Six in a Row and the Final 2014 Chachi Cards

2014 Chachi #71

Phillies 4, Rockies 3
Game 40 - Late Monday Night, May 18th in Denver
Record - 17-23, 4th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels pitched a gem while Odubel Herrera and Carlos Ruiz provided clutch hits in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie as the Phillies eventually defeated the Rockies, 4-3.

What It Means:  The Phils have won six in a row and they've passed the Marlins in the standings for sole possession of fourth place.  They're now 2 1/2 games behind the third place Braves.

What Happened:  Hamels pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing a run on six hits while striking out seven.  Luis Garcia and Jonathan Papelbon (10th save) held the Rockies scoreless over the final five outs.  With the score tied at one, and with two outs in the sixth, Herrera's double plated two runs to give the Phils the lead.

Featured Cards:  I thought this would be a good place to feature the final two cards from the 2014 Chachi set.  Honestly, these team leaders cards probably didn't get the attention they deserved on this blog since I was so anxious to put the 2014 season behind me.

The Leading Firemen card below features a great photo from the combined no-hitter thrown by four different Phillies pitchers on Labor Day.  I tried hard to use this photo for the eventual no-hitter Highlight card, but the four individual pictures I ended up using worked better with the 1988 Topps Highlights card design.  And I really wish the dude walking by with the large gray trash can hadn't photo bombed the shot.

2014 Chachi #72

2015 Chachi #33 John Mizerock CO

#12

John Joseph Mizerock

Catching/Assistant Hitting Coach

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  190

Born:  December 8, 1960, Punxsutawney, PA

Home:  Punxsutawney, PA

Teams - As Player:  Houston Astros 1983, 1985-1986, Atlanta Braves 1989

Teams - As Coach:  Kansas City Royals 2002-2004, 2008-2009, Phillies 2014-

Teams - As Manager:  Kansas City Royals 2002

1987 Topps #408

2011 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #19

2014 Chachi #33

2014 Phillies Team Issue #12

6 Mizerock Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2011 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #19
First Phillies Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #12
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #12
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #12

First Topps Base Card:  1987 Topps #408
First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #33

Mizerock Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 5/18/15.

Phillies at Rockies: May 18th to May 21st

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8:40, Thursday 3:10
Coors Field - Denver, CO

Phillies 16-23, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 6 1/2 games behind the Mets
Rockies 13-21, 5th Place in the N.L. West, 9 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (3-3, 3.53), Aaron Harang (4-3, 2.03), Chad Billingsley (0-2, 6.75), Jerome Williams (3-3, 5.02)
Rockies Probables:  Jordan Lyles (2-3, 4.30), Chad Bettis (0-0, 7.20), Eddie Butler (2-4, 4.24), Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 6.56)

Sadly, the Phillies won't see Kyle Kendrick in this series, as the former Phillie pitched Sunday afternoon against the Dodgers.

At the Ballpark:  The first 5,000 fans at the ballpark tonight will receive a Rockies fedora hat.  Tomorrow night is $1 Hot Dog night at Coors Field.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Freddy Galvis - .347
Runs:  Freddy Galvis and Ben Revere - 16
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 7
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 18
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 7

Wins:  Aaron Harang - 4
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 2.03
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 55
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 9

1985 Topps #454

1985 Topps Appreciation:  There are going to be a few of these posts throughout the season featuring 1985 Topps cards of players with no real connection to the Phillies opponent.  This is the first of these posts as I didn't otherwise have a natural spot to fit in Glenn Wilson's 1985 Topps card.

Phillies Room favorite Wilson had his best season in 1985, making his sole All-Star team and finishing the season with 102 RBIs.  His numbers would gradually dip over the next five seasons and his last year as an everyday player came in 1990 with the Astros.  Wilson would play briefly in the Braves system in 1991 and it appears as if he was completely out of baseball in 1992.  In 1993, he made a temporary comeback appearing in 10 games with the Pirates before hanging up his spikes.

2015 Donruss Rated Rookies Silver Die Cut #5 Maikel Franco

Phillies 6, Diamondbacks 0
Game 39 - Sunday Afternoon, May 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 16-23, 5th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Led by Sean O'Sullivan, four Phillies pitchers combined for the shutout as Maikel Franco and Darin Ruf homered in the 6-0 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies have themselves a five game winning streak as they head out to Denver for a four game series with the Rockies.  They're a half game behind the Marlins, who fired manager Mike Redmond on Sunday.

