1985 Game 12 - 1985 Topps #235 Garry Maddox

Phillies 9, Expos 1
Game 12 - Monday Afternoon, April 22nd in Montreal
Record - 4-8, Tied for 5th Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Juan Samuel, Garry Maddox and Von Hayes each enjoyed three-hit games with Shane Rawley and the bullpen pitching effectively in this 9-1 win over the Expos.

What It Means:  The winning streak was up to three games as the Phillies scored nine runs or more for the second day in a row.  Maybe it was just a scheduling quirk, but the Phillies played three weekday afternoon games in Montreal for some reason, starting with this game.  Only 6,249 souls witnessed this Monday afternoon game in person inside Olympic Stadium.

What Happened:  Maddox got the rare start in center with Hayes switching over to left.  This was to be Maddox's last full season playing and he broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth with a two-run double.  He'd add an RBI single in the eighth.  Hayes' three hits were all singles and he'd drive in four runs.  Glenn Wilson hit a two-run home run off future Phillie Dan Schatzeder in the eighth.  Mike Schmidt doubled to raise his average to .132.

Shane Rawley picked up his second win of the season, allowing a solo home run to Andre Dawson in his 5 2/3 innings of work.

I'm very familiar with most of the names appearing in these boxscores, but the name of the first Expos reliever in this game was unfamiliar to me.  Rick Grapenthin appeared in 19 games for the Expos between 1983 and 1985, going 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA.  He never appeared on a mainstream baseball card, which is probably why I hadn't heard of him before.

Featured Card:  Maddox was released following the season but resigned with the Phillies less than a month later.  In 1986, his bad back limited him to just six games before he announced his retirement in May.  Maddox finished with 1,803 career hits and he'd be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2001.

1985 Game 11 - 1985 Tastykake Phillies #12 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 10, Mets 6
Game 11 - Sunday Afternoon, April 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 3-8, Tied for 5th Place, 5 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Glenn Wilson had a big day at the plate, hitting his first home run of the season and driving in three runs as the Phillies defeated the Mets, 10-6.

What It Means:  The boxscore headline describes the win as a bombardment, which is probably a little too favorable.  Still, the win gave the Phillies a modest two-game win streak and knocked the Mets out of sole possession of first place.  Following the game, the team would head to Montreal for a three-game set with the Expos.

And little did I know at the time, but 25 years after this game was played, our youngest son Ben would be born.

What Happened:  After a dominating performance in his prior outing, Jerry Koosman couldn't escape the third inning against his former team.  Kevin Gross turned in an effective long relief outing, giving up a run over 4 1/3 innings.  Kent Tekulve made his Phillies debut and pitched two scoreless innings.

The Phillies offense produced 13 hits, their best showing of the season so far.  Wilson and Juan Samuel homered off Mets' starting pitcher Ron Darling.  In a four-run seventh, Ozzie Virgil and Wilson contributed back-to-back RBI singles and pinch-hitter Greg Gross brought them both home with a double.

Featured Card:  It was the first Sunday home game, and all kids 14 and under attending the game received a set of Tastykake player photo cards.  This was a 47-card set and I summarized the set and its checklist with a post a few years ago here.  The set contains the only Phillies cards issued for pitchers Pat Zachry and Rich Surhoff.

Here's the complete fourth page from my 1985 Phillies Scrapbook.  On to page five tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Ben!

And just like that, our youngest son Ben is 10!  It's going to be a little different this year as we won't be able to get together with family and friends to open presents and share cake, but we'll still make Ben's day today as special as possible.  We've also promised some sort of blow-out celebration once everything is finally back to normal.

Ben continues to amaze us.  He's intelligent, funny, crafty, curious and kind.  He started taking piano lessons this year, and he's already very impressive.  I love hearing him practice piano and it's wonderful that technology allows him to continue with virtual piano lessons.  Tennis and swimming are on hold for now, but he still plans to start working on his garden soon.  When he's not playing piano, riding his bike or somehow accumulating more stuff in his extremely messy room, he's busy playing Roblox.  He's a great kid and I'm so proud of him.

Happy birthday Ben!

Memory Lane

2010 - Welcome Ben!

2010 - Ben is born, Roy Halladay wins, all is right with the world

2011 - Ben turns one as Roy Oswalt pitches the Phillies past the Padres

2012 - Happy 2nd Birthday Ben!

