Game 143 - Bullpen Fails Phils Yet Again

1994 Finest #416

Braves 10, Phillies 8 (Game 1 - 10 Innings)
Game 143 - Monday Afternoon, September 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-65

One Sentence Summary:  Bryce Harper hit a dramatic, game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth only to have Jose Alvarado immediately allow the go-ahead, and eventual winning run in the top of the 10th.

What It Means:  Frustrating day at work, frustrating day watching the Phillies.

What Happened:  The Phillies trailed by a score of 8-4 after six innings, and clawed back to tie the game with Harper's blast in the ninth.  Trea Turner hit a two-run home in the seventh to make it 8-6 and then Harper homered off Braves' closer Raisel Iglesias with Turner aboard to make it 8-8.  Alvarado entered in the 10th and allowed a lead off single to Kevin Pillar to score the Braves' ghost runner.  Orlando Arcia added an RBI-double to pour salt into the wound.

Prior to all of that, Taijuan Walker labored through 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five.  Andrew Bellatti gave up two home runs in his 1 2/3 innings of relief.  Alec Bohm had a huge hit in the third, tying the game at 2-2 with a two-run double.

Featured Card:  I had this game on mute on my TV as I opted to work from home today in order to save myself some commuting time.  Maybe I should have driven in?  The few parts of the game I heard were highlighted by John Kruk's commentary, and Kruk remains the only part of the television broadcast team I regularly enjoy.  My 1994 Phillies binder is open next to me, and here's Kruk's shiny card from the 1994 Finest set.

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

Braves at Phillies: September 11th to September 13th

1965 Topps #106

2023 Chachi 1965 Topps Missing Links #1

Monday 1:05 and 6:40, Tuesday and Wednesday 6:40
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The double header on Monday is a result of the rainout on June 21st.  Each game of the series has at least one theme, with theme night ticket holders entitled to special promotions, but there are no ballpark-wide giveaways.

Braves 93-49
1st Place in the N.L. East, 15 games ahead of the Phillies

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (14-11, 3.32)
TBA
Max Fried (7-1, 2.70)
Spencer Strider (16-5, 3.83)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Ronald Acuna - .336
Runs:  Ronald Acuna - 129
Home Runs:  Matt Olson - 48
RBIs:  Matt Olson - 121
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna - 64

Wins:  Spencer Strider - 16
ERA:  Charlie Morton - 3.32

Strikeouts:  Spencer Strider - 250
Saves:  Raisel Iglesias - 29

Phillies 78-64
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 15 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Taijuan Walker (15-5, 4.15)
Michael Lorenzen (3-2, 4.97)
Zack Wheeler (11-6, 3.49)
Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.26)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .294
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 95
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 43
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 94
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 28

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 15
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.49

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 192
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 22

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

Game 142 - Phils Waste Ranger's Gem, Lose Miserably

2022 Topps Now #1144

Marlins 5, Phillies 4
Game 142 - Sunday Afternoon, September 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-64, 2nd Place, 15 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  It was smooth sailing through six innings, but then the wheels came off and the offense couldn't string together clutch hits as the Marlins stunned the Phillies in this 5-4 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies hold a two-game lead on the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot, as the first place Braves come to town beginning tomorrow for a crucial four-game series.

What Happened:  In the second inning, Trea Turner connected on the first pitch he saw for a two-run home run, and Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run, his 43rd, in the third inning.  Ranger Suarez was in complete control, allowing no hits through the first six innings and baffling the Marlins' batters.  In the seventh, with one out, Bryan De La Cruz walked and Dane Myers doubled to center, ending the no-hit bid.  Yuli Gurriel doubled them both home, cutting the lead to 3-2 Phillies, and chasing Suarez from the game.  Matt Strahm entered and allowed a game-tying single to Nick Fortes.

In the eighth, Seranthony Dominguez's struggles continued as he allowed a two-run home run to De La Cruz.  The Phillies' offense had their chances, leaving 10 runners on base and going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  Suarez has had surprisingly few baseball cards the past few years, which I guess is the fate of the team's fourth (or fifth) starting pitcher.  This is the only Topps Now card he's appeared on the past two seasons, highlighting his performance in last year's World Series Game 3.

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

Game 141 - Marsh's Clutch Double Leads to Big Win

2023 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club

Phillies 8, Marlins 4
Game 141 - Saturday Night, September 9th in Philadelphia
Record - 78-63, 2nd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Brandon Marsh cleared the bases with a 3-run double in the fifth inning, giving his team the insurance runs needed for this big win.

