Phillies at Brewers: September 1st to September 3rd

1965 Topps #296

2014 Topps Heritage #489

Friday 8:10, Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 1:05
American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday, the first 30,000 fans at the ballpark will receive a Brewers fleece vest.  On Sunday, the first 10,000 fans will receive a MLB Network hat.

Phillies 74-59
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 14 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (10-6, 3.59)
Aaron Nola (12-8, 4.30)
Ranger Suarez (14-5, 4.05)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .308
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 84
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 37
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 85
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 25

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.59

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 175
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 21

Brewers 74-59
1st Place in the N.L. Central, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs

Brewers Probables
Freddy Peralta (11-8, 3.95)
TBD
Wade Miley (7-3, 3.17)

Brewers Leaders
Average:  Christian Yelich - .281
Runs:  Christian Yelich - 94
Home Runs:  Willy Adames - 21
RBIs:  Christian Yelich - 68
Stolen Bases:  Christian Yelich - 27

Wins:  Freddy Peralta - 11
ERA:  Corbin Burnes - 3.55
Strikeouts:  Freddy Peralta - 177
Saves:  Devin Williams - 31

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

Phillies at Marlins: July 7th to July 10th

2023 Chachi 1965 Topps Missing Links #10

2023 Chachi Series Previews #4

Friday 6:40, Saturday 4:10 and Sunday 1:40
loanDepot park - Miami, FL

At the Ballpark:  It's a Flashback Friday tonight, with the Marlins donning their classic early 1990s teal uniforms.  Saturday there's a Team USA Day Celebration scheduled and on Sunday, the first 8,000 fans will receive "Bobblehead #2," which at press time could honestly be anyone.  It might be you.

All staff and paid personnel from The Phillies Room will be taking some much-needed vacation time and live posting will resume upon our return at the All-Star Break.

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

Phillies at Diamondbacks: June 12th to June June 15th

1965 Topps #352

2023 Chachi Series Previews #3

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9:40, Thursday 3:40
Chase Field - Phoenix, AZ

At the Ballpark:  I'm somewhat surprised there are no promotions, no theme nights and nothing special scheduled at Chase Field during this four-game series.

Phillies 32-33
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Matt Strahm (4-3, 3.61)
Zack Wheeler (4-4, 3.91)
Ranger Suarez (1-2, 4.70)
Aaron Nola (5-5, 4.60)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Nick Castellanos - .312
Runs:  Nick Castellanos - 40
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 17
RBIs:  Nick Castellanos - 38
Stolen Bases:  Three tied with - 9

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 6
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.91

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 87
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 9

Diamondbacks 40-25
1st Place in the N.L. West, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers

Diamondbacks Probables
Tommy Henry (3-1, 4.37)
Zach Davies (1-1, 4.68)
Merrill Kelly (8-3, 2.92)
Ryne Nelson (3-3, 4.95)

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  Corbin Carroll - .308
Runs:  Corbin Carroll - 47
Home Runs:  Corbin Carroll - 13
RBIs:  Lourdes Gurriel - 39
Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll - 19

Wins:  Merrill Kelly - 8
ERA:  Merrill Kelly - 2.92
Strikeouts:  Zac Gallen - 93
Saves:  Andrew Chafin - 8

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

Game 10 - Offense Unloads on Fish

2022 Topps Archives #229

Phillies 15, Marlins 3
Game 10 - Monday Night, April 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 4-6, 3rd Place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Matt Strahm pitched five strong innings and the Phillies' offense jumped on the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner for nine runs in this 15-3 rout.

What It Means:  The Phillies will try to keep it going tonight as they inch closer to evening their won-loss record.

What Happened:  Strahm earned the win, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out six.  McKinley Moore (making his big league debut) and Andrew Vasquez navigated the rest of the game.  Four Phillies players had three hit nights - Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh.  Jake Cave, Bohm and Marsh all homered.  Marlins' starter Sandy Alcantara exited after four innings having allowed nine runs on 10 hits.

Featured Card:  Alec Bohm had quite the game with a pair of runs scored, three hits and six RBIs.  I have a feeling I'll be featuring quite a few of his cards during the 2023 season, which is fine as I have a backlog from 2022.  This is his card from the 2022 Topps Archives set, paying tribute to the 1987 Topps design, which Topps absolutely loves and completely overuses.