What Happened:  O'Sullivan won his first big league game in exactly four years by allowing just five hits in his six innings of work.  Luis Garcia, Ken Giles and Jeanmer Gomez shut down the Diamondbacks in the final three frames.  Franco, Ruf, Ben Revere and Cesar Hernandez all had multiple hits in the win.

Featured Card:  Franco hit an RBI triple in the sixth and launched his first home run to center in eighth.  This is his die cut card from the logo-less Rated Rookies insert set found within packs of 2015 Donruss.

Transaction:  Following the game, pitcher Chad Billingsley went back on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain and reliever Hector Neris was recalled from Lehigh Valley.

2015 Topps #163 Chase Utley

Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 5
Game 38 - Saturday Night, May 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 15-23, 5th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies rode a rare offensive outburst to a 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

What It Means:  The Phils have won four in a row and they'll go for the series sweep this afternoon.  After this series wraps, the team heads out on a ten-day road trip against the Rockies, Nationals and Mets.

What Happened:  Jeff Francoeur homered to start the scoring in the second.  RBI doubles from Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Andres Blanco would follow in the later innings.  Grady Sizemore had a four hit night and scored a run.

Jerome Williams earned the win pitching through five innings, despite the 77 minute rain delay that started in the bottom of the third.

Featured Card:  Utley had two more hits in this game and he's hitting a respectable .280 in his last eight games.  His average is still well north of the Mendoza line at .138 but I'm hoping his recent performance is a sign that he's finally breaking out of his career worst slump.

2015 Chachi #32 Rod Nichols CO

#54

Rodney Lee Nichols

Bullpen Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  240

Born:  December 29, 1964, Burlington, IA

Home:  Helena, MT

Teams - As Player:  Cleveland Indians 1988-1992, Los Angeles Dodgers 1993, Atlanta Braves 1995
Teams - As Coach:  Phillies 2013-

1989 Topps #443

2000 Multi-Ad Piedmont Boll Weevils #27

2013 Chachi #26

2013 Phillies Team Issue #54

21 Nichols Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2000 Multi-Ad Piedmont Boll Weevils #27
First Phillies Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #54
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #54
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #54

First Topps Base Card:  1989 Topps #443
First Chachi Base Card:  2013 Chachi #26

Nichols Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 5/16/15.

2015 Chachi #31 Pete Mackanin CO

#45

Peter Mackanin, Jr.

Third Base Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200

Born:  August 1, 1951, Chicago, IL

Home:  Scottsdale, AZ

Teams - As Player:  Texas Rangers 1973-1974, Montreal Expos 1975-1977, Phillies 1978-1979, Minnesota Twins 1980-1981

Teams - As Coach:  Montreal Expos 1997-2000, Pittsburgh Pirates 2003-2005, Phillies 2009-2012, 2014-

Teams - As Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 2005, Cincinnati Reds 2007

1974 Topps #597

1978 Topps #399

1979 Burger King Phillies #17

2009 Chachi #28

13 Mackanin Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  1978 Topps #399
First Phillies Card:  1979 Burger King Phillies #17
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2009 Phillies Team Issue #45*
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #45

First Topps Base Card:  1974 Topps #597 (with Dave Chalk, John Gamble and Manny Trillo)
First Chachi Base Card:  2009 Chachi #28

*Mackanin is in the 1979 Phillies Photocards set, but I don't have that card in my collection yet.

Mackanin Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 5/15/15.

2014 Topps #451 Luis Garcia

Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 3
Game 37 - Friday Night, May 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 14-23, 5th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies mounted a rare late-inning come from behind victory thanks to timely hitting from Freddy Galvis and Jeff Francouer, defeating the Diamondbacks, 4-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies are only 2 1/2 games behind the fourth place Marlins and they won their third game in a row for the first time since last August.

What Happened:  Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Freddy Galvis singled home Carlos Ruiz and Cesar Hernandez on a bloop that landed in front of center fielder A.J. Pollack.  Galvis ended up on third due to an errant throw home from Pollack.  A batter later, Francoeur singled home Galvis and the Phillies had a 4-3 lead.

Chad Billingsley pitched six strong innings (two runs on seven hits) but earned a no-decision.

Featured Card:  Again, I could have gone with cards for either Galvis or Francoeur, but I'm almost out of Galvis cards and I'm completely out of Francoeur Phillies cards.  With Jonathan Papelbon resting his arm, Luis Garcia pitched two scoreless innings to earn his first Major League save.

Transaction:  Top prospect Maikel Franco was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to this game and he started at third base, batting fifth.  To make room for Franco, pitcher Dustin McGowan was outrighted to Lehigh Valley after clearing waivers.

