Phillies at Mets - September 19th to September 22nd

1984 Topps Traded #105T

2024 Chachi Series Preview #9

Thursday 7:15, Friday 7:10, Saturday 4:10 and Sunday 7:15
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday, all fans will receive a Mets fan appreciation beanie.

Philadelphia Phillies 91-61
1st Place in the N.L. East, 7 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Taijuan Walker (3-6, 6.29)
Cristopher Sanchez (10-9, 3.24)
Ranger Suarez (12-7, 3.13)
Zack Wheeler (16-6, 2.56)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .299
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 102
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 35
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 97
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 29

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 16
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.56
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 205
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

New York Mets 84-68
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Phillies

Mets Probables
Luis Severino (10-6, 3.77)
David Peterson (9-2, 2.85)
Sean Manaea (11-5, 3.26)
Tylor Megill (4-5, 4.08)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Francisco Lindor - .271
Runs:  Francisco Lindor - 103
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso - 33
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 86
Stolen Bases:  Francisco Lindor - 27

Wins:  Sean Manaea - 11
ERA:  Sean Manaea - 3.26

Strikeouts:  Sean Manaea - 177
Saves:  Edwin Diaz - 18

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 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 159 - 2011 Chachi #69 NLDS Game 5

Braves 5, Phillies 3
Game 159 - Thursday Night, September 30th in Atlanta
Record - 81-78, 2nd Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell somewhat quietly yet again, getting swept by the Braves and being eliminated from postseason contention, prolonging their playoff drought to 10 years.

What It Means:  Phillies fans, myself included, are wiped out.  I can't say for sure how much of this upcoming Marlins series I'll even watch.  There's so much work that needs to be done this offseason to make this team into more of a contender, and ten years of false starts and dashed hopes is way too long for a team that seemingly has money to spend.  I'm going to miss watching Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, Ranger Suarez, Zack Wheeler, Hector Neris and Matt Vierling play, but I need a break from the rest of them.

What Happened:  The Braves held a seemingly insurmountable lead after six innings, having scored five runs off Phillies starter Kyle Gibson, making his last start of the season.  Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run home run in the seventh and J.T. Realmuto hit a meaningless solo home run in the eighth.  Harper, who carried this team for almost all of the season, went 0 for 11 in the series with five strikeouts.

Featured Card:  In a few short days, we'll hit the 10-year anniversary of the last time the Phillies played a postseason game.  It was a painful loss in Game 5 of the NLDS on October 7, 2011, as Chris Carpenter out dueled Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard had to be helped off the field after rupturing his Achilles while running to first base for the game's final out.

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

Series Preview - Mets at Phillies: April 5th to April 7th

1986 Topps #53

1986 Topps #475

Monday and Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 4:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The city of Philadelphia allowed the Phillies to move to about 11,000 fans in the ballpark beginning with Sunday's game, so if it seems incrementally louder that's the reason why.  Fans attending both night games against the Mets will receive a McDonald's Opening Night t-shirt.  The Mets will finally begin their 2021 season after a coronavirus mini-outbreak on the Nationals led to the postponement of their series over the weekend.

Mets 0-0
Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies

Mets Probables
Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00)
Marcus Stroman (0-0, 0.00)
David Peterson (0-0, 0.00)

Mets Leaders - Spring Training
Average:  Francisco Lindor - .370
Runs:  Brandon Nimmo - 10
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor - 4
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 16
Stolen Bases:  Kevin Pillar - 2

Wins:  Jacob deGrom - 3
ERA:  Marcus Stroman - 3.44
Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 21
Saves:  Sam McWilliams and Daniel Zamora - 2

Phillies 3-0
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Marlins

Phillies Probables
Matt Moore (0-0, 0.00)
Chase Anderson (0-0, 0.00)
Aaron Nola (0-0, 2.70)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .444
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 2
Home Runs:  Andrew Knapp - 1
RBIs:  Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins - 2
Stolen Bases:  Alec Bohm and Jean Segura - 1

Wins:  3 tied with - 1
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 10
Saves:  Hector Neris - 1

1988 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  39
Card Size:  4 7/8" x 6 1/4"
Description:  The Phillies broke the mold for their 1988 photo card set and went with a set of supersized cards.  The fronts of the cards feature full color action photos while the backs contain biographical information and complete minor and Major League statistics.  The nine photo cards found in the update set have blank backs.  I've always thought this was one of the more impressive team-issued sets released by the Phillies, but I guess the larger size may have indirectly led to less cards in the set.  This is seventh year in a row the set was sponsored by Tastykake.

