Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals

2006 Topps #139

2006 Topps #555

Monday, August 10th - 7:45
Tuesday, August 11th - 7:45
Wednesday, August 12th - 2:15

Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO
There's a theme night on Tuesday called "Firebird's Garage Sale," during which ticket holders will be able to select three previous theme night giveaways to take home with them.  Not a bad idea, but I'm guessing this means the Cardinals didn't sell out all their theme nights?

Philadelphia Phillies

1996 Phillies Leaders
Average:  Todd Zeile - .268
Runs:  Benito Santiago - 71
Home Runs:  Benito Santiago - 30
RBIs:  Benito Santiago - 85
Stolen Bases:  Mickey Morandini - 26

Wins:  Curt Schilling - 9
ERA:  Curt Schilling - 3.19

Strikeouts:  Curt Schilling - 182
Saves:  Ricky Bottalico - 34

St. Louis Cardinals

1996 Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Brian Jordan - .310
Runs:  Ray Lankford - 100
Home Runs:  Ron Gant - 30
RBIs:  Brian Jordan - 104
Stolen Bases:  Ray Lankford - 35

Wins:  Andy Benes - 18
ERA:  Donovan Osborne - 3.53

Strikeouts:  Todd Stottlemyre - 194
Saves:  Dennis Eckersley - 30

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Philadelphia Phillies at St. Louis Cardinals - Phils Look to Rebound

2005 Topps #2

2005 Topps #620

Friday, April 11th - 8:15
Saturday, April 12th - 2:15
Sunday, April 13th - 2:15






Philadelphia Phillies 8-4
Tied for 1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Marlins

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (0-2, 6.35)
Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 4.09)
Zack Wheeler (1-0, 3.44)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Kyle Schwarber - .283
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 12
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 6
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 12
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner - 4

Wins:  Jose Alvarado and Jesus Luzardo - 2
ERA:  Jesus Luzardo - 1.50
Strikeouts:  Jesus Luzardo and Zack Wheeler - 25
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 2

Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO
It's a great weekend for giveaways in St. Louis.  On Friday, the first 20,000 fans will receive one of two mystery Cardinals sweatshirt designs, and on Saturday, the first 20,000 fans will receive a Cardinals pet toy as part of a Poochies in the Ballpark promotion.  On Sunday, the first 20,000 fans will receive a Fredbird hat.

St. Louis Cardinals 5-7
3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 2 1/2 games behind the Cubs

Cardinals Probables
Andre Pallante (1-0, 3.86)
Miles Mikolas (0-1, 11.25)
Matthew Liberatore (0-1, 5.84)

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Brendan Donovan - .375
Runs:  Lars Nootbaar - 10
Home Runs:  Ivan Herrera - 4
RBIs:  Ivan Herrera - 11
Stolen Bases:  Victor Scott - 5

Wins:  Sonny Gray - 2
ERA:  Erick Fed - 4.20

Strikeouts:  Sonny Gray - 19
Saves:  Three tied with - 1

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

Game 156 - Sanchez Dominates Mets Completing Series Sweep

2021 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #26

Phillies 5, Mets 2
Game 156 - Sunday Night, September 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 87-69, 2nd Place, 13 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez was phenomenal and Nick Castellanos hit his 29th home run of the season in this 5-2 win over the Mets, completing a four-game sweep.

What It Means:  What was originally supposed to be an afternoon game was pushed to a night game as wet weather continued to move through our area all day Sunday.  A Marlins or Cubs loss earlier in the day, coupled with a Phillies win in this game, would have clinched a postseason berth.  Unfortunately, both the Marlins and Cubs won, meaning the Phillies would have to delay a celebration by a few days.

What Happened:  Sanchez went seven strong innings and had no-hit the Mets until DJ Stewart singled with two outs in the fifth.  Sanchez allowed two runs on three hits while striking out 10 and allowing only one walk.  Orion Kerkering made his big league debut in the eighth, striking out a pair of Mets batters.  It was quite the moment for Kerkering, who began the season pitching for Low-A Clearwater.  Michael Lorenzen, trying to figure it out, was given the ninth inning and earned the save.

