Series Preview - Red Sox at Phillies: May 21st to May 23rd

1986 Topps #477

2021 Chachi 1986 Topps Missing Links #2

Friday 7:05, Saturday 7:15, Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  There are no giveaways scheduled for this series.  Earlier today, the Phillies announced they would be following recently enacted Philadelphia guidelines and relaxing their mask policies.  Fans will no longer be required to wear masks while seated or in any outside areas of Citizens Bank Park.

Red Sox 27-18
1st Place in the A.L. East, 1 game ahead of the Rays

Red Sox Probables
Martin Perez (1-2, 3.40)
Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 4.50)
Eduardo Rodriguez (5-2, 4.70)

Red Sox Leaders
Average:  Xander Bogaerts - .344
Runs:  J.D. Martinez - 35
Home Runs:  J.D. Martinez - 12
RBIs:  J.D. Martinez - 37
Stolen Bases:  Xander Bogaerts and Christian Vazquez - 4

Wins:  Nick Pivetta and Eduardo Rodriguez - 5
ERA:  Nick Pivetta - 3.59
Strikeouts:  Nick Pivetta - 50
Saves:  Matt Barnes - 10

Phillies 22-22
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (3-3, 3.64)
Spencer Howard (0-0, 8.31)
Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.52)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .294
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 26
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 8
RBIs:  Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins - 23
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper and Roman Quinn - 4

Wins:  Connor Brogdon - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.52
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 66
Saves:  Hector Neris - 7

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

1985 Game 33 - 1985 Cramer Portland Beavers #31 Rocky Childress

Phillies 10, Dodgers 5
Game 33 - Friday Night, May 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 12-21, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Kevin Gross pitched well and benefitted from a 12-hit, 10-run outburst from the Phillies in this 10-5 win over the Dodgers.

What It Means:  For the third time this season, the Phillies scored at least 10 runs.

What Happened:  Juan Samuel, Garry Maddox, Von Hayes and Glenn Wilson all drove in two runs a piece, with Samuel and Hayes homering.  Ozzie Virgil went 4 for 5, the second (and final) time he'd have a four hit game in the majors.  Only Mike Schmidt (0 for 2) and Luis Aguayo (0 for 2) didn't get in on the hit parade, and Schmidt's average dropped to .208.  John Russell had a hit to increase his average to .152.

Gross pitched eight innings, tying his career high up until this point with 10 strikeouts.  (He'd strike out 13 in 1992 while a member of the Dodgers.)  Rookie Rocky Childress made his major league debut in a low-pressure situation, entering the game in the ninth with the Phillies ahead 10-3.  He got knocked around a a little and the Dodgers scored a pair of runs before he was able to get out of the inning.

Featured Card:  I have three Childress cards in my collection - this minor league card from the Portland Beavers team set and the team-issued cards Childress appeared on in 1985 and 1986.  He'd get a few proper mainstream baseball cards in 1988 when he appeared in the Donruss, Fleer and Topps sets with the Astros.

Transaction:  Before the game, the Phillies placed catcher Darren Daulton on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder and recalled reliever Childress from Triple-A Portland.  Daulton must have suffered the injury in the Monday night game against the Reds, as that was his last game action. Childress had been pitching well for Portland, but didn't expect to get the call.  Per this Reading Eagle article written by Larry Shenk, he arrived for this game around 10:30, in the bottom of the seventh, and was told by the bullpen coach, Mike Ryan, he'd be entering the game as soon as he warmed up.  Childress wore uniform #50, previously worn by Marty Bystrom between 1980 and 1984.

Starting pitchers (5) - Steve Carlton, John Denny, Kevin Gross, Charles Hudson, Shane Rawley
Relief pitchers (6) - Larry Andersen, Don Carman, Rocky Childress, Dave Rucker, Kent Tekulve, Pat Zachry
Catchers (2) - Ozzie Virgil, John Wockenfuss
Infielders (7) - Luis Aguayo, Tim Corcoran, Steve Jeltz, John Russell, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt, Derrel Thomas
Outfielders (5) - Greg Gross, Von Hayes, Garry Maddox, Jeff Stone, Glenn Wilson
Disabled List (4) - Darren Daulton, Bo Diaz, Jerry Koosman, Joe Lefebvre