What It Means:  With the Cubs losing on Saturday, the Phillies are now four games ahead of them in the loss column for the top Wild Card spot.  The Phillies will try for the series win this afternoon, weather permitting.

What Happened:  The Phillies offense unloaded on Marlins' starter Johnny Cueto in the second inning, scoring five runs.  Nick Castellanos, dropped to eighth in the batting order, started the scoring with a two-run double.  Kyle Schwarber then hit a three-run home run, his 42nd of the season, to give the Phillies a 5-0 lead.  Aaron Nola's struggles continued.  He was charged with four runs in the top of the fifth, and was chased from the game after 4 1/3 innings.  Nola struck out six, but allowed four runs on seven hits.

With the game close at 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Marsh lined a double to right field, scoring Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott and giving the Phillies a much-needed cushion.  The bullpen did its job the rest of the way, with Jeff Hoffman earning the win after pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  The Phillies Kids Club cards are still available at the ballpark to club members, but they're completely out of the Phanatic card from the set.  I'd predict the Harper card will be the next to run out.  This is Marsh's card from the 12-card stadium exclusive set.

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

1994 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  For the sixth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  The card backs also feature the club's 1993 N.L. Champions logo.  From this point forward (as of this writing), the Phillies team issued sets have been sponsor-less.  Medford Food Company sponsored its third and final set in 1993.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  A ten-card update series was produced and sold at the ballpark in the second half of the season, before the player's strike ended the season prematurely on August 11th.  The update series is fairly difficult to track down.  I attended a few games at the Vet that July, adding the set to my collection.  The Phillies played on only 19 days following the All-Star break and before the strike, meaning the set was on sale for only a short time.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards): 

1. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP) 2. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 3. Larry Bowa (#2 - Third Base Coach)      4. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF) 5. Norm Charlton (#37 - LHP) 6. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 7. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 8. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF) 9. Jim Eisenreich (#8 - OF) 10. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 11. Tyler Green (#28 - RHP) 12. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP)

13. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 14. Pete Incaviglia (#22 - OF) 15. Danny Jackson (#27 - LHP) 16. Doug Jones (#23 - RHP)* 17. Ricky Jordan (#17 - 1B) 18. Jeff Juden (#43 - RHP) 19. John Kruk (#29 - 1B) 20. Tony Longmire (#16 - OF) 21. Roger Mason (#48 - RHP) 22. Denis Menke (#14 - Hitting Instructor)      23. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 24. Bobby Munoz (#35 - RHP)

25. Johnny Podres (#46 - Pitching Coach) 26. Todd Pratt (#6 - Catcher) 27. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 28. Mel Roberts (#26 - First Base Coach) 29. Mike Ryan (#9 - Bullpen Coach) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Heathcliff Slocumb (#51 - RHP) 32. Kevin Stocker (#19 - INF) 33. Milt Thompson (#25 - OF) 34. John Vukovich (#18 - Dugout Assistant)      35. David West (#40 - LHP) 36. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Toby Borland (#42 - RHP)      2. Andy Carter (#50 - LHP) 3. Billy Hatcher (#3 - OF) 4. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C)

5. Tom Marsh (#21 - OF) 6. Paul Quantrill (#48 - RHP)        7. Randy Ready (#31 - INF)

8. Fernando Valenzuela (#33 - LHP)      9. Phillie Phanatic 10. 1994 Phillies All-Stars

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Carter

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (12):  Borland, Charlton, Hatcher, Jones, Juden, Lieberthal, Longmire, Marsh, Munoz, Quantrill, Slocumb, Valenzuela
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (24):  Andersen, Batiste, Chamberlain, Daulton, Duncan, Dykstra, Eisenreich, Green, Greene, Hollins, Incaviglia, Jackson, Jordan, Kruk, Mason, Morandini, Pratt, Ready, Rivera, Schilling, Stocker, Thompson, West, Williams

*The Jones card in the original 36-card set erroneously lists his date of birth of January 2, 1972.  This was corrected with a second Jones card (with an identical photo) issued with the update set.

Andy Carter's only Phillies baseball card can be found within the update set.  

