 Phillies batters was the Expos' Gary Waslewski on July 6, 1969.  Waslewski allowed a hit to Rick Joseph and walked Deron Johnson, but both runners were erased on double plays.

Transaction:  A lat muscle tear suffered by Adolis Garcia in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays set off a flurry of roster moves prior to this game.  On Thursday, the Phillies acquired Derek Hill (of) and cash considerations from the White Sox for minor leaguers Dylan Campbell (of) and Jose Colmenares (inf).  Jackson Rutledge (rhp) was designated for assignment to make room for Hill on the 40-man roster.  Hill is a veteran of seven big league seasons, and he was batting .213 with four home runs with the White Sox so far this season.  He played in all three recent games against the Phillies, going 1 for 7 with a home run off Jesus Luzardo.  Hill has seen time with the Tigers, Nationals, Rangers, Giants, Marlins and White Sox.

Before this game, Hill was activated and Gabriel Rincones, Jr. (of) was recalled from Lehigh Valley.  Garcia (of) was placed on the 60-day injured list and Steward Berroa (of) was placed on the paternity list.  Rincones started in right and went 0 for 3 in his big league debut, with a pair of strike outs.

2025 Topps Update #US305

2026 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (Series 1) #7

2026 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Top Ten Prospects #5

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 37 - Sosa's Clutch Hit in 8th Leads to Comeback Win

Athletics	3
Philadelphia Phillies	6

2019 Topps Heritage #286

Wednesday Night, May 6th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
17-20, Tied for 2nd Place, 8 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A four-run eighth inning capped by a go-ahead, two-run single from Edmundo Sosa, led to a 6-3 win over the Athletics.

What It Means:  The Phillies would go for the series sweep on Thursday night, but they'd fall quite a bit short.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler made his first home start since August 2, 2025, pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out four.  Brad Keller walked a tight-rope (again) in the ninth, loading the bases, before securing his third save.  The Phillies trailed 3-2 after six innings, following a solo home run from Adolis Garcia.  In the eighth, the Phillies loaded the bases on a Kyle Schwarber walk, a costly error from Jeff McNeil to put Bryce Harper aboard, and a Garcia single.  Sosa fell behind 0-2 and then fouled off four straight pitches before singling to center to score Schwarber and Harper.  Brandon Marsh and Justin Crawford brought two more runs home later in the inning.

Featured Card:  I've been waiting to feature this card, and the starring roles played by Garcia and Sosa in this win was a good reason.  Both players came up through the Cardinals' system and they were reunited with the Phillies when Garcia signed with the club in the offseason.

Field Report:  Jenna and I enjoyed this game from Section 315, in front of a group of rowdy nurses, after enjoying a pre-game meal from Pass and Stow.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall (Coming Soon) / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Congrats to Dick Allen - Hall of Famer!

On Sunday night, the 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee finally inducted Dick Allen into the Hall of Fame.  Allen will posthumously be inducted this summer as part of the Class of 2025.  The Phillies Room is thrilled for Allen's family, the Phillies organization, and those who have continuously lobbied to have Allen immortalized in the Hall.  Finally!

1964 Topps #243

1965 Topps #460

1966 Topps #80

1967 Topps #450

1967 Topps #309

1968 Topps #225

1969 Topps #350

1970 Topps #40

1971 Topps #650

1972 Topps #240

1973 Topps #310

1974 Topps #70

1975 Topps #400

1976 Topps #455

Game 68 - Sox Easily Handle Nola, Phils

2016 Chachi Photo Day #23

Red Sox 9, Phillies 3
Game 68 - Thursday Night, June 13th in Boston
Record - 46-22, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was hit early and often as the Phillies endured a rare lopsided loss, falling 9-3 to the Red Sox.

What It Means:  Flush it.  This was the team's worst loss since falling to the Reds, 8-1 on April 23rd.  Nola's eight earned runs allowed tied a career high, previously set on August 30, 2022.

What Happened:  Nola allowed four runs in the second and another four runs in the fourth.  The lone Phillies highlight came in the top of the fourth when Kyle Schwarber laced a bases-clearing double to center field, pulling the Phillies to within a run at 4-3.  Nola couldn't turn in a shut-down inning though, and the Red Sox quickly had an 8-3 lead after they batted in the bottom of the fourth.

Featured Card:  Current Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey spent part of the 2016 season with the Phillies, going 3-1 with a 6.40 ERA in 33 relief appearances.  He was released by the club on August 6th.  Less than a month earlier, on July 16, 2016, Bailey posed with our two sons who will both be High School students when school starts again in September.  Hard to believe, Harry.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 54 - Phils Fall Quietly in Loss to Mets

2016 Chachi Photo Day #19

Mets 2, Phillies 0
Game 54 - Tuesday Night, May 30th in Flushing
Record - 25-29, 4th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense managed two singles against Mets' starting pitcher Kodai Senga and two relievers, wasting a good start from Ranger Suarez.

