Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies - Phils Look to Rebound

2005 Topps #271

2005 Topps #288

Monday, July 21st - 6:45
Tuesday, July 22nd - 6:45
Wednesday, July 23rd - 7:05

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday is Y2K Retro Night at the ballpark, followed by a Nelly postgame concert.  The Phillies celebrate Christmas in July on Wednesday with a toy drive going on at each of the entrance gates.

Boston Red Sox 54-47
3rd Place in the A.L. East, 5 games behind the Blue Jays

Red Sox Probables
Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.12)
Richard Fitts (1-3, 4.28)
Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.59)

Red Sox Leaders
Average:  Ceddanne Rafaela - .267
Runs:  Ceddanne Rafaela - 56
Home Runs:  Wilyer Abreu - 20
RBIs:  Trevor Story - 58
Stolen Bases:  Jarren Duran and Trevor Story - 16

Wins:  Garrett Crochet - 11
ERA:  Garrett Crochet - 2.19

Strikeouts:  Garrett Crochet - 165
Saves:  Aroldis Chapman - 17

Philadelphia Phillies 56-43
1st Place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36)
Cristopher Sanchez (8-2, 2.50)
Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.29)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .288
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 70
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 32
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 74
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 25

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 9
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.36
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 154
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 8

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in grey letters against a red stripe background.  The Interleague Play Inaugural Year logo is also featured on the fronts of the cards.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards notes that the set was sold for $10.  For the third year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Ruben Amaro (#37 - OF) 2. Ron Blazier (#22 - RHP) 3. Ricky Bottalico (#52 - RHP) 4. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 5. Galen Cisco (#42 - Pitching Instructor)         6. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 7. Darren Daulton (#10 - 1B/OF) 8. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 9. Reggie Harris (#40 - RHP) 10. Rex Hudler (#14 - INF) 11. Gregg Jefferies (#25 - LF) 12. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF)

13. Mark Leiter (#31 - RHP) 14. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 15. Calvin Maduro (#50 - RHP) 16. Wendell Magee, Jr. (#29 - OF) 17. Derrick May (#34 - OF) 18. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor)         19. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 20. Michael Mimbs (#47 - LHP) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - 2B) 22. Bobby Munoz (#35 - RHP) 23. Mark Parent (#8 - C) 24. Erik Plantenberg (#41 - LHP)

25. Mark Portugal (#21 - RHP) 26. Joe Rigoli (#59 - Bullpen Coach) 27. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 28. Scott Ruffcorn (#33 - RHP) 29. Ken Ryan (#51 - RHP) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Kevin Sefcik (#31 - INF) 32. Jerry Spradlin (#48 - RHP) 33. Kevin Stocker (#19 - SS) 34. Danny Tartabull (#45 - OF) 35. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach)         36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (2):  Harris, Plantenberg

First Appearances (14):  Blazier, Brogna, Hudler, Leiter, Maduro, Magee Jr., May, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Ruffcorn, Sefcik, Spradlin, Tartabull
Returning Players (12):  Amaro, Bottalico, Daulton, Jefferies, Jordan, Lieberthal, Mimbs, Morandini, Munoz, Ryan, Schilling, Stocker

Kevin Sefcik's card shows his uniform number as #31, even though Sefcik had switched to #11 at the start of spring training to accommodate veteran addition Mark Leiter who took over #31.  

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, McRae, Mills, Rigoli, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured riding his ATV.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  Change was in the air in 1997, as less than half of the players or coaches featured in this set had appeared in previous team-issued photo card sets.  Relievers Reggie Harris and Erik Plantenberg make their first and last appearances on Phillies baseball cards.  The entire 25-man opening day roster is included in the set, along with Kevin Jordan, who opened the season in the minors, and pitchers Mark Portugal and Ken Ryan, who started the season on the disabled list.  Four additional players began the year on the DL and did not receive cards in the set - pitchers Edgar Ramos, Tyler Green and Mike Grace and long-time center fielder Lenny Dykstra.

Omissions:  Any one not on the opening day roster missed getting a photo card, save for two players who were active at the time of the annual ALS Autograph and Auction Party, held on June 19th - see below.  If the Phillies wanted to issue an update set following the All-Star Break, the set could have included Billy Brewer, Rob Butler, Midre Cummings, Bobby Estalella, Wayne Gomes, Ryan Nye, Ricky Otero and Garrett Stephenson.

Variations/Rarities:  As fellow collector Rick commented on the original post back in November 2014, the Phillies created cards for two additional players for the ALS Autograph and Auction Party - Beech and Gomes.  Also active on June 19th, and not getting cards for the event, were Butler, Nye and Otero.

ALS Autograph and Auction Party 1. Matt Beech (#55 - LHP) 2. Wayne Gomes (#58 - RHP)

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

1996 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: May 11th to May 13th

2021 Chachi 1986 Topps Missing Links #10

1986 Topps #374

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

At the Ballpark:  All fans will receive a Nationals World Series tote bag tonight and Wednesday is U.S. Navy Day at the ballpark.