Field Report:  We attended our fourth game in a row, and that streak will be broken with the Tuesday night game as we take the night off from the ballpark.  We enjoyed the game from the Diamond Club, with Doug securing pregame autographs from the Marlins' Joey Wendle and the Phillies' Kody Clemens.  Normally, we would have avoided getting tickets for a Monday night game against the Marlins, but we wanted to be there to see Jean Segura receive his 2022 National League Champions ring and to welcome him in his return to Citizens Bank Park.

For the record, Doug also secured an autograph from Phillies' majority owner John Middleton as Alec Bohm was hitting his sixth inning home run.

Joey Wendle tosses Doug a signed ball

Jean Segura gets his ring

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

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - 1969 Topps Commons Explosion

On Sunday, Doug and I drove an hour north to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks for the March Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, known to its friends as the Philly Show.  This could be our last show for a while, as baseball schedules along with a packed summer and fall tend to keep us away from any June or September shows.  We were happy we had decided to attend on Sunday, as we both heard from dealers and other collectors that Saturday's show was, "way too crowded, "a madhouse" and "chaos."  There were still a lot of people there on Sunday, but we were able to leisurely browse the dealer tables and we both came away with hauls that had us smiling all the way home.

• Doug's collecting habits are geared towards cards he thinks are cool, which is usually some combination of a signature, a relic and/or a low serial number for a favorite baseball or basketball player.  He's got quite the display going on his bedroom desk, and he added the cards shown below to his collection after a few hours of scouting and negotiating.
• After being a big spender on star cards at the December show, and completing our 1965 Topps set, I was focused on volume this time around.  I pulled up a chair at Uncle Dick's table, found the first binder of 1969 Topps commons (1-300) and plowed through it.  I stopped after each 100 cards to ask for a price check, and with the understanding I'd buy more if there was as a discount in play for volume, I soldiered on.  I added 193 cards to our 1969 Topps set, which is most likely the highest single set tally since the 1980s when my Dad and me were collecting the 1976 Topps set and we bought most of the commons needed for that set at an Ocean City baseball card show.
• I was happy to find quite a few dealers with Diamond Stars cards for sale.  I visited three separate dealers, making three separate purchases, all of which came in a little lower than the advertised prices. With five more cards added to that set, I'm down to needing 38 cards out of the 119 I'm collecting as my version of a master set.

I purchased one Phillies card, a 1987 team-issued variation card of the Phillie Phanatic, and we didn't purchase autographs from any of the dozens of autograph signers.  It was another great show, and it may need to hold us over until December.

Doug's Haul

New Diamond Stars cards

Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Oaks 1 - October 2015 - Meeting Pete Rose and Steve Carlton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017 - Doug's big day
Valley Forge 7 - December 2017 - Ben's first baseball card show with Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins!
Oaks 2 - December 2018 - Meeting Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels
Valley Forge 8 - March 2019 - 5 Phillies Autographs and Vintage Phillies Additions
Valley Forge 9 - September 2019 - Closing in on 1971 Topps set and Andrew McCutchen
Valley Forge 10 - December 2019 - Finishing 1971 Topps set, Starting 1965 Topps set, adding key autographs from Ryan Howard and Brad Lidge
Valley Forge 11 - February 2020 - More 1965 Topps cards, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Lieberthal and Jim Kaat

Valley Forge 12 - December 2021 - Huge haul of 1965 Topps, Jim Thome

Valley Forge 13 - March 2022 - Easy like Sunday morning, close to completing 1965 Topps

Oaks 3 - December 2022 - 1965 Topps set completed, dent made in 1969 Topps, Schwarber, Vierling and Stott

Oaks 4 - March 2023 - Huge haul of 1969 Topps and five Diamond Stars cards added

Blue Jays 8, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 16 - Sunday Afternoon, March 12th in Clearwater
Record - 7-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  Further south, the Phillies dropped a spring training game to the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  With our fresh spoils in hand, we listened to the start of this game on our ride home from the Philly Show.

What Happened:  Starting pitcher Bailey Falter got hit early and often, allowing seven hits and three runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings of work.  Jake Jewell was the recipient of four unearned runs in the ninth due to a costly error by second baseman Hao-Yu Lee.  Josh Harrison hit a two-run home run in the fifth.

