Game 146 - Schwarber Slams Phils to Victory Over Astros

Houston Astros	7
Philadelphia Phillies	11

2025 Topps Chrome Logofractor
Edition Power Players #PP-15

Wednesday Night, September 9th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
82-64, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Schwarber's sixth inning grand slam propelled the Phillies to this 11-7, much-needed win over the Astros.

What It Means:  They would try to go for the series win on Thursday afternoon with Zack Wheeler on the mound and entering the day just three games behind the Braves for the division lead.

What Happened:  Cristopher Sanchez was uncharacteristically hit hard, seemingly tipping his pitches to the Astros' offense.  He suffered through a four-run third inning and allowed another two runs in the fourth.  The Phillies rallied to tie the game for the first time with four runs of their own in the bottom of the third.  Singles from J.T. Realmuto, Bryan De La Cruz and Trea Turner made it a 4-1 game.  Bryce Harper singled home two more runs, and Luis Arraez brought Harper home to tie it up.  After Sanchez allowed the Astros to take the lead again, Turner made it a 6-5 ballgame with a solo home run in the fifth.

The offense then exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Arraez doubled, Bryson Stott reached on an error and pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa singled Arraez home with a clutch single to right.  Justin Crawford reached on an infield hit and De La Cruz drew a walk with the bases loaded to give the Phillies a one-run lead.  Schwarber then connected for his slam off Astros' reliever AJ Blubaugh to put his team in front for good.

Featured Card:  This is the latest Schwarber card added to my collection, and the scan doesn't do this card justice.  I knew Topps was releasing different shinier and/or more limited versions of its Chrome sets, but I never heard of the Logofractor Edition set until recently.

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Game 144 - Luzardo Tosses Career-Best Game in 1-0 Win

Atlanta Braves	0
Philadelphia Phillies	1

2026 Topps Now #644

Monday Afternoon, September 7th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
81-63, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jesus Luzardo threw his first career shutout, limiting the Braves offense to just two singles and striking out 12 in this incredibly impressive 1-0 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies split the series with the Braves and ended the four game set at the same place where they had started it - four games behind the Braves in the division with 18 games remaining in the regular season.

What Happened:  Luzardo needed 109 pitches to complete his gem, in a game that took just one hour, 51 minutes to play.  The last Phillies game where a pitcher won a 1-0 shutout with 10 or more strikeouts was Roy Halladay's perfect game in 2010.  It was also the fastest Phillies nine-inning game since July 4, 1989 at Veterans Stadium.  The game was scoreless until Kyle Schwarber launched a 415 foot home run to right-center field, off reliever Didier Fuentes, his 43rd home run of the season.  Sarah Langs shared on X that this was the fifth time Schwarber had homered in a game that ended 1-0, tying Ted Williams for the most such home runs all-time.

Featured Card:  I was happy to see Topps created a Topps Now card for Luzardo's landmark game, and equally impressed Topps chose a photo with a Schwarber cameo for the card.

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Game 131 - SCHWARBOMB WALKS IT OFF!

St. Louis Cardinals	4
Philadelphia Phillies	6

2026 Topps Now #588

Sunday Afternoon, August 23rd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
73-58, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Down to their last strike four times in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Phillies staged an improbable six-run, come-from-behind win, capped by Kyle Schwarber's moonshot of a two-run home run that cleared the batter's eye in center field.

What It Means:  From the great Sarah Langs, before this win, the last time the Phillies won a game in which they trailed by four or more runs and down to their last batter was April 13, 1983 against the Mets.  Bo Diaz hit a walk-off grand slam in that game to give the Phillies a 10-9 win, and I clearly remember listening to the game on my clock radio from my 12th Street bedroom.

What Happened:  The Phillies did absolutely nothing through eight innings against Cardinals' pitching.  They had collected five hits and were sleepwalking to a 4-0 loss, ready for a lengthy flight to Seattle.  Cristopher Sanchez had given up four runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings.  The Cardinals brought in their All-Star closer, Riley O'Brien, to get some work in a non-save situation.  