The Phillies plated four runs in the fourth inning courtesy of a two-run single from J.T. Realmuto and Castellanos' two-run home run.  They added a run in the fifth when Bryce Harper singled home Trea Turner, who had doubled to reach.

Featured Card:  I have only four Sanchez cards in my Phillies collection, and this is the first card I added from the 2021 IronPigs team set.  Hopefully he starts to show up in a few 2024 Topps releases.

Field Report:  The four of us attended this game with seats in the Diamond Club.  We've made it a tradition to attend Fan Appreciation Day annually, although this year's celebration was a little anti-climatic given there's still a week left in the regular season.  Still, we enjoyed our dinner at Pass & Stow and Ben was the lucky recipient of a Bryson Stott foul day when a fan behind us corralled the ball and graciously handed it over to Ben.  Ben, being the excellent little brother that he is, has since relinquished the ball to Doug and his collection.  Before departing the ballpark, we made a quick visit to Scott Rolen's newly hung Wall of Fame plaque.

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

Game 154 - Rolen Returns, Bohm Walks It Off

Phillies 5, Mets 4 (10 Innings)
Game 154 - Friday Night, September 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 85-69, 2nd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets' attempted comeback fell short when Alec Bohm singled home Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 5-4 walk-off win.

What It Means:  The Magic Number to clinch a postseason berth is three.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth when J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run home run, his 20th of the season.  Kyle Schwarber singled home Johan Rojas in the seventh for an insurance run.  Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run off Gregory Soto in the eighth, bringing the Mets to within a run.  In the ninth, and with Craig Kimbrel on the mound trying to close it out, Brett Baty stunned the crowd with a game-tying solo home run.

With the game in extra innings, Seranthony Dominguez worked out of a mostly self-created bases loaded jam, striking out Lindor and Pete Alonso to end the Mets' threat in the top of the 10th.  With Turner at second as the ghost runner in the bottom of the 10th, Bohm laced his single to right, scoring the winning run and starting yet another on-field celebration.

Featured Card/Field Report:  Jenna, Doug and I braved the windy weather and attended this game, solely to see Scott Rolen officially inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in a pregame ceremony.  Rolen had a scheduling conflict and couldn't attend Alumni Weekend in August.  My feelings toward Rolen have softened over the years, and the bitterness I felt when he unceremoniously left Philadelphia in 2002 has dissipated over time.  His speech was on the mark and sincere and the cheers from the early-arriving fans outweighed the few boos.  Former teammates Wayne Gomes, Mark Grace, Kevin Sefick, Rico Brogna, Kevin Jordan and a few others I couldn't quite place were on hand.  The card shown above shows the Wall of Famers who were in attendance for the ceremony.

Doug staked out the alumni suite within the Hall of Fame club, and his patience was rewarded when Rolen came through and signed for the autograph seekers assembled there.  Rolen signed Doug's Wall of Fame print, which joined his quickly growing, and impressive collection.  Shake Shack was on the menu for all of us, and I continue to be underwhelmed by their burgers.  I think I'm in the minority?

Transaction:  The Phillies purchased the contract of Orion Kerkering (rhp) a 22-year-old 5th round draft pick from 2022 who began the season at Low-A Clearwater.  Kerkering has shot up through the system quickly, having been recently promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Yunior Marte (rhp) was sent down to Lehigh Valley and Drew Ellis (inf) was designated for assignment to make room for Kerkering on the 40-man roster.

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

Game 118 - '83 and '93 Phillies Return for Alumni Weekend

Twins 8, Phillies 1
Game 118 - Saturday Night, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-53, 2nd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker and Gregory Soto were hit hard in this 8-1 loss to the Twins, and the Phillies offense went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

What It Means:  A series win is still a possibility with Ranger Suarez on the mound for the Phillies this afternoon.

