1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in large capital letters framing one of the corners of the card.  Scott Rolen's card features a badge on the front celebrating his 1997 National League Rookie of the Year win, while Curt Schilling's card celebrates his league leading 319 strikeouts in 1997.  The card backs feature biographical information with the Phillies wordmark logo in the background.  There are some strangely cropped photos in the set - see the cards for Billy Brewer and Bobby Abreu as examples.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fourth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

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

1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - OF) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Alex Arias (#26 - INF) 4. Matt Beech (#55 - LHP) 5. Ricky Bottalico (#52 - RHP) 6. Billy Brewer (#49 - LHP) 7. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 8. Galen Cisco (#42 - Pitching Instructor) 9. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 10. Bobby Estalella (#27 - C) 11. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 12. Doug Glanville (#6 - OF)

13. Wayne Gomes (#61 - RHP) 14. Mike Grace (#44 - RHP) 15. Tyler Green (#28 - RHP) 16. Ramon Henderson (#59 - Bullpen Coach) 17. Rex Hudler (#14 - INF) 18. Gregg Jefferies (#25 - LF) 19. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF) 20. Mark Leiter (#31 - RHP) 21. Mark Lewis (#5 - INF) 22. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 23. Billy McMillon (#41 - OF) 24. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor)

25. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 26. Mark Parent (#8 - C) 27. Mark Portugal (#21 - RHP) 28. Desi Relaford (#30 - INF) 29. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Kevin Sefcik (#11 - INF) 32. Jerry Spradlin (#48 - RHP) 33. Garrett Stephenson (#54 - RHP) 34. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach) 35. Darrin Winston (#58 - LHP) 36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0):  But see below under Variations/Rarities . . .

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (12):  Abreu, Arias, Beech, Brewer, Estalella, Glanville, Gomes, Lewis, McMillon, Relaford, Stephenson, Winston
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (16):  Amaro, Bottalico, Brogna, Grace, Green, Hudler, Jefferies, Jordan, Leiter, Lieberthal, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik, Spradlin

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured atop his ATV.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  The entire 25-man opening day roster is represented in the set with the exception of reliever Matt Whiteside, who signed with the Phillies on March 27th, a few days prior to opening day.  Wayne Gomes, Matt Beech and Bobby Estalella would start the season in the minors, but they're in the set too.  Billy McMillon, who spent the entire 1998 season in Triple-A was the only miss for the Phillies on the checklist and the only player in the set not to suit up at some point during the 1998 season for them.

Omissions:  A card for Whiteside would have been nice, as he would never appear with the Phillies on a baseball card.  (His Chachi Missing Links card will have to suffice.)  Other players who spent significant time with the team that could have found their way into an update set include pitchers Yorkis Perez,  Carlton Loewer, Ken Ryan and Mike Welch along with Paul Byrd, who joined the Phillies on August 14th.  Cards for rookies Jon Zuber, Gary Bennett and Marlon Anderson would have welcome additions to an update set too.

Variations/Rarities:  This is the set that first tipped me off that variations and rarities existed for these team-issued photo card sets.  For years, I was comfortable in the knowledge that once I purchased the complete set from the Vet, I was done for the year.  As Steve F. pointed out back in the 1998 Phillies - The Missing Links post in March 2012, Zuber had a card produced in the same style as the rest of the 1998 team issued set, most likely to allow him to respond to autograph requests and making it his sole Phillies baseball card.  Fellow collector Rick noted in a comment to the original post for this set that cards were issued for Perez and Welch to sign at the annual ALS Autograph and Auction Party, held on June 29th.

Toby Borland and Loewer were on the active roster on June 29th, but cards weren't produced for them for the ALS event.  Oddly enough, Welch was not active on June 29th, and the Phillies wouldn't add him to their roster until July 10th, the first game following the All-Star break.

There's also a Dickie Noles card available with a 1998 copyright on the back and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross/Pennsylvania Blue Shield.

ALS Autograph/Auction Party        1. Yorkis Perez (#45 - LHP) 2. Mike Welch (#47 - RHP) 3. Jon Zuber (#40 - 1B/OF)

Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield 1. Dickie Noles (#34 - RHP)

Also See:  1998 Topps Phillies

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick (@rickphils)

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

1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1999 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

1992 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"

Description:  For the fourth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company sponsored the set for the second year in a row. 

In the spring of 1992, the new Phillies uniform were kept top secret and they didn't make their public debut until opening day.  The cards in this set feature portraits of all players, coaches and the manager in their new uniforms, and (in my opinion) this is one of the nicer team-issued photo card sets released by the Phillies.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1992 season.  The ten card update set was available for sale at some point beginning in late June or early July.  Pat Combs is the "newest" Phillie in the update set, having joined the team on June 18th.

