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.

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

Spring Training Game 23 - Tigers Trounce Phils in Lakeland

Philadelphia Phillies	6
Detroit Tigers	13

2006 Topps #602

Spring Training Game 23

Monday Afternoon, March 16th

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium - Lakeland, FL

Record - 8-14-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies attempted to battle back, but couldn't overcome a seven-run first inning from the Tigers, as Phillies pitchers Chuck King and Daniel Harper were hit early and often.

What It Means:  My MLB alerts were going nuts soon after the start of this game, which I'd discover was due to the run barrage from the Tigers.

What Happened:  King gave up five runs in the first, was relieved by Harper who allowed an inherited runner and another run to score before recording the third out.  King came back to start the second and allowed four more runs before his day was over.  Felix Reyes and Otto Kemp both homered for the Phillies.  Reyes, Kemp and Alec Bohm are in a three-way tie for the team's spring home run lead as they've each hit three.

Featured Card:  I spent Sunday afternoon working on the design for the 2026 Chachi set, and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.  Without a logical card to post for this game, this card represents a fairly blatant clue of which Topps flagship set will have its design featured heavily on this blog during the upcoming season.

Camp Head Count:  48 - 1 = 47

I don't think he's officially on the restricted list until opening day, but I'll go ahead and decrease the camp headcount by one as Johan Rojas (of) was suspended for 80 games for violating baseball's PED policy.  Rojas was going to start the season as an IronPig, but this makes the center field depth very thin for the Phillies.

Game 151 - PHILS REPEAT AS N.L. EAST CHAMPS!

Philadelphia Phillies	6
Los Angeles Dodgers	5

10 Innings

Late Monday Night, September 15th

Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA
90-61, 1st Place, 12 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  In a roller coaster of a game, the Phillies finally prevailed in 10 innings, giving the club their second straight National League East pennant.

What It Means:  It's the first back-to-back pennant clinching for the Phillies since the glory years of 2007-11, when they won five division titles in a row.  With the division clinched, they'll now turn their attention to earning a first round bye in the playoffs.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez didn't have his best stuff, and the Phillies found themselves in a 3-1 deficit heading to the seventh inning.  Kyle Schwarber had hit his 53rd home run of the season in the first, with Dodgers' pitcher Emmet Sheehan shutting down the line-up, and allowing no hits until Otto Kemp doubled to lead off the seventh.  Bryson Stott brought Kemp home with an RBI single, and Weston Wilson gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead with a two-run home run.  Orion Kerkering couldn't keep that lead, giving up a laser of a home run to Mookie Betts in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4.

Bryce Harper countered with a clutch, solo home run of his own in the top of the eighth.  With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jhoan Duran surrendered his first home run in a Phillies uniform.  Andy Pages tied the game at 5-5 and put the champagne on hold for a little longer.  J.T. Realmuto brought home ghost runner Harrison Bader in the top of the 10th, after Bader had stolen third base.  David Robertson was handed the bottom of the 10th, and he'd retire Max Muncy for the final out of the game after loading the bases and making things way too interesting.

Featured Card:  I'm cognizant these things don't happen too often, and when they do, I've been sure to take them in and enjoy the moment.  The Phillies are postseason bound for the fourth season in a row, and we'll now wait to see if they're facing off against the Dodgers or the Mets in (hopefully) the NLDS.

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2025 Chachi #55 Walker Buehler / 2025 Chachi #57 Rafael Lantigua

Game 157 - PHILS CLINCH N.L. EAST PENNANT

Phillies 6, Cubs 2
Game 157 - Monday Night, September 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 93-64, 1st Place, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  For the first time since 2011, the Phillies have clinched the National League East pennant, following this 6-2 win over the Cubs.

