Game 4 - Phils, Taijuan Blown Up by Nationals

Washington Nationals	13
Philadelphia Phillies	2

Monday Night, March 30th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
1-3, 5th Place, 2 games behind Braves, Marlins, Mets, Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals blooped and blasted their way to a 17-hit, 13-run win over the Phillies in one of the worst games I've seen in recent history.

What It Means:  Yikes.  Following this game, the Phillies were in sole possession of last place with every other team in the division tied for first.

What Happened:  Taijuan Walker went 4 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and three walks.  Jonathan Bowlan (two more runs) and Jose Alvarado (four runs in 1/3 of an inning) faired poorly as well.  Super utility player Dylan Moore made his Phillies pitching debut, recording the final two outs in the top of the ninth.  The Phillies offense had seven hits and went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position.  The top of the line-up - Trea Turner (.167), Kyle Schwarber (.125), Bryce Harper (.063) and Alec Bohm (.143) - are sitting in the front row of the struggle bus.

Featured Card:  Our oldest son attended this game without us, joining other college students for the Phillies' College Series Business Analytics Night.  He had a few photo opportunities with club ambassadors Dickie Noles, Milt Thompson and Mickey Morandini and asked for a picture with Wall of Famer Ed Wade, who was surprised a college kid would want a photo with him.  But we've taught Doug well, and he recognizes the contributions the former GM made to the organization.

Field Report:  Two games in a row for Jenna and me, and we had (what was to me) a surprisingly disappointing dinner at Pass & Stow prior to the game.  We had a quick visit from our son and his two friends before briefly settling into our seats in Section 315 to witness this debacle.

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

Introducing the 2025 Chachi Set - Getting Nostalgic for 2005

2025 Chachi Preview #2

2025 Chachi Preview #1

2025 Chachi Friendly Encounters #1

Time is going quicker these days, and I'm at the age where events that seemed to have happened five or six years ago actually happened closer to 20 or 25 years ago in reality.  I've been doing better, I think, on focusing on the present and making sure to "Be Here Now" as the wise sage George Harrison once sang.  I I still get nostalgic though, and it's crazy for me to realize I've been making these custom Chachi Phillies sets since way back in 2005.  A ton has happened in 20 years.  It's staggering how much has happened.

When it came time for me to pick a design I'd work with this year to make my Chachi set, I really didn't feel any excitement about tackling one of the sets from the 1970s or 1980s I've not worked with yet - 1972, 1987 or 1989.  I honestly considered double dipping and going back to one of the earlier designs of these Chachi sets (1981, 1975 or 1976) but that didn't necessarily seem like fun either, even though I love those designs.  That's when I turned my attention to the Topps sets of the 2000s.  I found myself with a new found appreciation of a set I had likely dismissed when it first came out.  I found myself getting nostalgic about 2005 and the 2005 Topps set.

We were newly married in 2005, not yet with children.  My Dad's health issues hadn't fully surfaced yet, and he was grumbling daily about bad decisions Charlie Manuel had made or complaining about the team's playoff drought.  The world didn't seem so cruel or so divided in 2005.  I didn't actively avoid the news and social media in 2005 in an effort to protect my mental health.

The 2005 Topps set has a fun design.  Yes, there's a lot going on, but it's color-coded to the team (a huge plus for me) and I love the glittery gold big last name with a unique font (Colossalis Bold) emblazoned at the top of each card.  It's one of the few Topps sets that advertise its year on the front, so I got to update that from 2005 to 2025 for my Chachi set.  These cards are fun, and making custom baseball cards, especially after doing it for 20 years, and particularly as I work on Being Here Now, should be fun too.

The cards shown above are the first three cards I created for the set.  Cole Hamels had his first Topps flagship card in the 2005 Topps set, on a card shared with Ryan Howard, and he was a guest instructor this spring for the Phillies down in Clearwater.  Bob Dernier is my all-time favorite player, and creating his card gave me a chance to play with the colors of the intertwining borders for a retro Phillies card.  And I literally bumped in to Mickey Morandin between 18th and 19th Streets on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia on February 3rd.  The Phillies' equipment truck, bound for Florida, made stops at a few Citizens Bank locations prior to making the trek southward.  Morandini and Dickie Noles were handing out rally towels and autographs as I walked down Market Street to pick up my lunch that day.  I told Morandini I'd regret it later if I didn't stop and get a selfie, and he kindly obliged.