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

1. Kyle Abbott (#47 - LHP) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Andy Ashby (#40 - RHP) 4. Wally Backman (#6 - INF) 5. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 6. Larry Bowa (#2 - CO) 7. Cliff Brantley (#51 - LHP) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF)            9. Danny Cox (#34 - RHP) 10. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 11. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 12. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF)

13. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 14. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP) 15. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 16. Barry Jones (#50 - RHP) 17. John Kruk (#29 - INF) 18. Steve Lake (#30 - C) 19. Jim Lindeman (#19 - OF) 20. Denis Menke (#14 - CO) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 22. Terry Mulholland (Close up photo - #45 - LHP)     23. Dale Murphy (#3 - OF) 24. Johnny Podres (#46 - CO)

25. Wally Ritchie (#39 - LHP) 26. Mel Roberts (#26 - CO) 27. Mike Ryan (#25 - CO) 28. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP)        29. Steve Searcy (#24 - LHP) 30. Dale Sveum (#8 - INF) 31. John Vukovich (#18 - CO) 32. Mitch Williams (#28 - LHP)     33. Phillie Phanatic 34. Phillies Team 35. Veterans Stadium 36. Uniforms Through the Years

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

1. Bob Ayrault (#55 - RHP) 2. Brad Brink (#23 - RHP) 3. Pat Combs (#21 - LHP)        4. Jeff Grotewold (#48 - C)

5. Mike Hartley (#42 - RHP) 6. Ricky Jordan (#17 - INF/OF)        7. Tom Marsh (#9 - OF)

8. Terry Mulholland (Shoulders visible - #45 - LHP) 9. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 10. Don Robinson (#35 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Robinson

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (13):  Abbott, Amaro, Ayrault, Batiste, Brantley, Duncan, Grotewold, Hartley, Jones, Marsh, Rivera, Schilling, Sveum
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (21):  Ashby, Backman, Brink, Chamberlain, Combs, Cox, Daulton, Dykstra, Greene, Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, Lindeman, Morandini, Mulholland (two versions), Murphy, Ritchie, Searcy, Williams

Don Robinson's eight game stint with the Phillies to wrap up his 15-year career is commemorated with his sole Phillies baseball card in the update set.

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

Phillie Phanatic (1):  Like everyone else in the set, the Phanatic is posed in a studio setting, wearing his new uniform.

Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (1):  Uniforms Through the Years
Other Cards (2):  Phillies Team, Veterans Stadium

The Uniform Through the Years card is perhaps one of the coolest cards ever produced by the Phillies for its team-issued photo card sets.  It was originally given out on Opening Day as a poster.  Veterans Stadium gets its first card since the 1984 Tastykake Phillies set.

Set Composition:  The 25 players in the base set represent the entire opening day roster, which is a fairly impressive feat.  The nine new players in the update set feature players who made their season debut with the team between mid-April (Grotewold) and mid-June (Combs).  For some reason, Mulholland receives another card in the update set, with a different posed photo than the original base set.  

Omissions:  Those who could have had cards in the update set but were omitted are Julio Peguero, Darrin Chapin and Steve Scarsone.  Peguero was called up on the second day of the season after Dykstra suffered a broken hand on opening day.  Chapin was on the active roster for six games in late April/early May, and Scarsone was on the active roster for 18 games in May into early June.

Variations/Rarities:  In the original post for this set, fellow collectors Rick and Steve helped me piece together a checklist of photo cards available at the annual ALS Autograph Party.  The checklist below features four players who were on the active roster, but had not appeared on officially released photo cards by the time of the annual fund raising event, held on August 10th.  Mike Williams received a card, and must have been at the event, although the team's transaction log shows him being optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 29th.  Only Greg Mathews was omitted here, which is odd, as the pitcher had been recalled from Triple-A on July 17th and stayed with the team for the remainder of the season.

Along with these five "update" cards for recently added players, 12 more cards were produced for either returning Phillies alumni or other, non-alumni former players.

ALS Autograph Party 1. Dick Allen 2. Jay Baller (#56 - RHP)           3. Steve Bedrosian 4. Dave Cash 5. Joe Coleman, Jr.

6. Joe Coleman, Sr. 7. Stan Javier (#22 - OF) 8. Sparky Lyle       9. Garry Maddox 10. Tug McGraw 11. Joe Millette (#27 - INF)

12. Dickie Noles 13. Todd Pratt (#23 - C) 14. Bobby Shantz 15. Joe Torre 16. Elmer Valo 17. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: April 7, 1992; Uniforms Through the Years

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick (@rickphils) and Steve F.

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.

