Mets at Phillies: October 5th to October 6th

2024 Chachi Series Preview #10

2024 Chachi Series Preview #11

Saturday and Sunday 4:08
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  After a dramatic win over the Brewers on Thursday night, the Mets travelled to Philadelphia to take on the division-winning Phillies.  Larry Andersen and Kevin Stocker will throw out the ceremonial first pitches before Game 1.  Hopes are high.

New York Mets 89-73
Defeated Brewers in NLWCS, 2-1

Mets Probables
Kodai Senga (1-0, 3.38)
Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Francisco Lindor - .273
Runs:  Francisco Lindor - 107
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso - 34
RBIs:  Francisco Lindor - 91
Stolen Bases:  Francisco Lindor - 29

Wins:  Sean Manaea - 12
ERA:  Sean Manaea - 3.47

Strikeouts:  Sean Manaea - 184
Saves:  Edwin Diaz - 20

Philadelphia Phillies 95-67
National League East Champions

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (16-7, 2.57)
Cristopher Sanchez (11-9, 3.32)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .295
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 110
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 38
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 104
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 32

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 16
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.57
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 224
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

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

Final Look at 2018-2019 Phillies Player Moves

2020 Chachi Preview #6

2020 Chachi Preview #8

2020 Chachi Preview #7

2020 Chachi Preview #5

2020 Chachi Preview #4

The World Series is underway, the Nationals seem to be unstoppable and the Phillies may be naming their new manager as soon as Thursday.  Before we get too far into the Phillies' offseason, here's a look at all the major league players who joined and left the organization during the past year.

The "New Arrivals - 2018-2019 Offseason" gave us cause for optimism but then things fell apart once we got to the "Arrived During the 2019 Season" section.

Moving On - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Jose Bautista - of (10/29/18) - Elected free agency.
• Asdrubal Cabrera - inf (10/29/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers on 1/24/19.
• Aaron Loup - lhp (10/29/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres on 2/16/19.
• Wilson Ramos - c (10/29/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets on 12/18/18.
• Pedro Beato - rhp (11/2/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the Diablos Rojas del Mexico of the Mexican League.
• Jesmuel Valentin - inf (11/2/18) - Elected free agency, signed with the Baltimore Orioles on 4/11/19.
• Pedro Florimon - inf/of (11/3/18) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency and signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/22/18.
• Luis Avilan - lhp (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent, signed as a minor league free agent with the New York Mets on 1/10/19.
• Justin Bour - 1b (11/30/18) - Non-tendered, becoming a free agent, signed with the Los Angeles Angels on 12/15/18.
• Carlos Santana - 1b and J.P. Crawford - ss (12/3/18) - Traded to the Seattle Mariners for James Pazos, Juan Nicasio and Jean Segura.
• Luis Garcia - rhp (12/6/18) - Traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Jose Alvarez.
• Jorge Alfaro - c (2/7/19) - Traded with Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart (with cash) to the Miami Marlins for J.T. Realmuto.
• Trevor Plouffe - inf (3/21/19) - Released.

New Arrivals - 2018-2019 Offseason

• Juan Nicasio - rhp and Jean Segura - ss (12/3/18) - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners with James Pazos for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana.
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (12/6/18) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Luis Garcia.
• Andrew McCutchen - of (12/12/18) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• Rob Brantly - c (12/21/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians organization.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (12/21/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves organization.
• David Robertson - rhp (1/3/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• J.T. Realmuto - c (2/7/19) - Acquired from the Miami Marlins for Jorge Alfaro, Sixto Sanchez, Will Stewart and cash.
• Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (2/8/19) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Bryce Harper - of (3/1/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals.

Arrived During the 2019 Season

• Jay Bruce - of (6/2/19) - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners with cash considerations for Jake Scheiner.
• Brad Miller - inf (6/13/19) - Purchased from the New York Yankees.
• Fernando Salas - rhp (6/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.
• Logan Morrison - 1b (7/15/19) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Yankees organization.
• Mike Morin - rhp (7/20/19) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (7/21/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
• Jose Pirela - of (7/27/19) - Purchased from the San Diego Padres.
• Jason Vargas - lhp (7/29/19) - Acquired with cash from the New York Mets for Austin Bossart.
• Blake Parker - rhp (7/30/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Minnesota Twins.
• Corey Dickerson - of (7/31/19) - Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later and international bonus money.
• Nick Vincent - rhp (8/10/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the San Francisco Giants.
• Jared Hughes - rhp (8/15/19) - Claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.