2007 Chachi #58

What It Means:  The Magic Number to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs is down to two.  If the Phillies can finish with a better record than the Dodgers or Brewers, they'll face off against either the Brewers or Diamondbacks in the NLDS, bypassing the three-game Wild Card Series.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola delivered a much-needed steady performance, earning his 13th win and allowing a pair of runs on seven hits.  He didn't allow a home run and struck out seven.  The back-end of the bullpen trio of Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Cesar Estevez closed out the clincher.  The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the second following J.T. Realmuto's two-run home run, his 14th of the season.  Kyle Schwarber homered in the third, recording his 100th RBI.  Trea Turner then connected for his 250th career double and came home on a Nick Castellanos single to left.  The offense would score two more insurance runs late, but the solid bullpen had all the run support they needed.

Estevez made it interesting in the ninth after Brandon Marsh dropped a fly ball in left, but he got Michael Busch to fly out to Castellanos to end the game.

Featured Card:  I made sure to take all this in, as the last time I watched the Phillies clinch a division was a relative lifetime ago.  The newest division clinching card is at the top of this post, with the prior division clinching cards from the Chachi set archives also displayed.

2008 Chachi #54

2009 Chachi #58

2010 Chachi #52

2011 Chachi #55

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

2024 Chachi #65 Kyle Schwarber HL / 2024 Chachi #67 NLDS Game 1

Spring Training Game 16 - Phils Hold on for Win Following Clemens' Slam

2024 Topps #126

Phillies 9, Pirates 7
Spring Training Game 16 - Sunday Afternoon, March 10th in Bradenton
Record - 6-7-3

One Sentence Summary:  For the second day in a row, the Phillies received a game-tying grand slam, but this time they'd hold on to win the game.

What It Means:  I listened to a lot of this game during a two-hour afternoon drive home, following a memorial service for a dear family friend.

What Happened:  Trailing 5-0 early, the Phillies chipped away with a run in the third and then Kody Clemens' grand slam in the fourth.  Back-to-back doubles in the sixth from Rodolfo Castro and Garrett Stubbs made it 7-5 Phillies.  The Pirates tied it up at 7-7 in the bottom of the sixth, but the Phillies were able to score a pair of runs in the ninth on a costly error by second baseman Termarr Johnson.

Ricardo Pinto picked up the win in his spring debut, and minor league call-up Max Lazer pitched a scoreless ninth to record the save.

Featured Card:  Clemens is front (back?) and center on the Phillies team card in the recently released 2024 Topps Series One.

Camp Head Count:  62

NLDS Game 4 - Phils Defeat Braves, Advance to NLCS!

Phillies 3, Braves 1
NLDS Game 4 - Thursday Night, October 12th in Philadelphia
Phillies win series, 3-1

One Sentence Summary:  A pair of home runs from Nick Castellanos, a stellar pitching performance from Ranger Suarez and the bullpen and a game-saving catch from Johan Rojas in center field led to this 3-1 series clinching victory over the Braves.

What It Means:  The Diamondbacks come to Citizens Bank Park on Monday night to start the NLCS, with the Phillies returning to the NLCS for the second year in a row.  The winner will face either the Astros or Rangers in the 2023 World Series.  Hard to believe, Harry.

What Happened:  The ballpark was once again electric.  The Phillies had runners in scoring position each of the first three innings, but couldn't plate any of them against Braves' starting pitcher Spencer Strider.  Austin Riley gave the Braves a brief lead in the fourth when he homered to left off Phillies' starter Suarez.  With the crowd needing a boost, Castellanos hit the first of his two home runs to deep left field in the fourth to tie the game.  Trea Turner broke the tie in the fifth with a solo home run, and Castellanos launched his second homer of the game in the sixth, giving the Phillies a 3-1 lead.  His pair of home runs marked the first time in postseason history a batter had hit two home runs in back-to-back postseason games.  Turner would go 4 for 4 in the game.

Seranthony Dominguez replaced Suarez in the sixth, with Jose Alvarado taking over and retiring three batters to end the sixth and start the seventh.  Craig Kimbrel relieved Alvarado with two outs in the seventh and two runners already on.  He walked Travis d'Arnaud to load the bases and likely MVP winner Ronald Acuna, Jr. stepped to the plate with a chance for a devastating hit.  Acuna connected for a long fly ball to deep center field tracked down by Rojas, and the threat was over.  The next six outs were recorded by Kimbrel, Gregory Soto and surprisingly, Matt Strahm.  Strahm put runners at the corners for the Braves in the ninth before recording the final three extremely tense outs.  Vaughn Grissom struck out on a check swing to end the game and start the on-field celebration.

