Phillies at Orioles - June 14th to June 16th

2024 Chachi 1984 Topps Missing Links #14

1984 Topps #773

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD

At the Ballpark:  This series is sold out, and quite a few Phillies fans are expected to be in attendance.  On Sunday, the first 15,000 fans will receive an Orioles hat and kids can run the bases following the game.

Philadelphia Phillies 46-22
1st Place in the N.L. East, 9 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (10-1, 1.81)
Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.40)
Zack Wheeler (8-3, 2.16)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .286
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 48
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 15
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 52
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 18

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 10
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.81
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 95
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 12

Baltimore Orioles 45-23
2nd Place in the A.L. East, 2 1/5 games behind the Yankees

Orioles Probables
Kyle Bradish (2-0, 2.62)
Grayson Rodriguez (7-2, 3.27)
Corbin Burnes (7-2, 2.08)

Orioles Leaders
Average:  Adley Rutschman - .294
Runs:  Gunnar Henderson - 55
Home Runs:  Gunnar Henderson - 21
RBIs:  Adley Rutschman - 50
Stolen Bases:  Cedric Mullins - 13

Wins:  Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez - 7
ERA:  Corbin Burnes - 2.08

Strikeouts:  Corbin Burnes - 82
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 16

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

Series Preview - Orioles at Phillies: September 20th to September 22nd

1986 Topps #548

1986 Topps #16

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

At the Ballpark:  There's a rare September Dollar Dog Night tonight at the ballpark.  On Tuesday night, and from the Phillies website:  Temple Health and the Phillies are teaming up to help students - and adults - have a safe return to school by offering free "Back to School" COVID-19 vaccinations at the Suite Patio.  Guests must be at least 12 years of age to be eligible to receive the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.  Those who receive their vaccines at this event will receive a voucher for two free tickets to a 2022 Phillies game, a concession credit voucher for a free hot dog and soda, and a Phillies giveaway. 

Orioles 47-102
5th Place in the A.L. East, 44 1/2 games behind the Rays

Orioles Probables
John Means (5-7, 3.41)
Chris Ellis (0-0, 2.82)
Keegan Akin (2-10, 6.93)

Orioles Leaders
Average:  Cedric Mullins - .301
Runs:  Cedric Mullins - 88
Home Runs:  Ryan Mountcastle - 30
RBIs:  Ryan Mountcastle - 83
Stolen Bases:  Cedric Mullins - 30

Wins:  Matt Harvey - 6
ERA:  N/A
Strikeouts:  John Means - 118
Saves:  Cesar Valdez - 8

Phillies 76-73
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (6-4, 1.50)
TBD
Zack Wheeler (14-9, 2.83)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .313
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 93
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 33
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 80
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 13

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.83
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 231
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12

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

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 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  47
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Description:  Beginning in 1985, the Phillies used the exact same card design for three straight years.  The only differences with these cards are the photos used and the copyright line on the bottom right of the cards' fronts.  The design removes the Phillies script logo found on the 1984 cards and adds the player's uniform number and position.  The set's sponsor, Tastykake, has its logo featured on the backs of the cards.

How Distributed:  All fans attending the Phillies game at Veterans Stadium on April 21, 1985, received a complete shrink-wrapped set with a header/checklist card on the top.  The back of the header/checklist card advertised that additional sets could be purchased from the Phillies via mail order for $3.50.  The Phillies raised the price of a complete set by fifty cents over the previous year.

The 1985 Tastykake Phillies set seems to be the most ubiquitous of all the team-issued sets from the 1980s.  Up through the mid-2010s, the sets could be readily found on eBay and for sale at Citizens Bank Park.  The Memorabilia Store from Hunt Auctions located behind Section 126 had several of these sets for sale throughout the 2014 season.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here based on the numbered checklist found on the back of the header card): 

1. Header Card / Checklist 2. John Felske (#7 - MG) 3. Dave Bristol (#4 - CO) 4. Lee Elia (#2 - CO) 5. Claude Osteen (#3 - CO) 6. Mike Ryan (#5 - CO) 7. Del Unser (#25 - CO) 8. Manager and Coaches 9. Pitchers 10. Catchers 11. Infielders 12. Outfielders 13. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP)      14. Steve Carlton (#32 - LHP) 15. Don Carman (#42 - LHP) 16. John Denny (#40 - RHP)

