Game 156 - Sanchez, Crawford, Bullpen Prevail Over Mets

Philadelphia Phillies	7
New York Mets	2

2026 Topps Chrome
Wave Refractors #73

Sunday Afternoon, September 20th

Citi Field - Flushing, NY
86-70, 2nd Place, 6 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies finally looked again like a play-off caliber team in this rainy, Sunday afternoon win over the Mets.

What It Means:  The Magic Number to clinch a playoff spot is down to 3.  The Phillies split this series with the Mets and are headed home to wrap up the regular season with six games against the postseason bound Brewers and Rays, beginning on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  The Phillies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a Luis Arraez sacrifice fly and another clutch, two-out RBI single from Alec Bohm.  They took a 4-0 lead in the third when Kyle Schwarber walked, was doubled home by Trea Turner and Arraez singled Turner home.  Cristopher Sanchez was pulled in the seventh inning, much to his displeasure, having allowed a run on six hits and striking out six.  Alex McFarlane entered, allowed an inherited run to score, but struck out Juan Soto on three straight pitches to end the threat.  Justin Crawford broke the game open in the eighth with a bases-clearing triple.  Sanchez notched his 18th win of the season, becoming the first Phillies pitcher with at least 18 wins in a season since Roy Halladay won 19 in 2011.

Featured Card:  The rookies came up big in this game, with both McFarlane and Crawford playing pivotal roles.  I'll give the card to Crawford here, as his triple allowed the Phillies to have their first real breathing room in a game since the prior Sunday.

Transaction:  Following his latest disastrous outing on Saturday afternoon, Orion Kerkerking (rhp) was optioned to the IronPigs and Max Lazar (rhp) was recalled.

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Game 86 - Crawford, Turner Support Sanchez's Latest Gem

Pittsburgh Pirates	0
Philadelphia Phillies	8

2026 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

Tuesday Night, June 30th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
48-38, 2nd Place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez did his thing again and Justin Crawford went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in this 8-0 drubbing of the Bucs.

What It Means:  Given the Phillies were 9-19 on April 26th, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves, it's amazing to see them now just 2 1/2 games behind the Braves for the top spot in the division.  The team has gone on a scorching 39-19 run under interim manager Don Mattingly up to this game.

What Happened:  Sanchez improved to 10-3, allowing three hits and striking out nine in his seven inning outing.  His ERA went down to an even 2.00.  The unlikely duo of Jonathan Bowlan and Lee Trivino completed the combined shutout.  The Phillies held a slim 2-0 lead throughout most of this game, following a two-run single by Crawford in the second inning.  They'd score three more in the seventh, and three more in the eighth, highlighted by a two-run home run from Trea Turner.

Featured Card:  Crawford has played steady defense and after a slow start, his average has crept up to .256 following this game.  Here's his Kids Club / Club 215 card still available at the ballpark.

Transaction:  Chase Shugart (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley and replaced in the bullpen by Trivino (rhp).

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Game 31 - Second Walk-Off Win of the Day Leads to Series Sweep

San Francisco Giants	5
Philadelphia Phillies	6

Game 2 / 10 Innings

2026 Topps Now #146

Thursday Night, April 30th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
12-19, 4th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Alec Bohm did the honors this time, hitting a game-winning sacrifice fly to score Adolis Garcia with the winning run in Game 2.

What It Means:  The Phillies swept the double header and the series, and they're 3-0 under new manager Don Mattingly.  They'll head to Miami next for a quick four-game road series with the Marlins.

What Happened:  It was a bullpen game, with Tim Mayza, Nolan Hoffman and Trevor Richards each pitching a pair of innings.  Seven Phillies relievers allowed five runs on 13 hits while striking out 12, and Chase Shugart would earn his second win of the day.

Kyle Scwarber had four hits in the game, including a two out, game-tying RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Brandon Marsh.  Marsh had collected a clutch, pinch-double to start the inning.  In the bottom of the 10th, Garcia started the inning at second as the zombie runner, went to third on a perfect Bryson Stott sacrifice bunt and scored on Bohm's sacrifice fly.

Featured Card:  Topps produced a cool Topps Now card to celebrate the walk-off wins in both halves of the double header.

Transaction:  Between games, Kyle Backhus was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation and Richards (rhp) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.  Hoffman (rhp) was returned to the IronPigs following the game.