Departed During the 2019 Season

• Aaron Altherr - of (5/12/19) - Selected off waivers by the San Francisco Giants.
• Dylan Cozens - of (8/1/19) - Released and signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays, 8/9/19.
• Yacksel Rios - rhp (8/3/19) - Selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Drew Anderson - rhp (9/2/19) - Released.

Autographs from Knapp, Seranthony & Neris; Chachi Cards in the Wild

Prior to making our way to Citizens Bank Park for Photo Night with the entire family, Doug and I made the trip on Saturday afternoon to Bill's Sports Cards & Memorabilia on Rhawn Street for a trio of current Phillies signing autographs.  We already had autographs of Andrew Knapp, Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris in our 2019 collections, but the price was reasonable ($15 per autograph) and we wanted to spend some time browsing through Bill's.

The store was holding a Christmas in July sale, and all signed 8 x 10 photos were 50% off.  Normally, I don't buy signed 8 x 10s for my collection, as I prefer the signed 4 x 6 photo cards, but I couldn't resist buying a few photos once Doug came across a few printed and blown up vintage Chachi cards!  It's always cool to see a Chachi card in the wild, and coming across several examples of signed Chachi cards is even better.  Doug also added an autographed photo of Tony Taylor to replace the empty spot on his wall since he had unceremoniously removed his signed Odubel Herrera photograph.

The three Phillies were pleasant enough and each posed for a photo with Doug.  We vowed to visit the store again soon, and hopefully by then they've restocked their supply of signed jumbo Chachi cards.

2019 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition

Number of Cards:  45
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The second series of team-issued photo cards features a blue border along the bottom with the player's name and a script Phillies logo.  The player's uniform number appears in the upper right-hand corner against a striped design, and there is no position listed on the front of the cards.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The set went on sale for at Citizens Bank Park beginning on Tuesday, May 28th for $5.  Earlier that day, it was announced Odubel Herrera had been arrested in Atlantic City for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.  The team made the decision to pull the Herrera cards from every set and it's fairly obvious each set has been unsealed, with the Herrera card removed and then resealed.  The team has either already disposed of the undistributed Herrera cards or they're sitting in a box somewhere to be re-inserted into the sets at a future date.  (See update below.)

Team set packaging has been opened and then re-sealed

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.  The set comes in clear packaging with Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins facing up on either side, and with the cards originally packaged in alphabetical order.

2 - Jean Segura 3 - Bryce Harper 4 - Scott Kingery 5 - Nick Williams 7 - Maikel Franco 8 - John Mallee CO 9 - Phil Gosselin 10 - J.T. Realmuto 12 - Juan Nicasio 13 - Sean Rodriguez 15 - Andrew Knapp 16 - Cesar Hernandez 17 - Rhys Hoskins 19 - Gabe Kapler MG 21 - Vince Velasquez 22 - Andrew McCutchen 24 - Roman Quinn 27 - Aaron Nola 30 - David Robertson 35 - Jim Gott CO 38 - Paco Figueroa CO 39 - Bobby Dickerson CO 43 - Nick Pivetta

45 - Chris Young CO 46 - Adam Morgan 48 - Jerad Eickhoff 49 - Jake Arrieta 50 - Hector Neris 51 - Enyel De Los Santos 52 - Jose Alvarez 56 - Zach Eflin 57 - Dave Lundquist CO 58 - Seranthony Dominguez 59 - Rob Thomson CO 60 - Pedro Guerrero CO 61 - Edubray Ramos 62 - Dusty Wathan CO 64 - Victor Arano 81 - Craig Driver CO 82 - Bob Stumpo CO 87 - Sam Fuld 93 - Pat Neshek 95 - Mike Calitri 96 - Tommy Hunter Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (0)
First Appearances (2):  De Los Santos, Gosselin
Returning Players (28):  Alvarez, Arano, Arrieta, Dominguez, Eflin, Eickhoff, Franco, Harper, Hernandez, Hoskins, Hunter, Kingery, Knapp, McCutchen, Morgan, Neris, Neshek, Nicasio, Nola, Pivetta, Ramos, Realmuto, Robertson, Rodriguez, Quinn, Segura, Velasquez, Williams

I commended the first series checklist for being "wonderfully comprehensive," and unfortunately the pattern didn't continue with the second series.  The set only adds cards for De Los Santos and Gosselin, while dropping cards for Altherr, Butera, Cozens, Herrera, Pazos and Rios.  Altherr, Butera and Pazos are no longer in the Phillies organization, but a case could have been made for keeping in cards for Cozens and Rios.

