Showing posts with label 1986. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1986. Show all posts

Monday, September 14, 2026

Game 150 - Bats Awaken in 8th to Salvage Series

Philadelphia Phillies  9 
Atlanta Braves  4 

1986 ProCards
Portland Beavers #1
Sunday Afternoon, September 13th
Truist Park - Atlanta, GA
83-67, 2nd Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies' bats picked the eighth inning of the final game of a crucial Braves series to wake up, scoring seven runs on the way to a 9-4 win.

What It Means:  With 12 games remaining, it's looking more unlikely the Phillies will three-peat as division champs.  They hold the second Wild Card spot, and are 2 1/2 games up on the Diamondbacks overall for a postseason berth.

What Happened:  Andrew Painter gave up the obligatory first inning run and then settled down somewhat to pitch four scoreless frames.  He allowed too many baserunners - six hits and four walks - but got out of any more trouble.  J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run home run in the second to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.  In the bottom of the seventh, the bullpen failed again as Jose Alvarado allowed the Braves to tie it up, but the Phillies unloaded in the top of the eighth.  With two outs, Alec Bohm doubled to center, scoring two runs.  Bryson Stott singled Bohm home, and consecutive singles from Bryan De La Cruz and Realmuto made it 6-2 Phillies.  Justin Crawford walked and Kyle Schwarber, who had singled earlier in the inning, singled again, scoring two more runs.  Trea Turner added another RBI single for good measure.  Tanner Banks gave up a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, but the Phillies would hang on for the win.

Featured Card:  And of course, I didn't see a pitch of this game.  I enjoyed a sunny afternoon of Villanova Club baseball at Montclair State, as the Wildcats swept the Red Hawks in a double header.  It was awesome to watch our oldest son Doug back on the field, playing the game he loves.  It looks as if the only former Phillies player to play at Montclair was Jeff Bittiger, who appeared in three games with the team as a September call-up in 1986.

Transaction:  Banks (lhp) was activated from the 60-day injured list and Grant Holman (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.  Christian Cairo (inf) was DFA'd to make room for Banks on the 40-man roster.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Game 49 - Phils Snooze Through Loss to Reds

Cincinnati Reds  4 
Philadelphia Phillies  1 

1986 Fleer #179
Tuesday Night, May 19th
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
25-24, 2nd Place, 8 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A lack of offense, suspect base running and shaky defense led to this fairly boring 4-1 loss.

What It Means:  Kyle Schwarber was out of the line-up for the second game in a row with some sort of bug, and he'd miss Wednesday afternoon's game too.  Let's hope he feels better soon.  This was the kind of lifeless loss the Phillies suffered through quite a bit in April.

What Happened:  Jesus Luzardo didn't get any run support in his outing, and he allowed two runs on five hits in six innings of work.  Tanner Banks continued his miserable season so far, allowing two more runs in the seventh after Luzardo had left.  The Phillies had three hits throughout the entire game - a first inning double from Alec Bohm, a second inning single from Bryson Stott and a third inning solo home run from Trea Turner.  Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns struck out nine in his six innings with a trio of Reds relievers holding the Phillies hitless over the final three frames.

Featured Card:  I've got nothing, so here's a card of Reds' great and Phillies Room Favorite Tom Hume.

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Game 151 - Phils Falter to Wright, Braves

1986 Donruss #507
Braves 6
, Phillies 3
Game 151 - Saturday Afternoon, September 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 83-68, 3rd Place, 12 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Wright held the Phillies hitless through five innings and notched his 20th win of the season in this 6-3 defeat.

What It Means:  The magic number remained at nine following this loss and the Brewers win in Cincinnati.

What Happened:  The Phillies line-up had only three hits, including Rhys Hoskins' double in the sixth to break up the no-hitter and Bryce Harper's two-run home run a batter later.  Phillies starter Bailey Falter was hit hard, allowing six runs on ten hits in just 3 2/3 innings.  The bullpen established some calm after Falter's exit, but there were too few clutch hits for the remainder of the game.