So here's to the 2005 Topps design, now the 2025 Chachi design, and here's to remembering simpler times that weren't as long ago as we think, and are hopefully closer to returning than we expect.

Game 118 - Phils Limp Home After Series Loss in Phoenix

1988 Topps Traded #71T

Diamondbacks 12, Phillies 5
Game 118 - Sunday Afternoon, August 11th in Phoenix
Record - 69-49, 1st Place, 7 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies continued to find ways to lose, with Cristopher Sanchez and Jose Alvarado struggling and sloppy defense in this 12-5 loss to the Diamondbacks.

What It Means:  The Phillies finished a long west coast road trip with a respectable 4-6 record.  It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse.  With the Braves struggling, they managed to add 2 1/2 games in the standings despite the rough few weeks.  The Marlins and Nationals are in Philadelphia for the next six games, beginning on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  Sanchez gave up seven runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings and the bullpen allowed five more runs before this game was over.  The Diamondbacks seemed to always have runners on base throughout the entire game, with Jake McCarthy, Adrian Del Castillo and Kevin Newman all having three-hit games.

Featured Card:  The 2024 Summer Olympics ended on Sunday, and here's a card of Mickey Morandini who was a member of Team USA at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.  Baseball was still a demonstration sport that year, but USA defeated Japan to win the tournament.

Transaction:  The Phillies claimed Kyle Tyler (rhp) off waivers from the Miami Marlins and optioned him to Lehigh Valley.  To make room on the 40-man roster for Tyler, Nick Nelson (rhp) was designated for assignment.

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

Game 118 (Continued) - Alumni Weekend Chachi Cards

I didn't have enough room to tag everyone in my main game summary post, so here's a continuation post featuring the bulk of the Chachi Alumni Weekend insert cards.  This is always a fun night, and creating these cards is annually a fun project.

Game 60 - Turner, Nola Star on ALS Night; #StrikeOutALS

Phillies 8, Tigers 3
Game 60 - Monday Night, June 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 28-32, 4th Place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies won decisively against the Tigers, with two home runs from Trea Turner and an Aaron Nola no-hitter through six innings, broken up by former Phillie Nick Maton.

What It Means:  The Phillies hosted their annual ALS Night a few days after the June 2nd Lou Gehrig Day.  One year ago, the team fired fired manager Joe Girardi prior to ALS Night, and they'd go on a tear for the reset of the season to eventually reach the postseason.  Here's hoping history repeats itself.

What Happened:   Prior to the game, current Tigers Nick Maton and Matt Vierling received their National League Champions rings in a brief on field ceremony.

Trea Turner was responsible for two of the Phillies' first three runs with an RBI single in the first and his first home run, a solo shot, in the third.  The Phillies would take a 5-0 lead in the fifth on a Bryce Harper RBI single and Turner's second solo home run of the game.  In the top of the seventh, with two outs and Nola working on a no-hitter, Maton hit a second deck, three-run home run to bring the Tigers within two runs.  Runners had reached in advance of Maton on a walk and an Edmundo Sosa error.

The Phillies quickly recaptured their five-run lead with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.  J.T. Realmuto laced a two-run double and Sosa drove him home with a single to center.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  As we did last year, my family attended the game with other ALS Night event sponsors, watching from the Bill Giles Party Suite.  We obtained our grab bags, which included autographed hats and 2023 photo cards, which apparently won't be sold in set form this year.  Phillies Alumni spent the night in the suite with us, and it was great to talk with Mickey Morandini, Ruben Amaro, Jr., Greg Gross and Dickie Noles.  Milt Thompson and Gary Matthews were there too, and the Phanatic made a brief, frenzied cameo appearance.  Thanks to the Phillies, the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association raised $408,000 to continue to fund care services and research.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 152 - Fans Left Feeling Unappreciated

Braves 8, Phillies 7 (11 Innings)
Game 152 - Sunday Afternoon, September 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 83-69, 3rd Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell in 11 innings as the Braves simply outlasted them in this home regular season finale.

What It Means:  The Reds defeated the Brewers, dropping the Phillies' Magic Number to 8.

What Happened:  Kyle Schwarber, who addressed the crowd before the game, hit two home runs to raise his season tally to 42.  Rhys Hoskins stayed hot with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.  Brandon Marsh had three hits, but a misplayed fly ball in the first inning led to the Braves' first run.  The Phillies held a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth, and with two outs and two strikes on the batter, David Robertson uncorked a wild pitch allowing the tying run to score.  The Phillies had runners in scoring position in both the ninth and tenth innings, but couldn't get them home.