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown atop the Phillies dugout, wearing his blue hat which was briefly introduced at certain home games during the 1994 season.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A
Other Cards (1):  1994 Phillies All-Stars, featuring Vukovich, Fregosi, Podres, Dykstra, Jones, Jackson and Duncan.

Set Composition:  The entire 25-man opening day roster made it into the set, with the exception of outfielder Tom Marsh, who didn't get a card until the update set was released.  Also appearing in the original set were John Kruk, Norm Charlton, Wes Chamberlain and Larry Andersen, who all began the season on the Disabled List.  Charlton would miss the entire season.  The oft-injured Tyler Green got a card too, but he spent the entire season with the Triple-A Red Barons.

The eight players included in the update set were added to the roster between opening day (Marsh) and June 29th (Mike Lieberthal), meaning the update set was likely released shortly after the All-Star break.  Fernando Valenzuela looks as if he was asked to put on a uniform for the sole purpose of letting the Phillies take pictures.

Omissions:  Shawn Boskie, who pitched in 18 games for the Phillies in 1994, is the big omission here.  Boskie was added too late for inclusion in the original set, as the Phillies acquired him from the Cubs on April 12th for Kevin Foster.  He could have been added to the update set, as he was with the club and active up until his trade to the Mariners on July 21st.  Boskie was included within the Mellon Bank Phillies SGA set, given away to all kids attending the June 26th game.  There are four other players who appeared with the Phillies during the strike-shortened season who didn't get team-issued photo cards:  Tom Quinlan, on the roster for 45 days in May and June, Bob Wells, Ricky Bottalico and Tom Edens, who was acquired from the Astros a few weeks before the end of the season.

Variations/Rarities:  In the comments to the original post for this set, fellow Phillies collector Rick  pointed out the following non-set cards/variations.  Rick also adds some of the popular players (including John Kruk) had cards issued including a facsimile autograph.

1. Dick Allen (with 1994 copyright) 2. Doug Jones (corrected birthday of 6/24/57)

Trivia:  The Beckett database lists the set as "1994 Phillies Medford" even though Medford Food Company was not the sponsor of this set.  The listing also omits the ten card update set.  The set's listing in the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists the set as "1994 Phillies Photocards" and includes only the base 36 cards.

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1995 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Game 140 - Bullpen Can't Keep Fish Down

2020 Topps #675

Marlins 3, Phillies 2
Game 140 - Friday Night, September 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 77-63, 2nd Place, 15 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Seranthony Dominguez and Matt Strahm surrendered late inning home runs to the Marlins and the Phillies' offense was mostly quiet throughout this 3-2 loss.

What It Means:  This is a fairly crucial series, and the Phillies lead over the Marlins in the Wild Card race slipped to four games with the defeat.

What Happened:  The Phillies scored in the first (Trea Turner solo home run) and in the third (Bryce Harper RBI single) and then was shut down throughout the rest of the game.  Cristopher Sanchez cruised through five innings, striking out four, and was unfortunately removed in the sixth in favor of Dominguez.  Dominguez allowed a single and then a game-tying two-run home run to pinch-hitter Jesus Sanchez.  Strahm gave up a solo home run to the light-hitting Jacob Stallings to begin the seventh inning, giving the Marlins the lead and the eventual win.

Featured Card:  David Robertson, acquired by the Marlins at the trade deadline, has been demoted from his closer's role after a rough start with his new team.  He pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and came away with the win.

Field Report:  Doug and I went to this game, and it was a hot one.  The highlight by far was the new turkey gobbler sandwich, now available at Bull's BBQ presumably throughout the remainder of the season.  Bull's has changed up its menu throughout the summer and while Doug was sad to see the street corn offering go, the turkey gobbler was a welcome addition.  The game itself was meh.

Transaction:  Trea Turner (ss) was activated from the Paternity List and Weston Wilson (inf) was sent back down to Lehigh Valley.

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

Marlins at Phillies: September 8th to September 10th

2023 Chachi Series Previews #7

2023 Chachi 1965 Topps Missing Links #15

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  It's PEANUTS night at the ballpark, with holders of a special themed ticket receiving a Peppermint Patty Phillies bobble head.  Tomorrow night, the Phillies host their annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Night.  On Sunday, all kids 14 and under will receive a Phillies drawstring cooler bag.