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

Game 6 - Sosa, Crawford Star in Walk-Off Win

Washington Nationals	5
Philadelphia Phillies	6

10 Innings

2026 Topps Now #39

Wednesday Afternoon, April 1st

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
3-3, Tied for 3rd Place, 2 games behind the Marlins

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies mounted an impressive late inning comeback, walking off with the win in the 10th when Justin Crawford singled home Brandon Marsh.

What It Means:  The outfield of Crawford, Marsh and Adolis Garcia is by far the best part of the Phillies line-up six games into the season.  Following a Thursday off-day, they'll open a three game series in Denver on Friday.

What Happened:  A solid outing from Cristopher Sanchez was wasted.  Sanchez went 5 1/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits while striking out seven, departing with the score tied 1-1.  Jonathan Bowlan gave up a run in the sixth and Brad Keller surrendered a three-run home run to CJ Abrams in the seventh, giving the Nationals a 5-1 lead.  But the Phillies chipped away with solo home runs from J.T. Realmuto in the seventh and Bryce Harper in the eighth.  With the bases loaded and down to their final out in the ninth, Edmundo Sosa singled to left, scoring a pair of runs and tying the score.  Jhoan Duran held the Nationals scoreless in the top of the 10th, with help from a leaping catch from Sosa that turned in to an inning-ending double play.

Featured Card:  With Marsh as the ghost runner at second to start the inning, J.T. Realmuto singled to move Marsh to third.  Crawford singled to right to score Marsh, giving the Phillies their first walk-off win of the season and Crawford his second Topps Now card of the year.

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Spring Training Game 1 - Jays Take '26 Lid-Lifter

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Toronto Blue Jays	3

2025 Choice Jersey Shore
BlueClaws Road to the Show

Spring Training Game 1

Saturday Afternoon, February 21st

TD Ballpark - Dunedin, FL

Record - 0-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies kicked off their Grapefruit League schedule with a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays, with two of their four hits on the day coming from Justin Crawford.

What It Means:  With another foot or so of snow predicted in this weekend's forecast for the area, the Phillies gave us a glimpse of warmer weather and a preview of Crawford's potential.  We were treated to a bonus TV broadcast as NBC Philly picked up the Blue Jays' feed of the game.  I muted the announcers a few innings into the game, but it was wonderful to watch a baseball game.

What Happened:  The most excitement for the day from the Phillies' side was the lead-off double from Crawford to start the game.  He'd single in his second at-bat, with Bryan De La Cruz and Paul McIntosh collecting the other two hits for the Phillies.  Bryse Wilson got the start and pitched two shutout innings, although he did have traffic on the base paths, allowing three hits and a walk.  Seth Johnson and Nolan Hoffman gave up all three Blue Jays runs, with Hoffman allowing the most damage, but striking out the side in the sixth.

Featured Card:  This is the newest Crawford card in my collection, added this past July from a set limited to a print run of 500.

Camp Head Count:  70 - 1 = 69

Technically, camp opened with 70 players on the roster, although the Phillies had told Nick Castellanos not to report.  With his release on February 12th, the Phillies now have 69 players in uniform - 39 from their 40-man roster and another 30 non-roster invitees.  The World Baseball Classic will take some of the squad away from Clearwater this spring, so camp cuts might not come quickly.

Spring Training Game 19 & Spring Breakout Game

Philadelphia Phillies	5
New York Yankees	6

2024 Choice Reading Fightin
Phils Top 10 #3

Spring Training Game 19

Friday Night, March 14

George M. Steinbrenner Field - Tampa, FL

Record - 9-9-1

One Sentence Summary:  In the only night game of the spring for the Phillies, a late rally fell short as Guillo Zuniga couldn't convert the save opportunity, allowing the Yankees to post a 6-5 walk-off win.

What It Means:  I was enjoying an evening of sorting baseball cards and listening to his game on the radio when we lost electricity for about an hour.  When the power went out, the Phillies were mounting a comeback and when it came back on, the game was over and they had lost.

What Happened:  Trailing 2-1 heading to the seventh inning, Christian Arroyo singled with one out and Cal Stevenson hit his first home run of the spring to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead.  Stevenson had made an incredible throw from right field in the second inning to gun down Trent Grisham trying to stretch a double.  Also flashing the leather in this game was first baseman Kyle Schwarber, looking better than expected at his relatively new position.