What It Means:  For the sake of completeness, I'm going to trudge through this three game series with the Mets fairly quickly.

What Happened:  I mean, not much.  Suarez allowed a solo home run to Francisco Lindor in the fourth.  In the seventh, Eduardo Escobar hit a soft single to center off reliever Connor Brogdon, scoring the Mets' second run.  The Phillies' offense had two singles - a Kody Clemens hit in the third and then a pinch-hit from Josh Harrison in the ninth.  It was a thoroughly unenjoyable game for a Phillies fan, and thankfully it only took a little over two hours to play.

Featured Card:  At the end of the television broadcast for this game, a graphic was put on screen noting this loss was the first since July 17, 2016 that the Phillies failed to get a runner to second base agains the Mets (or something to that effect.)  The only hit in that game was a single from Phillies starting pitcher Zach Eflin.  We were there the day before that game (July 16, 2016) and took the picture shown here with Eflin.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 161 - Phils Drop Hangover Game

2019 Topps Heritage #722

Astros 10, Phillies 0
Game 161 - Tuesday Night, October 4th in Houston
Record - 87-74, 3rd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Clearly in a fog following the clinching win on Monday night, the Phillies were soundly defeated by the Astros (and nearly no-hit) in the 10-0 loss.

What It Means:  I'll allow it.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez, presumably the NLWCS Game 3 starter for the Phillies, was hit early and often, allowing six runs, seven hits and three home runs in three long innings.  Houston starter Justin Verlander was nasty, striking out 10 in five no-hit innings.  Two other relievers, Hunter Brown and Hector Neris, added three more hitless innings.  Will Smith entered the ninth with a chance for the combined no-hitter, but Garrett Stubbs promptly singled to center to end the bid.  Two more singles would follow, but Smith struck out the side to leave the bases loaded and mercifully end the game.

Featured Card:  Old friend Neris has had a successful first season for the pennant-winning Astros, appearing in 70 games and going 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 65 1/3 innings pitched.  It would have been nice to have had Neris back in the Phillies bullpen this season.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 10 - Phils Lay an Egg on Easter Sunday

2016 Chachi Fan
Appreciation Day #6

Marlins 11, Phillies 3
Game 10 - Sunday Afternoon, April 17th in Miami
Record - 4-6, 4th Place, 3 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Marlins teed off against Zack Wheeler, easily winning this game, 11-3.

What It Means:  Ten games into the season and the Phillies do not look like a competitive team.  Manager Joe Girardi is already tweaking the line-up, batting J.T. Realmuto lead-off and dropping Kyle Schwarber to fifth in the order.  The move didn't pay off in this game, but hopefully the offense can get things going when the club opens a three-game series in Denver on Monday night.

What Happened:  Wheeler faltered in the fourth and was pulled after beginning the frame with a hit batter, a single and a walk.  His final line wasn't pretty - 3+ innings pitched, 7 runs, 8 hits, 3 walks.  Cristopher Sanchez was tasked with mop-up duties and allowed three more runs.  Bryce Harper was 3 for 5 with a solo home run in the fifth, while Schwarber added a solo shot in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Phillies pitchers (Wheeler, Sanchez, Brad Hand, Jose Alvarado) hit four batters in this game, and the last time that happened was September 25, 2016, per a Matt Gelb Tweet.  The quartet of Phillies pitchers in that game were Jake Thompson, Phil Klein, Colton Murray and Patrick Schuster, all of whom were immortalized in the 2016 Chachi set.  You'd have to be a true die-hard Phillies fan, and most likely have something wrong with you, to remember that quartet, and Schuster is probably the most obscure of the four.

I wrote this about Schuster in a game summary post from September 8, 2016, and I ended up using a screenshot from a Phillies TV broadcast for his Chachi card.  

Schuster was among a handful of players stationed at the front gates for the final home game of the 2016 season, and he graciously posed with my sons in what would be his final time putting on a Phillies uniform.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Spring Training Game 19 - 2019 Topps Heritage High Numbers #639 Jose Alvarado

Blue Jays 3, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 19 - Saturday Afternoon, March 20th in Clearwater
Record - 9-9-1

One Sentence Summary:  On a spring-like day back north, the Blue Jays defeated the Phillies in Grapefruit League action, 3-1.