1991 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

Game 30 - The Night Before Brycemas

1998 Upper Deck Collector's Choice #258

Dodgers 13, Phillies 4
Game 30 - Late Monday Night, May 1st in Los Angeles
Record - 15-15, 4th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker had another rough outing, as the Dodgers pounded Walker and the Phillies' bullpen, 13-4.

What It Means:  With Bryce Harper miraculously set to return to the Phillies line-up on Tuesday night, the game action here seemed secondary.  I made it through 1 1/2 innings before calling it a night, so I missed most of the damage.

What Happened:  Walker gave up eight runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings, including three home runs.  The bullpen surrendered five more runs, with Kody Clemens making his pitching debut, and striking out Michael Busch in the eighth.  Kody and his father Roger now have a combined 4,673 major league strikeouts.  Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run (his seventh) in the fourth inning.

Featured Card:  I have two Roger Clemens baseball cards in my Phillies collection.  I featured the 1999 Sports Illustrated card pairing him with Curt Schilling back in March.  This is the second card, from the 1998 Collector's Choice set, also pairing him with Schilling.

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

Spring Training Game 5 - Wheeler Perfect in Debut

1999 Sports Illustrated #15

Phillies 7, Blue Jays 2
Spring Training Game 5 - Tuesday Afternoon, February 28th in Clearwater
Record - 4-1

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler threw two scoreless innings and Trea Turner had a pair of hits and two more RBIs in this 7-2 win over the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  Five games into the exhibition schedule, and this marks the first game I didn't follow for at least a pitch.  I'll try to get back on track today.

What Happened:  Wheeler struck out two and didn't allow a baserunner, throwing just 19 pitches in his spring debut.  Turner is now 4 for 6 this spring with two runs scored and three RBIs.  Johan Rojas, Vito Friscia, Turner and Nick Castellanos all had RBIs in the five-run fourth inning.  Rojas would make a nice diving catch in center field in this game as well.  Vimael Machin added a two-run double in the eighth for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  Roger Clemens was invited into the Phillies clubhouse by manager Rob Thomson to give the team a pre-game pep talk.  Clemens and Thomson were both employed by the Yankees in the early 2000s, and Clemens' son, Kody Clemens, is trying to make the Phillies' team as a utility player.  One of the all-time greatest pitchers in the game, Clemens' PED use has led to his exclusion from the Hall of Fame so far.  I have two Clemens baseball cards in my Phillies collection, and on both he's paired with another controversial pitcher from the same era - Curt Schilling.  This card is from the 1999 Sports Illustrated set and the pair is included on another card in the 1998 Collector's Choice set.

Camp Head Count:  65

I'll still listing this as 65, even though Bryce Harper won't report for another week or so.

Nationals at Phillies: August 4th to August 7th

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #14

2000 Topps #120

Thursday and Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  It's the biggest weekend of the year at the ballpark as Alumni Weekend returns.  Tonight, all adults will receive a Mike Schmidt 1980 World Champions replica ring.  Tomorrow night, the Phillies will salute public address announcer Dan Baker on his 50 seasons with the club in a pregame ceremony.  On Saturday, Ron Reed and Bake McBride will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame, with many members of the 1980 club on hand, including Pete Rose, to celebrate.  All fans will receive a Wall of Fame commemorative print.  And Sunday is alumni day, with a pregame ceremony and Reed throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Bob Boone.

Nationals 36-70
5th Place in the N.L. East, 31 games behind the Mets

Nationals Probables
Paolo Espino (0-3, 3.78)
Josiah Gray (7-7, 4.59)
Patrick Corbin (4-15, 6.57)
Cory Abbott (0-0, 1.00)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Josh Bell - .301
Runs:  Juan Soto - 62
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 21
RBIs:  Josh Bell - 57
Stolen Bases:  Victor Robles - 13

Wins:  Josiah Gray - 7
ERA:  Patrick Corbin - 6.57

Strikeouts:  Josiah Gray - 118
Saves:  Tanner Rainey - 12

Phillies 56-48
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 10 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Noah Syndergaard (0-0, 0.00)
Kyle Gibson (6-4, 4.60)
Ranger Suarez (7-5, 3.60)
Aaron Nola (7-8, 3.25)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .296
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 66
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 33
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 66
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 13

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 10
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.69

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 152
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 12

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

1993 Topps Commanders of the Hill #25 Curt Schilling

Nationals 4, Phillies 3
Game 51 - Monday Night, May 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 26-25, Tied for 3rd place, 4 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  For the first time all season Hector Neris struggled mightily, allowing three runs in the eighth inning of an eventual 4-3 Nationals win.

What It Means:  The Phillies have a worrisome little four-game losing streak going and they're just a game above .500.