Marlins 72-68
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 19 1/2 games behind the Braves

Marlins Probables
Eury Perez (5-4, 2.86)
Johnny Cueto (1-3, 5.54)
TBA

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Luis Arraez - .353
Runs:  Jorge Soler - 71
Home Runs:  Jorge Soler - 35
RBIs:  Bryan De La Cruz and Jorge Soler - 71
Stolen Bases:  Jazz Chisolm - 19

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo - 9
ERA:  Jesus Luzardo - 3.59
Strikeouts:  Jesus Luzardo - 181
Saves:  A.J. Puk - 15

Phillies 77-62
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 14 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.48)
Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.55)
Ranger Suarez (2-6, 3.91)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryson Stott - .294
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 92
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 41
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 90
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 27

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.62

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 185
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 22

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

Game 139 - Schwarber's Homer Supports Wheeler's Win

2023 Topps Home Run
Challenge #HRC-19

Phillies 5, Padres 1
Game 139 - Thursday Afternoon, September 6th in San Diego
Record - 77-62, 2nd Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Another lead-off home run from Kyle Schwarber and a solid pitching performance from Zack Wheeler led to this 5-1 win over the Padres.

What It Means:  The Phillies took the series in San Diego, and following a Thursday off day will open a weekend series against the surging Marlins back at home.  Miami has won six in a row through Wednesday.

What Happened:  Wheeler won his 11th game, allowing just a single in six innings of work while striking out seven.  Schwarber's 41st home run of the year set the tone for the game, and gave the Phillies a quick 1-0 lead.  The newly clean-shaven Bryce Harper added an RBI-double in the fourth and J.T. Realmuto hit a solo home run in the fifth.  Jake Cave capped the scoring for the day with an RBI single, also in the fifth, putting the Phillies up, 5-0.  Seranthony Dominguez and Jeff Hoffman both pitched two scoreless innings of relief, and Matt Strahm allowed a ninth-inning run before closing out the game.

Featured Card:  Schwarber's home run to lead off the game was his 10th leadoff home run of the season, breaking the Phillies single-season record of nine set by Jimmy Rollins in 2007.  The card shown here entered my collection as part of a 2023 Topps Series Two master team set I purchased on eBay, and perhaps if I reveal the code on the back, and win, I could retire to my own personal island.

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

Game 138 - Padres Crush Phils

1993 Fleer #518

Padres 8, Phillies 0
Game 138 - Late Tuesday Night, September 5th in San Diego
Record - 76-62, 2nd Place, 14 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Padres hit Phillies' starter Michael Lorenzen hard, and the offense managed three hits in this forgettable shutout loss.

What It Means:  Fortunately the game started too late for many fans to witness this debacle or have their nights ruined by a bad game.

What Happened:   Lorenzen lasted six innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and three walks.  He struck out only one batter.  Dylan Covey absorbed the final two innings, allowing one more Padres run.  Padres' starter Pedro Avila baffled the Phillies' line-up, allowing two hits in his 6 2/3 innings.  The Phillies collected singles from Brandon Marsh, Jake Cave and Edmundo Sosa and Nick Castellanos grounded into three double plays.

Featured Card:  My goal to catalog my Phillies baseball card collection over at TCDB.com is progressing slowly along, and I'll next turn my attention to my 1993 Phillies binder.  This 1993 Fleer card of current Phillies broadcaster is one of the cards in my 1993 Phillies binder, as the former Padres pitcher rejoined the Phillies prior to the 1993 season.

Transaction:  Trea Turner (ss) was placed on the Paternity List, and Weston Wilson (inf) was recalled from Lehigh Valley.  Turner is expected to rejoin the team on Friday.

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

Game 137 - Offense Provides Enough Cushion for Bullpen

2022 Bowman Heritage #84

Phillies 9, Padres 7
Game 137 - Monday Night, September 4th in San Diego
Record - 76-61, 2nd Place, 14 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense scored often and early and the Phillies bullpen squashed a late comeback attempt by the Padres in this 9-7 win.

What It Means:  Where did the summer go?

What Happened:  Taijuan Walker was the beneficiary again of the run support, as he won his team-leading 15th game.  Walker battled through five innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks.  Craig Kimbrel and Jose Alvarado made it interesting in the end, walking a combined four batters over the final two innings but not allowing any runs.  Alvarado earned his seventh save.