What It Means:  With regular play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy covering the NCAA Tournament, this televised game was broadcast by the unlikely crew of Ricky Bottalico, Ben Davis and Ruben Amaro, Jr.  It was the second time this broadcasting trio had worked a game and . . . it wasn't bad?  Bottalico was a little too amped up at times for me, but I didn't have to mute the broadcast so I consider that a win.

What Happened:  Starting pitcher Matt Moore looked a little off in this start, and he ended up allowing a pair of runs on five hits.  Reliever Connor Brogdon also struggled, walking three in just a third of an inning.  The Phillies lone run came in the fourth when Roman Quinn reached on a perfect bunt single up the first base line and then Bryce Harper doubled him home.

Featured Card:  Phillies reliever (and potential closer) Jose Alvarado hit 101 on the radar gun in this game, while striking out the side in the seventh inning.  As Sarah Langs pointed out in this Tweet, Phillies pitchers have thrown one pitch at least that fast since the start of the 2016 season.  Seranthony Dominguez hit 100.9 mph on August 22, 2018 with Bryce Harper batting.  Alvarado is going to be fun to watch this season.

Camp Head Count:  63

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Spring Training Game 16 - 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League #9 Matt Vierling

Blue Jays 14, Phillies 5
Spring Training Game 16 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 16th in Clearwater
Record - 7-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Blue Jays unloaded on Aaron Nola and two other Phillies relievers, easily winning this exhibition contest, 14-5.

What It Means:  Maybe Nola was working on something?  Hopefully?  He lasted 2 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on seven hits.

What Happened:  The other two relievers dinged in this game were Brandon Kintzler and Tony Watson, both of whom had been stellar up until this point in the spring.  Kintzler gave up three unearned runs on four hits, while Watson was touched for four runs on five hits.  Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. went 4 for 4 with two doubles and a triple.  Jean Segura had a two-run single for the Phillies in the fourth with Matt Vierling adding a two-run home run in the seventh.

Featured Card:  Vierling, a mini-camp invitee and wearing #76, has never had a card featured on this blog so let's fix that here.  I have four of his cards in my collection, all from 2018 or 2019 and all showing him either with the Williamsport Crosscutters or the Clearwater Threshers.

Camp Head Count:  66 - 3 = 63.  Before the game, the Phillies optioned Nick Maton (inf) and Cristopher Sanchez (lhp) to minor league camp.  Following the game, C.J. Chatham (inf) was also optioned.  The Chatham move is a little surprising, as I had assumed he'd earn a spot on the opening day roster as the team's back-up infielder.  But in 10 spring games, Chatham batted only .174 (4 for 23).

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

New Uniform Numbers Arrive, Spring Training Approaches!

2019 Topps Heritage #667

2019 Topps Heritage #81

2019 Topps Heritage #178

2019 Topps Heritage #657

2019 Topps Heritage #224

This year has been a bit backwards in more ways than one, and the Phillies took their time this offseason issuing new uniform numbers for their offseason additions.  We're still awaiting the official release of the minor league prospect non-roster invitee list, which typically comes before we get to the new number stage of the offseason.  Presented below is a look at the new uniform numbers, one uniform number switch and the numbers still officially and unofficially available.  The Phillies are now one day away from pitchers and catchers officially reporting to Clearwater, masked up and socially distant.

#
7
12
19
23
29
30
31
46
47
53
54
57
65
66
67
69
70
78
96

Old Player/Coach
Josh Harrison - inf (NRI)
Neil Walker - inf
Bryan Price - pitching coach
Kyle Garlick - of
Drew Storen - rhp (NRI)
David Robertson - rhp
David Phelps - rhp
Adam Morgan - lhp
Cole Irvin - lhp
Blake Parker - rhp
Austin Davis - lhp
Deolis Guerra - rhp
JD Hammer - rhp
Garrett Cleavinger - lhp
Trevor Kelley - rhp
Addison Russ - rhp
Arquimedes Gamboa - inf
Mickey Moniak - of*
Tommy Hunter - rhp

New Player/Coach
Matt Joyce - of (NRI)
Rafael Marchan - c*
Brandon Kintzler - rhp (NRI)
Archie Bradley - rhp
Hector Rondon - rhp (NRI)
C.J. Chatham - inf
Matt Moore - lhp
Jose Alvarado - lhp
Ivan Nova - rhp (NRI)
David Paulino - rhp (NRI)
Sam Coonrod - rhp
Chase Anderson - rhp
Caleb Cotham - pitching coach
Michael Ynoa - rhp (NRI)
Nick Maton - ss
Francisco Morales - rhp
Bailey Falter - lhp
Simon Muzziotti - of
Neftali Feliz - rhp (NRI)

* Marchan is switching from #13 to #12, and Moniak wore #78 in spring training but switched to #16 when he joined the Phillies.