How Distributed:  Saturday, April 9, 1988, the first Saturday night home game of the season, was Tastykake Photo Card day with all fans receiving the original 30-card set.  (The Phillies won the game, 9-3 over the Mets, behind a complete game effort from Don Carman and 5 RBIs from Lance Parrish.)  The set was comprised of the entire opening day roster, 1987 Cy Young Award winner Steve Bedrosian, who opened the season on the disabled list, manager Lee Elia and cards for the coaches, top prospects, a team photo and the Phillie Phanatic.

The nine-card update set was released later in the season, and I believe was sold at various vendor stands throughout Veterans Stadium.  The update set checklist would have been finalized in mid-July as Larry Bowa took over for the fired Dave Bristol on July 15th and Ricky Jordan was recalled on July 16th.

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

1. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 2. Bill Almon (#15 - INF) 3. Steve Bedrosian (#40 - P) 4. Phil Bradley (#29 - OF) 5. Jeff Calhoun (#31 - P) 6. Don Carman (#42 - P) 7. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 8. Bob Dernier (#22 - OF) 9. Lee Elia (#4 - MG, Vertical)       10. Todd Frohwirth (#52 - P)

11. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B)       12. Kevin Gross (#46 - P) 13. Von Hayes (#9 - 1B) 14. Chris James (#18 - OF) 15. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 16. Mike Maddux (#44 - P) 17. David Palmer (#45 - P) 18. Lance Parrish (#13 - C) 19. Shane Rawley (#28 - P) 20. Wally Ritchie (#38 - P)

21. Bruce Ruffin (#47 - P) 22. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B) 23. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 24. Kent Tekulve (#27 - P) 25. Milt Thompson (#24 - CF) 26. Mike Young (#19 - OF) 27. Phillies Coaches 28. Phillies Prospects 29. Team Card 30. Phillie Phanatic

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

1. Larry Bowa (#16 - CO) 2. Lee Elia (#4 - MG, Horizontal)       3. Jackie Gutierrez (#15 - INF)

4. Greg Harris (#33 - P) 5. Ricky Jordan (#17 - 1B) 6. Keith Miller (#11 - INF-OF)

7. John Russell (#6 - C) 8. John Vukovich (#7 - CO) 9. Phillies Broadcasters

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Almon

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (7):  Bradley, Gutierrez, Harris, Jordan, Miller, Palmer, Young
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (22):  Aguayo, Bedrosian, Calhoun, Carman, Daulton, Dernier, Frohwirth, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, James, Jeltz, Maddux, Parrish, Rawley, Ritchie, Ruffin, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt,  Tekulve, Thompson

Managers (2):  Elia (2)
Coaches (3):  The coaches card in the base set includes Dave Bristol, Claude Osteen, Mike Ryan, Tony Taylor, Del Unser and John Vukovich.  Bowa and Vukovich get solo cards in the update set.

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

Broadcasters (1):  Features Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Garry Maddox, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler
Phillies Prospects (1):  Features eight prospects on one card - Tom Barrett, Brad Brink, Steve DeAngelis, Ron Jones, Keith Miller, Brad Moore, Howard Nichols and Shane Turner.  DeAngelis and Nichols never played for the Phillies.
Other Cards (1):  Team card

Surprises:  The original 30-card set doesn't have many surprises, although there are a few omissions - see below.  The update set surprises me somewhat as I'm not sure why the Phillies decided we needed a second card of manager Elia and a stand-alone card of coach John Vukovich.  For some background here, the Phillies fired third base coach Bristol and hitting coach Del Unser on July 15th.  Vukovich, who had been serving as Elia's bench coach, moved over to third for a few games before the Phillies hired old friend Bowa who had recently been let go as the Padres manager.  Vukovich would switch jobs again on September 23rd, taking over as interim manager when Elia was fired.  Bowa wore #16 in his first stint as a Phillies coach, before switching to #2 at the start of the 1989 season.

Vukovich and Elia aren't the only two to appear in the set twice.  Prospect Keith Miller is one of eight prospects on the multi-player Phillies Prospects card and then he received his own card in the update set.  Five of the eight players on the Prospects card appeared with the Phillies in 1988 - Tom Barrett, Ron Jones, Miller, Brad Moore and Shane Turner.