What Happened:  Jeremy Hellickson pitched a gem, allowing just a run on three hits in his seven innings of work.  He struck out eight and was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the seventh after having thrown only 79 pitches.  Neris entered with a slim 2-1 lead and squandered it away first with an RBI single to Jayson Werth to tie the score and then with a two-run single to Daniel Murphy to give the Nationals the lead.

Tyler Goeddel made an amazing throw to first base to double Bryce Harper off first base in the seventh.

Featured Card:  Please ignore the pitcher featured on this baseball card, as he's recently established the fact that he's a bit of a turd in real life.  I wanted to feature this particular card because I believe it's the one card in my Phillies collection decked out in camouflage.  The Phillies and Nationals (and the other 28 Major League teams) wore camouflage uniforms and hats in yesterday's games in honor of Memorial Day.  I'm not a big fan of these uniforms, but anything that draws attention to our national holiday honoring the men and women who gave their lives while in service of our country is fine by me.

Topps issued this 30-card set in packs of five cards each at military snack bars and food courts in 1993.  Packs cost a quarter with the purchase of a fountain soda.

Recently added to The Phillies Room - 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

1997 Topps Stars #84 Curt Schilling

Brewers 4, Phillies 3
Game 79 - Tuesday Night, June 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 27-52, 5th Place, 17 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The bullpen couldn't hang on to the lead for Cole Hamels as the Brewers came from behind to win, 4-3.

What It Means:  As reported on the Phillies television broadcast and by several Phillies beat writers, the month of June closed with only two starting pitchers recording wins for the club.  Phillies starting pitchers went 2-16 in June, marking the fifth time this has happened in the history of the franchise and the first time since the awful 1997 season.

What Happened:  Hamels departed after seven innings having allowed two runs on five hits while striking out seven.  Ken Giles couldn't hold the lead, allowing three straight singles and then walking home the go-ahead run.

Giles should have been out of the inning with the lead intact, but Carlos Ruiz called time just as Carlos Gomez was swinging and missing on what would have been strike three and the final out of the inning.  Gomez went on to single to load the bases and a short while later the Brewers had the lead.

Featured Card:  Curt Schilling won both those games for the Phillies in June 1997.

Hall of Fame Class of 2015 - Phillies Cards

2002 Fleer Triple Crown Season Crowns #10

Before we get too far away from the announcement of this year's class of Hall of Fame inductees, I wanted to continue a tradition I started a few years ago and see if any of the current year class had any "Phillies" baseball cards.  Obviously, Pedro Martinez has a number of Phillies baseball cards given the half season he played with the club in 2009.

This isn't an exhaustive list, but merely a list of cards currently found within my Phillies collection.

2009 Sweet Spot #44

Pedro Martinez
Not including this awesome 2004 Bazooka 4 on 1 Sticker which includes four pitchers with Phillies connections, I have nine different Phillies cards of Martinez.  His Phillies cards started appearing mid-way through 2009 and he appeared on a few 2010 Phillies cards within the Upper Deck Season Biography insert set.  I also didn't count this 2003 Fleer Tradition Update card in my tally although technically I suppose I could.

2009 Phillies Fan Appreciation Day Postcards - header card with five other Phillies featured
2009 Phillies Team Issue Update #45
2009 SP Authentic #117

2009 Sweet Spot #44

2009 Topps Heritage #563
2009 Topps Update #UH93
2009 Upper Deck Update #U10
2010 Upper Deck Season Biography #SB-148
2010 Upper Deck Season Biography #SB-157

I'm sure he's on many more Phillies cards, but these are the nine currently in my collection.

2003 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN9

Randy Johnson
Second to Martinez in terms of number of cards in my Phillies collection is Randy Johnson.  Of particular interest is the 2002 Fleer Triple Crown card featured at top of this post which includes Johnson, fellow inductee John Smotlz and potential future inductee Curt Schilling.

2001 Topps Combos #TC17 - with Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax and Steve Carlton
2002 Fleer Triple Crown Season Crowns #10 - with Curt Schilling and John Smoltz
2002 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN9 - with Robin Roberts
2003 Topps Heritage Then and Now #TN9 - with Robin Roberts
2004 Bazooka 4 on 1 Sticker #13 - with Randy Wolf, Mark Mulder and Johan Santana

John Smoltz
The only Smoltz card in my collection is the aforementioned Fleer Triple Crown insert card featuring him with Johnson and Schilling.

Craig Biggio
I don't have any Biggio cards in my collection, although according to the Beckett database he appeared on 11 multi-player Upper Deck cards with Chase Utley between 2005 and 2007.