17. Tony Ghelfi (#35 - RHP) 18. Kevin Gross (#46 - RHP) 19. Al Holland (#19 - RHP) 20. Charles Hudson (#49 - RHP) 21. Jerry Koosman (#24 - LHP)      22. Shane Rawley (#48 - LHP) 23. Pat Zachry (#38 - RHP) 24. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 25. Bo Diaz (#6 - C) 26. Ozzie Virgil (#17 - C) 27. John Wockenfuss (#14 - C) 28. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 29. Kiko Garcia (#18 - INF) 30. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 31. John Russell (#29 - OF-1B) 32. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B)

33. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 34. Tim Corcoran (#22 - 1B-OF) 35. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B) 36. Von Hayes (#9 - CF) 37. Joe Lefebvre (#23 - OF) 38. Garry Maddox (#31 - OF) 39. Jeff Stone  (#26 - OF) 40. Glenn Wilson (#12 - OF) 41. Ramon Caraballo / Mike Diaz 42. Mike Maddux / Rodger Cole 43. Rick Schu / Chris James 44. Francisco Melendez / Ken Jackson 45. Randy Salava / Rocky Childress 46. Rich Surhoff / Ralph Citarella 47. Team Photo

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Zachry

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (1):  Rawley
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (26):  Aguayo, Andersen, Carlton, Carman, Corcoran, Daulton, Denny, Diaz, Garcia, Ghelfi, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, Holland, Hudson, Jeltz, Koosman, Lefebvre, Maddox, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt, Stone, Virgil, Wilson, Wockenfuss

Manager (1):  Felske
Coaches (5):  Bristol, Elia, Osteen, Ryan, Unser
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0):  But see below.
Future Phillies (6):  Caraballo / Diaz, Maddux / Cole, Schu / James, Melendez / Jackson, Salava / Childress, Surhoff / Citarella
Other Cards (2):  Header Card / Checklist, Team Photo

Surprises:  There was very little roster turnover between the end of the 1984 season and spring training 1985, as Shane Rawley and Pat Zachry are the only two new additions to the set.  Along with Zachry's one and done Phillies card, this set includes the only Phillies baseball card of Rich Surhoff.  The stand-alone cards feature the entire opening day line-up and adds Tony Ghelfi, Darren Daulton and Joe Lefebvre, who would spend the entire season on the disabled list.

The set's designer's decided to try something different with group photos of coaches and players by position.  Batting practice pitcher Hank King is featured on the coach's card, making this (I believe) his sole Phillies baseball card.  Bill Campbell is featured on the pitcher's card and Ivan DeJesus is featured on the infielder's card, but both are omitted from the regular set.  As the regular season was about to begin, Campbell and DeJesus were traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Dave Rucker.

Of the players receiving solo cards in the regular set, Ghelfi was left off the pitcher's card, John Wockenfuss was (sadly) left off the catcher's card, Kiko Garcia was left off the infielder's card and Lefebvre and Garry Maddox were not on the outfielder's card.

Omissions:  The day before these sets were handed out to fans, the Phillies traded Al Holland to the Pirates for Kent Tekulve.  An update set could have featured Tekulve and other players acquired during the season, such as Derrel Thomas, Tom Foley, Freddie Toliver, Alan Knicely and with a few weeks left to go in the regular season, Dave Stewart.

Variations/Rarities:  Once again, fellow collector Rick came through with a few rarities back when I originally published a post for this set.  These could have been first made available during this season's ALS Autograph Party which would have been in its second season in 1985.  (The Phestival became an official event in 1989.)  Tug McGraw announced his retirement following the 1984 season and this card seems to be a final tribute to the popular lefty reliever.  Fronts and backs of these cards are presented below.

Rarities 1. Tug McGraw - Former Phillies Great 2. Phillies Broadcasters - Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler

Also See:  With the 2020 season put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I went back and recapped the Phillies games played in 1985 between that season's opening day and the All-Star break.  An index to those game summaries can be found here.