Bryce Harper doubled to lead off the inning, then Luis Arraez and Brandon Marsh both flew out to left.  J.T. Realmuto singled to center, moving Harper to third.  Justin Crawford walked to load the bases.  Edmundo Sosa doubled on a ground ball just fair down the third base line, clearing the bases and making it a 4-3 game.  Bryan De La Cruz was up next, and he singled Sosa home to tie the game.  Schwarber's two run home run that came next will be shown on Phillies highlight reels for years to come, and is the kind of thing that happens during a season where maybe something special is brewing.  It was the ninth win in a row for the Phillies, and they've not lost since before their trip to Iowa.

Featured Card:  Topps Now gave us a Schwarber card, but I wish they had used a photo showing his massive bat flip.

Field Report:  I was not technically at the ballgame, but I was driving by Citizens Bank Park about to get on the Walt Whitman Bridge southbound when Schwarber hit his bomb.  We had just dropped off our oldest son Doug for his second year of college at Villanova, and the bittersweet ride home was improved by the 18-minute improbable rally the Phillies staged in the bottom of the ninth.  I could see Phanavision as the Phillies celebrated at home plate.

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2026 Chachi Field of Dreams Set

I knew I'd create a few custom cards from the Field of Dreams game for my 2026 Chachi set, but when walking from the movie site to the actual ballpark, I had the idea for an insert set to commemorate the event.  There was a meandering gravel path between the two locations with some concessions, helpful ushers and what looked to be somewhat sturdy, life-size standees of stars from the Phillies and Twins.  I took pictures of all the Phillies and the one ex-Phillie, with Jenna posing with a few of her favorites.

Shown here are those 11 photos, presented on a 1941 Play Ball design, which is close enough to represent the 1939 throwback uniforms worn by the Phillies.

Game 123 - The Field of Dreams Game

2026 Chachi #69

2026 Chachi Friendly Encounters #8

2026 Topps Now #551

Philadelphia Phillies	7
Minnesota Twins	1

Thursday Night, August 13th

Field of Dreams - Dyersville, IA
65-58, 2nd Place, 9 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  On a magical night for baseball, the Phillies shined in a 7-1 win over the Twins at baseball's Field of Dreams, situated in the middle of a huge corn field in Iowa.

What It Means:  This is easily the best regular season Phillies game I've ever attended.

What Happened:  After a moving pregame ceremony in which both teams and two dozen Hall of Famers emerged from the corn stalks in right field, Kyle Schwarber hit the third pitch of the game into the corn over the right field wall.  Bryce Harper walked, went to third on a Luis Arraez single and scored on a Bryson Stott single to center.  The Phillies scored three more runs in the fourth on a two-run home run from Schwarber that bounced off the glove of Twins' right fielder Luke Keaschall and over the wall.  Trea Turner then doubled and Harper singled him home.  Brandon Marsh capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the seventh.  Every Phillie in the starting line-up had a hit in the game, except for catcher J.T. Realmuto.

Aaron Nola allowed a second inning home run to Keaschall, but settled in and allowed five hits overall while striking out nine in his five inning outing.  Brooks Raley, Jonathan Bowlan, Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran kept the Twins off the scoreboard over the final four innings.

Featured Card:  I wanted to create a Chachi highlight card to celebrate the game, and given the hundreds of pictures I took during the day it was hard to parse down the photos to just a few to show here.  I also decided to create an insert set using photos of the Phillies standees located on the path leading between the movie site and the actual ballpark.  Given the Phillies chose to wear 1939-inspired uniforms, I kept the insert card design simple and based it on the 1941 Play Ball set.  I feature these in a future post.

Field Report:  It was incredible.  Jenna and I decided we needed to go to this game as soon as it was announced the prior year.  With both boys working and occupied with summer activities, we received their permission to make it a solo trip.  We pulled into Dyersville around 1:15 after the 90 minute drive from Cedar Rapids.  After waiting in line for the parking lots to open at 2pm, we quickly parked, trekked across the muddy grass parking lot and waited in line again for our early access passes from travel group, On Location.  The early access was amazing, as we were able to explore the movie site and the surrounding stores with very few other fans around at that point.  Jenna captured a selfie with Shane Victorino, we spent an appropriate amount of money on souvenirs and I took in the Field of Dreams from the movie, standing on the pitching mound, enjoying the view from second base and of course, thinking about my Dad.

