Reds at Phillies: April 7th to April 9th

2014 Topps Heritage #432

1965 Topps #352

Friday 3:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  This afternoon is the home opener with all fans receiving a 2022 National League Champions banner.  Saturday is "opening night" and all fans 15 and over will receive a National League Champions t-shirt.  And on Sunday, the Phillies will receive their Championship rings in a pregame ceremony, with fans able to take pictures with the Championship trophy in the first base plaza.

Reds 3-2
3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 1 1/2 games behind the Brewers

Reds Probables
Hunter Greene (0-0, 8.10)
Nick Lodolo (1-0, 3.60)
Graham Ashcraft (1-0, 1.29)

Reds Leaders
Average:  Jonathan India - .389
Runs:  Jonathan India - 7
Home Runs:  Jason Vosler - 3
RBIs:  Jason Vosler - 7
Stolen Bases:  Jonathan India - 1

Wins:  Three tied with - 1
ERA:  Graham Ashcraft - 1.29
Strikeouts:  Nick Lodolo - 9
Saves:  Alexis Diaz and Derek Law - 1

Phillies 1-5
4th Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (0-1, 8.31)
Bailey Falter (0-1, 3.38)
Taijuan Walker (0-1, 8.31)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryson Stott - .435
Runs:  Nick Castellanos - 4
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 2
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 4
Stolen Bases:  Three tied with - 1

Wins:  Andrew Bellatti - 1
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 7.45

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 9
Saves:  N/A

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

Spring Training Game 11 - 2021 Topps #308 Jay Bruce

Yankees 6, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 11 - Thursday Afternoon, March 11th in Clearwater
Record - 4-6-1

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola turned in a solid outing against the Yankees in this 6-1 loss in Clearwater.

What It Means:  As a Phillies partial season ticket holder (since 1992) a pre-sale window opened up for me on March 10th to buy tickets to the first 19 regular season home games to be played at Citizens Bank Park.  I'm happy to report that after figuring out how to buy tickets in two or four-seat pods, we obtained tickets to several of these games.  Only 8,800 fans will be permitted at first, but it's a step in the right direction and I'm slightly giddy just thinking about getting to go to an actual Phillies game in a few weeks.  The Phillies lost this spring training game, but with tickets in hand and the sun shining, it was a good day.

What Happened:  Nola went four innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three.  JoJo Romero, David Hale and Ramon Rosso each threw scoreless innings of relief.  Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 2 with an RBI-single in the third.

Featured Card:  Jay Bruce went 0 for 2 in this game, batting third for the Yankees and playing right field.  I enjoyed watching Bruce with the Phillies for the short time he was with the club, and I hope he gets another chance with the Yankees in 2021.  And I still can't get over how small the names are on the fronts of 2021 Topps cards.

Camp Head Count:  73

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Bamboo Brad Returns; Flurry of Ex-Phils Sign Elsewhere

2021 Chachi New Additions #10

2021 Chachi Departures #3

2021 Chachi Departures #4

2021 Chachi Departures #5

2021 Chachi Departures #6

On Wednesday, the official first day of spring training, the Phillies announced the return of popular super utility player Brad Miller, who had spent last season with the Cardinals.  Miller's introduction of a lucky bamboo plant to the Phillies clubhouse during the summer of 2019 sparked a mini winning streak, and led to an increase in bamboo sales across the local area.  To make room for Miller on the 40-man roster, reliever Seranthony Dominguez was placed on the 60-day IL as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

At this point, most of the ex-Phillies that made up the rogue's gallery of the 2020 team have found new homes, with the exceptions of relievers Jose Alvarez and David Robertson.  The day will come when we no longer have to reflect back on the pain caused by the team's 2020 bullpen.  Of the players listed below, I'm saddest to see the departure of Phil Gosselin and I hope The Phillies Room Favorite finds himself a steady job on the Angels' roster.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Oakland Athletics (2/2/21).
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs (12/14/20).
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed with the Chicago Cubs (2/17/21).
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees (2/12/21).
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets (2/14/21).
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels (2/11/21).
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, singed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians (2/5/21).
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs (2/12/21).
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency, signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians (2/16/21).
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (2/11/21).
• David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
• Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Kyle Garlick - of (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
• Victor Arano - rhp (1/22/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
• Cole Irvin - lhp (1/30/21) - Traded to the Oakland Athletics for cash considerations.

2021 Chachi Departures #7

2021 Chachi Departures #8

2021 Chachi Departures #9

2021 Chachi Departures #10

2021 Chachi Departures #11

Coming Back - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent (1/4/21).
• J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (1/29/21).
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency, re-signed with the Phillies (2/10/21).

