Braves at Phillies - August 29th to September 1st

1984 Topps #365

1984 Topps #484

Thursday and Friday 6:40, Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 7:10
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Thursday is German Heritage night at the ballpark and on Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies gold wristband to recognize the annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Night.

Atlanta Braves 66-58
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Phillies

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (7-7, 4.24)
Reynaldo Lopez (7-4, 2.02)
Max Fried (8-7, 3.50)
Spencer Schwellenbach (5-6, 3.72)

Braves Leaders (as of 8/27/24)
Average:  Marcell Ozuna - .307
Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 82
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 37
RBIs:  Marcell Ozuna - 98
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna - 16

Wins:  Chris Sale - 14
ERA:  Chris Sale - 2.62

Strikeouts:  Chris Sale - 191
Saves:  Raisel Iglesias - 28

Philadelphia Phillies 78-55
1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.51)
Ranger Suarez (11-5, 2.82)
Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.74)
Aaron Nola (12-6, 3.30)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .305
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 88
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 28
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 89
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 26

Wins:  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler - 12
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.74
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 176
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

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

Game 134 - 1992 ALS Phillies Phestival Steve Bedrosian

Marlins 10, Phillies 3
Game 134 - Friday Night, September 3rd in Miami
Record - 69-65, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A nightmare sixth inning, in which the Marlins scored seven times, doomed the Phillies in this 10-3 loss.

What It Means:  The Braves and Reds both also lost, so no ground was gained by the Phillies in the hunt for a postseason spot.

What Happened:  The Phillies battled back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth on an RBI double from Matt Vierling.  Vierling had delivered an RBI triple in the second and Freddy Galvis homered to start the game.  In nine games so far, Vierling is batting .529 (9 for 17) with two doubles and a triple.  Kyle Gibson suffered his first shaky outing with the Phillies, allowing eight runs on eight hits.  Reliever JD Hammer allowed all three inherited runners from Gibson to score, along with two more runs of his own.  Galvis added a crucial error in the sixth that prolonged the inning and contributed to the Marlins' run deluge.

Featured Card:  In the eighth inning, reliever Cam Bedrosian made his Phillies debut, pitching a perfect inning with one strikeout.  He and his father Steve joined two other father-son combinations to have played for the Phillies - Ruben Amaro and Ruben Amaro, Jr., along with Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter, Jr.  Bedrosian made his debut in 2014 and spent seven seasons with the Angels.  The Phillies are his third team of 2021, as he pitched earlier in the season with the Reds and Athletics.

Transactions:  Didi Gregorius (ss) and Travis Jankowski (of) returned from paternity leave.  Nick Maton (inf) and Jorge Bonifacio (of) went back to Lehigh Valley.

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: April 9th to April 11th

1986 Topps Traded #7T

1986 Topps Traded #119T

Friday and Saturday 7:20, Sunday 7:08
Truist Park - Atlanta, GA

At the Ballpark:  It's opening weekend for the Braves, and all fans will receive 2021 schedule magnets on Friday and Saturday.  On Sunday, the first 3,000 kids will receive a Freddie Freeman poster and Freeman is scheduled to receive his 2020 MVP award prior to that game as well.  With the ongoing pandemic, Truist Park is currently capped at 33% capacity or about 13,500 fans.

Phillies 5-1
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (1-0, 0.00)
Zach Eflin (0-0, 1.29)
Matt Moore (0-0, 5.40)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .417
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 6
Home Runs:  5 tied with - 1
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 6
Stolen Bases:  Alec Bohm and Roman Quinn - 2

Wins:  Connor Brogdon - 3
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 11
Saves:  Jose Alvarado and Hector Neris - 1

Braves 2-4
4th Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Phillies

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (0-1, 5.40)
Ian Anderson (0-0, 1.80)
Drew Smyly (0-0, 3.00)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - .304
Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 4
Home Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Pablo Sandoval - 2
RBIs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Pablo Sandoval - 4
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 2

Wins:  Luke Jackson and Josh Tomlin - 1
ERA:  Huascar Ynoa - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Max Fried - 11
Saves:  Sean Newcomb and Will Smith - 1

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: August 8th to August 9th

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:35
SunTrust Park - Atlanta, GA

Phillies 40-69, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 25 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Braves 51-59, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Zach Eflin (0-3, 6.13), Jerad Eickhoff (2-7, 4.56)
Braves Probables:  Julio Teheran (7-9, 5.10), Sean Newcomb (1-6, 4.61)

