Series Preview - Braves at Phillies: August 28th to August 30th

1991 Topps #196

2020 Chachi 1991 Topps Missing Links #6

Friday 7:05, Saturday 1:15, Sunday 7:08
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Jackie Robinson Day, usually held annually on April 15th, was postponed and rescheduled for tonight and all players will wear Robinson's #42.  The timing is fitting as Robinson's courageous fight against racism is a fight that unfortunately continues to this day.  MLB posted the video below to its social media accounts earlier today, and it's highly recommended viewing.

Braves 18-12
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Marlins

Braves Probables
Robbie Erlin (0-0, 5.14)
Josh Tomlin (1-1, 3.93)
TBD

Braves Leaders
Average:  Dansby Swanson - .319
Runs:  Dansby Swanson - 27
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 8
RBIs:  Dansby Swanson - 20
Stolen Bases:  Ender Inciarte - 4

Wins:  Max Fried - 5
ERA:  Max Fried - 1.35

Strikeouts:  Max Fried - 38
Saves:  Mark Melancon - 5

Phillies 12-14
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (3-0, 2.76)
Zach Eflin (1-1, 5.12)
Jake Arrieta (2-3, 4.32)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .317
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 23
Home Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 9
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 25
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 5

Wins:  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler - 3
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.76

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 48
Saves:  Hector Neris and Brandon Workman - 2

Opening a 2015 Phungo HOT PACK from @phungo2008

I'm no stranger to the annual Phungo baseball card product and its world-renowned packs.  For the seventh year in a row, an unexpected bubbleope showed up in our mail box yesterday and when I saw the return address, I immediately knew there was going to be great stuff inside.  I was right.

I'll have to check the packs from prior years, but I certainly don't remember the packs being so jam packed as the 2015 edition.  Maybe I received a special retail-only blaster special hot pack?  In any event, and as has been the case in prior years, the pack was full of this year's Phungo cards and an assortment of "buyback" cards that were miraculous all needed for my (and Doug's!) collections.

2015 Phungo #1

2015 Phungo #42

2015 Phungo #53

2015 Phungo #26

I was happy to add the first card in this year's set, former Phillies ace Cole Hamels, to my collection. Sadly, Hamels' season is done courtesy of shoddy Rangers fielding and the Jose Bautista bat flip heard 'round the world.  Ben Revere will advance to the ALCS along with the rest of the Blue Jays. Current Phillies closer Ken Giles was in the pack as was a nice card of Chase Utley, showing him in a non-take-out slide pose.

2015 Phungo #54

2015 Phungo #19

2015 Phungo #11

2015 Phungo #27

Some of my favorite cards this year feature former Phillies.  I received my first ever card of infielder Don Hasenmayer, who appeared in 11 games for the 1945 and 1946 Phillies.  Strangely enough, his Baseball Reference page indicates he wore #21 and #40 with the Phillies, but the team gave him a jersey with #23 on it for Alumni Day.  I also received Jayson Werth's card, which features a cameo from Garry Maddox, and a Jim Fregosi In Memoriam card.  I was able to scan the Mike Trout card before my oldest son Doug added it to his Mike Trout binder.

And then there were the "buybacks" not so randomly inserted into my pack.  I received a few early 1970s Phillies cards needed for my team sets along with another Trout card (for Doug's collection) and a short-printed 2013 Topps Archives card of Anthony Rizzo (again, for Doug's collection). Minor league cards of obscure Phillies are always welcome, and I added cards of Jim Vatcher and Gene Schall to my collection.  And that's just scratching the surface!  Without a doubt, this was my favorite Phungo pack yet and I definitely consider myself fortunate to receive such awesomeness each year.

1971 Topps #533

1972 Topps #587

1989 Star Clearwater Phillies #14

1992 Classic Best #266

Memory Lane

2009 Phungo
2010 Phungo
2011 and 2012 Phungo
2013 Phungo
2014 Phungo

The Mysterious Jim Vatcher Card and the Neverending Quest to Checklist Phillies Team Issued Sets

1990 Phillies Team Issue #31

For years, there was a gaping hole in my run of Phillies team issued sets as I found it impossible to track down a 1990 set.  I recently added the elusive 1990 set to my collection, and was a little surprised when I realized the set contained 37 cards, and not the 36 I was expecting.  Jim Vatcher was the unexpected 37th card, and I've been unable to find any more information on this mystery card.