Featured Card:  We were there (see below) and the only pre-game autograph Doug was able to add was from former Braves and Phillies player Milt Thompson, who was hanging out in the Diamond Club.

Field Report:  Jenna, Doug, Doug's teammate Tyler and me attended this game, enjoying the fall-like weather from the Diamond Club.  Other than Harper's home run, there wasn't much to cheer about, although the crowd was the loudest I've heard it so far this season in the bottom of the seventh.  With two outs, two runners on and the score at 6-3, Hoskins lined an A.J. Minter pitch just feet to the left of the right field foul pole.  A few feet over and the score would have been tied at six.  After that let-down, Hoskins struck out to end the inning two pitches later.

Monday, June 13, 2022

Meeting Kent Tekulve


Between a morning travel baseball game and the Saturday afternoon Phillies game, Doug and I squeezed in a quick trip to Carl's Cards & Collectibles in Haverford to pick up a few autographs from former Pirates and Phillies reliever Kent Tekulve.  Teke has long been one of my favorite players, and I actively collected his baseball cards as a kid and I may have actually dressed up as him one Halloween.  (Sunglasses, pillbox Pirates hat, Pirates t-shirt, large wad of Big League Chew in my cheek.)

Tekulve asked Doug how his baseball season was going, what position he played and if he was a better fielder or hitter.  He was gracious with his time, posing for several photos and signing the two items shown below.  The larger square print is from the tough to find 1987 Phillies Great Performers of 1986 set, given out to season ticket holders who paid their balance in full prior to a certain date during the 1987 offseason.  The prints from the set are all from Dick Perez paintings.  The second card signed by Tekulve is from the 1986 Tastykake Phillies set.

It was a great day all around and I was thrilled to meet one of my all-time baseball heroes.

1986 Tastykake Phillies #27
1987 Great Performers of 1986

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Game 35 - Knebel Blows Chance for Sweep

1986 Fleer #452
Dodgers 5
, Phillies 4
Game 35 - Sunday Afternoon, May 15th in Los Angeles
Record - 17-18, 2nd Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Corey Knebel couldn't secure the win for the Phillies, as the Dodgers walked off to victory, avoiding the four-game sweep.

What It Means:  I watched almost all of this game while flying from Philadelphia to Dallas for a work trip.  The game, much like the flight, was smooth and enjoyable until the end when the game, similar to the flight, hit a bit of bumpy, unpleasant turbulence.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola turned in an effective outing, pitching seven strong innings and allowing just two runs on four hits.  He struck out eight and threw 108 pitches.  Knebel retired the first two Dodgers batters in the bottom of the ninth, but then allowed a triple to Cody Bellinger that opened the floodgates.  He walked Chris Taylor and then surrendered a game-ending two-run double to Gavin Lux.

Lux was redeemed after being responsible for all four Phillies unearned run when he missed a ground ball in the second inning.  With two outs, Johan Camargo on first and Jean Segura on second, Lux couldn't field a Bryson Stott grounder and Segura scored.  Camargo came home on a Garrett Stubbs ground rule double, and Rhys Hoskins brought Stott and Stubbs home with a single to right.  The Phillies offense was fairly quiet after that.

Featured Card:  The last time the Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles was in late August/early September 1985.  The winning pitchers in those four games were Don Carman, Kevin Gross, Shane Rawley and John Denny.  Dave Shipanoff, a Phillies Room Favorite, recorded saves in two of those games, accounting for two of his three career saves.

Tuesday, May 17, 2022

2022 Chachi #31 Figueroa / Wathan / Meacham / Dickerson CO



#38
Francisco Figueroa
First Base Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Opening Day Age:  38
Born:  February 19, 1983, Miami, FL
As a Coach:  Philadelphia Phillies 2019-

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2011 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #11
First Phillies Card:
  2019 Phillies Team Issue #38
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #38
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

3 - Figueroa baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/12/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist - Figueroa
2019 Chachi #28
2019 Chachi Photo Night #10
2020 Chachi #33
2021 Chachi #29
2022 Chachi #31