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Johan Quezada - rhp (10/30/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (12/7/20) Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
• Kyle Holder - inf (12/10/20) - Selected from the Yankees in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.
• Sam Coonrod - rhp (1/9/21) - Acquired from the San Francisco Giants for Carson Ragsdale.
• Archie Bradley - rhp (1/18/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds.
• C.J. Chatham - inf (1/18/21) - Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later.
• Matt Moore -lhp (2/3/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
• Chase Anderson - rhp (2/8/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Brad Miller - inf (2/17/21) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Already Gone - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Kyle Holder - inf (1/30/21) - Traded to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (2/5/21) - Claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins.
• Johan Quezada - rhp (2/10/21) - Traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations.

2020 Chachi #7 Jay Bruce

#9
Jay Allen Bruce
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  230
Opening Day Age:  33
Born:  April 3, 1987, Beaumont, TX
How Obtained:  Acquired from the Seattle Mariners with cash considerations for Jake Scheiner, June 2, 2019
Contract Status:  Signed through 2020
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 2008-2016; New York Mets 2016-2017; Cleveland Indians 2017; New York Mets 2018; Seattle Mariners 2019; Philadelphia Phillies 2019-

First Phillies Card:  2019 Topps Now #328
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2020 Topps Total #207

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  2005, 2008-2020

14 - Bruce baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 7/31/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #45
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1 - with Phil Gosselin
2019 Chachi Photo Night #6
2019 Chachi Photo Cards #23
2020 Chachi #7

Before spring training this year, Jay Bruce switched his uniform number from #23 to #9 to honor his boyfriend friend who unexpectedly passed away in December.

Bruce was the opening day DH for the Phillies and he started in left field in the third game of the season.  He's expected to serve both roles - DH and corner outfielder - throughout this shortened 2020 season.

Phillies collectors may not ever have an official team-issued photo card for Bruce, as there was no update set issued late last year and the team won't produce a set for 2020.  He appeared on three different Topps Now cards in 2019 and by my count he's appeared on five different Topps products so far in 2020.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

2019 and 2020 Chachi Photo Cards - Signed!

In February, before the coronavirus shut everything down, fellow collector Rick made his annual trip to Clearwater with copies of Chachi photo cards in hand.  He was able to get a number of the photos signed and he was gracious enough to get duplicate cards signed for me as well.

The cards for Jay Bruce, Austin Davis, JD Hammer and Cole Irvin are from last year's photo card set, while the Deivy Grullon and Blake Parker cards are from this year's set.  The Parker card is officially an uncorrected error card, as he's currently and has always been #53 with the Phillies.  He even included his correct uniform number within his signature.

Thanks again to Rick for sending these along, as they brightened up what had been an otherwise glum day.  I hope we're all back to trying to obtain player autographs relatively soon.

And I hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy, helping where you can and focusing on staying positive.

Game 104 - Photo Night Returns! (Part One)

2019 Chachi Photo Night #2

2019 Chachi Photo Night #16

2019 Chachi Photo Night #8

Braves 15, Phillies 7
Game 104 - Saturday Night, July 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 54-50, 3rd place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves absolutely demolished the Phillies in this 15-7 loss.

What It Means:  This is one of the worst games Jenna and I have ever witnessed in person.  It only helped a little that both teams were wearing awesome throw-back uniforms, with the Phillies in their infamous, all-burgundy Saturday Night Special uniforms.  These uniforms were worn once and only once back in 1979.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin allowed 10 runs (six earned) in his 2 2/3 innings of work, with Jean Segura and Rhys Hoskins contributing to the drubbing with costly errors.  The offense showed some punch with 12 hits and both J.T. Realmuto (13) and Sean Rodriguez (3) hit home runs.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #3

2019 Chachi Photo Night #5

2019 Chachi Photo Night #10

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Photo night returned!  One of the games we look forward to every season is the annual Phillies Photo Night promotion.  The players and coaches walk along cordoned sections of the outfield - some fast and some slow - and pose for pictures with the fans.  With last year's event cancelled due to rain, it was nice to return to this now annual tradition.