2013 - Happy 3rd Birthday Ben!
2014 - Ben is Four!
2015 - Ben is Five!
2016 - Ben and Chewbacca
2017 - Ben is Seven!
2018 - Ben is Eight!
2019 - Ben at the Grand Canyon
2020 - Ben is Ten! (Social distancing version)

1985 Game 10 - 1985 Donruss #624 Jeff Stone

Phillies 7, Mets 6
Game 10 - Saturday Afternoon, April 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 2-8, 6th Place, 6 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jeff Stone drove in five runs as the Phillies squeaked by the first place Mets, 7-6.

What It Means:  This was the Phillies' second win in their first 10 games, and they nearly gave it away.  With the tying run on first base and nobody out in the top of the ninth, Larry Andersen induced a ground ball out and then struck out Wally Backman and Mookie Wilson to end the game.

What Happened:  Stone and Von Hayes hit back-to-back home runs off Ed Lynch in the third to tie the game at three.  Stone struck again with a three-run home run in the fourth followed by an RBI double from Mike Schmidt a few batters later.  John Denny pitched into the ninth before running into trouble and getting relieved by Andersen.

Featured Card:  Stone went 3 for 4 with 5 RBIS and two runs scored in his big game.  As the Phillies regular left fielder, Stone was batting .314 through the first 10 games of the season.

Transaction:  In a transaction that absolutely thrilled me, and as announced shortly after this game ended, the Phillies traded reliever Al Holland and minor leaguer Frankie Griffin to the Pirates for their long-time closer Kent Tekulve.  Tekulve had always been one of my favorite players, and the thought of him in maroon pinstripes had me giddy at the time.  Tekulve was excited for the deal, but Holland was not according to media reports.

In announcing the trade, club President Bill Giles noted that Holland was in the last year of his contract and the team had decided not to extend him.  When asked if he was bitter about the trade, Holland's quote was, "No comment."

Tekulve would be a fantastic reliever for the Phillies for 3 1/2 seasons, departing following the 1988 season for the Reds.  Holland would appear in 38 games for the Pirates, pitching relatively well, before being dealt in August with John Candelaria and George Hendrick to the Angels.

1985 Topps Traded #117T

1985 Topps Traded #55T

1983 TCMA Reading Phillies #6

Here's the updated 25-man Phillies roster following the trade:

Starting pitchers (4) - Steve Carlton, John Denny, Jerry Koosman, Shane Rawley
Relief pitchers (6) - Larry Andersen, Don Carman, Kevin Gross, Charles Hudson, Kent Tekulve, Pat Zachry
Catchers (3) - Darren Daulton, Ozzie Virgil, John Wockenfuss
Infielders (6) - Luis Aguayo, Kiko Garcia, Steve Jeltz, John Russell, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt
Outfielders (6) - Tim Corcoran, Greg Gross, Von Hayes, Garry Maddox, Jeff Stone, Glenn Wilson
Disabled List (2) - Bo Diaz, Joe Lefebvre

1985 Game 9 - 1985 Fleer #250 Bo Diaz

Mets 1, Phillies 0
Game 9 - Friday Night, April 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 1-8, 6th Place, 7 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Reigning Rookie of the Year Dwight Gooden dominated the Phillies lineup, outdueling Steve Carlton in the process, as the Mets clipped the Phils, 1-0.

What It Means:  This was the first of four meetings in 1985 between Gooden and the Phillies.  He'd go 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA over 31 innings pitched, striking out 35 to just 7 walks.  This was his only appearance in 1985 at The Vet as his other three starts against the Phillies were all at the Mets' home ballpark, Shea Stadium.

What Happened:  Gooden allowed only three Phillies hits while striking out seven.  Jesse Orosco pitched a perfect ninth to record the save.  Carlton pitched well too, only allowing a pair of Mets hits over his seven innings of work and he departed with the game in a scoreless tie.

In the ninth, Charles Hudson allowed a lead-off single to Wally Backman.  Don Carman would relieve Hudson a few batters later and Backman scored on a Keith Hernandez single.

1985 Cramer
Portland Beavers #42

Featured Card:  Now a backup catcher to Ozzie Virgil, Bo Diaz gets the featured card for this game based on the note below.