Not counting the numbers unofficially on ice for Ryan Howard (#6), Jimmy Rollins (#11), Chase Utley (#26) and possibly Cole Hamels (#35), the Phillies have a surprising amount of respectable uniform numbers still available under 70:  8, 9, 13, 39, 43, 49, 52 and 64.  I'm assuming #37 is still being held for Odubel Herrera and #51 for Enyel De Los Santos, both of whom are still in the system but currently not non-roster invitees.  JD Hammer is also still around, but the Phillies gave his #65 to new pitching coach Caleb Cotham.

Non-roster invitees Travis Jankowski and Bryan Mitchell haven't been assigned numbers yet on the team's website so they'll take two of the numbers above off the chart.  And super-utility player Brad Miller is rumored to be returning to the club as well.  The #33 he wore with the team in 2019 is currently being worn by hitting coach Joe Dillon, so perhaps he'll take one of the remaining single digit numbers still available.

Memory Lane

2012 New Numbers

2013 New Numbers
2014 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2015 New Numbers
2016 New Numbers - Part One and Part Two
2017 New Numbers
2018 New Numbers
2019 New Numbers - Part One, Part Two and Part Three
2020 New Numbers

2021 New Numbers

1970 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  40
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  Unlike the rest of the Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, the players' position is also included.  The backs of the cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1970. 

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

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Larry Bowa 2. John Briggs 3. Byron Browne           4. Jim Bunning 5. Bill Champion 6. Mike Compton 7. Billy DeMars CO 8. Denny Doyle 9. Doc Edwards CO (with hat) 10. Doc Edwards CO (without hat)           11. Woodie Fryman 12. Oscar Gamble 13. Terry Harmon 14. Larry Hisle

15. Joe Hoerner           16. Jim Hutto           17. Grant Jackson 18. Deron Johnson      19. Rick Joseph 20. Bill Laxton 21. Barry Lersch 22. Joe Lis 23. Frank Lucchesi MG                24. Greg Luzinski 25. Tim McCarver 26. Don Money   27. George Myatt CO

28. Lowell Palmer 29. Sammy Parrilla 30. Scott Reid 31. Ken Reynolds 32. Ray Rippelmeyer CO                33. Mike Ryan 34. Dick Selma 35. Chris Short 36. Ron Stone 37. Tony Taylor 38. Fred Wenz 39. Billy Wilson 40. Rick Wise

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Laxton

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (22):  Bowa, Brown, Champion, Compton, Doyle, Gamble, Harmon, Hoerner, Hutto, Joseph, Lersch, Lis, Luzinski, McCarver, Palmer, Parrilla, Reid, Reynolds, Selma, Stone, Wenz, Wilson
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (11):  Briggs, Bunning, Fryman, Hisle, Jackson, Johnson, Money, Ryan, Short, Taylor, Wise

Manager (1):  Lucchesi
Coaches (5):  DeMars, Edwards (2), Myatt, Rippelmeyer

Surprises:  Two versions of the Doc Edwards card is kind of odd.  The Phillies could have issued a third variation with "catcher" listed as Edwards' position as he was activated on June 6th to help carry the catching load after a rash of injuries at the position.  Edwards hadn't caught in the Majors since 1965 but he got into 35 games with the 1970 Phillies, amazingly making 23 starts!

Omissions:  I'm also surprised by the fact the Phillies had 38 players suit up in 1970 and 34 of them are in this set.  The club can't be blamed for omitting the final four, as they were all short-timers that season.  Catcher Del Bates appeared in 22 games between May 6th and June 5th and reliever Mike Jackson pitched in five games between May 10th and May 24th.  The Phillies would have had to scramble to produce and distribute cards of those two players during the short time they were both active.  If I ever get around to producing my Phillies Missing Links custom cards from the 1970s, Bates and Jackson will be the first two cards in the set as neither ever appeared on a Phillies baseball card.

The other two players omitted were two prospects who would both go on to have much more time in Phillies uniforms.  Outfielder Willie Montanez and infielder John Vukovich were both September call-ups and cards weren't produced for them.

Variations/Rarities:  There are two versions of the Edwards card - one featuring him with a hat, and another featuring him without a hat.  I'm not sure which is more prevalent than the other, so I've listed them both above as part of the main checklist.

Also See:  According to entries found at The Trading Card Database and Beckett.com, there was also a 12-card "Picture Pack" set issued in 1970 containing cards measuring 4 1/4" x 7".  And again per The Trading Card Database, a 26-card set containing 8" x 10" black and white cards featuring a portrait and a posed photo of each player was also released.