In a truly magical touch, fans needed to cross through the corn field from the movie site to the ballpark area.  There was a meandering path lined with cutouts of Phillies and Twins players and then more merchandise and food concessions outside the larger (and new) ballpark.  We watched in awe as Mike Schmidt and Adrian Beltre stood in line with other fans for merchandise.  We made our way to our lofty seats in Section 304, Row DD, and enjoyed the view before the pregame ceremonies.  The game itself was extremely enjoyable as well, especially given the Phillies were in command from the outset.  Lifelong memories were created.

Transaction:  Kameron Misner (of) was recalled from Lehigh Valley as the 27th man for the game, but did not make an appearance.

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All-Star Game Experience - Absolutely Amazing / All-Star Game - Complete Dud

2026 Chachi #59

2026 Chachi #58

2026 Chachi #56

2026 Chachi Friendly Encounters #7

American League All-Stars	4
National League All-Stars	0

Tuesday Night, July 14th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

One Sentence Summary:  Citizens Bank Park was electric during the pregame ceremonies and for all the other mid-game festivities, but the 96th All-Star Game itself was fairly boring, as the American League pitching completely shut down the National League, 4-0.

What It Means:  There was absolutely nothing during the game for a Phillies fan (or a National League fan for that matter) to cheer for.  Still, it was worth the six-year wait between the announcement of the game in 2019 and the playing of the game in 2026.

What Happened:  Cristopher Sanchez struck out Mike Trout to start the game, then allowed a single to Yordan Alvarez, walked Shea Langeliers and walked Bobby Witt, Jr. to load the bases.  Cody Bollinger brought home two runs with a single to center, eventually earning him the game's MVP honors.  Ben Rice singled to give the American League a 3-0 lead and that was pretty much the ballgame.  Sanchez would be saddled with the loss and a 27.00 ERA for his one inning of work.  The National League All-Stars managed three singles, never advancing a runner to second base.  Miguel Vargas hit a solo home run for the American League in the eighth.

Sanchez had a crappy night, and the other Phillies All-Stars, other than pitchers Jesus Luzardo and Jhoan Duran, didn't fare much better.  Kyle Schwarber led off as the DH, replacing the injured Shohei Ohtani.  Schwarber struck out swinging again Dylan Cease in the first and grounded out to second in the third.  Brandon Marsh started in right field, batting seventh.  He struck out twice - against Parker Messick in the second and Nick Martinez in the fifth.  Bryce Harper pinch-hit for Schwarber in the sixth, striking out in his only at-bat against Cade Smith.

Jesus Luzardo had the best night of all six Phillies All-Stars.  Entering in the fourth, Luzardo struck out Riley Greene and then induced two quick ground outs from Ernie Clement and Trout.  He threw a total of six pitches.  Jhoan Duran entered with one out in the top of the ninth, jogging to the mound in the dark while we all waited for his signature entrance music to start.  It eventually started, albeit late, and Duran needed just four pitches to retire Travis Bazzana and Ceddanne Rafaela after Randy Arozarena had reached on a single.

2026 Chachi #61

2026 Chachi #57

2026 Chachi #60

2026 Chachi #55

Featured Cards:  Since I started creating Chachi cards in 2005, a mainstay of my sets are the annual All-Star cards, and this year is no different.  I created cards for the six Phillies All-Stars, along with Don Mattingly, who served as a bench coach.

Field Report:  Doug and I were there!  Doug completed the trifecta of Futures Game, Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, and this was the second All-Star Game I've attended.  My Dad and I were at Veterans Stadium, cheering on Ricky Bottalico, back in 1996.  We arrived right before 5pm and waited in a crazy long line out to the parking lot to eventually snake its way through the entrance when gates opened.  We surveyed the MLB All-Star Fan  Zone, set up outside the ballpark and complete with vendors, food trucks and photo opportunities, before heading into the ballpark proper.  After a 20 minute or so wait to get into the team store, Doug found the Ohtani Ring the Bell t-shirt he wanted and he posed for a quick picture with the Rangers' mascot, Captain.