Transaction:  Prior to the game, the Phillies placed Diaz on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right wrist and recalled catcher Darren Daulton from Triple-A Portland.  The newspaper clipping shown above provides more detail, as the injury was suffered during an exhibition game against the Double-A Reading Phillies the day before.  Diaz's bad luck would continue into May when he had to have surgery for kidney stones.  His Phillies tenure would eventually come to an end with an August trade to the Reds.

This was to be Daulton's second stint with the club after appearing in a pair of games in 1983.  He'd serve as Virgil's back-up while Diaz recuperated throughout May and again after Diaz was dealt to Cincinnati.

1985 Game 8 - 1982 Donruss #119 Keith Moreland

Cubs 5, Phillies 4
Game 8 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 17th in Chicago
Record - 1-7, 6th Place, 6 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A seventh inning rally capped by a bases clearing double from Keith Moreland led to this 5-4 win by the Cubs over the Phillies.

What It Means:  The Cubs completed the three-game sweep on my Mom's birthday.  These were two teams going in opposite directions.  The Phillies started the season at 1-7 while the Cubs were the inverse at 7-1 and tied for first place with the Mets.

What Happened:  The Phillies held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI single from Steve Jeltz in the fifth and a two-run home run from Ozzie Virgil in the seventh.  Starting pitcher Shane Rawley yielded to Kevin Gross in the seventh after allowing the first two Cubs batters to reach on singles.  Gross allowed a third single before a passed ball scored Steve Lake.  Moreland then delivered his game-changing double to score Bob Dernier, Ryne Sandberg and Davey Lopes.  Moreland was thrown out at third by Glenn Wilson trying to stretch his double.

The Phillies would score again in the ninth off Cubs closer Lee Smith, but it wasn't enough.  Mike Schmidt had another 0 for 4 day and through the first eight games of the season he was batting .043.

Featured Card:  It was Moreland's turn to victimize his former team as he went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs.  Moreland hit .307 with 14 home runs and a career high 106 RBIs in 1985, earning N.L. MVP votes at the end of the season.  I'm featuring one of Moreland's Phillies cards here, but a few years ago I took a look at the ex-Phillies featured on Cubs cards within the 1985 Topps set with this post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! (Social Distancing Version)

Tax day has been pushed back to at least July 15th this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  However, that didn't stop my best client, my Mom, from paying for her tax services in advance and in full.  As has been the tradition in recent years, she took it upon herself to wipe out my Ten Most Wanted list from my sidebar as payment for preparing her tax returns.  The payment received does not come close to matching the value of the services rendered, but she insists on overpaying and I'm certainly not complaining.

These Most Wanted lists are getting more difficult to populate as I've slowly accumulated most of the Phillies cards from the Bowman and Topps sets of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  The cards remaining on my want lists from those sets are mostly high priced cards I'll eventually track down one at a time.  Here's a look at the cards from my Mom and an update on where I stand with completing some landmark Phillies team sets.

1952 Topps #187 Bob Miller and #281 Tommy Brown - This might be it for a little while in terms of progress on my 1952 Topps Phillies team set.  The remaining cards I need are all from the high number series, meaning they're all somewhat pricey.  As of this writing, I need four more cards for a complete 1952 Topps Phillies team set.

1953 Topps #22 Howie Fox - This card completes the 9-card 1953 Topps Phillies team set for me.  I still have Johnny Lindell (#230) on my want list, as Lindell appears in the set with the Pirates but he played in 1953 with the Phillies.


1956 Topps #7 Ron Negray and #60 Mayo Smith - I always feel a little selfish adding second versions of these cards to my collection.  My Dad and I collected the entire 1956 Topps set together, and now I'm adding second copies of the Phillies cards from the set to my 1950s Phillies binder.  I'm four cards away from completing a Phillies team set (for the second time).  I'm pretty sure these Negray and Smith cards are in better shape than the cards in our actual 1956 Topps set.

1957 Topps #332 Bob Bowman - This completes my 27-card Phillies team set from the 1957 Topps set.  I've never been a big fan of the 1957 Topps set, but these cards look incredible together.

1966 Topps #595 Larry Jackson - With the addition of this card, I'm one card away from completing this Phillies team set as well.  I'm down to needing only the Roger Craig card (#543) which is one of the pricier Phillies cards from the 1966 Topps set.  (I tracked down the elusive Grant Jackson Rookie Stars card a few years ago.)