At the Ballpark:  There are no scheduled promotions or giveaways for this quick two-game series in Atlanta.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .294
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 55
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco - 17
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 57
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 12

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 8
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.12
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 117
Saves:  Hector Neris - 11

Braves Leaders
Average:  Ender Inciarte - .297
Runs:  Ender Inciarte - 72
Home Runs:  Freddie Freeman - 20
RBIs:  Nick Markakis - 54
Stolen Bases:  Ender Inciarte - 14

Wins:  Mike Foltynewicz - 10
ERA:  Mike Foltynewicz - 3.94
Strikeouts:  Mike Foltynewicz - 115
Saves:  Jim Johnson - 22

1982 Topps #733

1982 Topps Traded #4T

1982 Topps Appreciation:  Teammates with the Braves in 1981 and 1982, Larry McWilliams and Steve Bedrosian briefly reunited as teammates with the 1989 Phillies.

Braves at Phillies: April 24th to April 26th

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

Braves 8-7, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets
Phillies 5-11, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Mets

Braves Probables:  Alex Wood (1-0, 3.93), Shelby Miller (2-0, 1.69), Trevor Cahill (0-2, 9.95)
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Harang (2-1, 1.96), David Buchanan (0-3, 9.22), Jerome Williams (1-1, 3.71)

At the Ballpark:  The Phanatic's birthday will be celebrated on Sunday afternoon with all fans 14 and under receiving a cool looking pair of Phanatic socks.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cody Asche - .333
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 7
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 2
RBIs:  Chase Utley - 9
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 4

Wins:  Aaron Harang - 2
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 1.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 23
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 3

1985 Topps #25

1985 Topps #611

1985 Topps Appreciation:  I was shocked and a little saddened by the December 10, 1985 trade that sent popular catcher Ozzie Virgil (and pitcher Pete Smith) to the Braves for Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson.  I wrote more about the deal in my 1988 Topps Appreciation post from last season.

Thompson had to wait until the 1986 Topps set came out for his rookie card.

Phillies at Braves: July 18th to July 20th

Friday 7:35, Saturday 7:10 and Sunday 1:35
Turner Field - Atlanta, GA

Phillies 42-53, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 10 games behind the Braves and Nationals
Braves 52-43, Tied for 1st Place in the N.L. East, 7 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables:  A.J. Burnett (6-8, 3.83), Cole Hamels (3-5, 2.93), Kyle Kendrick (4-9, 4.62)
Braves Probables:  Ervin Santana (7-6, 4.01), TBD, TBD

At the Ballpark:  There will be fireworks following tonight's game.  Sunday is Alumni Sunday and former Braves Tony Brizzolara, Todd Pratt and Dwight Smith will be signing autographs prior to the game.  I had to look it up and I barely remember Pratt finishing out his career with the 2006 Braves.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .295

Runs:  Chase Utley - 51

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 18

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 56

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 26

Wins:  A.J. Burnett - 6

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.93

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett - 108

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 22

1988 Topps #440, #298 and #755

1988 Topps Appreciation:  We're starting off the second half with a trio of players involved in the same trade back on December 10, 1985.  To make run for Darren Daulton and John Russell, the Phillies traded All-Star catcher Ozzie Virgil (and minor leaguer Pete Smith) to the Braves for reliever Steve Bedrosian and outfielder Milt Thompson.  It turned out to be a pretty good deal for the Phils.

Virgil didn't hit for average, but he was coming off two of his better seasons in 1984 and 1985 when he hit 18 and 19 home runs respectively.  He'd hit a career high 27 home runs with the 1987 Braves while driving in 72 runs and making his second All-Star squad.

On the other end of the deal, Bedrosian assumed the closer's role from Kent Tekulve in 1986 and he'd win the Cy Young Award in 1987.  His finest season, Bedrock saved 40 games that year while pitching to a 2.83 ERA over 65 games.  Thompson also had a memorable 1987 season, earning some MVP votes for hitting .302 with 46 stolen bases.  He's probably best remembered (as a player at least) for his second stint with the club, when he platooned in left field with Pete Incaviglia during the memorable 1993 season.