Featured Card:  Castellanos batted .467 (7 for 15) in the NLDS with four home runs.  Similar to what I did last year, I also wanted to create a highlight card to commemorate the team moving on to the next round of the playoffs.

Field Report:  Jenna pinch-hit for me and took Doug, and they enjoyed the game from Section 315.  I realized watching the game at home on TV was actually way more stressful than being there, and I found myself muting the audio on more than one occasion during the tenser moments of the game.

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

2023 Chachi #64 NLDS Game 3 / 2023 Chachi #67 NLCS Game 1

Game 157 - PHILS CLINCH WILD CARD!

Phillies 3, Pirates 2 (10 Innings)
Game 157 - Tuesday Night, September 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 88-69, 2nd Place, 13 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  With a dramatic, extra-inning walk-off single, Johan Rojas drove the winning run home and triggered an on-field celebration that would continue in a champagne-soaked clubhouse.

What It Means:  For the second year in a row, the Phillies are heading to the postseason.  They'll now use the final five games of the regular season to gear up for the Cubs, Diamondbacks or Marlins, with the Wild Card series kicking off on Tuesday in Philadelphia.  Hard to believe, Harry.

What Happened:  The Phillies were held hitless through five innings until Brandon Marsh led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run off Pirates' starting pitcher Mitch Keller.  Bryce Harper drove in a second run with a sacrifice fly.  Aaron Nola kept the Pirates from scoring until the top of the seventh when Bryan Reynolds led off with a home run.  Nola, who struck out eight in this game and has now crossed the 200-strikeout mark for the season, allowed a run on four hits.  He joins only Steve Carlton as Phillies pitchers with at least five seasons of 200 or more strikeouts.  Carlton had seven, and Nola may not get another shot at getting closer to Lefty if this is indeed Nola's final season in Philadelphia.

Craig Kimbrel entered in the eighth and allowed a game-tying solo home run to Henry Davis, ultimately sending the game to extra innings.  Jose Alvarado pitched a perfect ninth and Jeff Hoffman escaped unscathed in the top of the 10th.  With pinch-runner Cristian Pache at second base as the ghost runner in the bottom of the 10th, Rojas singled to center, scoring Pache and clinching a 2023 postseason spot for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  I could get used to creating these playoff-clinching highlight cards!  Unfortunately, I had to enjoy this win partially from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and partially from the Hilton Anatole, where I was staying for a work conference.  Fortunately, the playoffs and World Series will be over by the time I have to travel back to Dallas for the next conference.

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

2023 Chachi #56 Orion Kerkering / 2023 Chachi #58 Michael Plassmeyer

Game 146 - Phils Lose, Braves Clinch Pennant

2022 Topps Now #1010

Braves 4, Phillies 1
Game 146 - Wednesday Night, September 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 79-67, 2nd Place, 17 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell quietly to the Braves, and the Braves clinched the National League East pennant, enjoying a postgame celebration at Citizens Bank Park.

What It Means:  We turned off the game before seeing any of the postgame celebration.  I didn't need to see that.

What Happened:   Spencer Strider quieted the Phillies line-up, allowing four hits and a run over his seven innings of work, while striking out nine.  Cristopher Sanchez pitched well for the Phillies too, striking out 10, but allowing four runs in 7 1/3 innings.  The Phillies had four singles, and never posed any real threat in this game.

Featured Card:  Let's flash back to happier times, when the Phillies clinched a Wild Card berth last year in Houston.  Here's the Topps Now card celebrating that wonderful day.

