White Sox at Phillies: April 19th to April 21st

1984 Topps #20

1984 Topps #43

Friday 6:40, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Fans will have their second chance to witness the new City Connect jerseys in action on Friday night.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a pair of Phillie Phanatic mittens.

White Sox 3-15
5th Place in the A.L. Central, 9 games behind the Guardians

White Sox Probables
Garrett Crochet (1-2, 3.57)
Michael Soroka (0-2, 6.98)
Nick Nastrini (0-1, 3.60)

White Sox Leaders
Average:  Andrew Benintendi - .175
Runs:  Gavin Sheets - 5
Home Runs:  XX
RBIs:  Paul DeJong and Gavin Sheets - 3
Stolen Bases:  Brandon Shewmake - 2

Wins:  Three tied with - 1
ERA:  Erick Fedde - 3.10
Strikeouts:  Garrett Crochet - 31
Saves:  Michael Kopech - 2

Phillies 11-8
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Spencer Turnbull (1-0, 1.80)
Zack Wheeler (0-3, 3.00)
Aaron Nola (2-1, 3.47)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .329
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 13
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 5
RBIs:  Alec Bohm and Bryce Harper - 11
Stolen Bases:  Johan Rojas and Trea Turner - 4

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 3
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.73
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 30
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 3

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.

Show Report: Authentic Expo, Philadelphia Airport

It was a busy weekend for Phillies fans, with the annual Alumni Weekend again delivering great promotions and festivities at the ballpark and returning players making several autograph appearances throughout the Philadelphia area.  On Saturday morning, Doug and I braved the never-ending roadwork between South Jersey and Philadelphia to drive to the DoubleTree Hilton by the Philadelphia Airport.  A small-ish baseball card and memorabilia show was being held, with the key attraction being several returning players from the 1983 and 1993 National League Champions squads.

We quickly made our way around the room of tables, finding mostly slabbed and overprice Phillies cards, and very little of anything more than a few decades' old.  Luckily, I spotted a cheese box of "Older Baseball Cards" at one table, and came away with a nice stack of 1955 Bowmans and 1959 Topps cards, two sets I'm not yet officially collecting.  (My 1969 Topps blog and set build is on pause until our summer schedules calm down a little.)

The autograph process was slightly disorganized, given all signers were seated in the same medium-sized conference room.  Doug's only goal was getting Ron Reed to sign his Wall of Fame print from last summer, and I took advantage of the timing of Reed's visit, buying autograph tickets to a few favorites of mine signing around the same time.  All four former players we interacted with - Ozzie Virgil, Reed, Sixto Lezcano and Dave Hollins - were gracious with their time and happy to chat with fans.  None of them hesitated when Doug asked if we could take a quick photo.  Overall it was a good experience and if Authentic Expo hosts something similar in 2024, we'll be back.

Braves at Phillies: October 14th to October 15th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #26

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #27

Friday 4:37 and Saturday 2:07
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  These two teams split the series in Atlanta, and the NLDS is tied up at 1-1.  All fans will receive a red Phillies rally towel upon entering the ballpark and pregame, on-field ceremonies should begin around 4pm on Friday.  Shane Victorino will be on hand to throw out the first pitch on Friday, as the Phillies hope to retake the series lead.

Braves 101-61
National League East Champions

Braves Probables
Spencer Strider (0-0, 0.00)
Charlie Morton (0-0, 0.00)

Braves Postseason Leaders
Average:  Ronald Acuna - .571
Runs:  Matt Olson - 3
Home Runs:  Travis d'Arnaud and Matt Olson - 1
RBIs:  Travis d'Arnaud and Matt Olson - 4
Stolen Bases:  N/A

Wins:  Kyle Wright - 1
ERA:  Kyle Wright - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Kyle Wright - 6
Saves:  Kenley Jansen - 1

Phillies 87-75
Defeated Cardinals in NLWCS, 2-0

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (1-0, 0.00)
TBD

Phillies Postseason Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .429
Runs:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 3
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 1
RBIs:  Three tied with - 3
Stolen Bases:  N/A

Wins:  Three tied with - 1
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 9
Saves:  Zach Eflin - 1

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

Game 107 - Reed, McBride Inducted Into Wall of Fame

Phillies 11, Nationals 5
Game 107 - Saturday Night, August 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-1, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Following the induction of Bake McBride and Ron Reed into the Phillies Wall of Fame, the current offense stayed hot as the hapless Nationals fell yet again, 11-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies own a four game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten.  They have a one game lead over the Brewers for the third Wild Card spot and they'll go for the four-game series sweep this afternoon.

