Game 144 - 'Pen Implodes in 8th as Phils Lose

2022 IDrawBaseball Cards
x Relief Room #1

Braves 7, Phillies 2
Game 144 - Friday Night, September 16th in Atlanta
Record - 80-64, 3rd Place, 10 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Holding a 2-1 lead heading to the bottom of the eighth inning, Seranthony Dominguez and Nick Nelson allowed six unanswered Braves run in this crushing defeat.

What It Means:  Sometimes my timing is impeccable as I turned this game off after the Phillies had batted in the top of the eighth inning.  Had I stayed up a little longer, I would have witnessed the implosion first hand and lost crucial hours of sleep.

What Happened:  The Phillies earned a slim lead on solo home runs from Kyle Schwarber in the fourth and Jean Segura in the fifth.  Ranger Suarez pitched six strong innings, allowing a solo home run to William Contreras and striking out four.  Dominguez and Nelson combined to allow six runs on five hits, including a two-run home run to Ronald Acuna, Jr., a pair of walks and a wild pitch.

Featured Card:  This game and my broken scanner have conspired to make me sad, angry and a little confused, much like Tom Hilgendorf on his 1976 Topps card.  This version of that card is the wonderful creation of IDrawBaseballCards in collaboration with the The Relief Room, and it's doing what it can to cheer me up.

Transaction:  Yairo Munoz (inf) was recalled from the IronPigs and Edmundo Sosa (inf) was placed on the injured list with a right hamstring strain.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 121 - 1976 Topps #168 Tom Hilgendorf

Diamondbacks 6, Phillies 2
Game 121 - Thursday Afternoon, August 19th in Phoenix
Record - 61-60, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Madison Bumgarner handcuffed the struggling Phillies offense for eight innings and Zack Wheeler was hit around a bit in this 6-2 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies were swept by the worst team in baseball.

What Happened:  Jean Segura doubled to start the game and the Phillies didn't collect another hit until Ronald Torreyes doubled to start the eighth.  They loaded the bases in the eighth, but got only one run out of it when Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper were retired in order.  The Phillies again loaded the bases in the ninth, but Travis Jankowski struck out looking and Segura grounded out to short to end the game.  Wheeler gave up six runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings.  Eight runners were left on base and the team went 4 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  On Thursday afternoon, as the Phillies were sleepwalking towards another loss and as I was dealing with the latest work-related drama, news came out that Topps would be losing its baseball card license in favor of Fanatics, beginning in 2026.  I didn't like the news when it came out, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what this means for my beloved hobby.  For me personally, it means I'll spend more of my disposable income on vintage cards, which is how I've been trending the last several years anyway.  I'll continue to buy Topps factory sets through 2025, and then I doubt I'll feel the need to start a new run of Fanatics flagship sets in 2026.  But who knows?

Is this good for the hobby or bad?  Much like Tom Hilgendorf here, I have no idea.  I'm sitting here staring off into the distance feeling a little confused, feeling a little cynical and feeling a little . . . old.  Hilgendorf and I will continue to ponder this in the coming months and years and if nothing else maybe this means we'll get to spend a little more time together, along with the other cards in my vintage baseball card binders.

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