1967 Topps #244 N.L. Home Run Leaders - This might be my favorite card out of this lot.  Featuring two Hall of Famers with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, and someone who should be in the Hall of Fame - Dick Allen.  I still need to track down the high-number Rookie Stars card of Gary Sutherland to complete my 1967 Topps Phillies team set.

1970 Topps #539 Doyle/Bowa and #654 Oscar Gamble - These two cards close out my 1970 Topps Phillies team set.  Larry Bowa looks so young here.


Finally, I've scheduled this post to publish on my Mom's birthday.  I'm eternally grateful for her health, her humor, her good spirits and her constant encouragement.  I can't wait to celebrate properly when everything gets back to normal.  Happy birthday Mom!

1985 Game 7 - 1985 Fleer #55 Bob Dernier

Cubs 1, Phillies 0 (10)
Game 7 - Tuesday Afternoon, April 16th in Chicago
Record - 1-6, 6th Place, 5 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Bob Dernier's walk-off single in the 10th off Al Holland scored Larry Bowa and the Cubs won, 1-0.

What It Means:  I wish video of this game was readily available, as I'd love to re-watch this one.  A quick Google and YouTube search came up empty.  Amazingly enough, this extra inning game was played in under 2 1/2 hours.

This box score was a source of consternation for me back in the day, as I had no idea who "Arguello - ss" was.  The internet was a decade away and these box scores were my only source for day-to-day stats.  Of course I know now that Arguello was actually Luis Aguayo, but the Atlantic City Press box score editor at the time had no idea how much stress he/she caused me in April 1985.

What Happened:  This was a pitching duel between Jerry Koosman and Dennis Eckersley.  Koosman pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out five before yielding to pinch-hitter Greg Gross to start the ninth.  Eckersley pitched a complete game, 10-inning shutout, allowing five hits, one walk and striking out 11.  Tim Corcoran had a pair of hits off Eckersley.

Bowa went 3 for 4 in this game with a pair of doubles off Koosman.  He led off the ninth with a single against Holland, was sacrificed over to second by Chris Speier and came home on Dernier's hit.

This was to be Holland's (Mr. T's) final game for the Phillies, as the team would trade him five days later to the Pirates for Kent Tekulve.  At the time, my two favorite players were Dernier and Tekulve, so this was a pretty big deal for me.

Featured Card:  I have to go with Dernier again here, over a card for either Koosman or Bowa.  He gets the nod for having the walk-off hit and for being my favorite Phillies player.

Also, this was an ad in the Phillies Today Scorecard Magazine available throughout the 1985 season at The Vet.  I wonder who won?

1985 Game 6 - 1985 Seven-Up Cubs #20 Bob Dernier

Cubs 2, Phillies 1
Game 6 - Monday Afternoon, April 15th in Chicago
Record - 1-5, 6th Place, 4 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Cubs nipped the Phillies, 2-1, on an eighth inning Chris Speier sacrifice fly off Don Carman.

What It Means:  These attendance figures are shocking to me.  It was probably cold for this game, but only 8,347 came out to Wrigley Field for a Monday matinee?  After the first six games of the season, I was still optimistic about the 1985 Phillies, but doubt was already starting to enter into my 11-year-old brain.  And looking at this first full page of boxscores (below), the Phillies were blasted, edged, crushed, stymied and nipped according to the box score editor for the Atlantic City Press.

What Happened:  With the tie scored 1-1, Kevin Gross allowed a lead-off double in the eighth to Keith Moreland.  Davey Lopes pinch-ran for Moreland, going to second when Gross intentionally walked Jody Davis and then to third on a Shawon Dunston single.  Carman relieved Gross and Speier's fly ball scored Lopes as the eventual winning run.  The Phillies only run came in the seventh when Glenn Wilson scored on a Bo Diaz groundout to short.  Mike Schmidt made an error, but collected his first hit of the season.

John Denny pitched six innings, allowing an unearned run on six hits while striking out five.

Featured Card:  My favorite Phillies player, Bob Dernier, was traded to the Cubs in March 1984 with Gary Mathews and Porfi Altamirano for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz.  The ex-Phillies are all over this boxscore with Dernier, Ryne Sandberg, Matthews and Moreland making appearances.  Warren Brusstar, Dick Ruthven, Richie Hebner and Larry Bowa all also spent time with the 1985 Cubs.  Dallas Green was the team's GM with Ruben Amaro, Johnny Oates and John Vukovich serving as coaches.