The Phillies scored two more runs in the eighth on an RBI single from Garrett Stubbs, combined with a costly error from right fielder Jackson Castillo.  But Zuniga couldn't hold off the Yankees in the ninth, giving up a walk and a home run to tie the game, and eventually a walk-off single to Brendan Jones to win the game.

Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects	3
Philadelphia Phillies Prospects	5

Spring Breakout Game

Friday Afternoon, March 14

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Featured Card:  In the afternoon, the Phillies and Pirates sent their top prospects to play in the second annual Spring Breakout Game.  I enjoyed watching the game in the background on Friday during my work day, and Cole Hamels, a new addition to the broadcast booth, was actually enjoyable to listen to?  Justin Crawford led off and had a pair of hits, including a triple.  Carson DeMartini, who I don't know much about, had an impressive home run in the seventh inning.

Camp Head Count:  48

Spring Training Game 21 & Spring Breakout Game

2023 Choice Clearwater
Threshers #1

Phillies 3, Marlins 3
Spring Training Game 21 - Saturday Afternoon, March 16th in Jupiter
Record - 8-9-4

Tigers Prospects 5, Phillies Prospects 1

Spring Breakout Game - Saturday Afternoon, March 16th in Lakeland

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies played two games, one with current players and one with top prospects, and couldn't find a win in either of them.

What It Means:  The Spring Breakout concept is new in 2024, with each team sending its top prospects to face off against another team's top prospects.  The contests seem to have been well-received, so we'll see if they'll continue this tradition next year.

What Happened:  Against the Marlins, Kolby Allard got the start and went 1 2/3 innings, allowing three hits but no runs.  Phillies reliever Max Castillo was tagged for all three Marlins runs in the fourth and fifth innings.  Whit Merrifield continued to swing a hot bat, collecting two more hits, including a two-run single in the second.

In the Spring Breakout game, Mick Abel started for the Phillies and allowed a solo home run to Tigers prospect Jace Jung.  Jung would hit a second home run in the fifth off Griff McGarry.  Justin Crawford led off for the Phillies and had a pair of singles and a stolen base.  Crawford scored the only run for the Phillies when Aidan Miller singled him home in the first.

Featured Card:  Let's go with a card for Crawford.  He's likely a few years away from being a regular in Phillies game posts on this blog, and by then I'm sure he'll have a ton more baseball cards.  This is his card from last year's Threshers team set.

Camp Head Count:  57

The Phillies are going the wrong way with their spring headcount, adding another non-roster invitee on Saturday.  Jordan Luplow (of) was signed to a minor league contract, a day after the Braves released him.  Luplow has played in parts of seven major league seasons with the Pirates, Indians, Rays, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Twins.

Player (position) - 2023 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card

23.  Jordan Luplow - Blue Jays/Twins - 2022 Topps Update #US286 (Diamondbacks)

Phils Select Outfielder Crawford with 17th Overall Draft Pick

On Sunday night, the Phillies announced the selection of outfielder Justin Crawford, an outfielder from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, as their first pick and the 17th overall pick in the amateur player draft.  Crawford is the son of major league veteran Carl Crawford and a cousin of former Phillies' infielder J.P. Crawford.  He batted .503 with five home runs, 52 RBIs, 20 stolen bases and 60 runs scored during his senior year of high school.

His father Carl played with the Devil Rays/Rays (2002-2010), Red Sox (2011-2012) and Dodgers (2013-2016) during a 15-year career that saw him make four All-Star teams and go to the World Series with the Devil Rays in 2008.  He batted .263 in that series with home runs in Game 1 off Cole Hamels and in Game 4 off Joe Blanton.  In case you forgot, the Phillies won the series in five games.

Crawford joins the list of top draft picks below with his first of hopefully many Chachi cards.

Memory Lane
2014 Draft - Aaron Nola (rhp)
2015 Draft - Cornelius Randolph (ss)
2016 Draft - Mickey Moniak (of)
2017 Draft - Adam Haseley (of)
2018 Draft - Alec Bohm (3b)
2019 Draft - Bryson Stott (ss)
2020 Draft - Mick Abel (rhp)

2021 Draft - Andrew Painter (rhp)

2022 Draft - Justin Crawford (of)