* * *

#92
Robert Andrew Meacham
Coaching Assistant

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  175
Opening Day Age:  61
Born:  August 25, 1960, Los Angeles, CA
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1983-1988
As a Coach:  Florida Marlins 2006; San Diego Padres 2007; New York Yankees 2008; Houston Astros 2010-2012; Philadelphia Phillies 2020-

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2009 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #31
First Phillies Card:
  N/A
Newest Card Added:  2009 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #31
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1984-1989

1 - Meacham baseball card in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/12/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist - Meacham
2020 Chachi #33
2021 Chachi #28
2022 Chachi #31

#62
Dustin James Wathan
Third Base Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  225
Opening Day Age:  48
Born:  August 22, 1973, Jacksonville, FL
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Royals 2002
As a Coach:  Philadelphia Phillies 2018-

First Phillies Minor League Card:   2006 Choice Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #24
First Phillies Card:
  2018 Phillies Team Issue #62
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #62
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

23 - Wathan baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/12/22.
Complete Chachi Checklist - Wathan
2018 Chachi #28
2019 Chachi #28
2019 Chachi Photo Night #14
2020 Chachi #33
2021 Chachi #29
2022 Chachi #31

* * *

#9
Bobby Dale Dickerson
Infield Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Opening Day Age:  56
Born:  September 4, 1965, Laurel, MS
As a Coach:  Baltimore Orioles 2013-2018; Philadelphia Phillies 2019; San Diego Padres 2020-2021; Philadelphia Phillies 2022

First Phillies Card:
  2019 Phillies Team Issue #39
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue 2 #39
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

2 - Dickerson baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/12/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist - Dickerson
2019 Chachi #29
2022 Chachi #31
1984 Topps #204
1985 Topps #16
1986 Topps #379
1988 Topps #659
1989 Topps #436


Saturday, December 11, 2021

Happy Birthday Doug!


This kid is awesome.  He's kind, he's smart, he's intellectually curious, he's funny, he's a wonderful big brother and he's a really good baseball player.  Our oldest son turns 15 today, and it's still somewhat incredible to acknowledge we now have a kid in high school.  Doug played A LOT of baseball in 2021, after spending the first half of 2020 stuck inside with his parents and his younger brother Ben.  He began the year with the Dodgers, playing for his local Little League and then spent the summer months with All-Star Baseball, traveling to several different tournaments.  Finally, and after lengthy negotiations with his agents, he signed up to play for the South Jersey Rams, which was much closer to us and provided him an opportunity to play with a great group of teammates and coaches on a regular basis.  He'll go into 2022 looking forward to starting his high school baseball career with college (gulp!) baseball on the horizon.

Like I said, this kid is awesome.

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

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - Massive Crowd, Thome, 1965 Topps Haul


For the first time since February 2020, we returned to King of Prussia and attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, known to its friends as the Philly Show.  Doug and I have attended a few mall shows over the past year, but this was our first venture back to the Valley Forge Casino Resort since the Before Times, back when Doug's hair was cut into a neat trim.  We specifically went Saturday so that Doug could get Jim Thome to sign his Wall of Fame print, which in turn was part of Doug's Christmas present from Santa.

The convention room floor was jam packed and we realized immediately there were also way more tables and dealers than usual.  In the past, the show had been somewhat neatly organized into rows and clusters of tables but this show seemed to have a more haphazard feel to it and the walking lanes between dealers were noticeably slimmer.  Doug was there to do some freestyle picking as he's termed it, specifically looking for newer Phillies cards to add to his collection.  The highlight of his day was adding a Zack Wheeler certified autograph card from last year's Topps Heritage set to his collection.  Doug also was lucky enough to win a door prize, which was an Eagles display from their Super Bowl LII victory.

We braved the crowds for Doug's Thome autograph, and the Hall of Famer was very pleasant to us.  I then settled into a chair at Uncle Dick's Cards, which I had often seen but never really appreciated.  All told, I added 94 cards from Uncle Dick's to our 1965 Topps set, which I'll slowly chronicle over at my 1965 Topps blog.  I added three other star cards to the set, including my big purchase for the day, a Catfish Hunter rookie card.  A few 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps cards were added for good measure, as I've already determined I'll be chasing those sets after the 1965 Topps set is polished off.  It was a wonderful day, despite the crowds, and we're already looking forward to the next big show in March.