And here's a commercial from 1985, featuring Garry Maddox and inviting fans to the game on April 21st for their free Phillies photo cards.

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils).

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

1984 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1986 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: September 21st to September 23rd

2020 Chachi 1991 Topps Missing Links #12

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #11

Monday 6:05, Double Header Tuesday 3:05, Wednesday 6:05
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

At the Ballpark:  The final push for a play-off spot begins with four games in Washington.

Phillies 27-26
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (4-0, 2.62)
Aaron Nola (5-3, 2.92)
TBD
Zach Eflin (3-2, 4.28)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Didi Gregorius - .289
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 36
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 11
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 35
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 11

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.62

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 84
Saves:  Hector Neris and Brandon Workman - 5

Nationals 20-32
5th Place in the N.L. East, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

Nationals Probables
Anibal Sanchez (2-5, 7.38)
Austin Voth (0-5, 7.17)
TBD
Erick Fedde (2-3, 4.36)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Juan Soto - .353
Runs:  Trea Turner - 41
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 11
RBIs:  Juan Soto and Trea Turner - 32
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 9

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 4
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 3.67

Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 85
Saves:  Daniel Hudson - 9

1985 Game 60 - 1985 Fleer Update #U-100 Rick Schu

Phillies 3, Pirates 2
Game 60 - Sunday Afternoon, June 16th in Pittsburgh
Record - 24-36, 5th Place, 12 games behind the Expos

One Sentence Summary:  Rick Schu's double in the sixth started a three-run rally that would eventually lead to this 3-2 win over the Pirates.

What It Means:  There's the "Phils Edge Bucs" box score headline I wanted a few games ago!  After taking two out of three from the last place Pirates, the Phillies traveled to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals beginning on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  With the game scoreless, Charles Hudson singled to opened the sixth and Juan Samuel moved him to third with a single of his own.  Schu doubled off Pirates starter Rick Reuschel to score Hudson, Von Hayes hit a sacrifice fly to score Samuel and Mike Schmidt singled to score Schu and give the team a 3-0 lead.  Hudson's only blemish was a two-run home run allowed to future Phillie Bill Almon in the seventh, chasing him from the game.  Hudson went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits on the way to his third win of the season.

Kent Tekulve pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save against his former team.  Al Holland faced his former team as well, pitching two scoreless innings of relief for the Pirates and striking out five Phillies batters.  Holland struck out the side in the ninth with Glenn Wilson, John Russell and Steve Jeltz all whiffing.

Featured Card:  The Schu experiment continued to go relatively well as the new third baseman's average was up to .277 following this game and he had played steady defense.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 47 - 1985 Donruss #448 Rick Schu

Giants 3, Phillies 1
Game 47 - Sunday Afternoon, June 2nd in San Francisco
Record - 17-30, 6th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Vida Blue and a pair of Giants relievers held the Phillies' line-up to one hit in this 3-1 loss.

What It Means:  For the second, and fortunately last time in 1985, the Phillies were one-hit.  The last time the team had been one-hit was back on May 11th against the Mets when Sid Fernandez and Roger McDowell were on the mound.  The loss also dropped the team into the N.L. East basement, a half game behind the Pirates.

What Happened:  Rick Schu had the club's only hit, a triple off Blue in the fifth inning.  Schu scored on a sacrifice squeeze bunt from Steve Jeltz.  Schu also committed his first error at third base since his promotion, leading to a seventh inning unearned run.  Juan Samuel was caught stealing twice by catcher Bob Brenly.

Shane Rawley took the loss, dropping to 4-4, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings of work.  Blue went five innings, working out of trouble for most of his outing walking five.  Mark Davis recorded the final seven outs for his second save of the season.