Edmundo Sosa, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber all homered in the win.  Alec Bohm plated three in the first with a bases-clearing double and Cristian Pache added an RBI triple in the third to make it 7-1 Phillies.  Sosa's RBI double drove home Pache and gave the Phillies a 8-1 lead that seemed, and fortunately proved to be, insurmountable.  Bohm had three hits and Bryson Stott tallied a four-hit day, raising his average from .289 to .294 over the course of the game.

Featured Card:  Stott gets the card here for his 4 for 5 day, although Bohm, Turner and Sosa all had multi-RBI performances.  As of this writing, Stott is leading the Phillies with a 4.3 bWAR mark.  Topps has decreased its unique, non-parallel set output again this year, so I've not added as many Phillies baseball cards to my collection in 2023 as I have in years' past.  Here's a 2022 Bowman Heritage card that's 2022 in name only, as it was released in March 2023.

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

1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  45
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  For the fifth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company was in the third year of its sponsorship of the set.  Size-wise, the cards lost an eighth of an inch with this set, settling into the 4" x 6" size that has been used for each team-issued photo card set produced by the Phillies as of this writing.

I always thought this was one of the weakest of the team issued sets from the 1990s, and it's a shame since the 1993 squad is really the only team from the 1990s worth remembering.  Some of the cards suffer from strange cropping, dark backgrounds and/or blurry photos.

How Distributed:  As originally detailed in this post from March 2013, the original 35-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium through at least early August.  A five-card update set was available for sale at some point during the second half of the season.  A second 36-card set was sold at the ballpark late in the season which included a Bobby Thigpen card and four photo variations of players included within the original 35-card set.  This second set would have been sold at The Vet at some point after Thigpen's acquisition from the White Sox on August 10th.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards): 

1. Kyle Abbott (#37 - LHP) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP) 4. Bob Ayrault (#53 - RHP) 5. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 6. Juan Bell (#24 - INF) 7. Larry Bowa (#2 - Third Base Coach) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF) 9. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 10. Jose DeLeon (#50 - RHP) 11. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 12. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF)

13. Jim Eisenreich (#8 - OF) 14. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 15. Tyler Green (#28 - RHP) 16. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP) 17. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 18. Pete Incaviglia (#22 - OF) 19. Danny Jackson (#27 - LHP) 20. Ricky Jordan (#17 - 1B) 21. John Kruk (#29 - 1B-OF) 22. Denis Menke (#14 - Hitting Instructor) 23. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 24. Terry Mulholland (#45 - LHP)

25. Johnny Podres (#46 - Pitching Coach) 26. Todd Pratt (#23 - C) 27. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 28. Mel Roberts (#26 - First Base Coach) 29. Mike Ryan (#9 - Bullpen Coach) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Milt Thompson (#25 - OF) 32. John Vukovich (#18 - Dugout Assistant) 33. David West (#40 - LHP) 34. Mitch Williams (#99 - LHP) 35. Phillie Phanatic

Complete First Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Jeff Manto (#30 - INF-C) 2. Roger Mason (#48 - RHP) 3. Kevin Stocker (#19 - INF)

4. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)          5. 1993 Phillies All-Stars

Complete Second Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Darren Daulton (dugout background) 2. Tommy Greene (dugout background) 3. Mickey Morandini (dugout background)

4. Bobby Thigpen (#37 - RHP) 5. Mitch Williams (bright background)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0):  N/A

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (13):  Bell, DeLeon, Eisenreich, Green, Incaviglia, Jackson, Manto, Mason, Pratt, Stocker, Thigpen, West, Mike Williams
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (23):  Abbott, Amaro, Andersen, Ayrault, Batiste, Chamberlain, Daulton (x 2), Duncan, Dykstra, Greene (x 2), Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Morandini (x 2), Mulholland, Rivera, Schilling, Thompson, Mitch Williams (x 2)

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown walking on the field with the green and black Veterans Stadium outfield wall behind him.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A
Other Cards (1):  1993 Phillies All-Stars, featuring Mulholland, Daulton, Fregosi, Kruk and Hollins.

Set Composition:  The original 35-card set includes the entire 25-man opening day roster and adds cards for Kyle Abbott and Ruben Amaro.  Amaro would be called up in mid-June, but Abbott would spend the entire season pitching in the minors.  The four players added to the first update set first appeared with the Phillies between mid-May and early July, with Kevin Stocker being the newest member of the bunch having been recalled on July 7th.

As mentioned above, the second update set only included one new player - Bobby Thigpen.  The reliever was acquired from the White Sox on August 10th in exchange for Jose DeLeon.