Featured Card:  See above!

Camp Head Count:  65 - 7 - 3 = 55

Before the game, James McArthur (rhp) was optioned and Mick Abel (rhp), Andrew Baker (rhp), Jon Duplantier (rhp), Griff McGarry (rhp), Francisco Morales (rhp) and Billy Sullivan (rhp) were all assigned to minor league camp.  Following the game, Jhailyn Ortiz (of) and Simon Muzziotti (of) were optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Johan Rojas (of) was optioned to Double-A Reading.

Phils Ink Kimbrel for Bullpen; Jean Signs with Fish

2023 Chachi New Additions #5

2023 Chachi New Additions #4

2022 Topps Now Postseason #PS-120

2022 Topps Heritage #670

The National League Champions have been keeping busy since the holidays.  Reliever Craig Kimbrel (rhp), the major league's active saves leader with 394, was signed to a one-year, $10 million contract on January 4th, with Francisco Morales (rhp) being designated for assignment to clear 40-man roster space.  Kimbrel solidifies an already strong bullpen, and he'll join manager Rob Thomson's closer by committee program.  In 63 games with the Dodgers in 2022, Kimbrel was 6-7 with a 3.75 ERA and 22 saves in 27 opportunities.  His most recent baseball cards can be found in the Topps Heritage and Topps Update sets.

Before the Kimbrel signing was made official, the Phillies also announced they had acquired Erich Uelmen (rhp) from the Cubs for cash considerations.  Vinny Nittoli (rhp) was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.  Uelmen made his big league debut in July for the Cubs, and he'd pitch in 25 games, all in relief, earning a 4.67 ERA over 27 innings.  He had an autographed insert in the 2018 Bowman set, but he's been otherwise absent from major Topps releases.

There were also a few moves made with former Phillies, most notably with Jean Segura (2b) signing a two-year deal with the Marlins.  Segura was a key player for the team over the past four seasons, appearing in 427 games overall and batting .281 with 43 home runs and 176 RBIs.  He had a number of clutch hits last year in the regular and postseason, and made several unforgettable defensive plays as well. He'll be missed, and I'm sure he'll have a huge hit for the Marlins in the next two seasons against his former team.

Finally, Noah Syndergaard (rhp), a big acquisition for the club for the stretch drive, signed a deal with the Dodgers.  Thor appeared in just 10 regular season and four postseason games for the Phillies, going 5-2 in nine starts with a 4.12 ERA in August, September and early October.  He was the losing pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series against the Astros.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Minnesota Twins, 11/27/22.
• Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
• Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Angels, 11/28/22.
• Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Baltimore Orioles, 12/5/22.
• Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the New York Mets, 12/9/22.
• Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 12/16/22.
• Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, 12/13/22.
• Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins, 1/4/23.
• Mark Appel - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Jorge Bonifacio - of (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Nick Duron - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Yairo Munoz - inf (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.
• Bubby Rossman - rhp (11/11/22) - Elected free agency.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Jake Cave - of (12/2/22) - Claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
• Noah Song - rhp (12/7/22) - Selected from the Boston Red Sox in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Trea Turner - ss (12/8/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Matt Strahm - lhp (12/9/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox.
• Taijuan Walker - rhp (12/16/22) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
• Erich Uelmen - rhp (1/4/23) - Acquired from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.
• Craig Kimbrel - rhp (1/4/23) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

First Transactions of the 2022-2023 Offseason

2022 Topps #179

2022 Topps Living Set #565

2022 Topps Update #US14

2019 Topps #678

2021 Choice St. Paul Saints

I'm a natural list-maker and one list subject every year since the mid-1980s is a listing of Phillies' off-season transactions.  Whether it be in my old scrapbooks, in spiral-bound notebooks or on this blog, I've maintained lists of the players coming and going between the final pitch of one season and the first pitch of the next.  I realize these lists aren't needed now as much as they were back in the day, given there are multiple websites around tracking these sort of things, but with the World Series over and offseason transactions starting . . . here we go again.

Departures - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Johan Camargo - inf (10/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Michael Kelly - rhp (10/14/22) - Elected free agency.
• Chris Devenski - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Kyle Gibson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Brad Hand - lhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Corey Knebel - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Noah Syndergaard - rhp (11/6/22) - Elected free agency.
• Zach Eflin - rhp (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.
• Jean Segura - 2b (11/7/22) - Elected free agency.