Promptly at 5:40, Bryce Harper was the first player to emerge and he took a brisk walk around the ballpark, never getting more than 15 feet away from the sectioned off fans.  Maybe over the next 13 years, that will slowly change and he'll interact more with us.  After Harper's stroll and polite waves, the rest of the team made their way around the outfield.  We enjoyed talking with the broadcasters and coach Pedro Guerrero asked if he could try on Ben's sunglasses.  New Phillie Mike Morin was very nice and he was one of the last players, along with Pat Neshek, out on the field.  Neshek was great to talk to as well.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #1

2019 Chachi Photo Night #4

2019 Chachi Photo Night #6

2019 Chachi Photo Night #7

2019 Chachi Photo Night #9

Doug snuck autographs from Morin and Brad Miller, although technically that was against the Photo Night rules.  We missed seeing Rhys Hoskins and Sean Rodriguez as their handlers shuffled them off the field right before both arrived at our location.  We also missed getting photos with Jean Segura (walked right by us), Scott Kingery, Nick Williams, Aaron Nola and Nick Pivetta, as none of them made it over to our spot.  Any other players and coaches (including manager Gabe Kapler) not listed here or not featured on the cards I've created, we simply didn't see.  J.T. Realmuto and Zach Eflin were excused as they were getting ready for the game, and unless I'm mistaken I think Jake Arrieta skipped the event entirely.

After leaving the field, Doug stationed himself by the Phillies dugout and added autographs to his collection from coaches Dusty Wathan, Rob Thomson and Figueroa.  Adam Haseley also graciously signed for him again.  I'll have the rest of the Photo Night insert cards in a second post.

Memory Lane
1984 Photo Day - Hudson, Maddox and Lefebvre
2004 Photo Day - First at Citizens Bank Park
2006 Photo Day - with Rick White
2007 Photo Day - with Shane Victorino
2016 Photo Day - Parts One, Two and Three
2017 Photo Night - Parts One, Two and Three
2018 Photo Night - Cancelled due to rain
2019 Photo Night - Part One and Part Two

Game 90 - 2019 Topps Now #328 Jay Bruce

Phillies 8, Mets 3
Game 90 - Sunday Afternoon, July 7th in New York
Record - 47-43, 3rd place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola turned in another ace-like performance and Jay Bruce hit two home runs in this 8-3, first-half ending win against the Mets.

What It Means:  The Phillies entered the All-Star break in third place and holding onto the National League's second Wild Card.  This time last year, they had a half game lead in the division but they'd finish the season in third place, 10 games behind the Braves.

What Happened:  Nola (8-2) pitched 6 2/3 innings, striking out six and allowing two runs (one earned) on just three hits.  Bruce drove in half the Phillies runs with two home runs and an RBI single.  Rhys Hoskins and All-Star J.T. Realmuto also drove in a pair of runs.

Featured Card:  This is one of three Topps Now cards to feature Bruce this season, marking his only three Phillies baseball card appearances to date.  This is Bruce's first Topps Now card, celebrating his six-RBI game against the Padres on June 4th.

Game 80 - 2019 Topps Now #436 Jay Bruce

Phillies 5, Mets 4 (10)
Game 80 - Wednesday Night, June 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 42-38, 2nd place, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves

Annual Post-Vacation Game Summary Catch-Up, Part 1 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies completed an impressive come from behind victory with a 10th inning, walk-off RBI double from Jay Bruce.

What It Means:  Here we go again . . . another post-vacation, massive game summary update.  There's really no need for me to do these posts, but I enjoy putting them together for the sake of completeness and as a way to relax and gradually ease my way back into the real world following a fantastic vacation.  The Phils typically don't fare well when I'm away, but they broke even this year going 5-5 during my break.

What Happened:  The Mets mounted a 4-0 lead before the Phillies starting chipping away in the sixth with a solo home run from Jean Segura (9).  In the seventh, Cesar Hernandez doubled home J.T. Realmuto and then Segura plated two more with a single.  Bruce doubled off Mets reliever Stephen Nogosek in the 10th to score pinch-runner Roman Quinn with the winning run.

Featured Card:  Delaying these posts allowed me to use Bruce's Topps Now card from this game, waiting for me in a pile of mail when we returned home.

Highlights from the 2019 Phillies Phestival (Part 1) #StrikeOutALS

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #19

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16

On Thursday afternoon, we attended the annual Phillies Phestival, which raises money in the fight against ALS.  One of my collecting regrets (and a regret as a lifelong Phillies fan) is that we never even considered going to this event until three years ago.  As rookies in 2017, we meandered through the ballpark using our pre-assigned autograph tickets and paying cash for autographs when the lines died down.  In 2018, I attended the event on behalf of my employer, which unbeknownst to me, had been a long-time sponsor of the Phestival.  I became involved with the Philadelphia ALS Chapter over the past few years partly in tribute to our friend Bob who passed away in January 2019 after a courageous battle with the disease.  I'm looking forward to continuing (and increasing) my involvement in the coming years.