2021 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

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

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Bryce Harper Wins 2021 N.L. MVP Honors


On Thursday evening, the greatest player in Phillies franchise history, Mike Schmidt, announced the winner of the 2021 National League MVP Award live on the MLB Network.  Having Schmidt announce the award fortunately turned out to be something of a spoiler as he gleefully announced Bryce Harper as the award's recipient and the latest member of the Phillies small fraternity to win one of the league's highest annual honors.

Surrounded by family and friends, Harper was visibly moved and got emotional after the announcement.  It turned out the vote wasn't that close, with Harper receiving 17 first place votes and 348 points overall.  The Nationals' Juan Soto finished second with six first place votes and 274 points, while Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr. received a pair of first place votes and 244 points to finish third.  Harper won the award previously in 2015, making him the fifth player in baseball history to win the award with two different franchises, joining Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Frank Robinson and Jimmie Foxx.

On Wednesday night, Zack Wheeler was robbed (in my opinion) of a Cy Young Award as the Brewers' Corbin Burnes won in the National League.  Wheeler was the only other Phillies to receive MVP votes.

Harper claims the eighth MVP award in Phillies franchise history, and I'm excited to see all the MV3 merchandise for sale at the ballpark in 2022!

Phillies MVP Winners
  • Chuck Klein, 1932
  • Jim Konstanty, 1950
  • Mike Schmidt, 1980, 1981 and 1986
  • Ryan Howard, 2006
  • Jimmy Rollins, 2007
  • Bryce Harper, 2021

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

A Look Back at the Phillies Transactions - 2020 to 2021

2021 Topps Heritage #337
2021 Topps Heritage #442
2021 Chachi Departures #2
2021 Topps Heritage #69
2021 Topps Heritage #421

I put together this listing each year for the sake of completeness, and similar to recent years I feel the need to hit Publish and quickly move on for the good of my own mental health.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason
  • Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Oakland Athletics (2/2/21).
  • Trevor Kelley - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (12/14/20).
  • Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (3/6/21).
  • Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/17/21).
  • Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Yankees (2/12/21).
  • Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets (2/14/21).
  • Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/18/21).
  • Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels (2/11/21).
  • Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, singed with the Cleveland Indians (2/5/21).
  • Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/12/21).
  • Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (2/16/21).
  • David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (2/11/21).
  • David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays (8/16/21).
  • Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
  • Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • Kyle Garlick - of (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
  • Victor Arano - rhp (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
  • Cole Irvin - lhp (1/30/21) - Traded to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations.
Coming Back - 2020-2021 Offseason
  • Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (1/4/21).
  • J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (1/29/21).
  • Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (2/10/21).
2021 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs Update #26
2021 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #11
2021 Choice Reading
Fightin Phils #3
2021 Topps Allen & Ginter #29
 
2021 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #7

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason
  • Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.
  • Neftail Feliz - rhp (1/4/21) - Signed as a free agent.
  • Sam Coonrod - rhp (1/9/21) - Acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Carson Ragsdale.
  • Archie Bradley - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
  • David Paulino - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent.
  • Matt Moore -lhp (2/3/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
  • Chase Anderson - rhp (2/8/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
  • Matt Joyce - of (2/10/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
  • Brandon Kintzler - rhp (2/10/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
  • Travis Jankowski - of (2/12/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
  • Brad Miller - inf (2/17/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Arrived During the 2021 Season
  • Jorge Bonifacio - of (5/25/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers.
  • Cam Bedrosian - rhp (7/7/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Oakland Athletics.
  • Hans Crouse - rhp, Kyle Gibson - rhp and Ian Kennedy - rhp (7/30/21) - Acquired from the Texas Rangers with cash for Josh Gessner, Kevin Gowdy and Spencer Howard.
  • Freddy Galvis - inf (7/30/21) - Acquired from the Baltimore Orioles for Tyler Burch.
Departed During the 2021 Season
  • David Hale - rhp (6/27/21) - Granted free agency.
  • Neftali Feliz - rhp (7/3/21) - Granted free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (7/5/21).
  • Spencer Howard - rhp (7/30/21) - Traded to the Texas Rangers with Josh Gessner and Kevin Gowdy for Hans Crouse, Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy and cash.
  • Brandon Kintzler - rhp (8/2/21) - Released.
  • Chase Anderson - rhp (8/27/21) - Released, signed with the Texas Rangers (8/31/21).
  • Vince Velasquez - rhp (9/12/21) - Released, signed with the San Diego Padres (9/15/21).
  • Enyel De Los Santos - rhp (9/13/21) - Selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • Matt Joyce - of (9/26/21) - Released.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