What Happened:  On the field, after the first pitch was thrown, not much happened from the Phillies' perspective.  Off the field, and prior to the game, several Wall of Famers returned to Philadelphia to induct three more members - former general managers John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter and the newly elected Hall of Famer Scott Rolen.  It was a lackluster event, given Rolen wasn't able to attend and the election of two former executives to the Wall of Fame didn't exactly induce a strong emotional reaction.  In the Hall of Fame Club, Doug and I braved the crowds and autograph seekers to once again load up on signatures for Doug's Quinn/Carpenter/Rolen Wall of Fame print.  The key above shows who signed the newest treasure in his collection.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Fellow collector Rick and his wife were kind enough to save us a spot at the front of the club entrance line, and we quickly staked our territory outside the alumni suite in the Hall of Fame Club level.  As has been the case in recent years, many of the returning players took their time and honored all autograph requests, sometimes signing several things for the same collector.  Stand-outs included Tony Longmire, Kevin Gross, Steve Jeltz and my personal favorite player, Bob Dernier.  Dernier was outside the suite the longest, signing everything, posing for pictures, talking with fans and genuinely seeming to enjoy himself.  Runner-up to Dernier in terms of signing was probably Danny Jackson, who graciously signed everything handed to him and posed for several pictures letting fans model his 1993 National League Champions ring.

Old favorites Mickey Morandini, Dickie Noles, Charlie Manuel and Manny Trillo were there again too and the time these players spend patiently signing dozens of autographs should be appreciated.  Doug's personal highlight was getting Jim Kaat to sign his print as Kaat snuck out a back door of the suite and walked down the hall, largely unrecognized.

Riding home, Doug and I recapped the night and discussed our plans for next year.  He realizes he's reached the age where he's "aged-out" of the cute kid asking for autographs, and as fun as the night is, it's also a bit exhausting.  As he prepares to look at colleges, and depending who the Wall of Fame inductee is next year, we may decide to take 2024 off.  We're both looking forward to the Phillies breaking the seal on the 2008 team and starting to induct some of the players for those team into the Wall of Fame.

As I've done the last few years, I created a limited edition Chachi insert set from photos I took throughout the evening.  My favorite four are featured below, and a second post with the rest of the set can be found here.

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

Rolen Elected Into Hall of Fame

1996 Topps #434

1997 Topps #268

1998 Topps #25

1999 Topps #125

2000 Topps #328

2001 Topps #478

2002 Topps #610

2002 Topps #709

On Tuesday evening, and with 76.3% of the votes, Scott Rolen squeaked into the Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 23.  It was Rolen's fifth year on the ballot, and he saw a steady ascent since receiving just 10.2% of the votes during his initial year of 2018, when the ballot had been much more crowded.  He's a Hall of Famer on the strength of his combined offensive and defensive output, and his induction hopefully builds the case for Dick Allen, Dale Murphy and eventually Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Rolen was drafted by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the June 1993 amateur player draft, and he'd make his big league debut on August 1, 1996, getting the call after third baseman Todd Zeile was dealt to the Orioles at the trade deadline.  Rolen was the team's opening day third baseman in 1997, ultimately winning the Rookie of the Year in the National League, after batting .283 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs.  He'd win his first of eight Gold Gloves the following year in 1998.  Rolen was the Phillies' opening day and regular third baseman between 1997 and mid-2002, during some pretty lean years.  Not looking to sign a contract extension, and wanting to play for a winning team, he was dealt to the Cardinals on July 29, 2002 with Doug Nickle and cash for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith and Mike Timlin.

I was disappointed and upset with Rolen when the trade was announced, and I've since gotten over that.

In his seven seasons with the club, he appeared in 884 games, nearly 200 more than he appeared with the Cardinals.  Rolen batted .282 with 150 home runs and 559 RBIs with the Phillies, again surpassing his totals with the Cardinals.  He's not yet decided which hat his plaque will show when he's inducted, and while a Cardinals hat probably makes the most sense, I'm hoping he wears a Phillies hat.  Rolen also seems a natural candidate to be the team's Wall of Fame Inductee in 2023, but no official announcement has been made.