Johan Camargo and Michael Kelly, both dropped from the team's 40-man roster earlier in the year, became free agents in the midst of the Phillies' postseason run.  On Sunday, the next six players listed above became free agents.  On Monday, the Phillies declined the option on Jean Segura and Zach Eflin declined his side of a mutual option, making them both free agents.

I wouldn't mind seeing Segura, Eflin, Robertson and/or Syndergaard come back in 2023 and if I had to guess the latter two probably have the best chance of donning red pinstripes again.

New Additions - 2022-2023 Offseason

• Luis Ortiz - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.
• Andrew Vasquez - rhp (11/9/22) - Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants.

On Wednesday, the Phillies added two potential 2023 pitchers to their arsenal, claiming Luis Ortiz and Andrew Vasquez off waivers from the Giants.  Ortiz appeared in six games for the Giants in 2022, earning a 1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched.  He had previously appeared in three games for the Orioles in 2018 and 2019, and his last mainstream baseball card can be found in the 2019 Topps set.

Vasquez appeared in nine games for the Blue Jays and one game for the Giants, spending 12 days on the Phillies' 40-man roster in August before re-entering the waiver wire shuffle.  He's got several minor league baseball card appearances, but nothing mainstream to date.

World Series Game 6 - Phils' Bats Go Quiet as Astros Win World Series

Astros 4, Phillies 1
World Series Game 6 - Saturday Night, November 5th in Houston
Astros win series, 4-2

One Sentence Summary:  For the third consecutive game, the Phillies offense was almost completely quiet and a three-run home run off the bat of Yordan Alvarez in the sixth proved to be the back-breaker in this 4-1 loss to the Astros.

What It Means:  It's Saturday night for a few more minutes and I'm going to power through this game summary post.  I'm sure in time I'll appreciate the October/early November run the 2022 Phillies just gave us way more than I do right now, but I'm still reeling from the little mistakes and missed opportunities that ultimately sunk the team after they held what appeared to be a commanding 2-1 advantage in the World Series.  There were too many strikeouts, too many runners left on base, too many defensive miscues and one huge questionable decision by manager Rob Thomson to bring in Jose Alvarado in this game with Zack Wheeler seemingly cruising.

Still, there's no way I ever imagined I'd be typing up a World Series Game 6 summary back in late May when the team was 22-29, costing Joe Girardi his job.  There's no way I could have predicted back in late June after the Phils lost Bryce Harper with a broken hand that I'd take my family to an NLDS game and watch Rhys Hoskins spike his bat following a dramatic home run.  And I certainly didn't foresee Harper going nuclear in the NLCS and delivering a World Series berth following a game-winning home run against the Padres.

I described losses back in September with words and phrases such as "'Pen implodes," "Phils fall again," "Phils still flat," and "Collapse seems imminent."  And then a little over a month later, I got to take my family to World Series games, temporarily losing my hearing following a Game 3 home run barrage.  I will remember some of these moments forever - the ninth inning comeback in the Wild Card series against the Cardinals, the clinching game of the NLDS against the Braves, buying postseason merchandise for every series, Doug devouring his standard Bull's BBQ order every night we went, Ben proudly waving his red rally towel, my whole family together, cheering the Phillies, and the five home runs on Tuesday night.  I wanted two more wins, and I wanted a few more memories, but the wins we did get and the memories I made will have to be enough for now.

What Happened / Featured Card:  Wheeler and Astros' starting pitcher Framber Valdez were locked in a pitcher's duel through the first five frames, putting zeroes on the board each half-inning.  In the top of the sixth, Kyle Schwarber drilled a lead-off, line drive home run to right field to give the Phillies a slim 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the sixth, needing just 12 more outs to send the series to a Game 7, Wheeler hit Martin Maldonado with a pitch, with Maldonado clearly leaning over the plate.  Jose Altuve grounded into a fielder's choice, and Jeremy Pena followed with a single to put runners on the corners with one out.

With just 70 pitches thrown and seemingly in a groove, Wheeler was removed by manager Thomson in favor of Alvarado.  The decision immediately backfired when Alvarez hit his three-run home run, an absolute bomb over the center field batter's eye, to give the Astros a 3-1 lead.  Another Astros run would score, but honestly it didn't really matter.  Save a ninth inning single from J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies went down quietly over the final three innings, with Nick Castellanos popping out in foul territory to right fielder Kyle Tucker to end the game, and the Phillies' season.