We then did a full lap of the ballpark, getting stuck momentarily in an unmoving crowd in Ashburn Alley, and enjoying our obligatory meal at Bull's BBQ, before settling into our seats in Section 415, Row 2.  It was hot, but there was an occasional breeze in the higher section, something we rarely experience down in Section 315.

The pregame ceremony is always my favorite part of the All-Star Game, and I love the full team introductions.  I was happy to see all the represented teams once again wearing their actual uniforms and not MLB created abominations for the game.  We loved how the starting line-up signed their own version of a Declaration after being announced, and singers Jennifer Hudson and Patti LaBelle were amazing.  There were flyovers, fireworks and a dramatic reading from actor and Phillies fan Miles Teller.  Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton threw out the ceremonial first pitches, caught by Scott Rolen and Cole Hamels.

The Sandlot tribute in the middle of the fifth inning was also very impressive.  With Ray Charles, Jr. singing "America the Beautiful" and the ballpark lights dimmed, kids rode their bikes, played catch, practiced their swings and traded baseball cards down on the field with the All Stars.  What followed was so many fireworks in such rapid succession, Doug and I were convinced they might actual blow up the ballpark.

The game itself stunk.  Sanchez struck out Trout to start the first and then quickly gave up three runs, letting all the air out of the celebratory balloon.  But I loved every minute of it, and I'm thrilled I could share it with my son, just like my Dad had done 30 years earlier.

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Home Run Derby Upset! / Walker Stuns Schwarber, Phils Faithful

2026 Chachi #53

2026 Chachi #54

When it was first announced the All-Star Game would be coming to Philadelphia in 2026, I was immediately excited about going to the actual game and mildly interested in the other festivities surrounding a typical All-Star Weekend/Week.  We were lucky enough to secure tickets for the entire three days of festivities, with Doug and one of his friends attending the Futures Game on Sunday and he and my wife attending the Home Run Derby last night.  I had no interest in attending the derby, but as it got closer to the time for them to leave for Philly, I admittedly started having a little bit of FOMO, which developed into a full-fledged case once the festivities began.

The broadcast on Netflix was fine, and the announcers did their best to gush about the palpable excitement at the ballpark.  But it didn't compare to their experience of actually being there and it was a night they won't soon forget.

During the pre-derby introductions, Bryce Harper embraced his Showman persona, hoping onto the middle rung of the makeshift boxer's ring situated in the infield, while Michael Buffer did his best announcer's schtick with the obligatory "Let's Get Ready to Rumble," not coming until the tournament's final round.  Harper and his teammate Kyle Schwarber both started slow, and Harper's eight home runs in the first round were surpassed by Schwarber's 10 home runs, knocking Harper out of the semi-finals.  Schwarber took down Willson Contreras in Round 2, nine home runs besting Contreras' eight.  All seemed right with the world when Schwarber connected for 11 home runs in the final round, but the Cardinals' Jordan Walker hit four home runs in a row on his final swings, surging past Schwarber and silencing the 45,000-plus fans pulling for a Schwarber win in his home ballpark.

Doug and Jenna reported it was LOUD and they had never heard such loud and sustained booing, which is saying something since they've both been to their fair share of big Phillies games over the years.  As I've done in the past, I created a few Home Run Derby cards for my Chachi set, and I look forward to creating some All-Star cards for the set following Tuesday night's Midsummer Classic.

What an incredible experience this All-Star Week has been!

Game 97 - Wheeler, Still Bitter, Dominates Tigers; More from the All-Star Village

Philadelphia Phillies	5
Detroit Tigers	0

2026 Chachi Freindly
Encounters #6

Sunday Afternoon, July 12th

Comerica Park - Detroit, MI
54-43, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Still bitter over his All-Star Game snub, Zack Wheeler improved to 10-1 with a two-hit, 10-strikeout performance against the Tigers in this 5-0 win.

What It Means:  Wheeler was eventually invited to the All-Star Game but felt "disrespected" and declined the invite.  It's a shame, as the fans, including me, would have loved to have seen him at least introduced prior to the game on Tuesday.