Nationals at Phillies: July 11th to July 13th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Nationals 49-41, Tied for 1st in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Marlins
Phillies 41-51, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 9 games behind the Braves and Nationals

Nationals Probables:  Jordan Zimmermann (6-4, 2.79), Stephen Strasburg (7-6, 3.47), Tanner Roark (7-6, 3.12)
Phillies Probables:  A.J. Burnett (5-8, 3.92), Cole Hamels (3-5, 2.87), Kyle Kendrick (4-8, 4.46)

At the Ballpark:  Former Phillie (and pitching hero) Wilson Valdez will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday night's game.  On Sunday, there will be a pre-game ceremony honoring All-Star Chase Utley and all adult fans will receive a Phillies Tumbler.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .294

Runs:  Chase Utley - 50

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 18

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 55

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 26

Wins:  David Buchanan and A.J. Burnett - 5

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.87

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett - 102

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 22

1988 Topps #398, #406 and #407

1988 Topps Appreciation:  As we head into the All-Star break, I wanted to feature the three Phillies All-Star cards from the 1988 Topps set.  I'll have Utley's All-Star card from the 2014 Chachi set (#58 if you're keeping score at home) in my All-Star game wrap-up post, to be published at some point next week.

When opening packs of 1988 Topps back in the day, I was actually surprised to see Shane Rawley on an All-Star card.  Rawley had made the All-Star team back in 1986, but my young mind just never really thought of him as a true All-Star.  This probably wasn't fair to him, as he did have one of his better seasons in 1987, going 17-11 with a 4.39 ERA.

1980-1989 Phillies

1982 Fleer #637, 1985 Fleer #627, 1988 Fleer Award Winners #35 and 1989 Fleer Update #U-131

Next Sunday (or thereabouts) I'll feature the 1990 Topps Phillies cards in a post.  I knew when I started this series of posts that the '90s could be my downfall.  If this series were to ever stall out, it was going to come when I was trying to write about the 1994, 1995 or 1996 teams.  Hopefully, I'm able to maintain enough steam to push through the lean years to see this project through.

Before we get there though, I want to take a look back at the 1980's - the decade that started with so much promise for the Phillies only to end in a heap of festering poo.

Decade MVP
For the second decade in a row, Mike Schmidt was the team's most valuable player.  He won three National League MVP awards, six Gold Gloves and he was named to eight All-Star games.  He was voted to start at third base for the National League All-Stars in 1989, despite having announced his retirement several months before the game.

1981 Donruss #273, 1982 Donruss #1, 1983 Donruss #16 and 1984 Donruss #305

Leaders
Games - Schmidt (1320), Von Hayes (1002), Greg Gross (969), Juan Samuel (852), Steve Jeltz (653)
Average* - V. Hayes (.278), Schmidt (.277), G. Gross (.272), Garry Maddox (.268), Samuel (.263)
Home Runs - Schmidt (313), V. Hayes (107), Samuel (100), Glenn Wilson (49), Ozzie Virgil (46)
RBIs - Schmidt (929), V. Hayes (474), Samuel (413), Wilson (271), Maddox (249)
Stolen Bases - Samuel (249), V. Hayes (177), Bob Dernier (99), Milt Thompson (82), Jeff Stone (68)

Games - Kent Tekulve (291), Don Carman (253), Steve Bedrosian (218), Ron Reed (212), Kevin Gross (203)
Wins - Steve Carlton (93), K. Gross (60), Shane Rawley (59), Carman (47), Dick Ruthven (41)
ERA** - Tug McGraw (2.84), Carlton (3.12), K. Gross (3.87), Rawley (3.88), Carman (4.04)
Strikeouts - Carlton (1299), K. Gross (727), Carman (523), Rawley (447), Charles Hudson (399)
Saves - Bedrosian (103), Al Holland (55), Reed (39), McGraw (35), Tekulve (25)

*At least 6 seasons with the Phillies, completely subjective
**At least 5 seasons with the Phillies, again completely subjective

1980-1989 Topps
Total Phillies Players (1980-1989): 179, which is a big jump over the 142 players who suited up with the Phils during the '70s.
Total Phillies Players with Topps Phillies Cards: 113.  Topps managed to get 63% of all Phillies from the decade onto cardboard in its main or traded sets.  That's a small increase over the 59% success percentage from the '70s.
Managers with Cards:  Dallas Green (2 cards), Pat Corrales (1 card), Paul Owens (2 cards), John Felske (3 cards), Lee Elia (2 cards) and Nick Leyva (1 card).
Topps Phillies Cards of Non-Phillies: 1 card - Jim Wright (1981).