Omissions:  Early season roster additions who could have made an appearance in the first update set include Mark Davis, Doug Lindsey, Tim Mauser and Joe Millette.  All spent time with the club prior to Stocker's debut.  Joining the club prior to Thigpen's acquisition, but omitted from the second update set was Paul Fletcher, but he pitched in just one game.  September additions left out entirely were Tony Longmire, Donn Pall, Kevin Foster and Brad Brink.

Variations/Rarities:   Comments on earlier posts and e-mails from fellow collectors have led me to the six cards listed below, which I'm calling Non-Set Variations.  How and why these cards were created and issued is still unknown to me, although it's possible the Mike Schmidt card was created for the Annual Phillies ALS Charity Event, held on August 2nd.  Then again, the card comes with a printed black facsimile autograph, so it's doubtful it would have been created for Schmidt to add his actual signature.

Dale Murphy was released by the Phillies on April 3, 1993.  I originally thought the Davis and Mauser cards would have been created for the ALS event, but Davis was released on July 2nd and Mauser was traded to the Padres for Mason on July 3rd, a month before the cards would have been needed had both players still been with the team.

Non-Set Cards 1. Mark Davis 2. Tim Mauser 3. Dale Murphy

4. Dickie Noles (Blue Cross Blue Shield logo on back)   5. Mike Schmidt (with black facsimile autograph) 6. Kevin Stocker (running)

Also See:  1993 Topps Phillies; 1993 Medford Phillies Variations (March 2013) and Update (April 2013)

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

1992 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1994 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Game 136 - Bohm and J.T. Go Back-to-Back in Win

2023 Topps #293

Phillies 4, Brewers 2
Game 136 - Sunday Afternoon, September 3rd in Milwaukee
Record - 75-61, 2nd Place, 15 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto hit back-to-back home runs to open the seventh inning, providing the margin of victory needed in this 4-2 defeat of the Brewers.

What It Means:  The Phillies avoided the sweep in Milwaukee and now head to San Diego for a three-game series against a disappointing Padres squad.  We opted to listen to this game on radio, rather than subscribe to Peacock for the afternoon, where the game was being exclusively broadcast.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez made his first start since mid-August, lasting only four innings and allowing a pair of home runs.  In the sixth, Nick Castellanos doubled home Kyle Schwarber for the Phillies' first run of the game.  Bohm and Realmuto tied and then took the lead with their blasts to start the seventh.  Trea Turner added an insurance run later in the inning with an RBI-single.  The bullpen kept the Brewers from scoring over the final five innings, with Craig Kimbrel picking up his 22nd save.

Featured Card:  Realmuto continues to swing a hot bat, following up his performance in August (.288 average, .813 OPS) by batting .444 (4 for 9) with a pair of home runs so far in September.  Here's his card from this year's Topps flagship set.

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Phillies at Padres: September 4th to September 6th

1965 Topps #225

2014 Topps Heritage #193

Monday 6:40, Tuesday 9:40 and Wednesday 4:10
Petco Park - San Diego, CA

At the Ballpark:  On Tuesday, the first 40,000 fans through the gates at Petco Park will receive a Fernando Tatis, Jr. bobblehead.

Phillies 75-61
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 15 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Taijuan Walker (14-5, 4.05)
Michael Lorenzen (3-1, 4.22)
Zack Wheeler (10-6, 3.62)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .298
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 87
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 39
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 88
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott and Trea Turner - 25

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.62

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 185
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 22

Padres 65-73
4th Place in the N.L. West, 20 games behind the Dodgers

Padres Probables
Rich Hill (0-3, 8.50)
Pedro Avila (0-2, 2.67)
Michael Wacha (11-2, 2.85)

Padres Leaders
Average:  Ha-Seong Kim .275
Runs:  Ha-Seong Kim and Fernando Tatis - 77
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 28
RBIs:  Juan Soto - 84
Stolen Bases:  Ha-Seong Kim - 31

Wins:  Blake Snell - 12
ERA:  Blake Snell - 2.50
Strikeouts:  Blake Snell - 201
Saves:  Josh Hader - 28

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Game 135 - Nola Brewed by Crew in Loss

1992 Fleer #191

Brewers 7, Phillies 5
Game 135 - Saturday Night, September 2nd in Milwaukee
Record - 74-61, 2nd Place, 16 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was hit often and hard in this 7-5 loss to the Brewers.