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Spring Training Game 32 - That's a Wrap on Clearwater

2022 Topps Now Postseason Bonus #PSB-9

Phillies 6, Blue Jays 5
Spring Training Game 32 - Tuesday Afternoon, March 28th in Clearwater
Record - 15-16-1

One Sentence Summary:  Darick Hall ended the spring exhibition season with a walk-off double scoring Cam Cannon, as the Phillies overcame the Blue Jays, 6-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies travel to Arlington on Wednesday and open the 2023 season against the Rangers on Thursday afternoon.

What Happened:  Darick Hall and Jake Cave, two pleasant surprises all spring long, each had two hits in this game.  Cave finished the spring with a .462 average.  Bailey Falter, the team's fourth starter to open the season, recorded five outs between giving up four runs on four hits and three walks.  Nine Phillies relievers took it from there, keeping the Blue Jays within reach until Hall struck in the ninth.

Featured Card:  Let's run it back.  This is the "bonus" card mailed to collectors who had purchased a Topps Now Postseason Phillies team set, after the club advanced to the World Series.

Camp Head Count:  35

A few more moves will be made prior to Thursday afternoon season opener.  For the record, here's a look back at all moves made to date since the final out of the 2022 regular season.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Minnesota Twins, 11/27/22.
• Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Guardians, 1/4/23.
• Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels, 11/28/22.
• Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Baltimore Orioles, 12/5/22.
• Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Colorado Rockies, 3/4/23.
• Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets, 12/9/22.
• Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 12/16/22.
• Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/13/22.
• Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins, 1/4/23.
• Jorge Bonifacio - of (11/11/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Kansas City Royals, 3/10/23.
• Nick Duron - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants, 12/10/22.
• Yairo Munoz - inf (11/11/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2/3/23.
• Bubby Rossman - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Adelaide Giants (Australia), 12/26/22.
• Nick Maton - inf , Matt Vierling - of and Donny Sands - c (1/7/23) - Traded to the Detroit Tigers for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens.
• Vinny Nittolli - rhp (1/9/23) - Released, signed with the Chicago Cubs, 1/13/23.
• Sam Coonrod - rhp (2/6/23) - Selected off waivers by the New York Mets.
• Mark Appel - rhp (3/19/23) - Released.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• John Hicks - c (11/16/22) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Chicago Cubs.
• Jake Cave - of (12/2/22) - Claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
• Noah Song - rhp (12/7/22) - Selected from the Boston Red Sox in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Cody Roberts - c (12/7/22) - Selected from the Baltimore Orioles in the annual rule 5 draft, minor league phase
• Jeremy Walker - rhp (12/8/22) Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Trea Turner - ss (12/8/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Matt Strahm - lhp (12/9/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.
• Max McDowell - c (12/10/22) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
• Taijuan Walker - rhp (12/16/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
• Jim Haley - inf (12/21/22) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Jake Jewell - rhp (12/24/22) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Minnesota Twins.
• Jon Duplantier - rhp (1/4/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Weston Wilson - inf (1/11/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Erich Uelmen - rhp (1/4/23) - Acquired from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.
• Craig Kimbrel - rhp (1/4/23) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Louis Head - rhp (1/6/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Baltimore Orioles.
• Gregory Soto - lhp and Kody Clemens - inf (1/7/23) - Acquired from the Detroit Tigers for Nick Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands.
• Vimael Machin - inf (1/10/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Oakland Athletics.
• Ben Bowden - lhp (1/23/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the San Francisco Giants.
• Josh Harrison - inf (1/30/23) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Chicago White Sox.
• Aramis Garcia - c (2/16/23) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Baltimore Orioles.

1965 Topps - 4th Series Phillies Alumni

Having recently completed our 1965 Topps set, the final card we added was posted on my 1965 Topps blog yesterday.  The only remaining tasks are to finish up a few more of this Phillies Alumni posts, showcasing the cards of former players, coaches and managers who appeared in that iconic set.  And I'll be spending all of 2023 with this set's design as it's the basis of the 2023 Chachi custom card set.

Here's a look at the 15 cards in the fourth series of the 1965 Topps set (cards 265 to 352) with a Phillies connection.