Featured Card:  Schu's baseball cards were sparse, and I would have had just four of his cards in my collection at this point back in June 1985.  He's in the 1984 and 1985 Portland Beavers team sets, he shared a 1985 Tastykake Phillies card with fellow prospect Chris James and he was a surprise addition to the 1985 Donruss set.  Fleer and Topps would catch up to Donruss by issuing Schu cards in their update sets.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

Series Preview - Diamondbacks at Phillies: June 10th to June 12th

2019 Chachi Fan Favorites #7

2019 Chachi 1971 Topps Missing Links #1

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

Diamondbacks 34-32, Tied for 2nd place in the N.L. West, 11 games behind the Dodgers
Phillies 37-28, 1st place in the N.L. East, 1 game ahead of the Braves

Diamondbacks Probables:  Taylor Clarke (1-2, 4.43), Jon Duplantier (1-0, 3.27), Merrill Kelly (6-6, 4.12)
Phillies Probables:  Jerad Eickhoff (3-3, 4.14), Jake Arrieta (5-5, 4.29), Zach Eflin (6-2, 2.88)

At the Ballpark:  Wednesday night is the annual Irish Heritage Celebration at the ballpark.

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  David Peralta - .301
Runs:  Eduardo Escobar - 41
Home Runs:  Eduardo Escobar and Ketel Marte - 15
RBIs:  Eduardo Escobar - 49
Stolen Bases:  Jarrod Dyson - 14

Wins:  Zack Greinke - 7
ERA:  Zack Greinke - 2.87

Strikeouts:  Robbie Ray - 101
Saves:  Greg Holland - 9

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .293
Runs:  Andrew McCutchen - 45
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 13
RBIs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 44
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 4

Wins:  Zach Eflin and Aaron Nola - 6
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 2.88

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 86
Saves:  Hector Neris - 13

1971 Topps Missing Links:  Mike Anderson made his Phillies debut on September 2, 1971, and he'd appear on a multi-player Rookie Stars card (with Pete Koegel and Wayne Twitchell) in the 1972 Topps set.  He'd need to wait until the 1973 Topps set to receive his first solo card. 

Tracking the Ex-Phillies - Featuring Utley, Revere, Fasano, Schu and More!

One of my annual habits is to review the complete rosters of all 30 Major League teams, paying particular attention to see where former Phillies have ended up.  I'll review the 40-man rosters, the non-roster invitees and the coaches pages on each team's website.  Even though I do this every year, I don't always formalize my findings in a post, but it seemed like a good idea this year to give me an excuse to create a few custom cards.

Presented below, at least by my unofficial tally, are the former Phillies players in camp across the majors this spring.  I'm only tracking those players (or coaches/managers) who spent time with the Phillies.  So while Jesse Biddle is in camp with the Braves, he won't appear on the list below as he never played for the big club.  (And I think some of these players may have already moved on.)

N.L. East
Atlanta Braves:  Sal Fasano - catching coach
Miami Marlins:  Tylor Cloyd - rhp (NRI), Brian Schneider - catching coach
New York Mets:  Ruben Amaro Jr. - first base coach, Ty Kelly - inf (NRI)
Washington Nationals:  Joaquin Benoit - rhp, Reid Brignac - inf (NRI) , Howie Kendrick - of, Ryan Madson - rhp

N.L. Central
Chicago Cubs:  Peter Bourjos - of (NRI)
Cincinnati Reds:  Billy Hatcher - third base coach, David Hernandez - rhp, Ben Revere - of (NRI), Darnell Sweeney - of (NRI), Vance Worley - rhp (NRI)
Milwaukee Brewers:  None
Pittsburgh Pirates:  Daniel Nava - of (NRI), Tom Prince - bench coach, Kevin Siegrist - lhp (NRI)
St. Louis Cardinals:  John Mabry - hitting coach, Mike Maddux - pitching coach


N.L. West
Arizona Diamondbacks:  Antonio Bastardo - lhp (NRI), Torey Lovullo - manager, Humberto Quintero - bullpen catcher
Colorado Rockies:  None
Los Angeles Dodgers:  Chase Utley - inf, Turner Ward - hitting coach
San Diego Padres:  A.J. Ellis - c (NRI), Freddy Galvis - inf, Michael Mariot - rhp (NRI), Matt Stairs - hitting coach
San Francisco Giants:  Andres Blanco - inf (NRI), Chase d'Arnaud - inf (NRI) Hunter Pence - of, Rich Schu - assistant hitting coach