Phillies 18-17
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Chase Anderson (1-3, 5.54)
Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.83)
Zach Eflin (2-1, 3.38)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .313
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 23
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 8
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 22
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 4

Wins:  Three tied with - 3
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.83
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 53
Saves:  Hector Neris - 6

Nationals 13-17
Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games behind the Mets

Nationals Probables
Erick Fedde (2-3, 5.27)
Jon Lester (0-1, 2.70)
Patrick Corbin (1-3, 7.36)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .308
Runs:  Josh Bell - 16
Home Runs:  Trea Turner - 7
RBIs:  Starlin Castro and Trea Turner - 14
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 7

Wins:  Six tied with - 2
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.33

Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 61
Saves:  Brad Hand - 3

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

Phillies at Nationals: May 22nd to May 24th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

Phillies 18-25, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Nationals
Nationals 24-17, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables:  Sean O'Sullivan (1-2, 3.68), Cole Hamels (4-3, 3.24), Aaron Harang (4-3, 1.82)
Nationals Probables:  Max Scherzer (4-3, 1.75), Stephen Strasburg (3-4, 5.98), Gio Gonzalez (3-2, 4.94)

At the Ballpark:  The first 10,000 fans will receive a 10th Anniversary poster on Sunday afternoon.  It's hard for me to believe there's been baseball back in Washington for 10 years now . . . and the Montreal Expos have been gone for 11 years.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Freddy Galvis - .319
Runs:  Freddy Galvis - 18
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 9
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 21
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 9

Wins:  Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang - 4
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 1.82
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 62
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 11

1985 Topps #143

1985 Topps #134

1985 Topps Appreciation:  Father's Day is a month away, but I wanted to be able to fit in these two cards given the Expos/Phillies connection with the Tito and Terry Francona card.  Before the younger Francona managed the Phillies through four grueling seasons (1997-2000), the elder Francona already had a Phillies connection.

Tito played 15 years in the majors, squeezing in 27 games with the Phillies in 1967.  Tito was purchased from the Cardinals by the Phils on April 10, 1967 and then sold again (hopefully at a profit) to the Braves by the Phils on June 12, 1967.  His short stint earned him a late series Phillies baseball card in the 1967 Topps set.

The elder Ozzie Virgil had no Phillies connection that I could find during his playing days.  The younger Virgil was an All-Star with the Phillies in 1985 and spent parts of six seasons behind the plate in maroon pinstripes.

Phillies at Nationals: April 16th to April 19th

Thursday and Friday 7:05, Saturday 1:05, Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

Phillies 3-6, Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves and Mets
Nationals 3-6, Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves and Mets

Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (0-1, 3.75), Sean O'Sullivan (0-0, 3.00), Aaron Harang (1-1, 0.73), David Buchanan (0-2, 11.42)
Nationals Probables:  Doug Fister (0-0, 0.00), Max Scherzer (0-1, 0.66), Jordan Zimmermann (1-1, 8.64), Stephen Strasburg (0-1, 6.75)

At the Ballpark:  Taking a page from the Phillies' playbook, the Nationals will celebrate their mascot Screech's birthday on Sunday with the game officially designated as Kids Opening Day.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cody Asche - .500
Runs:  Ben Revere and Chase Utley - 3
Home Runs:  Jeff Francoeur and Chase Utley - 2
RBIs:  Chase Utley - 7
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 2

Wins:  Three tied with - 1
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 0.73
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 11
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 2

1985 Topps #428

1985 Topps #578

1985 Topps Appreciation:  I recently read a terrific article on the Phillies radio broadcasting team of Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen, and I was a little surprised to realize that Andersen has now been broadcasting Phillies games since 1998.  Andersen made the permanent move to radio beginning with the 2007 season and I've been muting my TV ever since in order to listen to L.A. and Franzke call the games.

The 1998 season marked the second of Terry Francona's four long years at the helm for the Phillies.  He'd make it through the 2000 season before being dismissed and the Phils would usher in the Larry Bowa era.  Francona begin his 10-year playing career with the Expos, and 1985 would be his last season in Montreal before being released and signing with the Cubs in May 1986.

Phillies at Reds: June 6th to June 8th

Friday 7:10, Saturday 4:10 and Sunday 1:10
Great American Ball Park - Cincinnati, OH

Phillies 24-34, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Braves and Marlins
Reds 27-31, 4th Place in the N.L. Central, 7 games behind the Brewers

Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.01), Roberto Hernandez (2-3, 4.03), David Buchanan (1-2, 6.11)
Reds Probables:  Johnny Cueto (5-4, 1.68), Alfredo Simon (7-3, 3.03), Homer Bailey (6-3, 4.99)

At the Ballpark:  I like it when there's a nice giveaway or event for all three games of a series.  Such is the case at the underrated Great American Ball Park.  Tonight is Fireworks Friday and the first 20,000 fans tomorrow will receive a Reds hat featuring the floating head of Mr. Red.  On Sunday, the first 8,000 kids to enter the ballpark will receive a Brandon Phillips growth chart.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .311

Runs:  Chase Utley - 31

Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 11

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 40

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 15

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 4

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 3.18

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett - 67

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 13

1988 Topps #203, #265, #686 and 1988 Topps Traded #55T

1988 Topps Appreciation:  It's a grab bag of former Phillies and Reds in the latest installment of 1988 Topps Appreciation.  First up is former Phillies catcher Bo Diaz, who was traded with minor leaguer Greg Simpson to the Reds for Tom Foley and a player to be named later back on August 8, 1985.  The player to be named later turned out to be pitcher Fred Toliver, also featured here.