Memory Lane
2012 Inductees - Larkin and Santo
2013 Inductees - O'Day, Ruppert and White
2014 Inductees - Cox, Glavine, LaRussa, Maddux, Thomas and Torre
2015 Inductees - Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz

1998 Phillies Team Issue

I updated this post here in December 2023 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in large capital letters framing one of the corners of the card.  Scott Rolen's card features a badge on the front celebrating his 1997 National League Rookie of the Year win, while Curt Schilling's card celebrates his league leading 319 strikeouts in 1997.  The card backs feature biographical information with the Phillies wordmark logo in the background.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fourth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Rico Brogna 3 - Chuck Cottier CO 5 - Mark Lewis 6 - Doug Glanville 7 - Terry Francona MG 8 - Mark Parent 9 - Brad Mills CO 11 - Kevin Sefcik 14 - Rex Hudler 17 - Scott Rolen 18 - John Vukovich CO 21 - Mark Portugal 23 - Kevin Jordan 24 - Mike Lieberthal 25 - Gregg Jefferies 26 - Alex Arias 27 - Bobby Estalella 28 - Tyler Green

30 - Desi Relaford 31 - Mark Leiter 33 - Ruben Amaro 38 - Curt Schilling 41 - Billy McMillon 43 - Galen Cisco CO 44 - Mike Grace 48 - Jerry Spradlin 49 - Billy Brewer 52 - Ricky Bottalico 53 - Bobby Abreu 54 - Garrett Stephenson 55 - Matt Beech 56 - Hal McRae CO 58 - Darrin Winston 59 - Ramon Henderson CO 61 - Wayne Gomes Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (0):  But see below under Variations/Rarities . . .
First Appearances (12):  Abreu, Arias, Beech, Brewer, Estalella, Glanville, Gomes, Lewis, McMillon, Relaford, Stephenson, Winston
Returning Players (16):  Amaro, Bottalico, Brogna, Grace, Green, Hudler, Jefferies, Jordan, Leiter, Lieberthal, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik, Spradlin

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.  (I'm including Beech and Gomes in this tally even though they had fairly rare "update" cards available at the 1996 ALS Phillies Phestival event.)

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  It could be said that this is the set that first tipped me off that variations and rarities existed for these team issued sets.  For years, I was comfortable in the knowledge that once I purchased the complete set from the Vet, I was done for the year.  As Steve F. pointed out back in the 1998 Phillies - The Missing Links post, Jon Zuber had a card produced in the same style as the rest of the 1998 team issued set, most likely to allow him to respond to autograph requests and making it his sole Phillies baseball card.  I'd love to one day track down this card.

In Rick's comment below, he confirms the existence of two more cards issued at the ALS Phillies Phestival - Perez and Welch.

• 40 - Jon Zuber
• 45 - Yorkis Perez
• 47 - Mike Welch

Also See:  1998 Topps Phillies; Scott Rolen is a Bum
Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick (@rickphils)

1992 Medford Phillies

I updated this post here in August 2023 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"
Description:  For the fourth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company was in the second year of its sponsorship of the set.

In the spring of 1992, the new Phillies uniform were kept top secret and they didn't make their public debut until opening day.  The cards in this set feature portraits of all players, coaches and the manager in their new uniforms, and (in my opinion) this is one of the nicer team issued sets released by the Phillies.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1992 season.  The ten card update set was available for sale late in the season.

Complete Standard Checklist (36):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Larry Bowa CO 3 - Dale Murphy 4 - Lenny Dykstra 5 - Kim Batiste 6 - Wally Backman 7 - Mariano Duncan 8 - Dale Sveum 10 - Darren Daulton 11 - Jim Fregosi MG 12 - Mickey Morandini 14 - Denis Menke CO 15 - Dave Hollins 18 - John Vukovich CO 19 - Jim Lindeman 24 - Steve Searcy 25 - Mike Ryan CO 26 - Mel Roberts CO 28 - Mitch Williams

29 - John Kruk 30 - Steve Lake 33 - Ruben Amaro 34 - Danny Cox 38 - Curt Schilling 39 - Wally Ritchie 40 - Andy Ashby 44 - Wes Chamberlain 45 - Terry Mulholland 46 - Johnny Podres CO 47 - Kyle Abbott 49 - Tommy Greene 50 - Barry Jones 51 - Cliff Brantley Phillie Phanatic Phillies Team Veterans Stadium Uniforms Through the Years

Complete Update Checklist (10):

9 - Tom Marsh 17 - Ricky Jordan 21 - Pat Combs 23 - Brad Brink 34 - Ben Rivera

35 - Don Robinson 42 - Mike Hartley 45 - Terry Mulholland 48 - Jeff Grotewold 55 - Bob Ayrault