What It Means:  Nola's inconsistent season continued, and this was his worst start of the year.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in top of the second following another lead-off home run from Kyle Schwarber in he first, and a solo home run from J.T. Realmuto in the second.  Nola's troubles began in the bottom of the second when he allowed three Brewers runs.  He worked a quick third and fourth innings and then ran into serious trouble in the fifth, with a two-run home run from Carlos Santana followed quickly by an RBI double from Mark Canha chasing him from the game.  The Phillies would score three more times, highlighted by a Trea Turner solo home run in the sixth, but the deficit caused by Nola was too much to overcome.

Featured Card:  I just finished inputting all 705 cards within my 1992 Phillies binder into my collection over at TCDB.com, which included this card of Dale Sveum, who joined the team before the 1992 season.  This is one of 11 total Sveum cards in my collection, which ranks me 828th among all Sveum collectors at TCDB.com.  I don't see my Sveum ranking improving any time soon.

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Game 134 - Bohm's Costly Error Costs Phils the Win

2018 Topps Update #US125

Brewers 7, Phillies 5
Game 134 - Friday Night, September 1st in Milwaukee
Record - 74-60, 2nd Place, 15 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  This game took two dramatic turns - one great, one horrible - in this 7-5 loss to the Brewers.

What It Means:  The Phillies are 4 1/2 games ahead in the Wild Card race, and 2 1/2 games up on the second Wild Card team, the Cubs.  They'll try to rebound against the first place Brewers on Saturday night.

What Happened:  Kyle Schwarber hit his 38th home run to lead off the top of the first, and then the Phillies weren't able to push across any more runs until the eighth inning.  Zack Wheeler pitched six innings, striking out 10, but he allowed a big three-run home run to Willy Adames in the sixth before departing.  With All-Star closer Devin Williams on the mound attempting a four-out save, and two runners on, Trea Turner hit a three-run home run to left, giving the Phillies an improbable 5-3 lead.  It was Turner's 20th home run of the season.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jose Alvarado allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases.  He walked a run home, cutting the lead to a run, before yielding to Jeff Hoffman.  With two outs, Owen Miller grounded a ball to the right of third baseman Alec Bohm that went by Bohm and into left field, scoring three runs.  The Brewers took a 7-5 lead, and the good vibes resulting from Turner's home run were gone.

Featured Card:  This was a mess of a game, and the first (mostly) full game I've watched since we returned from vacation.  I'll give the featured card to current Brewers' first baseman Carlos Santana, who was a Phillies Room Favorite during his one season with the club in 2018.

Transactions:  With active rosters expanding to 28 players on September 1st, the Phillies activated Ranger Suarez (lhp) and Cristian Pache (of) from the Injured List.

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Game 133 - Harper Hits 300th Career Home Run; Kimbrel Spoils It

Angels 10, Phillies 8
Game 133 - Wednesday Afternoon, August 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 74-59, 2nd Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Braves

Second Summer Sabbatical Game Recap Catch-Up Post 10 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Bryce Harper hit his 300th career home run in dramatic fashion, but Craig Kimbrel once again blew it in this disheartening 10-8 loss to the Angels.

What It Means:  This would be the first of two heartbreaking losses for the Phillies, with the second painful loss coming up on Friday night.

What Happened:  The two teams battled throughout this game.  The Phillies tied the score at 2-2 in the second inning with RBIs from Johan Rojas and Garrett Stubbs.  With the Angels holding a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth, Trea Turner once again came through, hitting a three-run home run give the Phillies a 6-5 lead.  The Angels charged back in the eighth off relievers Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez.  Soto issued a pair of walks and Dominguez allowed a two-run single to Hunter Renfroe to put the Angels on top, 7-6.  In the eighth, Harper connected for his 300th career home run, and with Kyle Schwarber aboard, the Phillies had an 8-7 lead.  All-Star closer Kimbrel entered to attempt his 22nd save.

The wheels came off for Kimbrel in the ninth, as the Angels tied the game with a sacrifice fly and took the lead on a two-run home run from Brandon Drury.  It was Kimbrel's third blown save of the season.

Featured Card:  Harper earns a special highlight card for his milestone home run, and I plan on making similar cards to celebrate his 400th and 500th dingers.  The home run came off former Phillies pitcher Matt Moore, with former Phillies prospect Logan O'Hoppe behind the plate.