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

2022 Chachi #87 World Series Game 5 / 2022 Chachi #89 J.T. Realmuto HL - Gold Glove

NLWCS Game 1 - Phils Stun Cardinals with 9th Inning Comeback

Phillies 6, Cardinals 3
NLWCS Game 1 - Friday Afternoon, October 7th in St. Louis
Phillies lead series, 1-0

One Sentence Summary:  In one of the more remarkable comebacks in postseason history, the Phillies plated six runs in the top of the ninth inning in St. Louis, stunning the Cardinals and taking Game One of this Wild Card Series by a score of 6-3.

What It Means:  Aaron Nola and the Phillies will try to clinch the series on Saturday night.  It was the first Phillies postseason win since Game 3 of the 2011 NLDS against the Cardinals, also in St. Louis.  Ben Francisco hit a pinch-hit three-run home run in that game to send the Phillies to a 3-2 win.

What Happened / Featured Card:  It was an uneventful first eight innings for the Phillies.  Zack Wheeler did his job, pitching 6 1/3 shutout innings and allowing just a pair of hits.  He yielded to Jose Alvarado in the seventh, with Alvarado walking Dylan Carlson and then giving up a two-run, pinch-hit home run to Juan Yepez.  The Cardinals held that 2-0 lead through 8 1/3 innings, with the Phillies managing only two hits up to that point.

With Cardinals' All-Star closer Ryan Helsely on the mound, and with one down, J.T. Realmuto singled, and then Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos both walked to load the bases.  Alec Bohm was drilled on the shoulder with a Helsely pitch to bring home the first Phillies run of the postseason.  With Edmundo Sosa now pinch-running for Bohm, Jean Segura golfed a two-run singled past a diving second baseman to score two runs and give the Phillies an improbable 3-2 lead.  Sosa lengthened the lead, sliding under the tag at home after Bryson Stott grounded into a fielder's choice to first.  Brandon Marsh singled home Segura and Kyle Schwarber hit a sacrifice fly to score Stott and give the Phillies a 6-2 lead.  Zach Eflin, the newly appointed closer, allowed a Cardinals run in the bottom of the ninth before striking out Yadier Molina to end the game.

Hard to believe, Harry.

Transactions:  There were a few surprises as the Phillies finalized their Wild Card Series roster on Friday morning.  Sosa (inf) and Brad Hand (lhp) were activated from the injured list.  Nick Nelson (rhp), Darick Hall (1b), Dalton Guthrie (inf) and Michael Plassmeyer (lhp) were all reassigned to the minor leagues.

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

2022 Chachi #68 Phils Clinch Wild Card HL / 2022 Chachi #70 Wild Card Game 2

Game 135 - Segura Delivers Winning Walk-Off Hit

2022 Topps Gypsy Queen #89

Phillies 3, Marlins 2
Game 135 - Tuesday Night, September 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 74-61, 3rd Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jean Segura lined a game-winning, walk-off single to right to give the Phillies a 3-2 win and snap a three-game losing streak.

What It Means:  A short work trip following the Labor Day weekend means I'm once again playing catch up with a few game summary posts.  At least this time I get to write about a bunch of Phillies wins.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola pitched into the seventh inning, striking out 10 and allowing a run on four hits.  The Phillies offense continued to sputter along, scoring a run in the first on Edmundo Sosa's first home run of the season and a run in the sixth when Sosa scored on an Alec Bohm sacrifice fly.  The Marlins tied the score at 2-2 on a sacrifice fly in the eighth.  Segura came through in the ninth after Bryce Harper doubled and J.T. Realmuto was intentionally walked.

Featured Card:  Segura has been a welcome re-addition to the line-up following his absence for two months while his broken finger healed.  In his 29 games back so far, up to this game, he was batting .306 with four doubles, a pair of home runs and eight RBIs.  This is his card from the Gypsy Queen set, released back in May shortly before he suffered his injury.

Transaction:  Luis Garcia (inf), designated for assignment on Sunday, was claimed by the Detroit Tigers off waivers.