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

Astros at Phillies: August 5th to August 7th

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Astros 47-65, 4th Place in the A.L. West, 21 1/2 games behind the Athletics
Phillies 49-63, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 12 games behind the Nationals

Astros Probables:  Dallas Keuchel (10-7, 2.97), Brad Peacock (3-7, 4.93), Collin McHugh (4-9, 3.32)
Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (5-11, 4.92), David Buchanan (5-5, 4.40), Roberto Hernandez (6-8, 3.87)

At the Ballpark:  There are a few different theme nights during this series, but otherwise no giveaways or special promotions.  The true fun will come over the weekend when the Phillies host their annual alumni weekend and Wall of Fame festivities.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .302

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 57

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 21

RBIs:  Marlon Byrd and Ryan Howard - 63

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 30

Wins:  A.J. Burnett, Cole Hamels and Roberto Hernandez - 6

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.42

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 139

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 26

1988 Topps #342, #306, #24 and #643

1988 Topps Appreciation:  This quartet of Astros spent time with the Phillies, with some making more of a mark than others.  Of the four, Larry Andersen is the most well-known ex-Phillie.  L.A. had his first stint with the Phils from 1983 to the beginning of the 1986 season when he was released by the club and signed by the Astros in mid-May.  He'd go on to pitch five scoreless innings over two games for the Astros in the 1986 N.L.C.S. against the Mets.

Phillies Room favorite Rocky Childress appeared in 18 games for the Phillies in 1985 and 1986 before becoming a regular in the Astros bullpen in 1987.  He kicked around for the Astros Triple-A teams until 1991.

You're forgiven if you don't recall Billy Hatcher's 43 games with the Phillies prior to the player's strike ending the 1994 season.  And I'd be very impressed if you remembered either of Jim Deshaies' two starts for the Phillies in 1995.  Deshaies lasted a combined 5 1/3 innings, allowing 12 runs on 15 hits for a career Phillies ERA of 20.25.  I wrote about his lack of a Phillies card (and rightfully so) back in my 1995 Phillies Missing Links post.

1985 Phillies - No Missing Links

1985 Topps Traded #121T, 1986 Donruss #34 and 1986 Topps #418

For just the second time since I started this series, I came across a year in which every single player spending time with the Phillies actually has a Phillies baseball card.  (The only other year to this point is 1993.)  I don't think there's any real reason for this to have happened in 1985, as it wasn't a terrific year for the Phils.  But with a little luck, and the existence of the team-issued Tastykake sets, every member of the 1985 squad graces at least a little Phillies cardboard.

In fact, there are just 10 players who appeared with the Phillies in 1985 who didn't appear in either the regular Topps base or traded set.  I created cards for these 10 players, and posted them here.

3 Cards or More
32 Players

Right-handed reliever Dave Shipanoff just makes the cut with three total cards from the 1986 Donruss, Fleer and Tastykake sets.  He appeared in 26 games with the Phils in late 1985, before injuries cut his career short.

2 Cards

Derrel Thomas (63 games in 1985) - 1985 Topps Traded #121T and 1986 Topps #158
Rocky Childress (16 games in 1985 and 2 games in 1986) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies and 1986 Tastykake Phillies

Thomas finished up his 15-year career with the Phillies.  He has the distinction of appearing with three different teams on 1985 baseball cards.  His 1985 Topps card features him as a member of the Expos.  The Expos sold Thomas to the Angels in September 1984, and he played in just 14 games with California.  Fleer hustled a little more than Topps and has him with the Angels on his 1985 card.  Finally, Topps issued a Phillies card for Thomas within its traded series.

Childress never received a standard-sized Phillies card.

1 Card

Pat Zachry (10 games in 1985) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies

Alan Knicely (7 games in 1985) - 1986 Topps #418
Rich Surhoff (2 games in 1985) - 1985 Tastykake Phillies

The inclusion of Knicely's card within the 1986 Topps set always puzzled me, and it would never happen in today's Topps sets.  Knicely came to the Phillies in August 1985 as part of the Bo Diaz deal with the Reds.  Injuries limited his time with the club, and his final Phillies line reads - 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.