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2023 Chachi #54 Trea Turner HL / 2023 Chachi #56

Game 132 - Bohm, Phillies Offense Stays Red Hot

2023 Topps Big League #110

Phillies 12, Angels 7
Game 132 - Tuesday Night, August 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 74-58, 2nd Place, 12 1/2 games behind the Braves

Second Summer Sabbatical Game Recap Catch-Up Post 9 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense stayed hot, plating 12 runs on 13 hits in this 12-7 win over the Angels.

What It Means:  The win streak reached (and would stop) at five with this victory.  The Phillies took their second of three games from the Angels, but the sweep would elude them on Wednesday thanks to another rough spell from the bullpen.  

What Happened:  The game should have been more of a blowout, if not for three Phillies errors and a shaky ninth inning in which the Angels scored twice off Andrew Bellatti.  Michael Lorenzen earned the win, allowing four runs (three earned) over six innings, while striking out five.  Trea Turner stayed hot, hitting a two-run triple in the sixth and a solo home run in the eighth.  Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott joined Turner in the home run parade.

Shohei Ohtani was 3 for 5 with a pair of RBIs for the Angels, while Logan O'Hoppe and Mickey Moniak were a combined 0 for 6.

Featured Card:  Bohm was 2 for 3 with three RBIs in this game, including a big three-run home run in the sixth that gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead.  This is his card from the Topps Big League set, released in late March.

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Game 131 - Turner Homers Twice in Win Over Halos

2023 Topps Now World
Baseball Classic #WBC-60

Phillies 6, Angels 4
Game 131 - Monday Night, August 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 73-58, 2nd Place, 12 1/2 games behind the Braves

Second Summer Sabbatical Game Recap Catch-Up Post 8 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Trea Turner homered twice as the Phillies took down the reeling Angels in this 6-4 victory.

What It Means:  Mike Trout is hurt again, and Shohei Ohtani is limited to DH'ing due to an elbow injury that will require offseason Tommy John surgery.  With Ohtani entering free agency following the season, it's fun to daydream about the Angels possibly making Trout available to teams via a trade.  I don't know how it would work, and how he would fit into the Phillies' line-up, but I'd love to see Trout in red pinstripes before his career ends.

What Happened:  Every time the Angels scored, the Phillies answered in the bottom half of the inning.  In the first, Turner tied the game at one with his 16th home run of the season.  In the fourth, after the Angels had scored twice in the top of the inning, Bryce Harper connected for a two-run home run.  The Phillies scored two more runs in the fifth on Turner's second home run, a two-run shot.  They added an insurance run in the eighth on former Angel Brandon Marsh's RBI single.  Taijuan Walker allowed three runs in his 5 2/3 innings, earning his team-leading 14th win of the season.

Angels' center fielder Mickey Moniak went 3 for 4 with an RBI single and a triple.

Featured Card:  Turner was the star of Team USA during the World Baseball Classic, and his hitting during the exhibition series earned him four different Topps Now cards.  It seems as if that WBC-version of Turner is back, as he's been scorching hot at the plate throughout August.

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Game 130 - Nola Shuts Down Cards, Completing Sweep

2023 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club

Phillies 3, Cardinals 0
Game 130 - Sunday Afternoon, August 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 72-58, 2nd Place, 12 1/2 games behind the Braves

Second Summer Sabbatical Game Recap Catch-Up Post 7 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola, Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel combined for this two-hit shutout of the Cardinals, as the Phillies completed the three-game sweep.

What It Means:  The plummeting Cardinals were outscored 22-3 in this weekend series.

What Happened:  Nola won his 12th game, allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out nine.  Alvarado pitched a scoreless eighth, and Kimbrel closed it out for his 20th save.  Kyle Schwarber launched the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the first into center field for his 36th home run.  Trea Turner contributed a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Bryce Harper added an RBI single in the seventh.

Featured Card:  Nola notched his 1,554th career strikeout in this game, moving him into a tie for fifth place on the team's all-time leaderboard.  His next strikeout will pass Curt Schilling on that list, and he may pass Chris Short this season, who is fourth on the list with 1,585.  The top three are still a ways off for Nola - Cole Hamels (1,844), Robin Roberts (1,871) and Steve Carlton (3,031).  This is Nola's card from the ballpark-exclusive Phillies Kids Club set, and we completed the full 12-card set on our last ballpark visit before our Disney trip.

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