NLDS Game 1 - Phils Waste Wheeler's Gem

Mets 6, Phillies 2
NLDS Game 1 - Saturday Afternoon, October 5th in Philadelphia
Mets lead series, 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler pitched one of the best games of his career, but a quiet Phillies offense couldn't support the ace's outing in this nauseating 6-2 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies will try for a home split this afternoon with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound.  Games 3 and 4 will be Tuesday and Wednesday in Flushing.

What Happened:  Wheeler allowed one single in seven innings of work, while walking four and striking out nine.  Phillies Notes posted on X that Wheeler now has a 2.18 ERA in 12 career starts and 13 games overall in the postseason.  His nine strikeouts give him 77 for the postseason, tying him with Cole Hamels for the franchise all-time lead.

Kyle Schwarber gave us the only thing to cheer about from the offensive side, leading off the game with a second deck home run off Mets' starter Kodai Senga.  From that point on, Senga, David Peterson, Reed Garrett and Phil Maton limited the potent Phillies' line-up to three hits between the first and eighth innings.  The Phillies were 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Wheeler departed after seven innings, and the usually dependable Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering gave us a nightmare top of the eighth inning.  The Mets batted around, scoring five runs on five hits and a walk, giving them an insurmountable 5-1 lead.

Featured Card:  Let's hope this is the first of many postseason subset cards from this year's Chachi set.

Field Report:  Jenna and I attended this game from our preferred perch in Section 315.  We arrived more than an hour before game-time, giving us plenty of time to check out (and purchase) some postseason merchandise and pose for a picture in front of the awesome mural right outside Pass and Stowe.  Settling into our seats, we waved our towels and cheered throughout the pregame ceremony, Schwarber's home run, and every Wheeler inning.  But the thing we kept saying, along with 45,000-plus other fans in attendance, was "We need more runs."  We departed the ballpark quickly and quietly, hoping for some life from the bats on Sunday.

Transaction:  Taijuan Walker (rhp) and Buddy Kennedy (inf) were left off the NLDS roster, with Kolby Allard (lhp) and Weston Wilson (inf) both making the cut.

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

2024 Chachi #66 Phils Clinch N.L. East HL / 2024 Chachi #68 NLDS Game 2

Phillies at Mariners - August 2nd to August 4th

2024 Chachi 1984 Topps Missing Links #2

1984 Topps Traded #15T

Friday and Saturday 9:40, Sunday 4:10
T-Mobile Park - Seattle, WA

At the Ballpark:  There's a postgame (or maybe pregame?) Mariners drone show tonight.  On Sunday, the first 15,000 fans will receive a Mariners bucket hat and kids can run the bases following the game.

Philadelphia Phillies 65-43
1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Taylor Phillips (3-0, 1.80)
Kolby Allard (0-0, 6.75)
Zack Wheeler (10-5, 2.94)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .295
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 71
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 24
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 73
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 23

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 11
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 2.87
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 139
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

Seattle Mariners
Tied for 1st Place in the A.L. West, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Rangers

Mariners Probables
Bryan Woo (4-1, 2.35)
Bryce Miller (8-7, 3.46)
Logan Gilbert (6-7, 3.11)

Mariners Leaders
Average:  Julio Rodriguez - .263
Runs:  Cal Raleigh - 48
Home Runs:  Cal Raleigh - 23
RBIs:  Cal Raleigh - 67
Stolen Bases:  Dylan Moore - 20

Wins:  Luis Castillo - 9
ERA:  George Kirby - 3.04

Strikeouts:  Logan Gilbert - 136
Saves:  Andres Munoz - 18

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 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 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

Series Preview - Phillies at Brewers: September 6th to September 8th

1986 Topps #183

1986 Topps Traded #87T

Monday 2:10, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:40
American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI

At the Ballpark:  There are no giveaways and only a few ticket promotions for this series, and I'm hoping for a series win here.

Phillies 70-66
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (11-9, 3.01)
Aaron Nola (7-7, 4.54)
Kyle Gibson (4-3, 4.46)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .301
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 81
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 27
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 71
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 12

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 11
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.01
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 208
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12

Brewers 84-54
1st Place in the N.L. Central, 11 games ahead of the Reds

Brewers Probables
Brandon Woodruff (9-7, 2.35)
Eric Lauer (4-5, 3.43)
Freddy Peralta (9-4, 2.70)

Brewers Leaders
Average:  Avisail Garcia - .267
Runs:  Luis Urias - 67
Home Runs:  Avisail Garcia - 24
RBIs:  Avisail Garcia - 77
Stolen Bases:  Lorenzo Cain - 11

Wins:  Brent Suter - 12
ERA:  Brandon Woodruff - 2.35

Strikeouts:  Corbin Burnes - 196
Saves:  Josh Hader - 29

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

1984 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  47
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"

Description:  The 1984 Tastykake photo card set got a little more ambitious than its predecessor by adding cards for all the coaches and a broadcaster card.  The fronts are nearly identical to the 1983 set, with the exception of the Phillies script logo added to the top.  The photographer also requested that everyone remove their hats for this set, which was unfortunate for some of the subjects and is reminiscent of the 1976 team-issued photo card set.  The backs of the cards feature a facsimile autograph of the player, coach or manager, and some of the cards include words of encouragement.