Technically, Zachry has two cards as he's featured with the rest of the Phillies pitching staff on a multi-player card included within the 1985 Tastykake set.  The 1976 National League Rookie of the Year appeared in just 10 games for the Phillies before getting released in June 1985.

Surhoff, B.J.'s older brother, pitched just one full inning for the Phillies, earning a win on September 8th.  On September 13th, he was traded to the Rangers for Dave Stewart.

Past Missing Link Posts

1980 Phillies - Orlando Isales and Don McCormack

1981 Phillies - Jerry Reed

1982 Phillies - Stan Bahnsen and Alejandro Sanchez

1983 Phillies - Steve Comer
1984 Phillies - Renie Martin, Jim Kern and Mike LaValliere

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico

1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson

1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside

1999 Phillies - Joel Bennett, Domingo Cedeno, Joe Grahe and Torey Lovullo

2000 Phillies - Clemente Alvarez, Kirk Bullinger, Mark Holzemer and Bryan Ward

1986 Topps Phillies - Missing Links

There are 16 players who appeared with the Phillies in 1986 who didn't make it into either the Topps base set or the traded series so I've made 1986 Topps cards for all 16.  As far as I know, neither Jeff Bittinger or Tom Gorman ever had Phillies cards - either mainstream or in the team-issued Tastykake sets - and if and when I ever have the free time to take a crash course in graphic design, I'm going to go back and fix their cards.

Most of the pictures I used for these cards are from the 1986 or 1987 Tastykake Phillies sets or from the 1986 Phillies Yearbook.

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PR16

1985 Topps Phillies - Missing Links

My post on the 1985 Topps Phillies cards is not quite ready yet, but I wanted to share these "cards that never were" for players who should have had Phillies cards in the 1985 Topps set.  There are only ten players who appeared with the Phils in 1985 who didn't have Topps Phillies cards in either Topps' regular or traded sets.  Here are those missing ten cards:

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Scrapbook Sunday: September 1, 1985

1985 Topps #PR9

I've always had the need to know which players were on the Phillies' current roster, and for as long as I've been a fan, I've been able to rattle off the 25 names currently available to suit up on any given night. When I started this blog, one of the first things I added was a list of the team's current roster (look left), which I update as soon as I get wind of a transaction. Each name on the roster is linked to that player's baseball cards I've featured so far in The Phillies Room. Go ahead and click around a little - it's good fun.

1985 Topps #PR8

From opening day until August 31st, there are 25 men on the active roster and then on September 1st, something glorious happens.  On September 1st, teams have the option of expanding their rosters to 40 active players.  I like this.  I know there are some who feel it cheapens the pennant races by altering the rules of engagement for the final month of the season.  But I like it.  I like that Paul Hoover is on the roster now as a 3rd catcher, and he'll (hopefully) only play in one game - the game the day after (hopefully) the Phils clinch a play-off spot.  I like that there are pinch-runners galore and late inning defensive switches.  To date, the Phils have added only 3 players to bring the total number of names on the line-up card to 28*, but I suspect that number will expand.

1985 Topps #PR1

25 years ago, I don't think I was aware of this rule yet.  I had become very familiar with the Phillies' 25 players and then all of the sudden, extra names started showing up in the boxscores.  (The list I created in pencil lists 27 players, so I'm assuming a couple of those guys were on the DL at the time.)  It was only after I dutifully wrote out each players' number and name, underlining each player for some reason, that I had to come back and write out the numbers and names of the "New Players" in pen.

1985 Topps Traded #62T

None of these guys had a huge impact on the '85 Phillies, and only Steve Jeltz received a proper Topps card, appearing in that year's traded series.  The other cards featured here are cards I've created to fill the gaps and to satisfy my inner 11-year-old who never had a proper Rocky Childress Phillies' card.  Fred Toliver picked up his first and only Major League save on September 3rd.  Alan Knicely was used as a pinch-hitter throughout September, going 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.  Rich Surhoff, B.J.'s older brother, pitched in only 2 games before getting shipped to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Dave "Smoke" Stewart.   Childress appeared in 16 games for the '85 Phils, compiling a 6.21 ERA.  And then there's Steve Jeltz.  Jeltz spent parts of 7 seasons with the Phils, compiling a .213 average.

*Increased to 29 today and it will go up again to 31 on Monday.