2021 Chachi #68 Seranthony Dominguez


#58
Seranthony Ambioris Dominguez
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  225
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  November 25, 1994, Esperanza, DR
How Obtained:  Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent, October 6, 2011
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2022, free agency eligible in 2025
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2018-2019, 2021
First Phillies Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #58
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2016 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #5
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #58

Newest Card Added:  2020 Topps Total #155

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  2018-2019

16 - Dominguez baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 10/4/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #36
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10 - with Edubray Ramos
2019 Chachi #19
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15 - with Edubray Ramos and Juan Nicasio
2019 Chachi Friendly Encounters #16
2019 Chachi Photo Night #15
2021 Chachi #68

Seranthony Dominguez was recalled on October 2nd, pitching a scoreless inning in the final game of the season.  He had last appeared on a big league mound on June 15, 2019, before missing 2 1/2 years following Tommy John surgery.
2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Monday, October 4, 2021

Game 162 - Bring on the 2022 Season!

2021 Chachi #69

Marlins 5
, Phillies 4
Game 162 - Sunday Afternoon, October 3rd in Miami
Record - 82-80, 2nd Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost the final game of the season as several players appeared with the club for perhaps the final time.

What It Means:  Celebrating my birthday, we watched the end of this game at my sister Carol's house and I was grateful to spend the the day with my family.  The time spent with family was wonderful.  The experience of watching the Phillies drop one last game of 2021, not so much.

What Happened:  It was a bullpen game with Bailey Falter starting things off, and allowing three runs in his two innings of work.  Hector Neris took the loss despite a history-making strikeout (see below).  Freddy Galvis and Andrew McCutchen both homered.  Bryce Harper doubled and recorded his 100th walk of the season.  He joined an elite list of outfielders with 40 doubles, 35 home runs, 100 runs scored and 100 walks in a season:  Babe Ruth, Stan Musial and Barry Bonds.  Harper finished the season with the highest OPS in the majors (1.044).

Featured Card:  Hector Neris, who enters free agency this offseason, recorded his 520th strikeout in the fifth inning, getting Jazz Chisolm to swing and miss on a ball in the dirt.  The strikeout moved him past Ron Reed on the franchise's all-time strikeout list by relief pitchers.

Transactions:  Before the game, it was announced that Joe Dillon (hitting coach) and Juan Castro (infield coach) would not have their contracts renewed.  Pedro Guerrero (assistant hitting coach) is also essentially gone as the new hitting coach will have the ability to hire his own assistant.  Because the Phillies didn't produce team-issued photo cards in either 2020 or 2021, Dillon and Castro have no baseball cards to mark their short time on the team's coaching staff.  Guerrero appeared in all four team-issued photo card sets released in 2018 and 2019.