Since the 1970s, the Phillies have created their own baseball card sets, postcard-sized (or bigger), and typically sold in complete set form at the ballpark or given away as a promotional item at a game.  For a few years in the late 1980s and then again beginning in the 2010s, the sets would be updated throughout the year for new player additions.

The dealer I bought the 1990 Phillies set from told me that the 1990 cards were given away four to five at a time in shrink-wrapped packages handed out before select 1990 home games.  He told me the cards were never sold in complete set form, and that he had hand collated the 1990 set I was about to buy.  I'm not sure if this story is accurate or not, but it would explain why the 1990 team set has been so hard to find.  That being said, I definitely went to a handful of games in 1990 and I never received any of these "packs" of cards as I entered the Vet.  (As an aside, before last weekend, the only 1990 Phillies Team Issue card I had seen is in my wife's collection and it will one day pay for our sons' college tuition.  I jest.)

Which brings me to this Vatcher card.  The checklist for the set in an older edition of the Standard Catalog lists 36 cards, with no Vatcher card.  The Beckett database incorrectly lists the set as "1990 Phillies Tastykake" even though Tastykake's name is no where to be found on the set.  Their checklist also only includes 36 cards.  So who knows where this card came from?  Does anyone else have this card in their Phillies collections?

Along with finishing up my Missing Links and Topps Phillies series of posts, I'd also like to start a series on the various Phillies team issued sets since 1983.  (If and when I obtain any of the older sets, which are also extremely hard to track down, I'll go back and cover those as well.)  My hope is to chronicle each year's set, the updates (if any) and catalog the known rarities and variations to be found within these sets.

Given that I have a full-time job and two small children at home, I should be able to get through this project by at least 2027.

* * *

On the sidebar to the left, I've listed those Phillies team-issued cards and sets that I haven't yet added to my collection.  Any help and/or trades are greatly appreciated!

1990 Phillies - No Missing Links (Sort Of)

1990 CMC #231, 1990 Fleer Update #U-45, 1991 Topps Debut #159 and 1991 Topps #603A

Due to the complete lack of Phillies news over the past several days, my inability to write anything further about the 2012 Topps set until I actually own more 2012 Topps Phillies cards, and the fact that researching Phillies baseball cards of fringe players from the early '90s is fun, I'm going to take a look at those Phillies who appeared on 2 or less baseball cards from the 1990 team.

And as a complete random aside, how is it that I've never added the 1990 Tastykake Phillies set to my collection?  If I ever get around to adding a "Most Wanted" section to my sidebar, the 1990 Tastykake Phillies set will top the list.

There were 43 players who appeared with the 1990 Phillies.  Here are the guys who appeared on the lowest number of baseball cards as Phils.

1989 Tastykake Phillies #19

3 Cards or More
39 Players

Dickie Noles makes the cut, but solely on his Phillies baseball card output from 1980 through 1982.  He appeared in 1 game with the 1990 Phillies, which turned out to be his last game in the Majors.  His only Phillies-related card from the '90s is his 1990 CMC card featuring him with the Triple-A Red Barons.

2 Cards

Brad Moore (5 games in 1988 and 3 games in 1990) - 1989 Topps #202 and 1990 Fleer Update #U-45

1 Card

Jim Vatcher (36 games in 1990) - 1991 Topps Debut #159**

Tom Nieto (11 games in 1989 and 17 games in 1990) - 1989 Tastykake Phillies #19

Louie Meadows (15 games in 1990) - 1991 Topps #603A

I'm surprised that Vatcher only appeared on one Phillies card, and it was well after he had left the organization in August 1990 as part of the Dale Murphy trade with the Braves.  And Nieto, the back-up catcher's back-up, gets absolutely no recognition from the baseball card manufacturers.

Including Meadows on this list is a stretch, since his sole card with the Phillies isn't his at all.  It's Wes Chamberlain's card, with Meadows' photo erroneously featured.  So if you want to get all technical about it:

0 Cards

Louie Meadows (15 games in 1990)

Barring any major Phillies news or pitchers and catchers deciding to report a week early, look for the 1991 installment of this series soon.

**UPDATE (October 4, 2014) - Please see this post which covers the 1990 Phillies Team Issue Vatcher card.