1985 Game 5 - 1984 Topps #4 Ryan, Carlton & Perry HL

Astros 5, Phillies 3
Game 5 - Sunday Afternoon, April 14th in Houston
Record - 1-4, Tied for 5th Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Nolan Ryan outdueled Steve Carlton, pitching a complete game and striking out nine in this 5-3 Astros win.

What It Means:  A Sunday afternoon game, inside, with Ryan facing off against Carlton, and the attendance was only 15,277?  That's crazy to me.

What Happened:  Ryan allowed six hits and two of the three runs he allowed were unearned.  Carlton helped himself with a two-run double off Ryan in the third.  Von Hayes also had two hits off Ryan with a double.  Mike Schmidt went 0 for 4 as his early season slump continued.  Jose Cruz had three hits for the Astros.

Carlton went five innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with an unsightly five walks.  Pat Zachry and Larry Andersen threw three shutout innings to close the game, and Andersen's scoreless outing helped lower his ERA to 15.43.

Featured Card:  I have four cards in my collection featuring Ryan and Carlton together.  They're on league leaders cards together in the 1973 and 1975 Topps sets, and they share two different cards in the 1984 Topps set.  This card highlights Ryan, Carlton and Gaylord Perry all surpassing the career strikeout total of Walter Johnson during the 1983 season.  Ryan did it first, but by the end of season Carlton had a slim lead over Ryan - 3,709 to 3,677.

1985 Game 4 - 1985 Topps #636 Shane Rawley

Phillies 4, Astros 2
Game 4 - Saturday Night, April 13th in Houston
Record - 1-3, 5th Place, 3 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies found a few clutch hits and Shane Rawley was effective in his first start of the season as the club edged the Astros, 4-2.

What It Means:  John Felske had his first win as a Phillies manager.  Drinks all around.

What Happened:  Jeff Stone went 3 for 4 out of the lead-off spot with a pair of runs scored.  The Phils scored first when Tim Corcoran singled home Stone in the fourth.  Samuel would triple Stone home in the sixth and Mike Schmidt would add a sacrifice fly to score Samuel.  Steve Jeltz added an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth before Al Holland pitched a scoreless inning to notch his first save of the season.  It was also to be Holland's final save as a member of the Phillies.

Rawley went 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs (both unearned) on five hits.  Schmidt was now 0 for 7 to start the season, but he did have 3 RBIs.

Featured Card:  Rawley had been acquired from the Yankees in June 1984, so this was to be his first full season with the Phillies.  He'd emerge as one of the more reliable starting pitchers for the club in the mid to late 1980s, making the All-Star team in 1986 and winning 17 games in 1987.

Sadly, I don't have the 1985 Phillies calendar in my collection but he's a photo I found in an online auction of the month ahead for the team.  Game summary posts will be published exactly 35 years after each scheduled start time.

1985 Game 3 - 1985 Topps #428 Larry Andersen

Astros 8, Phillies 3
Game 3 - Friday Night, April 12th in Houston
Record - 0-3, Tied for 5th Place, 3 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Astros plated seven runs in a nightmarish sixth inning, easily defeating the Phillies, 8-3.

What It Means:  A season that had so much promise is getting off to a rocky start for the Phils.  At the time, I was still convinced the team would turn it around and reach the postseason.  They would not.

What Happened:  Phillies starting pitcher Jerry Koosman cruised through the first five innings but then ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth.  He allowed three hits to start the inning and then was relieved by Larry Andersen.  Andersen allowed a double and a pair of singles along with an intentional walk before yielding to Don Carman.  When it was all over, the Astros had scored seven runs in the inning on seven hits and a pair of walks.

Enos Cabell went 4 for 5 for the Astros.  Terry Puhl went 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs.

Von Hayes had an RBI single in the sixth for the Phils, followed by an RBI double from Glenn Wilson.  Through the first three games of the season, neither Mike Schmidt nor regular first baseman John Russell had a hit.

Featured Card:  It would get better for Andersen, one of the team's top relievers in 1984, but after his first outing of the season his ERA was 108.00 - four earned runs in a third of an inning.

1985 Game 2 - 1985 Donruss #61 Mike Schmidt

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 2 - Thursday Night, April 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-2, Tied for 4th Place, 2 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies scored three times in the first, but then put their bats away for the rest of the game, as the Braves won 6-3.

What It Means:  New Phillies manager John Felske would need to wait a little longer to notch his first big league win as a skipper.