Card Statistics
Most Featured: Carlton (26 cards), Schmidt (26 cards), Pete Rose (17), G. Gross (10 cards), Samuel (9 cards), McGraw (9 cards), V. Hayes (8 cards) and Maddox (7 cards).
Most Games (Batter), No Phillies Topps Card:  Curt Ford (108 games in 1989), Dwayne Murphy (98 games in 1989), Charlie Hayes (84 games in 1989), Mike Young (75 games in 1988), John Vukovich (60 games in 1980-1981), Mike Easler (33 games in 1987), Jackie Gutierrez (33 games in 1988) and Francisco Melendez (30 games in 1984 and 1986).
Most Games (Pitcher), No Phillies Topps Card:  Dave Shipanoff (26 games in 1985), Lerrin LaGrow (25 games in 1980), Dennis Cook (21 games in 1989), Terry Mulholland (20 games in 1989), Randy O'Neal (20 games in 1989), Rocky Childress (18 games in 1985-1986), Don Larson (17 games in 1980-1981) and Danny Clay (17 games in 1988).

1985 Donruss #23, 1987 Donruss #12, 1988 Donruss #13 and 1989 Donruss #24

The Phillies Topps 60
Continuing my imaginery checklist of the top 60 Topps Phillies cards since 1951:

31 - 1980 Topps #270 Mike Schmidt
32 - 1981 Topps #404 Tug McGraw WS
33 - 1982 Topps Traded #28T Bob Dernier
34 - 1983 Topps Traded #40T Von Hayes
35 - 1984 Topps Traded #105T Juan Samuel
36 - 1985 Topps #454 Glenn Wilson
37 - 1986 Topps #200 Mike Schmidt
38 - 1987 Topps #209 Rick Schu
39 - 1988 Topps #440 Steve Bedrosian
40 - 1989 Topps Traded #27T Len Dykstra

1984 Fleer #35, 1987 Fleer Star Stickers #116, 1988 Score #386 and 1987 Donruss Opening Day #158

Cards That Never Were Series
This set is getting a little out of hand, as we're now up to 140 cards.  And I could probably count on one hand the number of people who would actually want to possess a baseball card set featuring Dave Wehrmeister, Joe Cowley and Mark Ryal.

93 - 1980 Topps Bob Walk
94 - 1980 Topps Marty Bystrom
95 - 1980 Topps George Vukovich
96 - 1980 Topps Bob Dernier
97 - 1981 Topps Luis Aguayo
98 - 1981 Topps Mark Davis
99 - 1981 Topps Future Stars - Len Matuszek/Bob Dernier/Ryne Sandberg
100 - 1982 Topps Julio Franco
101 - 1982 Topps Dave Roberts
102 - 1982 Topps Porfi Altamirano
103 - 1983 Topps Charles Hudson
104 - 1983 Topps Kevin Gross
105 - 1983 Topps Sixto Lezcano
106 - 1983 Topps Larry Andersen
107 - 1983 Topps Juan Samuel
108 - 1983 Topps Paul Owens MG
109 - 1984 Topps Tim Corcoran
110 - 1984 Topps Al Oliver
111 - 1984 Topps Shane Rawley
112 - 1984 Topps John Russell
113 - 1984 Topps Jeff Stone
114 - 1984 Topps Dave Wehrmeister
115 - 1985 Topps Darren Daulton
116 - 1985 Topps Dave Shipanoff
117 - 1985 Topps Tom Foley
118 - 1986 Topps Bruce Ruffin
119 - 1986 Topps Ron Roenicke
120 - 1986 Topps Ronn Reynolds
121 - 1986 Topps Mike Maddux
122 - 1986 Topps Dan Schatzeder
123 - 1986 Topps Greg Legg
124 - 1987 Topps Mike Easler
125 - 1987 Topps Joe Cowley
126 - 1987 Topps Keith Hughes
127 - 1987 Topps Michael Jackson
128 - 1988 Topps Bob Dernier
129 - 1988 Topps Ricky Jordan
130 - 1988 Topps Ron Jones
131 - 1988 Topps Greg Harris
132 - 1988 Topps Mike Young
133 - 1988 Topps John Vukovich MG
134 - 1989 Topps Pat Combs
135 - 1989 Topps Charlie Hayes
136 - 1989 Topps Dennis Cook
137 - 1989 Topps Terry Mulholland
138 - 1989 Topps Dwayne Murphy
139 - 1989 Topps Curt Ford
140 - 1989 Topps Mark Ryal

Links to the Past
1950-1959 Phillies

1960-1969 Phillies

1970-1979 Phillies