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

Game 28 - Mother's Day Sweep Falls Short

2022 Topps Phillies #PHI-5

Mets 6, Phillies 1 (Game 2)
Game 28 - Sunday Afternoon, May 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 12-16, 4th Place, 7 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets easily handled the Phillies in this sparsely attended Mother's Day matinee.

What It Means:  Honestly, I have no idea.  We were enjoying Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at the movie theater and almost completely missed this game.  Turns out we didn't miss much.

What Happened:  Cristopher Sanchez received the spot start, and gave up a pair of runs on a first inning home run to Pete Alonso.  Alonso connected again for a three-run home run off reliever Nick Nelson in the fifth inning.  The Phillies' only run came on Jean Seguara's 100th career home run, hit in the second inning off Mets' starter Chris Bassitt.

Featured Card:  Congrats are in order for Segura, who provided the sole Phillies highlight from this game.  The Phillies passed along a note that there are now five active players with 100 home runs, 225 doubles and 45 triples:  Jean Segura, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Charlie Blackmon and Starling Marte.

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

2022 Chachi #7 Jean Segura

#2
Jean Carlos Enrique Segura
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  220
Opening Day Age:  32
Born:  March 17, 1990, San Juan, DR
How Obtained:  Acquired with Juan Nicasio and James Pazos from the Seattle Mariners for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana, December 3, 2018
Contract Status:  Signed through 2022 with a club option for 2023
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 2012; Milwaukee Brewers 2012-2015; Arizona Diamondbacks 2016; Seattle Mariners 2017-2018; Philadelphia Phillies 2019-

First Phillies Card:  2018 Topps Now Offseason #OS55
Newest Card Added:  2022 Topps Opening Day #45
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  2013-2022

43 - Segura baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 4/15/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi New Additions #1
2019 Chachi #2
2019 Chachi #50 - 9th Inning Homers HL
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #22
2020 Chachi #6
2021 Chachi #7
2022 Chachi #7

2013 Topps #387

2016 Topps #409

2020 Topps #219

2021 Topps #109

2022 Topps #178

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

2022 Chachi #6 Didi Gregorius / 2022 Chachi #8 Bryson Stott

Game 148 - 2021 Topps Now #719 Jean Segura

Phillies 5, Mets 3
Game 148 - Saturday Night, September 18th in Flushing
Record - 76-72, 2nd Place, 1 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies kept their momentum going, as Jean Segura and Bryce Harper led the team to a 5-3 win over the Mets.

What It Means:  With the Braves losing again in San Francisco to Gabe Kapler's Giants, the Phillies are now a game out of first place.

What Happened:  Segura accounted for the first two runs of the game with solo home runs in the first and third.  The Phillies added three more runs in the seventh when Freddy Galvis doubled home Brad Miller, and then Harper doubled home Galvis and Odubel Herrera.

Aaron Nola earned the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings while allowing a run on four hits.  Ian Kennedy pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the win and notch his eighth save with the Phils.

Featured Card:  Segura has been huge for the Phillies all season, and he's a big reason why they're now within striking distance of first place with 13 games to go.  Most of his 2021 baseball cards have come via Topps Now, a good indicator he's been the reason for quite a few Phillies wins.

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

Game 137 - 2021 Topps Gypsy Queen #199 Jean Segura

Phillies 12, Brewers 0
Game 137 - Monday Afternoon, September 6th in Milwaukee
Record - 71-66, 2nd Place, 1 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  After struggling to put together any kind of offense against the lowly Marlins, the Phillies battered the first place Brewers with 16 hits and six home runs in this 12-0 win.

What It Means:  I had to labor on Labor Day, but the Phillies at least provided an enjoyable matinee and a great start to an important Brewers series.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler (six innings), Hector Neris (one innings) and Matt Moore (two innings) combined for the six-hit shutout.  Neris recorded his 500th career strikeout, putting him 19 behind Ron Reed on the team's all-time list for strikeouts from a relief pitcher.  That's pretty impressive.  The Phillies took the early lead in the first inning when Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run.  Freddy Galvis added a solo home run in the second.  Also homering were Brad Miller (twice), Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura, whose eighth inning grand slam put the game out of reach.

Featured Card:  The slam was the first in Segura's career.  Nice job here of Topps going with the "second baseman / third baseman" position on Segura's Gypsy Queen card.  I thought it was a mistake, and I had forgotten Segura played 24 games last season at third, while playing 32 games at second.