I really wish the Phillies had chosen, "Wherever you go, there you are" for the back of Larry Andersen's card.

How Distributed:  All fans 14 and under attending the Phillies game at Veterans Stadium on April 21, 1984, received a complete 40-card set, shrink-wrapped and containing a logo/checklist card on the top.  The back of the logo/checklist card advertised that additional sets could be purchased from the Phillies via mail order for $3.

There are also 7 somewhat rare "update" cards available, and by all accounts at least three of these cards were never released to the general public, at least not in very large quantities.  Here's a verbatim report from a reliable hobby source on the origins of these 7 cards:

"That set was a mess from day 1.  We obtained some uncut sheets from the printer right off the bat.  When the team started selling the shrink wrapped sets, we found that the seven players on one side of the sheets were not included.  I called a friend in the PR dept and asked him what was going on.  He was upset that we’d obtained the sheets and explained that they knew that prospects would be called up from the minors during the season and wanted to avoid making special print runs in order to have pictures for them.  So they picked 7 prominent players and filled out the sheet with their pictures.  When I spoke to him, all the cut cards were in stacks in a back store room.  He was concerned that, if word got out as to which 7 they picked, other players would be upset at not having been included.  As the season went on, I believe that they pulled and used the pictures for Carman, Russell, Stone and Wehrmeister but not for Daulton, Fireovid and Jeltz.  In speaking with the PR guy at the end of the season, he asked what I thought he should do with the supplies of the last three.  I told him I’d deep-six them as they hadn’t been “issued”.  They [the Phillies] ended up selling a bunch of the entire run to a dealer up around, I think, Wilkes Barre.  I believe he sold them as separate “extension” sets for a while."

Fellow collector Steve sent me the scan of the uncut sheet shown here, showing the 7 "update" cards in the far right column.  I'm calling these update cards, but they could just as easily be labelled as unreleased rarities.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here based  on the numbered checklist found on the back of the header card): 

1. Header Card / Checklist 2. Team Photo 3. Phillie Phanatic 4. Veterans Stadium 5. Steve Carlton - Future HOF 6. Mike Schmidt - Future HOF         7. Phillies Broadcasters       8. Paul Owens MG 9. Dave Bristol CO 10. John Felske CO 11. Deron Johnson CO 12. Claude Osteen CO 13. Mike Ryan CO 14. Larry Andersen

15. Marty Bystrom 16. Bill Campbell 17. Steve Carlton 18. John Denny 19. Tony Ghelfi 20. Kevin Gross 21. Al Holland 22. Charles Hudson 23. Jerry Koosman 24. Tug McGraw 25. Bo Diaz 26. Ozzie Virgil 27. John Wockenfuss

28. Luis Aguayo 29. Ivan DeJesus 30. Kiko Garcia 31. Len Matuszek 32. Juan Samuel 33. Mike Schmidt 34. Tim Corcoran 35. Greg Gross 36. Von Hayes 37. Joe Lefebvre 38. Sixto Lezcano 39. Garry Maddox 40. Glenn Wilson

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Don Carman 2. Darren Daulton         3. Steve Fireovid

4. Steve Jeltz 5. John Russell

6. Jeff Stone 7. Dave Wehrmeister

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (2):  Fireovid, Wehrmeister

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (19):  Andersen, Campbell, Carman, Corcoran, Daulton, Garcia, Ghelfi, K. Gross, Hudson, Jeltz, Koosman, Lefebvre, Lezcano, Matuszek, Russell, Samuel, Stone, Wilson, Wockenfuss
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (12):  Aguayo, Bystrom, Carlton, DeJesus, Denny, Diaz, G. Gross, Hayes, Maddox, McGraw, Schmidt, Virgil

Manager (1):  Owens
Coaches (5):  Bristol, Felske, Johnson, Osteen, Ryan

Phillie Phanatic (1):  Uses the same ATV photo from the 1983 Tastykake set.
Broadcasters (1):  Chris Wheeler, Harry Kalas, Andy Musser and Richie Ashburn.
Commemorative Cards (2):  Carlton and Schmidt get Future Hall of Famer cards.  The back of the Carlton card features a list of all-time victories leaders, while the back of the Schmidt card features a list of all-time home run leaders.
Other Cards (3):  Header/checklist card, team photo and Veterans Stadium.