2015 Chachi #30 Juan Samuel CO

#8

Juan Milton Samuel

First Base Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  190

Born:  December 9, 1960, San Pedro de Macoris, DR

Home:  Ft. Myers, FL

Teams - As Player:  Phillies 1983-1989, New York Mets 1989, Los Angeles Dodgers 1990-1992, Kansas City Royals 1992, Cincinnati Reds 1993, Detroit Tigers 1994-1995, Kansas City Royals 1995, Toronto Blue Jays 1996-1998

Teams - As Coach:  Detroit Tigers 1999-2005, Baltimore Orioles 2007-2010, Phillies 2011-

Teams - As Manager:  Baltimore Orioles 2010

1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #2

1984 Fleer #47

1984 Topps Traded #105T

2011 Chachi #28

119 Samuel Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #2
First Phillies Card:  1984 Fleer #47
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  1984 Topps Traded #105T
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  1984 Tastykake Phillies #32
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #8

First Chachi Base Card:  2011 Chachi #28

Samuel Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 5/15/15.

Diamondbacks at Phillies: May 15th to May 17th

Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Diamondbacks 15-18, 4th Place in the N.L. West, 7 games behind the Dodgers
Phillies 13-23, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 7 1/2 games behind the Mets

Diamondbacks Probables:  Chase Anderson (0-1, 2.97), Archie Bradley (2-0, 1.80), Josh Collmenter (3-4, 5.27)
Phillies Probables:  Chad Billingsley (0-2, 9.00), Jerome Williams (2-3, 5.21), Sean O'Sullivan (0-2, 5.06)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the annual Irish Heritage Celebration while tomorrow night is a Dollar Dog Night.  On Sunday, all kids in attendance will receive a Cody Asche wiffle ball and bat set which is slightly awkward considering that Asche is now playing for the Triple-A IronPigs.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Freddy Galvis - .353
Runs:  Ben Revere - 16
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 7
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 16
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 6

Wins:  Aaron Harang - 4
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 2.03
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 55
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 8

2015 Topps Museum Collection #39 Ryan Howard

Phillies 4, Pirates 2
Game 36 - Thursday Afternoon, May 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 13-23, 5th Place, 7 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard and Freddy Galvis supported Aaron Harang's fine pitching performance as the Phillies won 4-2.

What It Means:  Two game win streak!  The 2015 Phillies are on fire!

What Happened:  Howard and Galvis each had three hits with Howard blasting his seventh home run of the season.  Cameron Rupp also had a nice day, collecting two hits and throwing out two would be base stealers.

Harang pitched eight shutout innings, allowing five hits and striking out six.

Featured Card:  Harang probably deserves the featured card for this game summary post, but seeing as I've already posted his one Phillies card, I'll go with a card for Howard instead.  I'm still not sure why I feel the need to buy these Topps Museum Phillies cards each year.

2015 Chachi #39 Jonathan Papelbon RB

Phillies 3, Pirates 2
Game 35 - Wednesday Night, May 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 12-23, 5th Place, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jonathan Papelbon became the Phillies all-time saves leader as the Phillies defeated the Pirates, 3-2.

What It Means:  The four game losing streak is over and the Phillies could split the series with the Pirates with a win this afternoon.

What Happened:  Papelbon earned the save with a huge assist from right fielder Jeff Francoeur who gunned down the tying run at the plate for the final out of the game.  Papelbon's save preserved the victory for Cole Hamels, who had pitched seven strong innings and allowed only the two Pirates runs.

Carlos Ruiz (double), Ben Revere (ground out) and Freddy Galvis (single) drove in all three Phillies runs in the fifth.

Featured Card:  Papelbon earns the first Chachi Record Breaker card for the year, which uses the same format as the original 1985 Topps set.  The back of the card would note that Papelbon now sits atop the franchise's all-time saves list with the following pitchers.

1.  Jonathan Papelbon - 113
2.  Jose Mesa - 112
3.  Steve Bedrosian - 103
4.  Mitch Williams - 102
5.  Brad Lidge - 100

Field Report:  We were there for the record setting night, and once again we upgraded our seats to Section 112 for a relatively small price.  Once again, Revere was signing autographs for fans prior to the game and my wife Jenna secured his autograph for our youngest son Ben.  Our Ben's favorite player is Revere, given that they both share the same first name.  To a five-year-old, this is more than enough to qualify as a favorite player.

My personal record improved to 2-3 for the season.