What Happened:  Mike Schmidt and Bo Diaz had the first RBIs of the season for the Phils as Schmidt had a sacrifice fly and Diaz added a two-run single in the first.  Juan Samuel had a pair of hits and his first stolen base of the season.  The Braves took the lead for good in the third, scoring three times in a rally started after Schmidt booted a ball at third.  Dale Murphy went 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBIs for the Braves.

John Denny lasted only four innings in his first start of the season, allowing four runs (two earned) on 10 hits.  Kevin Gross pitched two scoreless innings of relief.

Featured Card:  Depending on how long this side project lasts, I'll most likely repeat some Schmidt cards featured in prior posts on this blog.  Here's a great card from the 1985 Donruss set showing off Schmidt's glorious head of hair.

1985 Game 1 - 1985 Fleer Limited Edition #6 Steve Carlton

Braves 6, Phillies 0
Game 1 - Tuesday Night, April 9th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-1, Tied for 2nd Place, 1 game behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The offense was quiet in this 6-0 season opener loss to the Braves at The Vet.

What It Means:  This would be the first of 101 different line-ups used by manager John Felske throughout the 1985 season.

What Happened:  Starting pitcher Steve Carlton deserved better as his offense provided only three hits, and his defense contributed six errors.  In six innings, he allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out three.

Rick Mahler and Bruce Sutter combined to shutout the Phillies.  The Phillies had a their best chance to score in the bottom of the fourth.  Jeff Stone led off with a triple but was doubled off third when Juan Samuel popped up to Mahler a batter later.  Dale Murphy had a pair of RBIs for the Braves.

Looking at the Phillies' opening day lineup, only Samuel at second, Mike Schmidt at third and Von Hayes in center were holdovers from the 1984 opening day lineup.  Carlton started every opening day for the Phillies between 1972 and 1986 with the exception of 1976, which was started by Jim Kaat.

Featured Card:  I'm assuming Lefty's Fleer Limited Edition card isn't really all that limited.

Opening Day Roster:  Here's the opening day roster for Felske's club.  Kiko Garcia must have been hurt to start the season as he wouldn't appear in a game until April 23rd.

Starting pitchers (4) - Steve Carlton, John Denny, Jerry Koosman, Shane Rawley
Relief pitchers (6) - Larry Andersen, Don Carman, Kevin Gross, Al Holland, Charles Hudson, Pat Zachry
Catchers (3) - Bo Diaz, Ozzie Virgil, John Wockenfuss
Infielders (6) - Luis Aguayo, Kiko Garcia, Steve Jeltz, John Russell, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt
Outfielders (6) - Tim Corcoran, Greg Gross, Von Hayes, Garry Maddox, Jeff Stone, Glenn Wilson
Disabled List (1) - Joe Lefebvre

I'm going to try to stick to a schedule of posting these game summaries to coincide with the actual start time of the games.  Back in 1985, home night weekday games started at 7:35.

I'd love to hear your memories of this season (good or bad) in the comments.

1985 Phillies Season Starts (Again) Tomorrow

Let's give this a shot.

Once it became clear the 2020 baseball season would be postponed indefinitely, I started to think of alternatives for this blog and ways to keep myself busy.  I've written about this a number of times throughout the years, but this blog is a daily outlet for me.  I don't expect widespread readership or to win any major awards with my ramblings.  I've had an innate need to have something in my life be a daily (or semi-daily) routine since I first put together a Phillies scrapbook in 1984.  These early scrapbooks are no more than photo albums containing boxscores, interesting Phillies pictures and articles (from later years) I had enjoyed reading.

The 1985 Phillies season began on April 9th, and beginning tomorrow I'll start recapping that season with boxscores and snippets from my original 1985 Phillies scrapbook and a baseball card relevant to each game.  I'll post a game recap every day (or close to every day) at the time the original game would have taken place, 35 years ago. 

One major caveat here:  I hope the 2020 season returns soon and this project ends before its completion.  I'd be fine with doing this through April and May and maybe part of June and shelving the whole thing once Bryce Harper and Aaron Nola and Andrew McCutchen take the field.  The other alternative is that I could do this for a little while and stop after I got bored with reliving a pretty awful 1985 Phillies season.  So with that overwhelming sense of excitement and positivity . . . here we go.

The 1985 Phillies season starts (again) tomorrow.