What Happened:  Wheeler, Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan combined for the two-hit shutout, striking out 14 Tigers batters.  Wheeler out-dueled Tarik Skubal, who departed after five innings with the Phillies leading, 2-0.  The big hit for the Phillies was a bases-clearing double by J.T. Realmuto in the sixth inning.  Bryson Stott would beat out an infield hit to shortstop, scoring Realmuto with the Phillies' fifth run.

Featured Card / Field Report:  I was back at the All-Star Village on Sunday morning, this time as a volunteer manning the booth for ALS United Mid-Atlantic as part of the MLB Together initiative.  I enjoyed early morning access to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, snapping quite a few pictures of the many fantastic exhibits before the crush of eager fans arrived for the day.  I also made a new friend in the Athletics' mascot, Stomper, who helped guide a bunch of wondering fans over to the MLB Together booths during the mid-morning rush.  It was a fantastic day, and I left incredibly impressed by what the Phillies and MLB had put together for their fans.

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Game 96 - All-Star Weekend Begins in Philly!

Philadelphia Phillies	4
Detroit Tigers	2

2026 Chachi #47

Saturday Night, July 11th

Comerica Park - Detroit, MI
53-43, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez recovered from his prior start and showed his All-Star form in this 4-2 win over the Tigers.

What It Means:  We'd learn on Sunday afternoon that Sanchez's next start would be on Tuesday night for the National League All-Stars at Citizens Bank Park.  Pretty cool for that to happen with the All-Star Game in his home ballpark.

What Happened:  Sanchez improved to 11-4, scattering 10 hits over seven innings and striking out seven.  Jonathan Bowlan, suddenly the top set-up reliever, and Jhoan Duran shut down the Tigers over the final two innings.  Duran tied a team record by recording his 24th save prior to the All-Star Break.  In the third, Derek Hill reached on an error and then stole both second and third bases, coming home on a Trea Turner sacrifice fly.  Hill would also make a game-saving catch in the third, executing a full extension Superman-catch to keep the Tigers from scoring the tying run.  In the fourth, the Phillies plated three more runs on a J.T. Realmuto RBI-double and an RBI single from Hill.

Featured Card:  I usually don't post Chachi cards in game summary posts, but the lack of Hill baseball cards is forcing my hand here.  Without his amazing catch in the fourth, this game could have gone a completely different way.  Here's his 2026 Chachi card, and I'll "officially" post it along with the rest of the set following the season.  For now, here's a page where you can view the set's progress to date.

Outside Philadelphia's City Hall

2026 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

2026 Chachi Draft Pick #1

Field Report:  Jenna and I attended Day One of the All-Star Village at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and had a blast.  It was pretty crowded, but we managed to navigate our way around all of the booths and exhibits, spending a solid few hours taking everything in.  We didn't get any autographs from the many former players making appearances, but Jenna did get to visit with All-Star Kyle Schwarber.

Also on Saturday, the Phillies selected high school shortstop Tyler Spangler in the first round of the annual draft.  Spangler missed his entire senior year at De La Salle High School in California with a bad back, but the Phillies are optimistic his long-term prospects are good.

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Game 84 - Schwarber Launches 30th Homer in Win Over Mets

Philadelphia Phillies	5
New York Mets	4

2026 Topps Now #390

Sunday Afternoon, June 28th

Citi Field - Flushing, NY
47-37, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Schwarber hit his 30th home run of the season, supporting Jesus Luzardo's outing and leading to the series win over the Mets.

What It Means:  Schwarber became the fastest Phillie to reach 30 home runs, doing it in 84 games.  Mike Schmidt held the prior record, hitting his 30th home run in the Phillies' 87th game during the 1979 season.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 3-0 lead in the third on a sacrifice fly from Bryce Harper, an RBI-double from Alec Bohm and an RBI-single from Brandon Marsh.  Luzardo gave up a run in the fifth before yielding to the bullpen, and the Mets took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth following a rough outing from Chase Shugart.  Schwarber's blast in the top of the seventh came with Justin Crawford aboard and gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead.  Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jhoan Duran shut down the Mets over the final three innings, with Duran earning his 21st save.

Featured Card:  Schwarber received a Topps Now card for his milestone blast.

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