Omissions:  If we use July 16th as a cut-off date for the update set, there are a few more deserving candidates.  The oft-injured pitcher Bill Dawley was recalled from Maine on April 22nd but was on the disabled list between May 11th and August 18th.  Reliever Danny Clay was recalled on April 30th and had three different stints with the Phillies in between trips back to Maine.  The only other possibility is pitcher Bill Scherrer who joined the team on July 5th but was gone less than a month later on August 2nd.  Wild speculation on my part here, but maybe one or more of those three pitchers were slated to receive cards in the update set only to be replaced by second cards for Elia and Vukovich.

Variations/Rarities:  As fellow collector Rick e-mailed me, there's also a smaller-sized Mike Schmidt card available, featuring the same photo as his regular 1988 Tastykake photo card, but on a smaller scale.

Smaller Sized Variation 1. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B)

Also See:  1988 Topps Phillies - Missing Links

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick G.

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

1987 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1989 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

1986 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  49
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Description:  With the exception of the copyright date on the bottom right, these photo cards are identical in design to the set issued in 1985.  Fronts feature a full color picture and the backs include brief biographical notes on each player, coach or manager.  The multi-player Future Phillies cards return for a second year in a row and each of the four National League pennant winning teams from the franchise's past get their own team cards.

How Distributed:  The set's entry in the 2001 Standard Catalog Baseball Cards notes the "cards were given away at the Phillies' annual baseball card promotion."  Double checking the team's promotional schedule for the season, there's no actual mention of a photo card giveaway day.  My best guess is that these sets were available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.

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

1. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 2. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP) 3. Steve Bedrosian (#40 - RHP) 4. Steve Carlton (#32 - LHP) 5. Don Carman (#42 - LHP) 6. Rocky Childress (#50 - RHP)           7. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 8. Jim Davenport (#2 - CO) 9. Lee Elia (#4 - CO) 10. John Felske (#7 - MG) 11. Tom Foley (#11 - SS) 12. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B) 13. Kevin Gross (#46 - RHP) 14. Von Hayes (#9 - 1B) 15. Charles Hudson (#49 - RHP) 16. Tom Hume (#41 - RHP) 17. Chris James (#26 - OF)

18. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 19. Joe Lefebvre (#23 - OF) 20. Randy Lerch (#35 - LHP) 21. Garry Maddox (#31 - OF) 22. Claude Osteen (#3 - CO) 23. Shane Rawley (#28 - LHP) 24. Gary Redus (#22 - LF) 25. Ronn Reynolds (#29 - C) 26. Robin Roberts (#36 - HOF)           27. Dave Rucker (#39 - LHP) 28. John Russell (#6 - C) 29. Mike Ryan (#5 - CO) 30. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B) 31. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 32. Rick Schu (#15 - INF) 33. Dave Shipanoff (#33 - RHP)

34. Dave Stewart (#48 - RHP) 35. Jeff Stone (#14 - OF) 36. Kent Tekulve (#27 - RHP) 37. Milt Thompson (#24 - CF) 38. Fred Toliver (#43 - RHP) 39. Del Unser (#25 - CO) 40. Glenn Wilson (#12 - RF) 41. Ramon Carabello / Joe Cipolloni 42. Arturo Gonzalez / Mike Maddux 43. Francisco Melendez / Ricky Jordan 44. Kevin Ward / Randy Day 45. 1915 Phillies Team 46. 1950 Phillies Team 47. 1980 Phillies Team 48. 1983 Phillies Team 49. June 11, 1985 - A Night to Remember

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (11):  Bedrosian, Foley, Hume, Redus, Reynolds, Rucker, Shipanoff, Stewart, Tekulve, Thompson, Toliver
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (22):  Aguayo, Andersen, Carman, Carlton, Childress, Daulton, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, Hudson, James, Jeltz, Lefebvre, Lerch, Maddox, Rawley, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt, Schu, Stone, Wilson

Manager (1):  Felske
Coaches (5):  Davenport, Elia, Osteen, Ryan, Unser

Commemorative Cards (1):  Roberts
Other Cards (5):  Four pennant winning team cards; June 11, 1985 commemorative card

The "Night to Remember" photo card commemorates the night the Phillies defeated the Mets 26-7, thanks in part to two first inning home runs from Von Hayes.  Hayes, Glenn Wilson, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt, Garry Maddox and Bo Diaz are all featured on the card in a Dick Perez painting.

Surprises:  Robin Roberts was presumably a guest instructor during spring training 1986, hence his inclusion in the set.  I always think it's odd seeing former Phillies wear current uniforms they themselves didn't wear during their playing days.  Seeing Roberts in maroon pinstriped jersey is just strange.  Dave Shipanoff is the only player to receive his own solo card not to appear in a game with the Phillies in 1986.