Andrew Bellatti gave up a pair of runs in the 11th, and while the Phillies scored one run in the bottom half of their inning, it wasn't enough to stop the Braves.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  As has become an annual (non-pandemic season) tradition, we enjoyed this game as a family from the Diamond Club.  Doug almost immediately snagged a signature from Aaron Nola upon our arrival, as Nola was graciously signing from the corner of the Phillies' dugout.  Ben, Jenna and I found Milt Thompson and Mickey Morandini by the Ashburn Alley entrance, but we were too slow to get pictures with the Phillies' broadcast team stationed at the first and third base gates.  Interim manager Rob Thomson signed for a number of fans before the game too, with Doug adding his signature to the sweet spot of a game-used baseball.  And right before the start of the National Anthem, Doug made his way down to the seats along the right field foul line to secure his biggest autograph of the day from J.T. Realmuto.

The game itself was mostly exciting, but ultimately disappointing.  We waited through the entire two-plus hour rain delay to witness the team's demise in the 11th inning, and we were somewhat disappointed when no players took the field following the game as they've done in years' past.  We'll either be back to Citizens Bank Park in three weeks for the NLDS or in six months for the 2023 home opener.  Hopefully it's the former.

Transaction:  Before the game, Brad Hand (lhp) was placed on the injured list with left elbow tendinitis and Chris Devenski (rhp) had his contract selected from the IronPigs.  Johan Camargo (inf) was designated for assignment to make room for Devenski on the 40-man roster.

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

Cubs at Phillies: July 22nd to July 24th

2000 Topps #106

2000 Topps #327

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 12:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the annual Italian Heritage Celebration at the ballpark, and tomorrow night there's a post-game concert featuring Jake Owen.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a Zack Wheeler replica Phillies jersey.

Cubs 35-57
4th Place in the N.L. Central, 14 1/2 games behind the Brewers

Cubs Probables
Justin Steele (3-6, 4.15)
Marcus Stroman (2-5, 4.69)
Drew Smyly (2-5, 4.22)

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Nico Hoerner - .307
Runs:  Willson Contreras and Patrick Wisdom - 48
Home Runs:  Patrick Wisdom - 17
RBIs:  Patrick Wisdom - 46
Stolen Bases:  Nico Hoerner - 9

Wins:  Keegan Thompson - 7
ERA:  N/A
Strikeouts:  Justin Steele - 79
Saves:  David Robertson - 13

Phillies 49-43
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Kyle Gibson (5-3, 4.35)
Zack Wheeler (8-5, 2.89)
Aaron Nola (6-7, 3.13)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .276
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 62
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 29
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 58
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 12

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 8
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.89

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 137
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 12

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

Game 52 - Thomson Era Begins with Blow-Out Win; #StrikeOutALS

Phillies 10, Angels 0
Game 52 - Friday Night, June 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 23-29, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Under new interim manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies blasted the Angels with five home runs and eight shutout innings from Zach Eflin in this 10-0 win.

What It Means:  Thomson is 1-0 as Phillies manager, and he'll look to add to that tally by hopefully about 60 or so games over the remainder of the 2022 season.

What Happened:  Eflin was dominant, allowing five hits and striking out six, and James Norwood pitched a perfect ninth to preserve the combined shutout.  Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both homered twice and Bryson Stott connected for his first big league home run, a three-run blast in the second.  Nick Maton made a diving catch in the sixth inning on a blooper hit by Mike Trout, and had to leave the game with a shoulder injury.  Trout and Shohei Ohtani went a combined 0 for 7 with three strikeouts.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  I've been involved with the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the ALS Association for the past several years, and I was proud to attend this game with my family, watching with other sponsors of the event from the Bill Giles Party Suite.  We can now say we've enjoyed a game from that particular suite with the suite's namesake, former Phillies owner Giles.  There were a number of Phillies alumni who made their way through the suite at various times throughout the game, and I enjoyed my time talking with each of them.  The Phanatic stopped by to say hello too.

We purchased a bunch of grab bags created for the night containing signed memorabilia and past Phillies giveaway items, and I was happy to see actual 2022 team-issued photo cards included in some of the bags to identify who had signed either a ball or a hat.  In total, the Phillies helped raise $344,000 for the ALS Association, and it was an overall wonderful night for a fantastic cause.