2014 Bowman Chrome #111 A.J. Burnett

Pirates 7, Phillies 2
Game 34 - Tuesday Night, May 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 11-23, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A.J. Burnett returned to Philadelphia and stymied his former team as the Pirates easily handled the Phillies, 7-2.

What It Means:  The Phils have lost four in a row and are a season high 9 1/2 games behind the first place Mets.

What Happened:  Burnett allowed just two runs (one earned) on six hits in his seven innings of work.  Through seven starts this season, Burnett is now 2-1 with a 1.60 ERA.  Sean O'Sullivan and Luis Garcia bore the brunt of the damage, allowing a combined seven runs on seven hits over six innings.

Featured Card:  If I'm not mistaken, this is Burnett's final Phillies card (as an active player), released in October 2014 right before Burnett returned to Pittsburgh as a free agent.

2015 Chachi #29 Bob McClure CO

#22

Robert Craig McClure

Pitching Coach

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  205

Born:  April 29, 1952, Oakland, CA

Home:  Stuart, FL

Teams - As Player:  Kansas City Royals 1975-1976, Milwaukee Brewers 1977-1986, Montreal Expos 1987-1988, New York Mets 1988, California Angels 1989-1991, St. Louis Cardinals 1991-1992, Florida Marlins 1993

Teams - As Coach:  Florida Marlins 1994, Kansas City Royals 2006-2011, Boston Red Sox 2012, Phillies 2014-

1976 Topps #599

2014 Chachi #29

2014 Phillies Team Issue #22

3 McClure Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #22

First Topps Base Card:  1976 Topps #599 (with Rob Dressler, Ron Guidry and Pat Zachry)
First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #29

McClure Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 5/12/15.

2015 Chachi #28 Steve Henderson CO

#5

Steven Curtis Henderson

Hitting Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  240

Born:  November 18, 1952, Houston, TX

Home:  Tampa, FL

Teams - As Player:  New York Mets 1977-1980, Chicago  Cubs 1981-1982, Seattle Mariners 1983-1984, Oakland Athletics 1985-1987, Houston Astros 1988

Teams - As Coach:  Houston Astros 1994-1996, Tampa Bay Rays 1998, 2006-2009, Phillies 2013-

1978 Topps #134

2013 Chachi #26

2013 Phillies Team Issue #5

5 Henderson Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #5
First Phillies Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #5
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #5
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #5

First Topps Base Card:  1978 Topps #134
First Chachi Base Card:  2013 Chachi #26

Henderson Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 5/12/15.

2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-13 Cody Asche

Pirates 4, Phillies 3
Game 33 - Monday Night, May 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 11-22, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies let another one get away, dropping the series opener to the Pirates, 4-3.

What It Means:  The team's poor start to the 2015 season is starting to take on historic significance as this fantastic (yet depressing) article points out on Philly.com.  The Phillies 11-22 record represents just the third time in the last 54 years they've been that bad through the first 33 games of the season.  The other miserable seasons were 1971 and 1997.  Take heart though as the 2015 Phillies are much better than their 1904 counterparts who started their season with a 6-26-1 record.

What Happened:  Grady Sizemore knocked in a few runs and Odubel Herrera hit his first Major League home run, but it wasn't enough to overcome a fine pitching performance from the Pirates Gerrit Cole.  Jerome Williams took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits in five innings of work.

Featured Card/Transaction:  Following the game, third baseman Cody Asche was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to work on his transformation to a left fielder.  Asche's move is in anticipation of Maikel Franco rejoining the team over the weekend to assume the regular third base duties.  Pitcher Sean O'Sullivan was activated from the disabled list, filling Asche's roster spot.

2015 Chachi #27 Larry Bowa CO

#10

Lawrence Robert Bowa

Bench Coach

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170

Born:  December 6, 1945, Sacramento, CA

Home:  Conshohocken, PA

Teams - As Player:  Phillies 1970-1981, Chicago Cubs 1982-1985, New York Mets 1985

Teams - As Coach:  Phillies 1988-1996, Anaheim Angels 1997-1999, Seattle Mariners 2000, New York Yankees 2006-2007, Los Angeles Dodgers 2008-2009, Phillies 2014-

Teams - As Manager:  San Diego Padres 1987-1988, Phillies 2001-2004

1970 Phillies Photocards

1970 Topps #539

2014 Chachi #27

91 Bowa Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  1970 Phillies Photocards #1
First Phillies Card:  1970 Phillies Photocards #1
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  1970 Topps #539 (with Dennis Doyle)
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  1970 Phillies Photocards #1
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #10

First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #27

Bowa Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 5/11/15.