One and Done (1):  Robinson
First Appearances (13):  Abbott, Amaro, Ayrault, Batiste, Brantley, Duncan, Grotewold, Hartley, Jones, Marsh, Rivera, Schilling, Sveum
Returning Players (21):  Ashby, Backman, Brink, Chamberlain, Combs, Cox, Daulton, Dykstra, Greene, Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, Lindeman, Morandini, Mulholland (two versions), Murphy, Ritchie, Searcy, Williams

Don Robinson's eight game stint with the Phillies to wrap up his 15-year career is commemorated with his sole Phillies baseball card in the update set.  The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  Like everyone else in the set, the Phanatic is posed in a studio setting, wearing his new uniform.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0):  Uniforms Through the Years
Other Cards (2):  Phillies Team, Veterans Stadium

I've shown off the Uniforms Through the Years set in past posts (see the links below), and it's by far one of the coolest cards ever produced for the team issued sets.  Veterans Stadium gets its first card since the 1984 Tastykake Phillies set.

Variations/Rarities:  As Rick points out in his comment below, the Phillies issued the following cards at the annual ALS fund raising event (Phillies Phestival) for players and former players signing autographs.  Of particular interest to me are the cards of the four members of the 1992 squad who didn't have cards in the regular or update sets - Baller, Javier, Millette and Mike Williams.

Steve also commented that Maddox, Noles and Pratt cards are in his collection with a 1992 copyright.  These cards most likely also orginated from the ALS event.

Jay Baller - 1992 Phillies Stan Javier - 1992 Phillies Joe Millette - 1992 Phillies Todd Pratt - 1992 Phillies Mike Williams - 1992 Phillies Dick Allen - Phillies Alumni Steve Bedrosian - Phillies Alumni Dave Cash - Phillies Alumni Sparky Lyle - Phillies Alumni

Garry Maddox - Phillies Alumni Tug McGraw - Phillies Alumni Dickie Noles - Phillies Alumni Bobby Shantz - Phillies Alumni Joe Coleman, Jr. - Non-Phillie Joe Coleman, Sr. - Non-Phillie Joe Torre - Non-Phillie Elmer Valo - Philadelphia A's

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: April 7, 1992; Uniforms Through the Years
Trivia:  Mulholland appears twice in the set - once in the original 36-card set and again in the update set.  This of course is very odd and the additional card in the update set could have been used for Stan Javier, who had been acquired from the Dodgers on July 2nd.
Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick (@rickphils) and Steve F.

1998 Topps Chrome #476 Curt Schilling

I already posted the 2013 Chachi Strikeout Leaders card here, but I wanted to continue with my series of posts including the top five leaders in 2013, and then the top and bottom five strikeout leaders of the past 40 years.

Coming up . . . the Leading Firemen card and a checklist and then the 2013 Chachi set is in the books!

2013 Leaders
1.  Cliff Lee - 222
2.  Cole Hamels - 202
3.  Kyle Kendrick - 110
4.  Jonathan Pettibone - 66
5.  Jonathan Papelbon - 57


Top 5 Since 1973
1997 - Curt Schilling - 319
1998 - Curt Schilling - 300
1980 - Steve Carlton - 286
1982 - Steve Carlton - 286
1983 - Steve Carlton - 275

Bottom 5 Since 1973
1990 - Pat Combs - 108
1995 - Curt Schilling - 114
1987 - Don Carman - 125
1994 - Danny Jackson - 129
1992 - Curt Schilling - 147

1993 SP #172 Mariano Duncan

Braves 5, Phillies 4 (12 Innings) 
Game 110 - Saturday Night, August 3rd in Philadelphia 
Record - 50-60, Tied for 3rd Place, 15 1/2 games behind the Braves 

Another Massive, Post-Vacation, Why Do I Even Bother Catch-Up, Part 7 of 8

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies had a chance to win this one, but eight walks from the pitchers eventually doomed them in an extra-inning, 5-4 loss.

What It Means:  It's not going well.

What Went Wrong:  John Lannan was chased in the fifth, and four Phillies relievers combined to hold the Braves scoreless until Jake Diekman walked the bases loaded in the 12th.  Justin De Fratus couldn't get out of the jam, and the Braves scored the eventual winning run.  On a positive note, Zach Miner made his Phillies debut and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Featured Card/Field Report:  I was there to witness all 12 painful innings.  I was lucky enough to pick up a cool 1993 Phillies print and I waited in line to have Mariano Duncan sign it.  Now to track down the other guys on the print . . .

We returned from the shore on Saturday morning and I drove to Philly to meet two of my good friends and former college roommates at the ballpark.  Sadly, both John and Tommy are life-long Braves fans, so this game was much more enjoyable to them then it was to me.  This game dropped my personal record this year to 2-6.  (Click photos below to enlarge.)