Surprises:  Knowing what I know now about the genesis of the 7 update cards, the Phillies PR department did a great job of predicting future roster additions.  Only Darren Daulton didn't see playing time with the club in 1984.  The set contains the entire 25-man opening day roster, plus pitcher Tony Ghelfi who started the season on the disabled list and Marty Bystrom who began the season with Triple-A Portland.

Omissions:  Minor leaguers who would ultimately appear with the Phillies in 1984 who could have received consideration for the update set are Francisco Melendez, Mike Lavalliere and Rick Schu.  And for completists, the Phillies added four players from outside their organization throughout the season - Jim Kern, Shane Rawley, Al Oliver and Renie Martin.  Kern and Martin would never receive actual Phillies baseball cards.

Variations/Rarities:  Again, the 7 update cards could easily appear here as they're not technically true update cards and they're not readily available.

Also See:  The Curious Case of Dave Wehrmeister; Memories of 1984 Phillies Photo Day

Resources:  Beckett.com; 14,000 Phillies - Dave Wehrmeister, Worst Phillies Card of All Time; Fellow collectors Steve F., Rick G. and Bill W.

This set was originally featured in a post back in October 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.

1983 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1985 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Red Sox: August 18th to August 19th

2020 Chachi Fan Favorites #2

1991 Topps #761

Tuesday 7:30 and Wednesday 1:35
Fenway Park - Boston, MA

At the Ballpark:  This short series marks the first time the Phillies have played outside Citizens Bank Park since August 3rd, and they've gone 7-6 at home since then.  The Red Sox are in the middle of an 8-game losing streak and their 17 losses ties them for the most in baseball with the Mariners.

Phillies 8-9
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zach Eflin (0-1, 3.60)
Jake Arrieta (1-2, 4.02)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .364
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 17
Home Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 8
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 20
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 3

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 3
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.05

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 37
Saves:  Hector Neris - 2

Red Sox 6-17
5th Place in the A.L. East, 10 1/2 games behind the Yankees

Red Sox Probables
Zack Godley (0-2, 8.16)
Kyle Hart (0-1, 22.50)

Red Sox Leaders
Average:  Kevin Pillar - .296
Runs:  Xander Bogaerts - 12
Home Runs:  Mitch Moreland - 6
RBIs:  Mitch Moreland and Christian Vazquez - 12
Stolen Bases:  Xander Bogaerts - 2

Wins:  Heath Hembree and Martin Perez - 2
ERA:  Martin Perez - 4.07

Strikeouts:  Nathan Eovaldi - 27
Saves:  Brandon Workman - 3

1985 Game 83 - 1985 Fleer #244 Larry Andersen

Braves 3, Phillies 2
Game 83 - Thursday Night, July 11th in Atlanta
Record - 37-46, 5th Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves scored a run in each of the final three innings, ultimately walking off with the 3-2 win when Rafael Ramirez singled home the winning run off Larry Andersen.

What It Means:  This was another tough loss and it handed John Denny another no decision.

What Happened:  Denny went 7 2/3 innings, and left with the Phillies holding a slim 2-1 lead.  Don Carman relieved him and the reliever's troubles continued as he allowed a single to Ken Oberkfell to tie the game.  Andersen came on in the ninth and allowed a lead-off double to Rick Cerone.  Milt Thompson ran for Cerone and ultimately came around to score on Ramirez's winning hit.  Both Ramirez and Oberkfell had three hits a piece for the Braves.

The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the third when Juan Samuel led off with a home run off Braves' starter Zane Smith.  Their second run came home when Glenn Wilson singled in Von Hayes in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie.

Featured Card:  Andersen had been one of the Phillies' top relievers in 1984, and he struggled at times throughout the 1985 season.  His next successful year with the team would come in 1993 during his second stint in Philadelphia, as he was part of the crew that inexplicably won the National League pennant against the Braves.  Thompson, who scored the winning run in this game, and Andersen would go on to be teammates on that '93 squad.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

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.

Game 162 - Fan Appreciation Day; Long Offseason Begins

Marlins 4, Phillies 3
Game 162 - Sunday Afternoon, September 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 81-81, 4th place, 16 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies missed out on their first winning season since 2011, dropping the 2019 season finale by a 4-3 score to the last place Marlins.

What It Means:  Was this manager Gabe Kapler's final Phillies game at the helm?

What Happened:  With Maikel Franco representing the tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Knapp struck out swinging on a ball out of the zone to end the game and the Phillies extremely disappointing season.  Bryce Harper and Adam Haseley had a pair of hits.  The offense went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, leaving 13 men on base.  A bullpen game from the start, the Marlins jumped on starting pitcher Blake Parker for three runs early.