Also deserving consideration for the set but omitted are Drew Anderson, Austin Davis, Edgar Garcia, Cole Irvin and even Mitch Walding.  I understand the omission of JD Hammer as he was recalled the weekend before the set's release and I'm assuming the cards had already been printed and packaged by then.

No offense to the team's ML Player Information Coordinator, Fuld, or their Manager for Advanced Scouting, Calitri, but I'd rather have cards for any of the omitted pitchers than repeats for them again.  A David Montgomery tribute card also would have been fitting and appropriate.  (One of these days, I'm hoping the Phillies put me in charge of crafting the checklist for these sets!)

There has not been a broadcasters card since the 2017 first edition team photo card set.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set. These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Kapler

Coaches (11):  Dickerson, Driver, Figueroa, Guerrero, Lundquist, Gott, Mallee, Stumpo, Thomson, Wathan, Young
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (0)
Other Cards (2):  Calitri, Fuld

Rarities:  Updated 7/12/19 - For being a group leader this season, and purchasing at least 100 tickets, the Phillies sent me a "Publication Package" recently that included a 2019 Yearbook, Media Guide, program and photo card set.  Much to my surprise, I realized the photo card set still had a clean seal, unlike the sets currently available at the ballpark from which the Herrera cards had been pulled.  The set sent to me by the Phillies contained not only the missing Herrera card but an Aaron Altherr card.

Altherr was selected off waivers by the Giants on May 11th, over two weeks before these sets went on sale at the ballpark on May 28th.  These two cards should be considered rarities from this issuance and not part of the regular set.

• 23 - Aaron Altherr
• 37 - Odubel Herrera

Update (1/25/20):  Fellow collector Rick was sent a photo from Joe Girardi's appearance at the Reading Fightin Phils' Baseballtown Winter Caravan held on January 21st.  Girardi is shown signing photo cards in the style of this set.

• 25 - Joe Girardi MG

2019 Chachi #12 Aaron Altherr

#23
Aaron Samuel Altherr
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  223
Opening Day Age:  28
Born:  January 14, 1991, Landstuhl, Germany
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 9th round of the June 2009 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2014-
Acquired:  Via draft
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2020, free agency eligible in 2022

2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #22

2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP112

2014 Chachi #52

2016 Topps #419

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #22
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2016 Topps #419
First Phillies Card:  2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP112
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #23*
Newest Card Added:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #23

2017 Phillies Team Issue #23

*Technically, Altherr first had a card issued in the style of the 2015 Phillies Team Issue 2 set, which we first learned about thanks to a tip from fellow collector Steve F.  I'm still trying to track down this card for my collection.

45 - Altherr baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 4/18/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #52
2015 Chachi #58
2015 Chachi #69 HL - Inside the Park Grand Slam
2016 Chachi #51
2017 Chachi #13
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1
2017 Chachi Archives #2
2017 Chachi In Action #10
2018 Chachi #5
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5
2019 Chachi #12

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

Game 11 - 2018 Stadium Club #60 Aaron Altherr

Nationals 15, Phillies 1
Game 11 - Wednesday Night, April 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 7-4, Tied for 1st place, 1 game ahead of the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals destroyed Nick Pivetta and the Phillies, winning a 15-1 laugher.

What It Means:  At one point, before the Phillies scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, the Nationals had scored 25 unanswered runs going back to the Tuesday night debacle.  This was the team's first series loss of the season.

What Happened:  Pivetta's struggles continue.  He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits, and his ERA after three starts is 9.45.  Jeremy Hellickson and three Nationals relievers held the Phillies to three singles.

Featured Card:  The best pitcher of the night for the Phillies was back-up outfielder Aaron Altherr, who came on to pitch the top of the ninth.  Hitting 90 on the radar gun, Altherr allowed a run on two hits but also struck out two batters - Brian Dozier and Yan Gomes.  Per a great Tweet from Jayson Stark, the last Phillies position player to strike out two batters in a game was Greg Gross on June 6, 1986.