This year, we again attended as sponsors and it's the first year we were fully prepared to collect autographs as efficiently as possible while still having fun.  Sponsors are given a button to wear, which allows us to stand in any autograph line.  Within the sponsors packet were explicit instructions informing us we couldn't go to the front of any line, which makes complete sense, and that we couldn't go to the Bryce Harper photo booth.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #7

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #8

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14

Similar to the past two years, I created a special set of Chachi cards to commemorate our day and the autographs we hunted down.  Here's a summary of what and how we did:

• The sponsors assemble in the Diamond Club and my company's name was called around 2:45.  We made our way down to the field to meet with Phil Gosselin and Jay Bruce who would be signing autographs at our designated station.  I let Bruce know it was great not to boo him this season, and my son Doug talked to Gosselin about their mutual history with the All-Star Baseball Academy.  Gosselin is an alumni and Doug is currently on one of their travel teams.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #3

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #4

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

• We had a plan.  Doug and I took the left side of the ballpark while Jenna and Ben took the right side.  Doug and I started in the Hall of Fame Club, where the lines were very short to start and some of the tables had no lines.  We walked right into the suite where Gabe Kapler was signing and had two people in front of us.  Kapler's a fascinating guy.  Very intense, very polite, very engaging and he made his hat work.

• Jenna and Ben made Aaron Nola their first target, so they had a longer wait to get started.  Doug and I had cleared four tables by the time they were getting Nola's autographs.

• All the players were engaging and friendly, and even though there was a loose "no posed photographs" policy in place this year, pretty much everyone stopped to look and smile while we were taking pictures.  Rhys Hoskins said he remembered being in our Christmas card, although he may have just been being polite.

• Ben's highlight was getting Maikel Franco to sign the back of his favorite Franco t-shirt.  He also talked to the broadcast team for awhile.  When he asked why they didn't have any cards to sign, Scott Franzke said it was because the Phillies couldn't get them all together at the same time.  He was then invited by Ben Davis to sign their table cloth, and he obliged.

• Larry Andersen had run out of photo cards by the time we got to his station (with John Kruk and Mickey Morandini) so he offered Doug a cookie instead of an autograph.  Doug took him up on the offer.

• I was bummed that none of the newer Phillies players had any photo cards produced for them to sign.  I had come prepared with a list of potential exclusive photo cards - Bruce, Edgar Garcia, JD Hammer, Adam Haseley and Ranger Suarez - but there were no new cards to be had.  Bruce and Gosselin had what looked like regular paper at their station with their names printed at the top.

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10

2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11

• When the autograph session time expired, we had visited all but three tables - J.T. Realmuto (by choice since we had already received his autographs in May), Charlie Manual (since we forgot to bring anything for him to sign) and Pat Neshek/Jim Gott.  The Neshek/Gott omission was a symptom of simply running out of time.  The only table we doubled up on was Scott Kingery's as we both had time to visit with him as the clock was ticking down.

• We met up with fellow collector Steve and his son in time to stand in line for our mystery grab bags.  Our five bag haul was decent, with baseballs signed by Roman Quinn (two), Nick Pivetta, and Hector Neris.  We received a pair of Raul Ibanez bobble heads, three solar Liberty Bells, a Jimmy Rollins World Series ring and Jenna got her Mother's Day fleece she had wanted from the May giveaway.

We had a blast, the Phillies raised over $768,000 to aid in the fight against ALS, and we're already making our plans for next year's Phestival!  I've share Part 2 with the rest of the cards from the event in a post coming soon.

The almost completed checklist

Our grab bag haul

Phillies Phestival Memory Lane

2017 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Part 1 and Part 2
2019 Part 1 and Part 2

Game 61 - 2014 Topps Heritage #4 N.L. Home Run Leaders

Phillies 9, Padres 6
Game 61 - Late Tuesday Night, June 4th in San Diego
Record - 34-27, 1st place, 1/2 game ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  It was the Jay Bruce show in San Diego as the new outfielder hit two home runs, including a grand slam, leading the Phillies to a 9-6 win.

What It Means:  This was a much-needed bounce back win after the brutal Monday night loss, and this also stopped the team's longest losing streak of the season at five games.

What Happened:  Bruce drove in six runs on his two home runs and a double.  Scott Kingery complimented Bruce's performance with an RBI-double in the first and a solo home run (4) in the fourth.  Maikel Franco added a pinch-hit home run (9) in the eighth for good measure.

In his big league debut, Adam Haseley went 0 for 4.

Featured Card:  Bruce received a Topps Now card for his performance, and The Good Phight Tweeted he's the first Phillies player with two home runs, a double and six RBIs in a game since Rico Brogna did it on August 25, 1999.  This is the first Bruce card in my Phillies collection, as he's sharing this card with former Phillie Domonic Brown.

Transactions:  Andrew McCutchen was placed on the Injured List and Haseley had his contract selected.  To make room for Haseley on the 40-man roster, Victor Arano was moved to the 60-day IL.  It's quite the jump for Haseley, who signed autographs for us at a Double-A game in Harrisburg a week and a half ago.