Memory Lane - Game 162
And just like that, my 13th year of chronicling the day-to-day activities of the Phillies, for better and for worse, is in the books.  Honestly, this year was a grind at times as my other blogs (1956 Topps, 1965 Topps, 1934-36 Diamond Stars) proved to be a much more enjoyable daily respite than the 2021 Phillies did.  Still, I have no plans of stopping this daily diversion and I remain hopeful the club will see postseason action in 2022.  Thank you for reading, thank you for your comments and Go Phils!
  1. October 4, 2009 - Catcher Paul Hoover singled in the winning run in the 10th in a 7-6 win over the Marlins.
  2. October 3, 2010 - The Phillies lost 8-7 to the Braves in their final tune-up before facing the Reds in the NLDS.
  3. September 28, 2011 - The Phillies closed out the 2011 regular season with a 13-inning victory against the Braves, setting a franchise record with their 102nd regular season win.
  4. October 3, 2012 - The Phillies closed out their 2012 season with a lethargic 5-1 loss to the N.L. East Champion Nationals.
  5. September 29, 2013 - Zach Miner got the ball for the Phillies and lasted 2 1/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to the Braves.
  6. September 28, 2014 - Cole Hamels pitched another fine game and suffered through another outing with minimal run support.
  7. October 4, 2015 - Phillies avoid 100 losses and Ichiro makes his pitching debut in a 7-2 victory.
  8. October 2, 2016 - Phillies bid an emotional farewell to franchise icon Ryan Howard.
  9. October 1, 2017 - Phils clobber Mets in Pete Mackanin's final game as manager.
  10. September 30, 2018 - Lame duck Phillies win season finale in Gabe Kapler's frustrating debut season.
  11. September 29, 2019 - Phillies miss postseason for 8th year in a row, Brad Miller finishes the season red hot.
  12. September 27, 2020 - Shortened 60-game season ends with Phillies swept out by the Rays.
  13. October 3, 2021 - Hector Neris sets Phils' reliever strikeout record in the 10th straight season without postseason baseball.
2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Saturday, October 2, 2021

2021 Chachi #66 Kyle Dohy


#71
Kyle Kent Dohy
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  202
Opening Day Age:  24
Born:  September 17, 1996, Arcadia, CA
How Obtained:  Selected by Phillies in the 16th round of the June 2017 amateur player draft
Major League Teams:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2017 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #7
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Update #8

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

8 - Dohy baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 10/1/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi #66

Kyle Dohy had his contract selected from the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on September 25th.  Prior to the start of the final series of the season against the Marlins, Dohy had been on the active roster for five games but had yet to make his big league debut.  He's appeared in eight different Phillies minor league team sets dating back to 2017, the year Dohy was drafted.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Friday, October 1, 2021

Series Preview - Phillies at Marlins: October 1st to October 3rd

1986 Topps #420
2021 Chachi Fan Favorites #15

Friday 7:10, Saturday 6:10, Sunday 3:10

loanDepot park - Miami, FL

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday, there's postgame fireworks and on Sunday all fans will receive a 2022 Marlins schedule magnet, while the first 5,000 kids will receive a bat and ball set.  On Monday, the long offseason begins.

Phillies 81-78
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (7-5, 1.45)
TBD
Zack Wheeler (14-10, 2.78)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .305
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 99
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 34
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 82
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 13

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.78
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 247
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12
Marlins 65-94
Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 21 1/2 games behind the Braves

Marlins Probables
Sandy Alcantara (9-14, 3.09)
Jesus Luzardo (3-5, 6.92)
Trevor Rogers (7-8, 2.64)

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Miguel Rojas - .263
Runs:  Jazz Chisolm - 69
Home Runs:  Jesus Aguilar and Adam Duvall - 22
RBIs:  Jesus Aguilar - 93
Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisolm - 23

Wins:  Sandy Alcantara - 9
ERA:  Sandy Alcantara - 3.09
Strikeouts:  Sandy Alcantara - 195
Saves:  Yimi Garcia - 15
2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: September 28th to September 30th

1986 Topps #95
1986 Topps #600

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:20

Truist Park - Atlanta, GA

At the Ballpark:  On Tuesday night, the first 15,000 fans will receive a Brian McCann bobblehead and on Thursday night, the first 15,000 fans will receive an Austin Riley bobblehead.

The Braves' magic number to clinch the division is five, so essentially the Phillies need to go on a six-game winning streak to give them a shot at the postseason.