Game 1 - Phils Have Grand Opening Day

2019 Topps Phillies #PP-17

2019 Topps Phillies #PP-18

2019 Topps Phillies #PP-2

2019 Topps Phillies #PP-4

2019 Topps Phillies #PP-1

Phillies 10, Braves 4
Game 1 - Thursday Afternoon, March 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 1-0, Tied for 1st place, 1 game ahead of the Braves, Marlins and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew McCutchen started the scoring with a lead-off home run and Maikel Franco and Rhys Hoskins sealed the win with their big hits as the Phillies downed the Braves on opening day, 10-4.

What It Means:  Baseball is back and this was an electric day for Phillies fans!  Everyone was excited to welcome Bryce Harper to Philadelphia, but his debut was somewhat forgettable with the exception of his Phanatic-inspired cleats.  Harper went 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts.

What Happened:  McCutchen somehow managed to increase the energy level in the ballpark with his first inning home run (1).  Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez added clutch, two-out singles in the 4th to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.  Franco hit a 3-run home run (1) in the 6th and Hoskins followed that with his first career grand slam (1) in the 7th.

Aaron Nola (1-0) was victimized by a tight strike zone, walking a career high 5, but he allowed only 2 hits and struck out 8 in his 6 innings of work.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  I couldn't decide, so it's a quintet of cards from the Topps Phillies retail team set which includes an unannounced 18th card for Harper.  This set along with the team photo card set were the first purchases made this season.  Doug and I attended this game together, sitting someplace new for us - Section 127 between home plate and the visitor's dugout.  I imagine that section is ideal in the summer, but we were in the shade the entire game and a little chilly.  Doug snagged his first autograph of the year down by the Phillies dugout getting Aaron Altherr to sign his score card.

The ballpark had more energy and noise than it has had in a very long time.  It was crowded, the lines were long and we loved it.  We escaped to Harry the K's to eat dinner and watch the last few innings of the game, and we were there when Hoskins hit his grand slam.  A few minutes earlier, Doug noticed Larry Christenson walking by and he called him over for a quick picture.

Aaron Altherr's autograph

2019 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7

Transactions:  Both Roman Quinn (oblique) and Tommy Hunter (right forearm) were placed on the 10-day Injured List.  The last three non-roster invitees - Sean Rodriguez (inf), Rob Brantly (c) and Josh Martin (rhp) - were all presumably reassigned to the minors.

Grapefruit Game 30 - 2018 Topps Gallery #52 Aaron Altherr

Phillies 11, Orioles 4
Spring Training Game 30 - Sunday Afternoon, March 24th in Clearwater
Record - 13-14-3

One Sentence Summary:  In their second to last game of the spring, the offense unloaded for 18 hits in this 11-4 win over the Orioles.

What It Means:  The Phillies will play one last time in Clearwater this afternoon before making the trip north to start the season on Thursday.

What Happened:  Aaron Altherr and Odubel Herrera each had three hits, including home runs for each.  Cole Irvin got the start, allowing a run over his four innings of work.

Featured Card:  Altherr's performance raised his average to .267 and solidified his spot on the bench to open the season.  The outfielder is out of options so a tough decision could be looming once Roman Quinn (who is also out of options) is eligible to come off the Injured List.

Camp Head Count:  30.  I think the opening day roster is all but set at this point, with Quinn and Tommy Hunter destined for the Injured List and the 3 remaining non-roster invitees (Sean Rodriguez, Rob Brantly and Josh Martin) possibly sticking around to play for the IronPigs.

Grapefruit Game 15 - 2019 Topps Living Set #149 Aaron Altherr

Braves 5, Phillies 4
Spring Training Game 15 - Friday Night, March 8th in Kissimmee
Record - 8-5-2

One Sentence Summary:  Andrew Knapp and Aaron Altherr combined for five of the Phillies' seven hits, but the Braves scored three times off Jeremy Bleich on their way to a 5-4 win.

What It Means:  Of course it doesn't really matter, but the Phillies have lost three of their last four spring training games.