Schilling on the Wall

Miner's At-Bat

Me with Two Braves Fans

Who Would Have Thought?

2001 Topps Who Would Have Thought #WWHT4 and #WWHT16, 2002 Topps Traded #T271

Topps came up with a clever idea for an insert set in 2001, producing 20 cards with two photos of each subject.  The first picture showed the player on his original team and the second photo showed the player on his new, somewhat surprising team.  The concept and the insert set was titled, "Who Would Have Thought".

Steve Carlton and Dale Murphy are featured within the original 2001 insert set.  While I wasn't alive at the time of the Carlton deal, I can agree it was surprising when the Phils acquired Murphy.  And who knows - I may have even remarked, "Who would have thought?" back on the night in August 1990 when Murphy first donned the maroon pinstripes.

Topps went back to the well with a 9-card subset included within its 2002 Traded & Rookies set.  Curt Schilling is the sole Phillie represented in the 2002 version of the set.  Which got me thinking - if Topps had continued this series of cards each year, who would have been the Phillies representatives?

Here's a small list of the subjects I came up with.  Who else am I missing?

Scott Rolen - Phillies to Cardinals
Jim Thome - Indians to Phillies
Bobby Abreu - Phillies to Yankees
Larry Bowa - Phillies manager to Yankees coach
Pat Burrell - Phillies to Rays
Cliff Lee - Indians to Phillies
Pedro Martinez - Mets to Phillies
Roy Halladay - Blue Jays to Phillies
Cliff Lee - Mariners/Rangers to Phillies
Jonathan Papelbon - Red Sox to Phillies

Shane Victorino - Phillies to Dodgers/Red Sox

Michael Young - Rangers to Phillies

2000 Topps Phillies

2000 Topps #328, #38, #10 and #327

As of this writing, I have just 13 more of these posts to go to cover the Phillies baseball cards featured in each of the Topps flagship baseball card sets since 1951.  I'm a little relieved to be leaving the '90s and heading into happier times for the Phillies (and me).  But before we get to those happier times, there's the little matter of the year 2000.

2000 Topps #327 (Back)

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  There are 478 cards in the base set with no #7 in the set as Topps continued to honor Mickey Mantle.  If you count all the variations available for the Magic Moments subset, there are actually 520 cards in the set.  Topps released five different versions of each of the Magic Momemts cards featuring highlights from the careers of Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Cal Ripken, Jr., Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Ken Griffey, Jr., Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.  Topps also released a Traded Set with 135 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  Remember how weird it was to first write out the year "2000"?  The Topps design team must of have wanted to make sure we knew we were collecting futuristic cards since they added the little "TOPPS 2000" bit above the player's name on the base cards.  This was the first time Topps ever featured the year of the card within the design of its base cards, and it's also the first time the word "Topps" is redundantly featured twice on the fronts of its base cards.  Other than the difficult to read gold foil, I really liked these cards when they came out.  The cards have a clean design and the appearance of the team logo is a plus.  Topps brought back vertical backs for the first time since 1993.

Notable competition:  There were a ton of baseball cards released in 2000.  With some disposable income available and eBay just a dial-up on the modem away, I added as many Phillies cards as I could.  This was also the year I began to catalog my growing Phillies collection in Excel spreadsheets.  By my unofficial tally, the card manufacturers released a large number of different baseball card sets, as follows:  Fleer (15 sets), Pacific (13 sets), Topps (18 sets), Upper Deck (16 sets).  The days of conceivably being able to add just about every baseball card released in a given year (circa 1980 to 1986) were now long gone.

2000 Topps Traded #T104, 2000 Topps #258, #102 and 2000 Topps Traded #T105

2000 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Y2K Phillies were terrible.  Just awful.  They finished in last place with a record of 65-97, equalling their loss total from the dreadful 1972 season.  The horrible season cost manager Terry Francona and his coaching staff their jobs at the conclusion of the season.  It was the team's 13th losing season in a 14-year span, with the only bright spot being the surprising 1993 season.  Fortunately, the Phils were about to turn the corner in 2001.

Key players:  Scott Rolen was limited to 128 games due to injuries (sprained ankle, sprained wrist and back issues throughout the season), but he still hit .298 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs.  Bobby Abreu had his second straight strong season, hitting .316 with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs.  Pat Burrell (.260, 18 home runs, 79 RBIs) took over regular first base duties while Mike Lieberthal (.278, 15 home runs, 71 RBIs) enjoyed another decent season despite only playing in 108 games.  Randy Wolf led the pitching staff with 11 wins, followed by Robert Person's 9.  Jeff Brantley was the team's top closer, saving 23 games.