A.L. East
Baltimore Orioles:  Alec Asher - rhp, Roger McDowell - pitching coach, Joely Rodriguez - lhp (NRI), John Russell - bench coach
Boston Red Sox:  Ron Roenicke - bench coach
New York Yankees:  Erik Kratz - c
Tampa Bay Rays:  Dustin McGowan - rhp (NRI), Colton Murray - rhp (NRI)
Toronto Blue Jays:  Ezequiel Carrera - of, J.A. Happ - lhp


A.L. Central
Chicago White Sox:  Jeanmar Gomez - rhp (NRI)
Cleveland Indians:  Terry Francona - manager, Michael Martinez - inf (NRI), Brad Mills - bench coach
Detroit Tigers:  Daniel Stumpf - lhp
Kansas City Royals:  Cody Asche - dh (NRI). Michael Saunders - of, Dale Sveum - bench coach
Minnesota Twins:  Taylor Featherston - inf (NRI), Brock Stassi - inf (NRI)

A.L. West
Houston Astros:  Ken Giles - rhp, A.J. Hinch - manager, Charlie Morton - rhp
Los Angeles Angels:  JC Ramirez - rhp
Oakland Athletics:  Brandon Moss - dh
Seattle Mariners:  Juan Nicasio - rhp, Cameron Perkins - of
Texas Rangers:  Jake Diekman - lhp, Cole Hamels - lhp, Dan Warthen - assistant pitching coach

2015 Phillies Team Issue #4 Andres Blanco

Phillies 12, Nationals 5
Game 156 - Sunday Afternoon, September 27th in Washington
Record - 59-97, 5th Place, 30 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Most of the action in this 12-5 Phillies victory happened late as the Phillies scored eight runs in the ninth after Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon choked Bryce Harper in the dugout.

What It Means:  I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.  Harper failed to run hard to first base following an eighth inning pop-up and Papelbon greeted him at the top steps of the dugout with words of frustration and the eventual neck grab.  The two had to be separated in the Nationals dugout with Phillies Room favorite and current Nationals hitting coach Rich Schu leading the charge.

1986 Topps Stickers #122

What Happened:  With the score tied up at two, courtesy of a two-run home run from Jeff Francoeur in the eighth, Andres Blanco hit a two-run home run off Papelbon in the ninth.  The flood gates opened after that and before the inning was over the Phillies plated eight runs in the single most productive inning of their season.

Also, Aaron Altherr made a spectacular diving catch for the final out of the eighth inning.

Featured Cards:  I was going to be snarky and feature a Papelbon card, or even a Schu card, but I'll take the high road and post Blanco's first ever Phillies card from earlier in the season.

Oh what the heck, here's a Schu oddball-ish sticker just because he's only been on the blog once so far in 2015.

Phillies at Orioles: June 15th to June 16th

Monday and Tuesday 7:05
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD

Phillies 22-42, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 12 games behind the Mets
Orioles 31-31, 4th Place in the A.L. East, 3 games behind the Rays and Yankees

Phillies Probables:  Aaron Harang (4-7, 3.04), Jerome Williams (3-6, 5.71)
Orioles Probables:  Wei-Yin Chen (2-4, 3.21), Chris Tillman (4-7, 5.68)

At the Ballpark:  Every Monday and Thursday, 90 minutes before game time, former Orioles players sign autographs on Eutaw Street.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .277
Runs:  Ben Revere - 31
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 11
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 28
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 15

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 103
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 12

1985 Topps Traded #104T

1985 Topps #476

1985 Topps #173

1985 Topps Appreciation:  A few years after these cards were first released, on March 21, 1988, the Rick Schu Era for the Phillies came to an end.  Schu was traded on that day to the Orioles with Keith Hughes and Jeff Stone for Mike Young and a player to be named later (eventually Frank Bellino).

Schu was on the other end of the 1985 experiment that sent Mike Schmidt to first base for a season before the team executives came to their senses and moved the future Hall of Famer back to the hot corner.  Schu would serve as Schmidt's back-up at third for two more seasons until he was shipped to the Orioles.

Young didn't even make a full season with the Phillies, as he was traded to the Brewers in August 1988 for pitcher Alex Madrid.