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Game 62 - Phils Win With Third Straight Walk-Off

2021 Topps Now
Road to Opening Day #OD-277

Phillies 8, Yankees 7 (10 Innings)
Game 61 - Saturday Afternoon, June 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 31-31, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Once again, the Phillies walked-off with a win despite the bullpen's best efforts to blow a late lead.

What It Means:  This is the first time the Phillies have had three consecutive walk-off wins since August 2013 when the winning RBIs were delivered by Michael Young, Domonic Brown and a bases-loaded walk from Chase Utley.

What Happened:  The Phillies plated four runs in the first inning on six hits, started by a two-run single from Bryce Harper.  They held a 7-2 lead after five innings, but then the Yankees started chipping away.  Runs were allowed by relievers Sam Coonrod and Ranger Suarez (his first earned run of the season), and Hector Neris entered in the ninth with a somewhat comfortable 7-4 lead.  Two walks and a line-drive home run from DJ LeMahieu later, and the score was tied.  Fortunately, Archie Bradley was able to shut down the Yankees in the top of the 10th.  With Ronald Torreyes as the ghost runner at second to start the bottom of the 10th, Travis Jankowski laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and reached safely on a throwing error by Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman.  With Torreyes now at third base, Segura hit a hard grounder to third, allowing Torreyes to scamper home with the winning run.

Featured Card:  It's Segura again, and this is his third walk-off hit this season.  His first came back on opening day and his second came Thursday afternoon against the Braves.  This one was perhaps the most electric of the three as there were over 38,000 fans in the stands.

Transactions:  On Thursday, the Phillies outrighted Brady Lail (rhp) to Lehigh Valley, clearing up a 40-man roster spot.  That allowed the Phillies on Friday to activate Adam Haseley (of) from the restricted list and option him to Lehigh Valley.  Additionally, Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was recalled with Rafael Marchan (c) sent back down.

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Game 61 - 2021 Topps Now #5 Jean Segura

Phillies 4, Braves 3 (10 Innings)
Game 61 - Thursday Afternoon, June 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 30-31, 2nd Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  For the second game in a row, the Phillies were victors in a walk-off win, this time due to the heroics of Jean Segura.

What It Means:  Despite Zack Wheeler's best efforts, the Phillies had no business winning this game given the crappy relieving from Jose Alvarado and almost a complete lack of offense through regulation.  Segura drove in the first run of the game on a double to left in the eighth inning.

What Happened:  Wheeler was once again fantastic, pitching eight innings and allowing four hits and no runs.  He struck out 12.  Hector Neris attempted to lock down the 1-0 save, but Freddie Freeman hit a game-tying home run to center with one out.  It appeared as if Freeman's ball should have been caught by Odubel Herrera, but the ball landed in the bushes to take the W away from Wheeler.  With the score tied, Alvarado allowed two 10th inning runs on three walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball.  The Braves didn't have a hit in the inning.

Featured Card:  Now trailing 3-1, Alec Bohm led off the bottom of the 10th with a single to score ghost-runner Rafael Marchan.  Herrera doubled, sending Bohm to third and Segura drove a ball to the top of the center field wall to score Bohm and Herrera and give the team another improbable win.  Segura received his first Topps Now card of the season after delivering a walk-off win on opening day.

Transaction:  Chase Anderson (rhp) was placed back on the Covid injured list and Marchan (c) was recalled from Lehigh Valley.

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

Game 33 - 2021 Topps Heritage #338 Jean Segura

Phillies 12, Braves 2
Game 33 - Friday Night, May 6th in Atlanta
Record - 18-15, 1st Place, 1 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense busted out with six first inning runs, enjoying their first easy win of the season, 12-2.

What It Means:  After not being able to put together consecutive wins since the first series of the season, the Phillies have now won five in a row.

What Happened:  Alec Bohm (RBI single), Jean Segura (two-run single) and Odubel Herrera (three-run home run) all had a hand in the big first inning, with Herrera connecting for his first extra-base hit of the season.  J.T. Realmuto added a two-run home run in the eighth.  Bryce Harper returned to the line-up after missing the entire Brewers series and went 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored.

Zach Eflin pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs while striking out eight on the way to his second win of the season.