Key events:  Disgruntled star Curt Schilling asked for a trade and General Manager Ed Wade delivered, shipping the pitcher to the Arizona Diamondbacks in July for four question marks - Pitchers Omar Daal, Vicente Padilla and Nelson Figueroa and first baseman Travis Lee.  Wade wheeled and dealed all season, with not much to show in return.  By the end of the season, five of the Phillies' Opening Day starters were with other teams - First baseman Rico Brogna (Red Sox), second baseman Mickey Morandini (Blue Jays), shortstop Desi Relaford (Padres), left fielder Ron Gant (Angels) and pitcher Andy Ashby (Braves).  Wearing #29, Jimmy Rollins made his Major League debut on September 17, 2000, starting at short and collecting his first hit (a triple) off Marlins' pitcher Chuck Smith.

2000 Phillies in 2000Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 14 Phillies cards in the regular set and another 7 Phillies cards in the traded series.  The total of 21 cards is a step up from the 16 Phillies cards available in 1999.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 7 cards

#10 Mike Lieberthal (c), #T104 Mickey Morandini (2b), #258 Desi Relaford (ss), #328 Scott Rolen (3b), #102 Ron Gant (lf), #327 Doug Glanville (cf), #38 Bobby Abreu (rf)

Now we're talking.  After years of having just a few starters receive cards, Topps redeemed itself with a nice player selection in its regular and traded sets.  First baseman Burrell is featured on a multi-player Prospects card.

2000 Topps #120, #393, 2000 Topps Traded #T134 and 2000 Topps #166

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 3 cards

#120 Curt Schilling, #393 Andy Ashby, #T134 Bruce Chen

Top starters Wolf and Person were completely shut out from the set for some reason.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2000 - 5 cards

#166 Paul Byrd, #273 Rico Brogna, #341 Marlon Anderson, #T105 Travis Lee. #T120 Omar Daal

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 2000 - 4 cards

#63 Chad Ogea (Indians), #T11 Russ Jacobson, #T25 Brett Myers, #T87 Keith Bucktrot

The traded series was heavy with prospects and suspects and we got two Phillies cards for a couple of players who never sniffed the Majors.  Jacobson bounced around the team's minor league system until 2004 and Bucktrot lasted until 2005.  Myers was fist called up by the Phillies in July 2002.

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Prospects cards - 1 card, #204 Pat Burrell
• Phillies appearing on multi-player Draft Picks cards - 1 card, #213 Brett Myers

2000 Topps #341, #273, #48 and 2000 Topps Traded #T120

Who’s out:  Wolf and Person, as previously mentioned, should have had cards.  The bullpen got completely shut out, with nary a reliever in the set.  If I had to pick three relievers deserving of cards, I'd go with Brantley (55 games, 23 saves), Chris Brock (63 games, 7-8 record) and Wayne Gomes (65 games, 7 saves).  Bench mainstays Kevin Jordan (109 games) and Rob Ducey (112 games) were also left out.

Phillies on other teams:  Daal (#32 with the Diamondbacks), Morandini (#106 with the Cubs) and Lee (#377 with the Diamondbacks) made it into the traded series as Phillies while Kent Bottenfield (#48 with the Cardinals) did not.  Also, reliever Michael Jackson (#194 with the Indians) is in the set.  Jackson returned to the Phillies as a free agent in December 1999, hurt himself warming up on Opening Day, and never pitched during the season.

2000 Topps #204

What’s he doing here:  Jacobson and Bucktrot share the honors.

Cards that never were candidates:  It was always strange to me that Myers received a stand-alone card in the traded series, but Burrell didn't.  Here's a list of ten players deserving of cards that never were:  Burrell, Wolf, Person, Brantley, Brock, Gomes, Jordan, Ducey, Padilla and Rollins.

Favorite Phillies card:  Nothing really jumps out at me.  By default, I'll pick Byrd's card over Morandini's return to Phillies cardboard.  Chalk it up to the high socks.

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps re-used this design on a number of parallel sets in 2000 - Topps Chrome, Topps Limited Edition and Topps Opening Day.  I believe the Limited Edition cards were available only in factory set form, and they're supposed to somehow be glossier than the "regular" edition of Topps.  Opening Day featured silver foil in place of the gold foil found in the regular set.

Blogs/Websites:  I got nothing.  Maybe there's a kid somewhere out there who loves the 2000 Topps set and he or she is about to take the plunge and blog about this set.  Until then, here's a post I ran a few years ago pondering the decade of the '00s. 

Did You Know?:  Wade traded Rob Ducey to the Blue Jays and received . . . Rob Ducey in return?  And now you know.