Surprisingly, to me at least, Diaz played more games with the Reds (460 over five seasons) than he did with the Phillies (333 over four seasons).  He made the All-Star team with the Reds in 1987, but then steadily declined in 1988 (.219 in 92 games) and his final season, 1989 (.205 in 43 games).  Toliver spent parts of three seasons with the Phillies, going 1-7 with a 4.67 ERA over the course of 26 games.

I had to squeeze in the cards of Danny Jackson and Terry Francona here, since this is the final meeting between the Phillies and Reds this season.  Jackson was traded by the Royals to the Reds following the 1987 season, and he'd experience his best year by far in 1988, winning 23 games and making the All-Star team.  Francona had already departed Cincinnati by the time Jackson arrived, signing with the Indians as a free agent in February 1988.

2000 Phillies Team Issue #7 Terry Francona

The Ed Wade era in Houston ended over the weekend as the former Phillies GM was sent packing for the second time in his career.  With the new ownership in place, and due to a crappy overall performance over the past several seasons, it was time for the Astros to move in an Ed Wade-less direction.  Wade had been the team's general manager since September 2007.

My Dad and I always felt Wade got a bum rap in Philly.*  Hall of Famer Pat Gillick was at the helm when the Phillies finally cracked the postseason in 2007, but it was Wade who helped construct the core of that team and the 2008 World Champions.  Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson, Cole Hamels, Carlos Ruiz, Brett Myers and Pat Burrell were all drafted and developed during Wade's regime.  He hired Charlie Manuel to manage the team, and that's worked out pretty well too.

During his four-season run as the Astros GM, Wade was often criticized (chastised? mocked?) for populating his team with ex-Phillies.  He pulled off three blockbuster deals with his former team and his former mentee, Ruben Amaro, Jr.:

1.  November 8, 2007 - Traded Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies for Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary and Mike Costanzo.

2.  July 29, 2010 - Traded Roy Oswalt to the Phillies for J.A. Happ, Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar.

3.  July 29, 2011 - Traded Hunter Pence to the Phillies for Jonathan Singleton, Jarred Cosart, Josh Zeid and Domingo Santana.

Only time will tell if any of those prospects will pan out for the Astros.

I could be wrong, but I think the card featured here is the only instance of Ed Wade appearing on cardboard.  That's his head creeping out from behind Terry Francona.  Of course, both men are now unemployed, giving them plenty of time to get together and reminisce about the glory days of the 1997 to 2000 Phillies.  Or not.

*Don't get me wrong here.  His firing by the Phillies after the 2005 season was a necessity if the team was going to move forward.  I just think he deserves some credit for assembling the core of what has become a powerhouse team in the National League.

Phillies at Red Sox: June 11th through June 13th

Friday 7:10, Saturday 4:10, Sunday 1:35

Records: Phillies 31-27, Tied for 2nd Place in NL East (2½ games behind the Braves); Red Sox 35-27, 3rd Place in AL East (5 games behind the Rays). How is it the Red Sox have played 4 more games than the Phillies? I think the Phils have only had two rain outs so far, so I'm guessing it's just a scheduling quirk?

1997 Phillies Team Issue #7 Terry Francona MG

Interleague, Sminterleague: Yes, I am nervous. In 2009, the Phillies went 6-12 in Interleague Play, which included a record of 1-8 at home. In 2008, they went 4-11. A respectable 8-7 record in 2007 was preceded by a horrible 5-13 record in 2006. I could go on, but the gist is this - the Phillies, for the most part, stink against the American League. Their next 15 games are against American League teams and only 3 of those games are against a team with a sub-.500 record. (The Indians are last in the AL Central with a 23-36 record.)

It all starts tonight against the Red Sox, a team that was struggling to stay above .500 when the Phils played them in May. But Terry Francona's team has gone 11-6 since taking 2 out of 3 from the Phillies, and the Phillies have gone 5-10 in that same span, scoring 1 run or less in 7 of those 10 losses. It does no good to whine, but why couldn't we have played a series against the Orioles instead of getting 6 games against the Red Sox?

Phillies Probables: Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, Kyle Kendrick

Red Sox Probables: John Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield

2001 Topps #347 Terry Francona MG

Before interviewing for the top job in Boston, Francona interviewed in Baltimore for the Orioles’ post last month, where he admitted that his previous managing experience proved invaluable. "Like you can’t believe," he said. "Having the chance to do it — the people in Philadelphia may not want to hear this — but it’s almost like having a mulligan. I had my chance to make my mistakes, learn from them, and gain confidence. Because of my past, I feel prepared to not just
be the manager, but to be a leader that can be successful."

- Terry Francona, November 21, 2003, prior to being named the manager of the Boston Red Sox

(The Boston Phoenix)

Hey Terry: You're right. The people of Philadelphia didn't want to hear it.