Transaction:  With the Phillies seriously underperforming, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made the decision on Friday morning to fire Joe Girardi and name Rob Thomson the interim manager for the remainder of the 2022 season.  Girardi's decisions around bullpen management and line-up construction had been increasingly baffling over the past few weeks, and the Phillies decided a regime change was needed.  Girardi had guided the club to a 22-29 record this season and a 132-141 record overall since taking the helm in 2020.  Ryne Sandberg (2013-2015) managed five more games than Girardi did, and Girardi's win total was less than Nick Leyva's (148), Gabe Kapler's (161) and Pete Mackanin's (174).

Thomson had been the team's bench coach since 2018.  Bobby Meacham, who had the nebulous title of "assistant coach," was also fired, with Mike Calitri being promoted from Quality Assurance Coach to bench coach.

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

Padres at Phillies: May 17th to May 19th

2000 Topps #255

2000 Topps Traded #T104

Tuesday and Wednesday 6:45, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies are hosting a few theme nights during this series with Youth Baseball and Softball Celebration I on Wednesday and Weather Education Day on Thursday.

Padres 22-13
2nd Place in the N.L. West, 1/2 game behind the Dodgers

Padres Probables
Mike Clevinger (0-0, 5.00)
Blake Snell (0-0, 0.00)
Yu Darvish (3-1, 4.62)

Padres Leaders
Average:  Manny Machado - .359
Runs:  Manny Machado - 27
Home Runs:  Manny Machado - 7
RBIs:  Eric Hosmer - 24
Stolen Bases:  Manny Machado - 6

Wins:  Joe Musgrove - 4
ERA:  Joe Musgrove - 2.20
Strikeouts:  Sean Manaea - 50
Saves:  Taylor Rogers - 13

Phillies 17-18
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zach Eflin (1-2, 4.50)
Zack Wheeler (1-3, 4.26)
Kyle Gibson (3-1, 4.10)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .315
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 29
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 9
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 27
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 6

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 4
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.64

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 55
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 7

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

2007-2009 Phillies Alumni Photo Cards

Number of Known Cards:  42
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  I was admittedly completely unaware of the existence of these cards until an eBay search in 2018 yielded photos of team-issued photo cards for Phillies alumni using a design I had never seen before.  The 2008 cards have a blue border with the Phillies Alumni logo along with the player's name and uniform number at the bottom.  The 2009 cards have a gray border with the same Phillies Alumni logo at the bottom, again along with the player's name and uniform number.  Copyright dates and the corresponding year of issuance can be found on the backs of these cards.

How Distributed:  Between 2007 and 2009, the Phillies created special alumni photo cards for returning players to sign at various autograph events, during alumni weekends and as part of any reunion-related public appearances.  A team card for the 1950 National League Champion Whiz Kids was also created.  Fellow collector Rick shared with me his list of these cards, which is where the information below comes from.  He also notes the 2007 Tekulve card was created for an autograph signing with the ex-reliever that was ultimately cancelled due to inclement weather.

Complete 2007 Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Rico Brogna 2. Marty Bystrom (blank back)                 3. Larry Christenson 4. Darren Daulton

5. Terry Harmon (blank back) 6. Von Hayes 7. Ricky Jordan 8. Dickie Noles (blank back, 5 x 7)

9. Mike Rogodzinski                 10. Kent Tekulve 11. Bob Walk 12. Mitch Williams

Complete 2008 Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. 1950 Phillies Team 2. Dick Allen 3. Larry Andersen 4. Ricky Bottalico 5. Jeff Brantley 6. Larry Christenson (same photo as 2007) 7. Gene Garber

8. Dallas Green 9. Terry Harmon 10. Tommy Herr 11. Tommy Hutton                        12. Ricky Jordan 13. Garry Maddox

14. Jerry Martin 15. Gary Matthews 16. Mike Rogodzinski                             17. Juan Samuel 18. Del Unser 19. Ozzie Virgil

Complete 2009 Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Bob Boone 2. Ricky Bottalico                   3. Bob Dernier 4. Jim Eisenreich

5. Jim Kaat 6. John Kruk 7. Mike Lieberthal 8. Mickey Morandini

9. Dickie Noles 10. Juan Samuel (same photo as 2008) 11. Tony Taylor

I am actively seeking these cards and please contact me if you have any for sale or trade.  My want list is linked below.

Also See:  I recently updated, hopefully for the final time, my post covering the alumni photo cards issued between 2010 and 2019.

Resources:  Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils).

2000-Present Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page