Omissions:  This is a very comprehensive set, featuring the entire 25-man opening day roster, the two players who started the season on the disabled list (Tom Foley and Tom Hume) and solo photo cards for six players who started the season at Triple-A Portland - Jeff Stone, Chris James, Ronn Reynolds, Randy Lerch, Fred Toliver and Rocky Childress.  The checklist creators missed out on five players who would start the season in the minors and make an appearance with the Phillies during 1986 - Greg Legg, Michael Jackson, Jeff Bittiger, Bruce Ruffin and Marvin Freeman.  Legg was the first one up, getting recalled on April 14th when Samuel landed on the disabled list.

Variations/Rarities:  Surprisingly, none.

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: February 21, 1986

Resources:  Beckett.com

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

1985 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1987 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

1985 Game 81 - 1985 Topps Stickers #369 Juan Samuel

Phillies 5, Astros 3
Game 81 - Tuesday Night, July 9th in Houston
Record - 37-44, 5th Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies rode a five-run fourth inning to an eventual 5-3 win over Bob Knepper and the Astros.

What It Means:  As discussed in yesterday's game summary post, my family would have completely missed watching these games as we were enjoying our vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia.  I remained focused on collecting boxscores for each Phillies game, dutifully clipping this one from The Virginia Pilot.

What Happened:  There was no score after three innings when the Phillies offense came to life.  In quick succession - Rich Schu led off with a double, Glenn Wilson singled, Mike Schmidt singled scoring Schu, Garry Maddox singled scoring Wilson, Bo Diaz doubled scoring Schmidt, Luis Aguayo was intentionally walked to load the bases, Juan Samuel singled scoring Diaz and Aguayo after pitcher Kevin Gross had grounded into a fielder's choice, forcing Maddox at home.

Gross earned the win, lasting 6 2/3 innings and giving up two runs on six hits.  He was pulled in the seventh after walking Jose Cruz with the bases loaded.  Don Carman continued his struggles, allowing another Astros run, before Kent Tekulve was called upon to record the game's final out and record his eighth save.

Featured Card:  Samuel had the big hit in the fourth, plating two runs.  He also stole his 29th base following his hit as a rattled Knepper probably wasn't paying much attention to him.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 66 - 1985 Topps Glossy All-Stars #31 Juan Samuel

Phillies 3, Pirates 2
Game 66 - Sunday Afternoon, June 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 28-38, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  The Pirates imploded in the ninth and the Phillies rode a hit by pitch, balk and a costly throwing error to a 3-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies were unstoppable . . . at least against the last place Pirates.  This was their third walk-off win in a row and they'd open a three-game series against the first place Cardinals on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  With the score tied at two in the ninth and Pirates reliever Jim Winn on the mound, Juan Samuel was hit to start the inning and then balked to second.  Rick Schu laid down a bunt to advance Samuel to third, but third baseman Jim Morrison's wild throw allowed Samuel to come all the way home with the winning run.  Mike Schmidt (7) and Derrel Thomas (1) had hit solo home runs earlier in the game off Pirates starting pitcher Jose DeLeon.

Kevin Gross pitched well, allowing just a run in his seven innings.  Kent Tekulve was charged with a blown save by allowing the Pirates to tie the score in the eighth.  He inherited a pair of runners from Shane Rawley and Jason Thompson scored the tying run on a Thomas error.

Featured Card:  Samuel had a hand in all three of these walk-off wins against the Pirates, so he gets the hat trick for the series.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 65 - 1985 Donruss #183 Juan Samuel

Phillies 5, Pirates 2
Game 65 - Saturday Night, June 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 27-38, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  For the second night in a row, a dramatic game-ending hit from Juan Samuel sent the Phillies to a walk-off win.

What It Means:  I'd love to find audio of Harry Kalas' call of this game.

What Happened:  Future Phillie Larry McWilliams provided a solid start for the Pirates, keeping the Phillies to two runs on six hits in his seven-inning outing.  Charles Hudson matched him as the Phillies starter, also allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits over his seven innings of work.  Trailing 2-1, Samuel walked to start the eighth, Rick Schu singled moving Samuel to third and then Schu was erased on a double play ball hit by Mike Schmidt.  Samuel stayed put at third, and came home a few batters later when Bo Diaz singled.

In the ninth, with Luis Aguayo on second and Tim Corcoran on first, Samuel homered off John Candelaria to give the Phillies a 5-2 victory.

Featured Card:  I'll happily feature my second Samuel card in a row for this post, again from the wonderful, black-bordered 1985 Donruss set.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index