What Happened:  Every starter except Kyle Schwarber had at least one hit, with Jean Segura leading the way with a three-hit night.  Rhys Hoskins hit his third straight first inning home run in a row.  Matt Vierling added a three-run home run in the first, with J.T. Realmuto contributing a two-run home run in the sixth.  Bryson Stott had a two-run triple and Edmundo Sosa doubled home Realmuto for his first hit with the team.  Ranger Suarez picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Doug and I returned to the Hall of Fame Club, arriving shortly after the gates opened and grabbing a prime spot once again right aside the suite where various Wall of Famers and alumni were gathered.  Doug was on a roll the entire night, adding autographs to his Bake McBride/Ron Reed print (shown above) and adding solo signatures to past Wall of Fame prints.  Some of the signers were repeats from the night before, and other than Charlie Manuel, who gets a second card, I've created cards for all the new alumni who signed for Doug on Saturday night.

We were bummed McBride wasn't able to join the festivities, and it was somewhat surreal for me to see all my heroes from the 1980 team.  Of the former players and coaches stopping to sign, only Luis Aguayo and George Vukovich stopped short of Doug's spot before going into the suite.  Bob Boone, Dick Ruthven and (I believe) Warren Brusstar didn't sign at all.

We found it extremely impressive that Manny Trillo, Bobby Abreu, Manuel, Dickie Noles, Mike Lieberthal, Randy Wolf and Lee Elia all signed as many autographs as wanted.  They were gracious with their time, often stopping to chat with the assembled fans.  Trillo especially took his time, working slowly through the line, signing anything and everything put in front of him.  It was a memorable night, and we're already looking forward to next year!

My early prediction for the 2023 Wall of Fame inductee is Larry Andersen.  The current broadcaster has cut back on his schedule, and he was a member of both the 1983 and 1993 Phillies teams, who will be celebrating their 40th and 30th anniversaries next season, respectively.

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

Game 106 - Gibson Pitches Gem as Alumni Return

Phillies 7, Nationals 2
Game 106 - Friday Night, August 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 58-48, 3rd Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Gibson was perfect through six and masterful through eight, and the offense contributed five home runs in this 7-2 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  There was a game?

What Happened:  Gibson had a perfect game going through six innings before he hit Victor Robles with a pitch to open the seventh.  Luis Garcia singled two pitches later and the no-hitter as gone too.  Overall, Gibson allowed a pair of hits, one run and struck out four on the way to his seventh win.  The Phillies line-up continued to mash the ball, with Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos, Darick Hall, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber all connecting for home runs.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  All four of us were on-hand to watch the pre-game ceremony honoring public address announcer Dan Baker and his 50 years with the Phillies.  But while Jenna and Ben settled into their seats, Doug and I prepared to stand for the duration of the game in the Hall of Fame Club in the hopes of Doug adding a few autographs to his collection.  We didn't see many alumni, but those we did see all stopped to sign for the gathered collectors.  He was thrilled to get signatures on his Wall of Fame prints from John Kruk, Manny Trillo and Charlie Manuel.  At one point, Gary "Sarge" Mathews wheeled out a cart of milkshakes and handed them out to the assembled fans.  Also signing were Tommy Greene, Del Unser, Marty Bystrom, Pat Gillick and newest Wall of Fame inductee Ron Reed.  As an added bonus, it was great chatting with the proprietor of the Relief Room throughout the night, as we shared our appreciation of Barry Jones, Steve Fireovid and Scott Eyre.

For the first time since 2019, I'm happy to present a small set of custom cards to memorialize the Phillies alumni who signed for Doug, along with a few photos taken by Jenna of the fantastic pre-game ceremony.  I particularly liked the picture she captured of Larry Bowa and Cesar Hernandez having a lengthy discussion during the National Anthem.

Transaction:  Yairo Munoz (inf) was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Nick Maton (inf) was recalled.

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