Featured Card:  With Harper, Segura also returned after missing 15 games with a quad injury.  He didn't miss a beat, going 4 for 5 in his return with a pair of RBIs, raising his season average to .369.

Transaction:  Segura (2b) was activated from the injured list with Mickey Moniak (of) sent back down to Lehigh Valley.  This was the third time Moniak has been up with the club for a short period.

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

2021 Chachi #7 Jean Segura

#2
Jean Carlos Enrique Segura
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  220
Opening Day Age:  31
Born:  March 17, 1990, San Juan, DR
How Obtained:  Acquired with Juan Nicasio and James Pazos from the Seattle Mariners for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana, December 3, 2018
Contract Status:  Signed through 2022 with a club option for 2023
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Angels 2012; Milwaukee Brewers 2012-2015; Arizona Diamondbacks 2016; Seattle Mariners 2017-2018; Philadelphia Phillies 2019-

First Phillies Card:  2018 Topps Now Offseason #OS55
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2019 Phillies Team Issue #2

Newest Card Added:  2021 Topps Heritage #338

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  2013-2021

33 - Segura baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 4/11/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi New Additions #1
2019 Chachi #2
2019 Chachi #50 - 9th Inning Homers HL
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #22
2020 Chachi #6
2021 Chachi #7

The team's regular shortstop in 2019, Segura shifted over to third base to start the 2020 season with the arrival of new shortstop Didi Gregorius.  He's now the team's regular second baseman with Alec Bohm assuming the everyday third base duties.

The well-traveled infielder has readily available baseball cards featuring him with each of the five teams he's played with during his career so far.  Even though he only played one game with the Angels, his original team, he appears on a number of Bowman sets in an Angels uniform throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Segura was an All-Star with the Brewers in 2013 and with the Diamondbacks in 2018.

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

Game 1 - Welcome Home! Fans Return to Citizens Bank Park

2021 Chachi #31

Phillies 3, Braves 2 (10 Innings)
Game 1 - Thursday Afternoon, April 1st in Philadelphia
Record - 1-0, 1st Place, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  For the first time in 550 days, fans were in attendance at a regular season Phillies game, and we were treated to a walk-off, extra inning win.

What It Means:  The longest offseason is over.  8,529 grateful fans braved the elements and took in the sights and smells of Phillies baseball.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola was brilliant through six innings, and then ran into trouble in the seventh when he allowed a double to Cristian Pache and a long home run to pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval.  That tied the game at 2-2.  The Phillies had scored their first two runs earlier on an Alec Bohm sacrifice fly and a J.T. Realmuto infield single.

The bullpen quartet of Archie Bradley, Jose Alvarado, Hector Neris and Connor Brogdon kept the Braves from scoring over the final four innings, and the defense was solid with excellent plays from Bohm and Didi Gregorius.  In the 10th, with Bryce Harper starting the inning at second base, Jean Segura chopped a single down the third base line to plate the winning run.

2021 Topps Opening Day #128

2021 Topps #109

Featured Card / Field Report:  My oldest son Doug and I attended this game, and I was admittedly a little emotional as we made our way to our seats in the Hall of Fame Club.  It was a much more subdued opening day out of necessity, but the ceremonies fit the mood as anything too over the top would have been too much to take.  Just being there was enough.

We did two full laps around the ballpark to see what was and wasn't open, and to make sure there definitely weren't any Phillies team-issued photo cards available for sale*.  My sole souvenir purchase was a Phillies Media Guide and given the cold, windy weather we had to strategize a little on our food purchases.  We waited until after the fifth inning to venture over to Bull's BBQ and the limited menu (for now) was a welcome sight.  After Bull's, we enjoyed a dessert of Shake Shack fries.

It was great to run into fellow Phillies fans we knew and who we hadn't seen in over a year and a half.  While the interactions were brief, those still marked another milestone as we get closer to normalcy.  After 550 days, it was wonderful to walk back into the ballpark and cheer, boo, eat, smile and hope.

*We were told photo cards may go on sale later in the season if there's enough interest and if the ballpark returns to full capacity.  Scorecards were also a casualty of the reduction in available souvenirs.

Transaction:  Ronald Torreyes (inf) was officially selected to the roster with Kyle Dohy (lhp) passing through waivers and outrighted to Lehigh Valley.

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