Phillies 81-75
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (14-9, 2.79)
Aaron Nola (9-8, 4.64)
Kyle Gibson (4-5, 4.87)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .313
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 98
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 34
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 82
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 13

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.79
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 240
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12
Braves 83-72
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (13-6, 3.53)
Max Fried (13-7, 3.12)
Ian Anderson (8-5, 3.60)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Austin Riley - .303
Runs:  Freddie Freeman - 117
Home Runs:  Austin Riley - 32
RBIs:  Ozzie Albies - 103
Stolen Bases:  Ozzie Albies - 18

Wins:  Max Fried and Charlie Morton - 13
ERA:  Max Fried - 3.12
Strikeouts:  Charlie Morton - 203
Saves:  Will Smith - 35
2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

2021 Chachi #67 Hans Crouse


#51
Hans Michael Crouse
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  180
Opening Day Age:  22
Born:  September 15, 1998, Dana Point, CA
How Obtained:  Acquired from the Texas Rangers with Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy for Josh Gessner, Kevin Gowdy and Spencer Howard, July 30, 2021
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2021
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Update #6
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Update #6

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

1 - Crouse baseball card in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 9/26/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi #10
2021 Chachi Friendly Encounters #4

Hans Crouse joined the Phillies organization from the Spencer Howard trade, and he had been one of the top pitching prospects in the Rangers' system.  He pitched well for Double-A Reading, going 2-2 with a 2.73 ERA over six starts and striking out 38 over 29 2/3 innings pitched.  He made one start for the Triple-A IronPigs and was touched for three runs in 4 1/3 innings.  Crouse was the surprise starting pitcher in the Phillies regular season home finale on Sunday afternoon.  Following the game, I believe my oldest son Doug was the recipient of the first autograph signed by Crouse as a Major League ballplayer as Doug had him sign a foul ball he had tracked down during the first inning.
2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Monday, September 27, 2021

Game 156 - Fan Appreciation Day Doesn't Deliver Much Appreciation


Pirates 6
, Phillies 0
Game 156 - Sunday Afternoon, September 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 81-75, 2nd Place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies went down quietly in their final regular season home game of the 2021 season.

What It Means:  It all comes down to the final six games.  The Phillies and Brave face off in Atlanta for three games beginning on Tuesday night with the Braves holding a 2 1/2 game lead in the division.  The Phillies then head to Miami for a final series while the Braves will take on the Mets at home.

What Happened:  Hans Crouse got the call as the team's surprise starter and he made his big league debut.  On the first pitch he threw, Pirates second baseman Cole Tucker drilled a home run that banged off the right field foul ball.  Crouse, who settled down after that, combined with Cristopher Sanchez and Cam Bedrosian to keep the Padres from scoring again through six innings.  Unfortunately, the Phillies couldn't get anything together either.  In the seventh, Jose Alvarado endured a nightmare inning with the following sequence:  walk, balk, ground out, intentional walk, wild pitch, double, intentional walk, fly out.  The Pirates would tack on three more runs after that.  The Phillies offense had six hits and left nine runners on base.

Featured Card/Field Report:  All four of us enjoyed (?) this game from the Diamond Club with the pregame meals of choice being Bull's BBQ (one more time) for Doug and me and Pass and Stowe for Jenna and Ben.  As he did in 2019, Bryce Harper came out onto the field before the first pitch and addressed the fans, thanking us for our dedication.  Once in our seats, Doug added the third foul ball of the season to his collection!  He alertly picked up a foul ball thrown by Crouse and launched behind us off the bat of Bryan Reynolds after it had caromed down from the section above us.

Doug and I briefly met up with our friend and fellow collector Steve, Ben got to say hello to the Phillie Phanatic for the first time in two years and at least the weather was perfect.  We lingered after the final pitch and Doug noticed the newest Phillies pitcher Crouse by the dugout meeting with his family.  Crouse signed Doug's foul ball and the day was deemed a success, despite the product on the field.  I have to imagine that's the first autograph Crouse signed as a big league ballplayer.  Best case scenario, we return to the ballpark the second week of October for the divisional series against the Brewers.  Worst case scenario, we're back on April 8th when the Phillies open the 2022 season against the Athletics.

Transaction:  Crouse (rhp) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley and Matt Joyce (of) was designated for assignment.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist