Game 111 - Sanchez, Duran Shut Down Tigers in 2-0 Win

Detroit Tigers	0
Philadelphia Phillies	2

2025 Topps Now #514

Sunday Night, August 3rd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
63-48, 1st Place, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez threw only 84 pitches in eight innings and Jhoan Duran topped 103mph as the two pitching stars combined to shutout the Tigers, 2-0.

What It Means:  This was an impressive series win, given the Tigers are a first place team, and it's exciting to think the Phillies will have these two pitchers for several more years.  Duran can be a free agent following the 2027 season and Sanchez is signed through 2028.

What Happened:  Sanchez picked up his team-leading 10th win, allowing five hits and striking out six.  For the second time over the weekend, Duran entered the ballpark in the dark, flames shooting across all screens, accompanied by his signature song.  He needed 12 pitches to record his second save with the Phillies.  Max Kepler knocked in the first run with an RBI ground out in the second, and Kyle Schwarber hit a towering solo home run in the eighth, for what turned out to be an unneeded insurance run.

2025 Chachi
Friendly Encounters #3

Featured Card:  Two saves, two Topps Now cards for Duran.

Field Report:  Jenna and I attended our third game of the weekend, taking our oldest son Doug and his girlfriend.  Thanks to a hot tip from fellow collector Rick, we knew the Phillies would have two autograph stations inside the ballpark as part of their Alumni Day festivities.  Manny Trillo was stationed in the Hall of Fame Club, while Jamie Moyer and Ben Francisco manned a table outside the Phillies Authentics store.  Gone are the days when a dozen or so players would agree to sign before these games, stationed throughout the ballpark.  Trillo sat at his table with plenty of Sharpies, but nothing to sign.  First in line, he was kind enough to pose for a photo with me.  The Moyer/Francisco tandem only signed for about 20 minutes, with Moyer departing earlier than Francisco.  Doug and his girlfriend were able to get me a signed Francisco photo card, the same card that's been available since 2019, and they grabbed a few autograph-less Moyer cards as well.

The pregame ceremony was once again fantastic, with alumni lining up along the third base line.  Robin Roberts' grandson and Richie Ashburn's son threw out ceremonial first pitches as the Phillies paid tribute to the 75th anniversary of the 1950 Whiz Kids.

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

Phillies at Nationals: April 5th to April 7th

1984 Topps #613

1984 Topps #180

Friday 6:45, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

At the Ballpark:  The Nationals' schedule seems somewhat light on promotions, and the only thing scheduled for this weekend is Branch Appreciation Day for the National Guard tonight.

Phillies 2-4
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (0-1, 12.46)
Ranger Suarez (0-0, 5.40)
Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 3.60)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Kyle Schwarber - .280
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 6
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 3
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 6
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 2

Wins:  Matt Strahm and Spencer Turnbull - 1
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.75
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 15
Saves:  Jose Alvarado and Ricardo Pinto - 1

Nationals 2-4
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Braves

Nationals Probables
Patrick Corbin (0-0, 8.31)
Jake Irvin (0-0, 5.40)
MacKenzie Gore (0-0, 5.06)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  CJ Abrams and Trey Lipscomb - .333
Runs:  CJ Abrams - 5
Home Runs:  CJ Abrams - 2
RBIs:  CJ Abrams - 5
Stolen Bases:  CJ Abrams - 3

Wins:  Hunter Harvey and Trevor Williams - 1
ERA:  Josiah Gray - 14.04

Strikeouts:  Josiah Gray - 9
Saves:  Kyle Finnegan - 2

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

Game 118 (Continued) - Alumni Weekend Chachi Cards

I didn't have enough room to tag everyone in my main game summary post, so here's a continuation post featuring the bulk of the Chachi Alumni Weekend insert cards.  This is always a fun night, and creating these cards is annually a fun project.

Game 106 - Gibson Pitches Gem as Alumni Return

Phillies 7, Nationals 2
Game 106 - Friday Night, August 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 58-48, 3rd Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Gibson was perfect through six and masterful through eight, and the offense contributed five home runs in this 7-2 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  There was a game?

What Happened:  Gibson had a perfect game going through six innings before he hit Victor Robles with a pitch to open the seventh.  Luis Garcia singled two pitches later and the no-hitter as gone too.  Overall, Gibson allowed a pair of hits, one run and struck out four on the way to his seventh win.  The Phillies line-up continued to mash the ball, with Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos, Darick Hall, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber all connecting for home runs.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  All four of us were on-hand to watch the pre-game ceremony honoring public address announcer Dan Baker and his 50 years with the Phillies.  But while Jenna and Ben settled into their seats, Doug and I prepared to stand for the duration of the game in the Hall of Fame Club in the hopes of Doug adding a few autographs to his collection.  We didn't see many alumni, but those we did see all stopped to sign for the gathered collectors.  He was thrilled to get signatures on his Wall of Fame prints from John Kruk, Manny Trillo and Charlie Manuel.  At one point, Gary "Sarge" Mathews wheeled out a cart of milkshakes and handed them out to the assembled fans.  Also signing were Tommy Greene, Del Unser, Marty Bystrom, Pat Gillick and newest Wall of Fame inductee Ron Reed.  As an added bonus, it was great chatting with the proprietor of the Relief Room throughout the night, as we shared our appreciation of Barry Jones, Steve Fireovid and Scott Eyre.

For the first time since 2019, I'm happy to present a small set of custom cards to memorialize the Phillies alumni who signed for Doug, along with a few photos taken by Jenna of the fantastic pre-game ceremony.  I particularly liked the picture she captured of Larry Bowa and Cesar Hernandez having a lengthy discussion during the National Anthem.

Transaction:  Yairo Munoz (inf) was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Nick Maton (inf) was recalled.

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

Game 111 - 2017 Phillies Alumni Photo Cards #9 Manny Trillo

Phillies 5, Mets 3
Game 111 - Saturday Night, August 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 58-53, 1st Place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Two home runs from Brad Miller and a three-run home run from Odubel Herrera powered the Phillies past the Mets in this 5-3 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies have won seven in a row, their longest winning streak since 2012.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez (2 2/3 innings), JD Hammer (2 1/3 innings), Hector Neris (2 innings) and Jose Alvarado (1 inning) kept the Mets off the board before Mauricio Llovera gave up three solo home runs in the ninth.  Ian Kennedy was called upon to bail out Llovera and record his second Phillies save.

The Phillies scored all their runs via the long ball with Miller and Herrera delivering in the fifth and Miller homering again for a much-needed insurance run in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Manny Trillo had to wait a year, but he was officially inducted onto the team's Wall of Fame prior to this game.  Of the eight regular position players from the 1980 World Championship team, only first baseman Pete Rose and right fielder Bake McBride aren't on the Wall at this point.  Rose was scheduled to be inducted in 2017, but once again the all-time hits leader found himself in trouble and the Phillies opted to cancel his ceremony.  Others on the Wall from the 1980 squad include John Vukovich, manager Dallas Green and pitchers Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw.

Transaction:  Nick Maton (inf) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Chase Anderson (rhp) was placed on the 10-day injured list with right triceps tendinitis.

Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome
2017 - Tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton
2018 - Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick
2019 - Bobby Abreu (Part One and Two)
2020 - Manny Trillo (Postponed)

2021 - Manny Trillo

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

Series Preview - Mets at Phillies: August 6th to August 8th

1986 Topps #414

2021 Chachi 1986 Topps Missing Links #4

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  This is one of the best weekends (if not the best weekend) of the year at Citizens Bank Park.  Alumni Weekend returns with the Phillies honoring former president and CEO David Montgomery on Friday night.  Montgomery posthumously received the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award in Cooperstown on July 24th.  On Saturday, Phillies Wall of Famers return as Manny Trillo is inducted and all fans will receive a Manny Trillo Wall of Fame Print.  And on Sunday, the Phillies will officially retire Roy Halladay's #34, with all fans receiving a Halladay Retired Number Statue.

(Poor planning on my part means this series preview post features not one, but two cards of short-time Phillies pitcher Tom Gorman, who is perhaps better known as the Mets pitcher who started the game on June 11, 1985, when Von Hayes hit two first inning home runs.  Not really great card choices for the annual Alumni Weekend.)

The Phillies Room staff is currently taking its second of two summer sabbaticals, and the blog will be on auto pilot until later next week.  During our absence, a daily gallery of a prior year Topps Phillies team set will be posted.  Thanks for your continued support and Go Phils!

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

Series Preview - Giants at Phillies: April 19th to April 21st

1986 Topps #655

1986 Topps #585

Monday and Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  On Tuesday and Wednesday, all fans in attendance will receive a Phillies reusable straw set.

Giants 9-6
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. West, 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Giants Probables
Kevin Gausman (0-0, 3.20)
Logan Webb (0-1, 4.76)
Anthony DeSclafani (1-0, 1.06)

Giants Leaders
Average:  Donovan Solano - .311
Runs:  Evan Longoria - 8
Home Runs:  Evan Longoria - 4
RBIs:  Brandon Crawford and Evan Longoria - 9
Stolen Bases:  Brandon Crawford - 2

Wins:  3 tied with - 2
ERA:  Anthony DeSclafani - 1.06
Strikeouts:  Johnny Cueto and Kevin Guasean - 18
Saves:  Jack McGee - 6

Phillies 8-7
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Chase Anderson (0-1, 4.00)
Zack Wheeler (1-2, 3.00)
Zach Eflin (1-0, 3.15)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .352
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 12
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 3
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 10
Stolen Bases:  Alec Bohm and Roman Quinn - 2

Wins:  Connor Brogdon - 3
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.19
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 28
Saves:  Hector Neris - 2

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

Game 9 - 1980 Topps #90 Manny Trillo

Braves 5, Phillies 2 (Game 1 - 7 Innings)
Game 9 - Sunday Afternoon, August 9th in Philadelphia
Record - 4-5

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves bullpen held the Phillies to three hits as the Phillies bullpen continued its struggles in this 5-2 loss.

What It Means:  Spoiler alert for the second game, but as pointed out in this Doug Kern Tweet, this was to be the first double header in which the Phillies offense was held to four hits or less in both games since August 13, 1968 against the Astros.  Making it somewhat worse, the Braves went with a full bullpen game and six different relievers stifled the Phillies offense.

What Happened:  Phillies starter Vince Velasquez went four innings (76 pitches) and allowed a run on three hits while striking out six.  The bullpen duo of Deolis Guerra and Morgan combined for 2/3 of an inning, with four runs on four hits, including the two-run home run allowed by Guerra to Ronald Acuna, Jr.  The lifeless Phillies line-up had a pair of singles and a double.  Both Phillies runs came courtesy of productive outs from Andrew McCutchen - a ground out in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Featured Card:  This was supposed to be Alumni Weekend, with second baseman Manny Trillo getting inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  Instead, Trillo's ceremony will be postponed and the entire 1980 team was present in the ballpark only in the form of cutouts in the right field seats.  (Photo below from Tyler Kepner's Twitter feed.)

Transaction:  Kyle Garlick (of) was added as the 29th man for this double header.

Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome
2017 - Tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton
2018 - Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick
2019 - Bobby Abreu (Part One and Two)
2020 - Manny Trillo (Postponed)

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

1985 Game 38 - 1985 Donruss #431 Manny Trillo

Giants 6, Phillies 2
Game 38 - Wednesday Night, May 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 15-23, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A costly error from John Russell and a lack of clutch hitting cost the Phillies in this 6-2 loss to the Giants.

What It Means:  Once again, the Phillies couldn't pull off a series sweep.  After an off-day on Thursday, Tony Gwynn and the Padres were coming to town for a three-game weekend series.

What Happened:  The Phillies loaded the bases in the second and fourth innings, and both times Giants' starting pitcher Dave LaPoint was able to get out of those jams by retiring Phillies pitcher Kevin Gross.  The offense went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, and Mike Schmidt went 0 for 4 as his average fell to .189.

The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the sixth on an RBI-single from Manny Trillo.  Russell's error led to another run and Bob Brenly hit a ground-run double to give the Giants a 4-0 lead.  Dave Rucker had a rough outing in relief, lasting 1 1/3 innings and giving up a pair of runs while walking four.  Don Carman pitched a scoreless inning and his ERA went down to a surprising 0.59 mark.

The Giants had four errors of their own, but they ended up not really hurting the team.

Featured Card:  Trillo, a former Phillies All-Star and the team's second baseman when they won their first World Championship in 1980, was set to be inducted into the team's Wall of Fame this August.  There hasn't been any official announcement yet, but I'd have to imagine his ceremony will be postponed until next year and we'll get two Wall of Fame inductees in 2021.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

After 79 Years, Larry File Gets a Phillies Baseball Card

Fellow collector Alan was kind enough to e-mail me a few weeks ago to let me know he had 1970 Grant Jackson Phillies Photocard I needed from my want list.  He graciously told me he'd send me the Jackson card along with a "small care package," including a couple of odds and ends.

In the package along with the Jackson photo card were signed photo cards of Jerry Martin, Larry Christenson and Juan Samuel and a signed Manny Trillo card from the 1981 Topps 5 x 7 set.  There were five other non-Phillies photo card autographs, shown here, of former Phillies pitchers Curt Simmons, Jack Sanford and Ron Reed.  The Reed photo is interesting to me as it appears to be the same photo used for his 1982 Topps card.  These are all welcome additions to my Phillies collection.

The final autographed photo really caught my attention, as I had never heard of Larry File and the inscription under his autograph said, "Phillie 1940."  I came up empty when Googling Larry File, but thanks to Baseball Reference and a quick review of the 1940 Phillies roster, I found a Sam File.  Sam File's full name is Samuel Lawrence File, so I had my match.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn much more about File than what's on his Baseball Reference page.  At 18 years old, he was the youngest player in the National League in 1940, making his debut on September 6th.  He appeared in seven games for the Phillies, collecting a hit in 13 at-bats (.077).  He split his 33 innings in the field between shortstop (28 innings) and third base (5 innings) committing three errors in 20 total chances.  He remained in the Phillies minor league system in 1941 (77 games), 1942 (113 games) and then again in 1946 (20 games), playing his final year of professional baseball that season at the age of 24.  His three season interruption was due to his military service with the Coast Guard during World War II.

Born in Chester, PA in 1922, File passed away in 2008 at the age of 86.

2019 Chachi Phillies Missing Links of the 1940s #1

Not surprisingly, File never appeared on any baseball cards, making him a member of a club near and dear to me - the Phillies Missing Links.  I thought I'd remedy this with the first card from the Phillies Missing Links from the 1940s insert set, something I may continue at a (much) later date.  Since he signed his name "Larry" and the Phillies Media Guide lists him as "File, Larry (Sam)," I went with Larry instead of Sam for his card.

Thanks again Alan for the great package!