What Happened:  Knapp had a two-hit day, including a home run (1) in the fifth.  Altherr went 3 for 3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.  Zach Eflin started for the Phillies, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  The three hit day raised Altherr's average up to .294 and with the arrival of Bryce Harper, Altherr could be the odd man out when the team heads north.  Altherr is the latest Phillies subject to appear in the Topps Living Set, and the first Phillies player to have the team's new primary logo featured.

Camp Head Count:  62.

Game 156 - 2018 Topps Archives #276 Aaron Altherr

Rockies 10, Phillies 1
Game 156 - Monday Night, September 24th in Denver
Record - 78-78, 3rd place, 10 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Rockies blew out the free falling Phillies in this 10-1 loss.

What It Means:  The team's fifth loss in a row dropped them to .500 for the first time since the 10th game of the season back on April 10th.  The descent has been long and excruciating.  I watched very little of this game.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin's outing was limited to 2 2/3 innings, and his final line shows five runs allowed on five hits.  Yacksel Rios was also hit hard, giving up three more runs in the 4th.  Rhys Hoskins hit his 33rd home run for the Phillies' only run.

Featured Card:  Aaron Altherr's season ended prematurely when the left fielder ran full bore into the left field wall trying to track a fly ball that ended up clearing the fence, resulting in a two-run home run for David Dahl.  Altherr left the game with a right big toe sprain, right knee contusion and concussion symptoms.  It was a lost season for Altherr, as he hit just .181 in 105 games with 8 home runs and 38 RBIs.

Game 154 - The Worst Phillies Baseball Card of 2018

2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day Bonus #ODB-20

Braves 5, Phillies 3
Game 154 - Saturday Afternoon, September 22nd in Atlanta
Record - 78-76, 2nd place, 8 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta lasted just two innings and Mike Foltynewicz no-hit the offense through six innings, as the Braves dropped the Phillies, 5-3.

What It Means:  The loss clinched the N.L. division pennant for the Braves.

What Happened:  This was the shortest outing of Arrieta's career in what should be considered a bust of a season for the offseason acquisition.  The Phillies rallied for three runs in the 8th with a two-run single from Cesar Hernandez and an RBI-single from Rhys Hoskins.  Maikel Franco flew out to left fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. to end the game and eliminate the Phillies in the division.

Featured Card:  The Phillies have made me cranky and I thought this was as good an opportunity as any to showcase what I believe to be the worst Phillies baseball card of 2018.  I'm not one to complain too often about Topps, but it's no secret within the hobby that their quality control department is sometimes lacking and it's seemingly getting worse every year.  Their unintentional errors range from presenting incorrect information on the backs of some cards to using the wrong font or design elements when reproducing their vintage designs.

The background for this particular card is that Topps produced a 15-card set during spring training for each team and sold the team sets exclusively on their website for $50.  If you purchased a team's set, bonus cards would be unlocked for certain milestones, including your team being in first place in their division at the All-Star break.  As I purchased a Phillies team set in February, and since the Phillies were in first place way back on July 15th, I was rewarded a bonus card.

This is that bonus card, which I received on August 16th.  The photo used for the card is clearly from last season as it features Aaron Altherr (optioned to Triple-A shortly after the break), Odubel Herrera and Michael Saunders, released by the Phillies on June 23, 2017, a full year before the date this card celebrates.  This baseball card, much like the 2018 Phillies season, makes me irrationally angry.

Game 146 - Sign for Doug, Hit a Homer

2018 Topps Living Set #4

2018 Topps Now #340

2018 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #24

2018 Topps Living Set #40

Phillies 14, Marlins 2
Game 146 - Friday Night, September 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 75-71, 2nd place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  It all came together for one night as the offense exploded and Zach Eflin delivered a quality start in this 14-2 whomping of the Marlins.

What It Means:  With the postseason all but out of reach, perhaps the team has relaxed a little.  I'm still a little bitter and frustrated, but Doug and I spent a few innings of this game going through our proposed 2019 line-up, which includes both Manny Machado AND Bryce Harper.

What Happened:  Aaron Altherr had a big night, hitting two home runs (8), driving in five runs and executing a great slide at home to score from second on a fielder's choice ground-out that Roman Quinn beat out in the 4th.  Rhys Hoskins (31), Quinn (2) and Mitch Walding (1) also homered with Walding's being the first hit of his career.  Carlos Santana went 3 for 3 and scored three runs while Jose Bautista added two doubles.  Hoskins started his third game of the season back at first base, which could be a preview of things to come next season.