#275

#280

#288

#294

#296

#310

#313

#322

#324

#327

#334

#338

#339

#346

#352

1965 Topps 3rd Series Phillies Alumni / 1965 Topps 5th Series Phillies Alumni

NLCS Game 5 - BEDLAM AT THE BANK, Phils are World Series Bound!

Phillies 4, Padres 3
NLCS Game 5 - Sunday Afternoon, October 23rd in Philadelphia
Phillies win series, 3-1

One Sentence Summary:  In a game Phillies fans will be reminiscing over for decades, Bryce Harper connected for a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, giving his team the lead and helping propel them to the 2022 World Series.

What It Means:  It means so much.  This is surreal.  I, along with many other Phillies fans, had completely written this team off in September when they couldn't seem to do anything right.  We missed the first four innings of this game as Doug's travel baseball team was playing in a championship game in Delaware in a steady and cold rain.  His team lost and we quietly started the two-hour drive home, in a downpour, with the Phillies holding a slim 2-1 lead.  We listened as Seranthony Dominguez uncorked three wild pitches in the seventh allowing the Padres to take a 3-2 lead.  And we lost our minds just north of Wilmington on 495 when Harper hit his series clinching home run.  Other drivers on the highway who weren't listening to the game were probably terrified when they looked into our car.  We had crossed the Commodore Barry Bridge and were in Woolwich, New Jersey when Nick Castellanos caught the fly ball from Austin Nola, sending the Phillies back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.  It's crazy.  This team is wonderful.  Hard to believe, Harry.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Rhys Hoskins hit his fifth home run of the postseason in the third, giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead, and Juan Soto connected for a solo home run in the fourth off Phillies' starter Zack Wheeler.  Dominguez was wild in the seventh, giving up a game-tying double to Josh Bell after falling behind 3-1 and allowing Jake Cronenworth to move to second on a wild pitch.  Two more wild pitches gave the Padres a 3-2 lead, allowing pinch-runner Jose Azocar to score.

In the eighth, down to their last six outs and faced with a cross-country flight to San Diego for Monday night's Game 6, J.T. Realmuto singled to left to open the inning.  Harper then almost serenely sent a Robert Suarez pitch just barely over the left-center field wall, sending the 45,485 fans at Citizens Bank Park into an all-out frenzy.  Phillies' radio voice Scott Franzke described it as "Bedlam at the Bank."

In the top of the ninth, David Robertson struck out Will Myers but then issued back-to-back walks to Brandon Drury and Ha-Seong Kim.  Ranger Suarez entered the game, needing just two pitches for the final two outs.  As Castellanos squeezed his glove and Franzke made his call that the Phillies were World Series bound, our car erupted in cheers, screams and claps.  The Philadelphia Phillies are the 2022 National League Champions.

After unpacking the car and drying off, I watched all the highlights, post-game interviews and the awarding of the NLCS MVP trophy to Harper.  In a week's time, my family and I will be back at the ballpark, attending the 2022 World Series against the Astros as the Phillies try to win their third title in franchise history.

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

2022 Chachi #79 NLCS Game 4 / 2022 Chachi #83 World Series Game 1

NLDS Game 4 - Phils Shock Braves, Advance to NLCS

Phillies 8, Braves 3
NLDS Game 4 - Saturday Afternoon, October 15th in Philadelphia
Phillies win series, 3-1

One Sentence Summary:  Behind the stabilizing force of a bullpen game (!), a three-run home run from Brandon Marsh and a seemingly relentless offense, the Phillies stunned the Braves and the baseball world by easily defeating the defending World Champions and advancing the the League Championship Series.

What It Means:  Writing this on Sunday evening, I'm still not sure this has all sunk in.  The Phillies, who were swept by the Cubs on September 29th, prompting me to use "Collapse Seems Imminent" as a game summary headline, are advancing to the NLCS to face off against the Padres beginning on Tuesday night.  It's surreal.