Phillies at Cardinals: July 8th to July 11th

2000 Topps #328

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #10

Friday 8:15, Saturday and Sunday 2:15, Monday 7:15
Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO

At the Ballpark:  Tonight, the first 25,000 adults will receive a pair of Cardinals socks "highlighting the dynamic duo of Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright."  On Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals are giving away an adult short-sleeve hooded pullover and Sunday afternoon all kids will receive a Cardinals tank top.

Phillies 44-39
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (7-4, 2.66)
Kyle Gibson (4-3, 4.91)
Cristopher Sanchez (1-1, 3.48)
Aaron Nola (5-6, 3.15)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .318
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 59
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 27
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 56
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 11

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 7
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.66

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 120
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 11

Cardinals 45-40
2nd Place in the N.L. Central, 2 1/2 games behind the Brewers

Cardinals Probables
Adam Wainwright (6-6, 3.26)
Dakota Hudson (6-5, 4.29)
Andre Pallante (2-4, 3.03)
Miles Mikolas (5-7, 2.72)

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Paul Goldschmidt - .342
Runs:  Paul Goldschmidt - 61
Home Runs:  Paul Goldschmidt - 19
RBIs:  Paul Goldschmidt - 65
Stolen Bases:  Tommy Edman - 19

Wins:  Dakota Hudson and Adam Wainwright - 6
ERA:  Miles Mikolas - 2.72

Strikeouts:  Miles Mikolas - 83
Saves:  Giovanny Gallegos - 9

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

1996 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The Phillies got wild and crazy with the design of their 1996 set, doing away with the red band and white lettering used since 1989 and instead using "scruffy" white lettering as described by the set's entry in the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics, and the 1996 All-Star Game logo.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  The Catalog notes the set was sold for $9, which seems high given that recent team-issued photo card sets have sold for $5.  For the second year in a row, there was no update set issued.

The Lee Tinsley card is a rarity as it actually features a photo of outfielder Glenn Murray.  The Phillies realized their error early in the season, pulling the Tinsley/Murray card from the set.  When I bought my photo card set in the summer of 1996 at the Vet, my set had only 35 cards and was missing the Tinsley/Murray card.  I finally tracked my copy of this card down in January 2020 after searching for it for over 23 years.  I've indicated below that the Tinsley/Murray card should be considered a short-print.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number on back of cards): 

1. Howard Battle (#34) 2. Mike Benjamin (#5) 3. Toby Borland (#42) 4. Ricky Bottalico (#52) 5. Larry Bowa CO (#2) 6. Dave Cash CO (#30) 7. Carlos Crawford (#54) 8. Darren Daulton (#10) 9. Lenny Dykstra (#4) 10. Jim Eisenreich (#8) 11. Sid Fernandez (#50) 12. Jim Fregosi MG (#11)

13. Steve Frey (#37) 14. Mike Grace (#44) 15. Tyler Green (#28) 16. Pete Incaviglia (#9) 17. Gregg Jefferies (#25) 18. Kevin Jordan (#23) 19. Dave Leiper (#43) 20. Mike Lieberthal (#24) 21. Denis Menke CO (#14) 22. Michael Mimbs (#47) 23. Mickey Morandini (#12)     24. Terry Mulholland (#45)

25. Johnny Podres CO (#46)         26 Joe Rigoli CO (#59) 27. Ken Ryan (#51) 28. Benito Santiago (#18) 29. Russ Springer (#33) 30. Kevin Stocker (#19) 31. Lee Tinsley SP (#26) 32. John Vukovich CO (#3) 33. Mark Whiten (#22) 34. Mike Williams (#41) 35. Todd Zeile (#27) 36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (4):  Benjamin, Crawford, Frey, Leiper

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (10):  Battle, Fernandez, Grace, Jordan, Ryan, Santiago, Springer, Tinsley, Whiten, Zeile
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (14):  Borland, Bottalico, Daulton, Dykstra, Eisenreich, Green, Incaviglia, Jefferies, Lieberthal, Mimbs, Morandini, Mulholland, Stocker, Williams

This is the only place to find Phillies cards for short-timers Benjamin, Crawford, Frey and Leiper.  The back of Frey's card indicates a uniform number of 37, but he had switched to 29 for the start of the regular season.