Featured Card:  Brad Miller hit two more home runs (13) and went 4 for 5 overall with three RBIs.  Matt Breen Tweeted Miller is the first player in Phillies history with three multi-home run games in a nine-game span and Corey Seidman added Miller's 12 home runs and 16 extra-base hits were both the most by any Phillies player ever with 130 or fewer plate appearances in a  season.

Field Report:  My family arrived to the ballpark early, as we've now made it a tradition to attend the final game of the year and enjoy Fan Appreciation Day.  While Jenna, Ben and I decided to eat first (Jenna and Ben at Pass and Stow and me at Bull's BBQ), Doug took off as soon as the gates opened for a prime spot down the first base line to hopefully add a few last autographs to his collection.  Fellow collector Rick kept him company and both were featured in the Phillies' Instagram story of the day.

Doug added autographs from Miller, Jared Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Scott Kingery and Rick passed along a Phil Gosselin Chachi Photo Card he had signed for us.  Doug was bummed Bryce Harper didn't make his way over to the waiting crowd to sign any autographs.  In between eating his pizza, Ben and I got pictures with Jared Hughes and Edgar Garcia, and we caught part of the broadcast team - Larry Andersen, Scott Franzke, Ben Davis and Gregg Murphy as they were leaving the Diamond Club entrance lobby.

Once at our seats, we noticed Aaron Nola talking to a small group of people and the ace of the staff posed for a quick picture with Ben.  We didn't come away with any prizes or other souvenirs, but we had a great day and we're already anxious for Opening Day 2020.

Memory Lane - Game 162
This is my 11th season of posting on this blog and I truly enjoy and appreciate the outlet this has provided for me to share my love of baseball, baseball cards and (occasionally) the Phillies.  Unlike some of the Phillies current coaching staff, I'll be back in 2020 and I sincerely thank you for following along, commenting and sharing your Phillies stories.

October 4, 2009 - Catcher Paul Hoover singled in the winning run in the 10th in a 7-6 win over the Marlins.
October 3, 2010 - The Phillies lost 8-7 to the Braves in their final tune-up before facing the Reds in the NLDS.
September 28, 2011 - The Phillies closed out the 2011 regular season with a 13-inning victory against the Braves, setting a franchise record with their 102nd regular season win.
October 3, 2012 - The Phillies closed out their 2012 season with a lethargic 5-1 loss to the N.L. East Champion Nationals.
September 29, 2013 - Zach Miner got the ball for the Phillies and lasted 2 1/3 innings in a 12-5 loss to the Braves.
September 28, 2014 - Cole Hamels pitched another fine game and suffered through another outing with minimal run support.
October 4, 2015 - Phillies avoid 100 losses and Ichiro makes his pitching debut in a 7-2 victory.
October 2, 2016 - Phillies bid an emotional farewell to franchise icon Ryan Howard.
October 1, 2017 - Phils clobber Mets in Pete Mackanin's final game as manager.
September 30, 2018 - Lame duck Phillies win season finale in Gabe Kapler's frustrating debut season.
September 29, 2019 - Phillies miss postseason for 8th year in a row, Brad Miller finishes the season red hot.

Want to revisit every game of the 2019 season?  My handy game summary index can be found here.

Series Preview - Phillies at Diamondbacks: August 5th to August 7th

2019 Chachi Fan Favorites #14

2019 Chachi Fan Favorites #15

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9:40
Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ

Phillies 58-53, Tied for 2nd place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Braves
Diamondbacks 56-56, Tied for 2nd place in the N.L. West, 17 games behind the Dodgers

Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (3-6, 4.40), Jake Arrieta (8-8, 4.44), Jason Vargas (0-0, 2.84)
Diamondbacks Probables:  Merrill Kelly (7-11, 4.52), Mike Leake (0-0, 0.00), Zac Gallen (0-0, 0.00)

2018 Chachi Ballpark Visits #8

At the Ballpark:  There are no giveaways planned, but if you bump into Randy Johnson at Chase Field, please tell him that we say hello.  He seems even taller in person.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .284
Runs:  J.T. Realmuto - 66
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 24
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 73
Stolen Bases:  Scott Kingery - 9

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 10
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.60

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 163
Saves:  Hector Neris - 19

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  Ketel Marte - .319
Runs:  Ketel Marte - 75
Home Runs:  Eduardo Escobar and Ketel Marte - 24
RBIs:  Eduardo Escobar - 88
Stolen Bases:  Jarrod Dyson - 24

Wins:  Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray - 10
ERA:  Zack Greinke - 2.90

Strikeouts:  Robbie Ray - 178
Saves:  Greg Holland - 17