Resources:  As far as I can tell, there's no other record or checklist of this set available online.  Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils) was kind enough to send along the scan shown above, which is what I used for my checklist.

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

1950-1969 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1971 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

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

Game 40 - 2019 Topps Heritage #270 Jorge Alfaro

Marlins 7, Phillies 6
Game 40 - Thursday Night, September 10th in Miami
Record - 21-19, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost another game in infuriating fashion, as the bullpen crapped away a 6-3 lead in this loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  This was only new closer Brandon Workman's second blown save, and it feels as if he's had so many more than that.

What Happened:  The Phillies built their lead with a few clutch hits from Alec Bohm and Adam Haseley, with Haseley contributing a safety squeeze in the fourth to score Jean Segura.  J.T. Realmuto drove in a run in the first with a ground out and then hit a solo home run, his 11th, in the fifth.  All this while Jake Arrieta was battling through 5 2/3 innings.  He allowed three runs on five hits and four walks, and then surrendered the game to the bullpen.

JoJo Romero and Hector Neris did their jobs while Tommy Hunter and Workman did not.  Hunter recorded two outs in the eighth but then departed with the bases loaded.  Workman promptly allowed a bases clearing double to Starling Marte to tie the score, 6-6.  He re-took the mound in the ninth, recording a pair of outs before Jorge Alfaro singled home Monte Harrison with the winning run.

Featured Card:  Alfaro hurt the Phillies in this game, and on Sunday they'll face the big ticket player sent to Miami with Alfaro back in February 2019 for J.T. Realmuto - hot pitching phenom Sixto Sanchez.  This could be a tough weekend to be a Phillies fan.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! (Social Distancing Version)

Tax day has been pushed back to at least July 15th this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  However, that didn't stop my best client, my Mom, from paying for her tax services in advance and in full.  As has been the tradition in recent years, she took it upon herself to wipe out my Ten Most Wanted list from my sidebar as payment for preparing her tax returns.  The payment received does not come close to matching the value of the services rendered, but she insists on overpaying and I'm certainly not complaining.

These Most Wanted lists are getting more difficult to populate as I've slowly accumulated most of the Phillies cards from the Bowman and Topps sets of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  The cards remaining on my want lists from those sets are mostly high priced cards I'll eventually track down one at a time.  Here's a look at the cards from my Mom and an update on where I stand with completing some landmark Phillies team sets.

1952 Topps #187 Bob Miller and #281 Tommy Brown - This might be it for a little while in terms of progress on my 1952 Topps Phillies team set.  The remaining cards I need are all from the high number series, meaning they're all somewhat pricey.  As of this writing, I need four more cards for a complete 1952 Topps Phillies team set.

1953 Topps #22 Howie Fox - This card completes the 9-card 1953 Topps Phillies team set for me.  I still have Johnny Lindell (#230) on my want list, as Lindell appears in the set with the Pirates but he played in 1953 with the Phillies.


1956 Topps #7 Ron Negray and #60 Mayo Smith - I always feel a little selfish adding second versions of these cards to my collection.  My Dad and I collected the entire 1956 Topps set together, and now I'm adding second copies of the Phillies cards from the set to my 1950s Phillies binder.  I'm four cards away from completing a Phillies team set (for the second time).  I'm pretty sure these Negray and Smith cards are in better shape than the cards in our actual 1956 Topps set.

1957 Topps #332 Bob Bowman - This completes my 27-card Phillies team set from the 1957 Topps set.  I've never been a big fan of the 1957 Topps set, but these cards look incredible together.

1966 Topps #595 Larry Jackson - With the addition of this card, I'm one card away from completing this Phillies team set as well.  I'm down to needing only the Roger Craig card (#543) which is one of the pricier Phillies cards from the 1966 Topps set.  (I tracked down the elusive Grant Jackson Rookie Stars card a few years ago.)

1967 Topps #244 N.L. Home Run Leaders - This might be my favorite card out of this lot.  Featuring two Hall of Famers with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, and someone who should be in the Hall of Fame - Dick Allen.  I still need to track down the high-number Rookie Stars card of Gary Sutherland to complete my 1967 Topps Phillies team set.

1970 Topps #539 Doyle/Bowa and #654 Oscar Gamble - These two cards close out my 1970 Topps Phillies team set.  Larry Bowa looks so young here.


Finally, I've scheduled this post to publish on my Mom's birthday.  I'm eternally grateful for her health, her humor, her good spirits and her constant encouragement.  I can't wait to celebrate properly when everything gets back to normal.  Happy birthday Mom!