What Happened / Featured Card:  A bullpen game!  The Braves managed four hits, three of which were harmless solo home runs.  Noah Syndergaard, Andrew Bellatti, Brad Hand, Jose Alvarado, Zach Eflin and Seranthony Dominguez combined to strike out 15 and walk none.  Hard to believe.

Alec Bohm led off the second by lining a single off the elbow of Braves' starter Charlie Morton.  Jean Segura singled next, setting up Marsh for his three-run home run to right center field.  An inning later, J.T. Realmuto would become the first catcher to hit an inside-the-park home run in the postseason, circling the bases and aided by right fielder Ronald Acuna, who never ran towards center to try to corral the ball.  In the sixth, and to provide insurance runs that proved to be unneeded, Rhys Hoskins, Realmuto and Bryce Harper delivered three straight singles to make it a 7-2 ballgame.  Harper added an exclamation point with a solo home run in the eighth, his second of the postseason.

In the top of the ninth, with no one sitting in the entire ballpark, Dominguez struck out the side (Dansby Swanson, Matt Olson and Travis d'Arnaud) on 20 pitches to send the Phillies back to the NLCS for the first time since 2010. 

Field Report:  Doug and I rushed from his morning baseball game to get to Citizens Bank Park about an hour before first pitch.  We enjoyed a lunch from Bull's, settled into our seats, and joined nearly 46,000 other fans in hanging on every pitch thrown, from Pat Burrell's cermonial first pitch to the 99.7 mph sinker thrown by Dominguez to end the game.  We waved our red rally towels, cheered Marsh and Realmuto and Alvarado, jeered the Braves, and stayed about an hour after the last out was recorded just to take it all in.  We had seats towards the back of Section 113, while my brother-in-law and his wife were seated closer to the field.  We all met up after the game, collectively in shock by what we had just experienced.

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

2022 Chachi #73 NLDS Game 3 / 2022 Chachi #76 NLCS Game 1

Game 160 - PHILS CLINCH WILD CARD!!

Phillies 3, Astros 0
Game 160 - Monday Night, October 3rd in Houston
Record - 87-73, 3rd Place, 13 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Behind the fantastic pitching of Aaron Nola and two home runs from Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies defeated the Astros, 3-0 and clinched their first postseason berth since 2011.

What It Means:  The Phillies have gone through some incredibly lean years, managerial stints from Ryne Sandberg, Pete Mackanin, Gabe Kapler, Joe Girardi and now Rob Thomson, rebuilding years where watching the games on a nightly basis became a chore, and now they're back in the postseason.  The Brewers miraculously pulled out their game against the Diamondbacks, meaning it was solely in the Phillies' hands to reduce their magic number from one to zero.  Doug and I stayed up to watch the final out, the on-field celebration and the clubhouse shenanigans because the last time the Phillies were in the postseason, Doug was almost five and he has no recollection of what was an annual occurrence during his first five years.  He mentioned last night, "I've never seen this before," and I had to remind him he in fact had.  It was a great night, a happy night, and I'm excited to see how far this team can go.

What Happened:  Nola was perfect through 6 2/3 innings before Jordan Alvarez singled sharply to right, ending the perfect game and the no-hit bid.  Jose Alvarado entered shortly thereafter, pumping fastball after fastball to record the next four outs, striking out three in the process.  Zach Eflin, the second longest tenured Phillies player behind Nola, entered the ninth to attempt his first career save, and he needed just 14 pitches to end the game and end the playoff draught.

Schwarber had homered on the very first pitch of the game from Astros' starter Lance McCullers, his 45th of the year, and he'd add his 46th in the eighth inning.  In between those two shots, Bryson Stott lined a home run just over the right field wall.

After 11 years of not reaching the postseason, after all the losses (both by the Phillies and personally), all the changes, and getting through the pandemic, this win felt wonderful.

Featured Card:  I'm happy to create my first postseason clinch card in 11 years!  Just like I did back in the day, I'll create a new Chachi card for each playoff and World Series game the Phillies play.

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2022 Chachi #67 Chris Devenski / 2022 Chachi #69 NLWCS Game 1