Eflin improved to 10-7 by allowing just a run in his 6 1/3 innings.  Drew Anderson threw the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Doug and I attended this game with a few simple goals - obtain an autograph or two for Doug's collection and enjoy some ballpark food.  We accomplished those two goals and also witnessed one of the more enjoyable Phillies games in recent memory.

Doug stationed himself at the corner of the Phillies dugout and had the most successful autograph gathering night of the season.  Hoskins, Scott Kingery, Quinn, Altherr, manager Gabe Kapler and coach Rick Kranitz all signed for him, some of them signing multiple items for his collection.  Doug was happy to help a few of the younger autograph seekers call over players.  I found him this morning admiring his new treasures and he allowed me to photograph and scan them for this post.

Highlights from the 2018 Phillies Phestival (Part 1) #StrikeOutALS

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3

I still can't believe we had never attended this event until last year.  On Thursday afternoon, Jenna and our two sons attended the annual Phillies Phestival benefiting the ALS Association.  For those of you not familiar with this event, it's the Phillies' signature charity event featuring an afternoon of player autograph stations, a silent auction, mystery grab bags for sale featuring signed memorabilia and everything else Citizens Bank Park has to offer.  The Phillies raised over $725,000 during the afternoon, passing the $18 million mark in terms of money raised for the charity since 1984.

We have a close family friend currently battling ALS, and I've recently become more involved with the Association.  My employer was a table sponsor at the event, giving us the opportunity to arrive early and have our pictures taken with Cesar Hernandez and coach Jose David Flores.  As I did last year, I've made a set of special edition cards to commemorate our day, and I'll break the set into two separate posts.

Here are my best memories from the event:

• We hustled.  We learned from last year that you go as quickly as you can to each autograph station, saving the other fun stuff for last after the players stop signing.  There were 20 total autograph stations and we hit 14, breaking into groups of two about 45 minutes into the event.  Had we broken up earlier, we probably could have hit more but it was fun to stick together for the beginning.  For the record, we missed the tables of Nick Williams/Andrew Knapp, Scott Kingery/Dylan Cozens, Rhys Hoskins, Charlie Manuel, Gabe Kapler/coach Rob Thomson and Tommy Hunter/coach Rick Kranitz.  No offense to the last table mentioned, but my autograph-seeking son flat out opted to pass on their table.

•  As was the case last year, everyone was exceedingly pleasant.  I stood in line by myself for the 1993 Alumni table, adding autographs of Kevin Stocker, Tommy Greene, Larry Andersen, John Kruk, Larry Bowa and Mickey Morandini.  Somewhat predictably, that bunch spent the time I was in line cracking jokes and discussing their plans for the evening.

• Thanks to fellow collectors Steve F. and Rick for the texts with table updates and leads on potential new photo cards.  The only new photo cards seemingly available from the event is a new card of J.P. Crawford in the style of the 2017 team-issued update set and a new Phillies Alumni photo card for former manager Charlie Manuel.  I've updated the 2017 Phillies Team Issue Update post here, and I'll have a comprehensive post on the Alumni Cards out soon.

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

• Relatively new additions Austin Davis, Mitch Walding and Dylan Cozens had nothing available to sign.  My hope was that the Phillies would produce special photo cards for the trio but they were sitting at their stations with nothing but Sharpies in front of them.

• Our oldest son Doug was on a mission to get as many autographs as possible in the two-hour signing period and by his count, he came away with 35 different autographed cards!  Credit needs to go to our youngest son Ben who helped his older brother with his mission, at one point telling Victor Arano that his name was Doug so that Arano would personalize the autograph for his brother.  Ben does not show the same zeal for autograph collecting as his brother, but I was beyond proud of him for being helpful.

• Doug and I were the last two people in line to get Jake Arrieta's autograph.  He was actually unbuttoning his jersey as we walked in, getting ready to leave the room.  He saw Doug round the corner, put his jersey back on and posed for a picture with Doug.  Great memory.

• Our luck with the mystery grab bags wasn't great, but I'm fine with that as everything went towards a great cause.  We came away with autographed baseballs from Luis Garcia (x 2) and Adam Morgan and an autographed hat from Hector Neris, as well as 3 Mike Schmidt bobble heads and a mini Harry Kalas statue.

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2