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Cash, Menke, Podres, Rigoli, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic returns to the set after a one year absence.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Surprises:  Every member of the opening day roster is in the set with the exception of Kevin Sefcik and Rich Hunter.  Also somewhat surprising is the Phillies had five players start the season on the disabled list and only two of them, Benjamin and Green, have cards in the set.  The other three players, Bobby Munoz, Curt Schilling and David West, do not.

Omissions:  Hunter, Murray and Munoz would eventually get cards (see below) but Sefcik, Schilling and West would not.  There are a ton of players who could have received update cards as 53 different players suited up for the 1996 Phillies.  If we just tally up those players on the active roster for 50 games or more, there could have been cards for Ron Blazier, Ruben Amaro Jr., Ricardo Jordan, David  Doster and J.R. Phillips.

Variations/Rarities:  When I originally ran this post almost six years ago, fellow collector Rick provided information on seven cards available outside the standard 36-card set.

ALS Autograph/Auction Party        1. Bobby Munoz (#35)  2. Glenn Murray (#56) 3. Ricky Otero (#15) 4. Jim Wright CO (#58)

Late Season Additions 1. Rich Hunter (#39) 2. Desi Relaford (#17) 3. Scott Rolen (#6)

The three players (Munoz, Murray and Otero) and interim coach Jim Wright were all active on June 20th, the date of the annual ALS Autograph/Auction Party in 1996.  Other players active that date that could have cards (maybe?) are Blazier, Doster, Jordan, Phillips, Schilling and Sefcik with West on the disabled list at the time.

Scott Rolen was recalled on August 1st and Desi Relaford was acquired from the Mariners that same day.  Hunter returned from the minors on August 10th.  I have copies of the Rolen and Otero cards in my collection and these are both printed on thicker card stock than the rest of the set.

Also See:  1996 Phillies - The Missing Links; 1996 Topps Phillies, includes recollections from the 1996 All-Star Game at the Vet.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past six years.

1995 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

Congrats to Hall of Famer Jim Thome! #ThomeHOF

2011 Phillies Team Issue
Series 2 Special Edition #25

For the past several years, I've taken a look back at the Phillies-related baseball cards for each new inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  This year is a little easier than most with all-time great and Phillies Room Favorite Jim Thome joining the hallowed hall in his first year of eligibility.  I'm lucky to have 267 different Thome cards in my collection, including this autographed photo card issued by the Phillies when they brought Thome back for a second stint prior to the 2012 season.

Like most (if not all Phillies fans), I'm a huge Thome fan and our whole family was there in August 2016 when the Phillies inducted him onto their Wall of Fame.  I know he'll most likely enter the Hall with an Indians logo on his hat, but I'd still expect a large contingent of Phillies fans to make their way to Cooperstown in August.

Joining Thome in the Hall are fellow greats Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman and Chipper Jones.  Jack Morris and Alan Trammell had been previously announced as inductees in December from the Modern Baseball Era Committee.  Here's a look at some of the baseball cards of these new Hall of Famers in my Phillies collection.

2002 Fleer Hot Prospects Co-Stars #13

2000 Upper Deck Legends Reflections in Time #R9

1984 Topps Tiffany #136

2017 Topps National Baseball Card Day SGA Phillies #19

Vladimir Guerrero - 2002 Fleer Hot Prospects Co-Stars #13 (with Scott Rolen)
Trevor Hoffman - No cards in my collection.
Chipper Jones - I have 11 different Chipper cards in my collection, all pairing him with either Scott Rolen or Mike Schmidt.
Jack Morris - 1984 Topps #136 (with Steve Carlton)
Jim Thome - The most recent card in my collection is from last year's Topps National Baseball Card Day Stadium Giveaway set.
Alan Trammell - No cards in my collection.

Memory Lane
2012 Inductees - Larkin and Santo
2013 Inductees - O'Day, Ruppert and White
2014 Inductees - Cox, Glavine, LaRussa, Maddux, Thomas and Torre
2015 Inductees - Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz
2016 Inductees - Griffey and Piazza
2017 Inductees - Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez, Selig and Schuerholz
2018 Inductees - Guerrero, Hoffman, Jones, Morris, Thome and Trammell

Bagwell, Pudge & Raines - Phillies Cards

1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack All-Star Scratch-Off #AS2

2001 Fleer Triple Crown Glamour Boys #3

1985 Topps Rub-Downs #9

There will be five inductees to the Hall of Fame this summer in Cooperstown.  Unlike the last time I watched election results come in, the recent announcement that Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez received enough votes to make them Hall of Famers brought a smile to my face.  I'm not thrilled with, nor do I fully understand, the inclusion of former Commissioner Bud Selig in this year's class.  Rounding out the five inductees this year is former Braves General Manager John Schuerholz.

Each year when the new class is announced, I like to check my Phillies baseball card collection to see if any of the new Hall of Famers are represented.  I have no cards of Selig or Schuerholz in my collection, but I do have cards of the three players elected.

Jeff Bagwell
I only have one card of the Astros great in my collection and it's from the strangely titled Glamour Boys insert set from 2001 Fleer Triple Crown.

2001 Fleer Triple Crown Glamour Boys #3 - with Scott Rolen and Bernie Williams

Tim Raines
Raines appears on two different Topps Rub Downs in 1984 and 1985 that also happen to have Mike Schmidt on them.  He's also on a Doubles & Triples Superstar Special card with Juan Samuel in the 1987 Fleer set.

1984 Topps Rub Downs #23 - with Toby Harrah, Pat Putnam and Mike Schmidt
1985 Topps Rub Downs #9 - with Bill Buckner, Mike Schmidt and Ryne Sandberg
1987 Fleer #642 - with Juan Samuel

Ivan Rodriguez
The Pudge cards in my Phillies collection come courtesy of Darren Daulton's big year in 1992.  I have four insert cards from 1993 featuring this catching tandem, and another card from the 1995 Donruss Dominators insert set.

1993 Leaf Gold All-Stars #1 - with Darren Daulton
1993 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #3 - with Darren Daulton
1993 Upper Deck Fun Pack All-Star Scratch-Off #AS2 - with Darren Daulton
1993 Leaf Gold All-Stars #U2 - with Darren Daulton
1995 Donruss Dominators #2 - with Darren Daulton and Mike Piazza

Memory Lane
2012 Inductees - Larkin and Santo
2013 Inductees - O'Day, Ruppert and White
2014 Inductees - Cox, Glavine, LaRussa, Maddux, Thomas and Torre
2015 Inductees - Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz
2016 Inductees - Griffey and Piazza
2017 Inductees - Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez, Selig and Schuerholz

The Autographs (Burnell's Bombshell Bounty - Part Four)

1999 Topps Autographs #A3

1999 Topps Autographs #A16

2002 Topps Autographs #TA11

2003 Topps Traded Signature Moves #SMA-DB

I'm at the end of my four posts celebrating the awesome assortment of Phillies cards I recently received from fellow collector Burnell.

On-card autograph cards have fascinated me since they started regularly appearing in packs of cards in the late 1990s.  Of the cards featured here, I honestly never thought I'd own the Scott Rolen or Pat Burrell autographed cards since these were regularly priced at anywhere from $50 to $100 a card at Philadelphia-area baseball card shows in the early 2000s.

I'm thrilled to have these cards in my collection and thanks again to Burnell for sending them my way.  Here's the full list of Phillies certified autograph cards I received:

1999 Topps Autographs #A3 Scott Rolen
1999 Topps Autographs #A16 Pat Burrell
2002 Topps Autographs #TA11 Pat Burrell
2003 Topps Total Signatures #TS-MB Marlon Byrd
2003 Topps Traded Signature Moves #SMA-DB David Bell
2003 Topps Traded Signature Moves #SMA-ER Elizardo Ramirez