2011 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 2nd Edition

Number of Cards:  42
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The cards have a very basic design, with full color photos and a red and white bottom border including the player's number, name and position.  The Phillies script logo appears in one of the upper corners.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The Phillies issued a second edition 40-card set much earlier than in the previous year, as I found this set for sale at Citizens Bank Park on June 12, 2011.  A few months later in mid-August, the Phillies reconfigured the set's make-up, perhaps several times, ultimately resulting in two new cards (I think) for Domonic Brown and Hunter Pence.  I wrote about my discovery of these two extra cards in this post.

A version of the set was sold throughout August and September with a somewhat fluid checklist.  As detailed in a post at the 14,000 Phillies blog at the time, his version of the set dropped five cards - Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero, Dane Sardinha, Mike Zagurski and the Broadcasters card - and added the Pence card.  Fellow collector Steve also pointed out at the time that his first version of the set included the Brown card, but not the Pence card.  And to confuse things further, his second version of the set dropped six cards - the five cards noted above and Danys Baez.  I've taken a closer look below at the comings and goings of these players.

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

1. Danys Baez (#55 - RHP) 2. Antonio Bastardo (#58 - LHP)           3. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO) 4. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP) 5. Jose Contreras (#52 - RHP) 6. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO) 7. Ben Francisco (#10 - OF) 8. Ross Gload (#7 - OF/1B) 9. Greg Gross (#18 - CO) 10. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP) 11. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 12. David Herndon (#57 - RHP) 13. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B)

14. Raul Ibanez (#29 - LF) 15. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP) 16. Cliff Lee (#33 - LHP) 17. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 18. Pete Mackanin (#22 - CO) 19. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 20. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG) 21. Michael Martinez (#19 - INF/OF)           22. John Mayberry Jr. (#15 - OF) 23. Pete Orr (#5 - INF/OF) 24. Roy Oswalt (#44 - RHP) 25. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - CO) 26. Placido Polanco (#27 - 3B)

27. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP) 28. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 29. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 30. Dane Sardinha (#4 - C) 31. Juan Samuel (#12 - CO) 32. Brian Schneider (#23 - C) 33. Michael Stutes (#40 - RHP) 34. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 35. Wilson Valdez (#21 - INF) 36. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF) 37. Vance Worley (#49 - RHP) 38. Mike Zagurski (#59 - LHP)           39. Phillie Phanatic 40. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version: 

1. Domonic Brown (#9 - OF)

2. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Sardinha

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (3):  Pence, Stutes, Worley
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (29):  Baez, Bastardo, Blanton, Brown, Contreras, Francisco, Gload, Halladay, Hamels, Herndon, Howard, Ibanez, Kendrick, Lee, Lidge, Madson, Martinez, Mayberry Jr., Orr, Oswalt, Polanco, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Schneider, Utley, Valdez, Victorino, Zagurski

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (6):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gross, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  This card features the same line-up of broadcasters and photo as found in the first edition set - Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Jim Jackson, Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews.

Surprises:  Given I purchased my set on June 12th, I went back and looked at the active Phillies roster on that date, noting everyone on the 25-man roster, except Brown, received a card.  So I'm even more confused as to why my set initially excluded the Brown card.  The set adds Blanton, Lidge, and Schneider, who were all on the disabled list on June 12th, along with Orr and Mayberry, Jr. who were with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on that date.

Looking at the key dates of the added and subtracted players from the updated versions of the set:

June 4 - Mike Zagurski optioned to Lehigh Valley.

June 16 - J.C. Romero designated for assignment.

June 23 - Jose Contreras placed on the disabled list and he'd miss the rest of the season.

June 24 - Dane Sardinha outrighted to Lehigh Valley and Romero released. 

July 22 - Danys Baez designated for assignment.

July 29 - Hunter Pence acquired from Astros.

August 1 - Baez released.

Why the Phillies would go through the trouble of pulling cards of players who had departed the organization is a mystery to me.

Omissions:  Pitcher Juan Perez spent 37 days on the Phillies' active roster, recalled on June 23rd when Contreras went out for the season.  I'm reaching here as that 's the only logical addition that could have been included in any updated set.  I'm guessing the Phillies employees responsible for these sets didn't spend a lot of time deciding if they should add Pence and Perez or just Pence.

Variations/Rarities:  Over the years, and again with the help of Steve, I've learned there are a number of somewhat rare cards available in the style of this set.  There are at least 7 versions of these photo cards available with a Phillies logo on the back, and these cards were used primarily for the players to sign at various public appearances.  The photos for these variations are the same used for the regularly issued cards and the list below might not be complete.

Phillies Logo Back        1. Greg Gross (#18 - CO)  2. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF) 3. Placido Polanco (#27 - 3B) 4. Brian Schneider (#23 - C) 5. Michael Stutes (#40 - RHP)      6. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF) 7. Vance Worley (#49 - RHP)

Offseason Additions 1. Laynce Nix (#7 - OF) 2. Jonathan Papelbon (#58 - RHP) 3. Jim Thome (#25 - 1B) 4. Ty Wigginton (#24 - INF/OF) 5. Dontrelle Willis (#53 - LHP)

Additionally, the Phillies used this design to feature new players who joined the team during the 2011-2012 offseason.  These cards were presumably produced for the sole purpose of public appearances during the team's various winter caravan stops, and again there's only the Phillies script logo on the backs.  Thome, Papelbon and Wigginton joined the club in November while Nix and Willis were signed in December.  All of these variations and rarities have a 2012 copyright date on the backs.

Also See:  I featured a few cards from the 2011 Phillies Postcards set here, and these cards aren't to be confused with the 2011 Phillies Fan Appreciation Night Postcard set, which 14,000 Phillies covered in a post here.

Resources:  14,000 Phillies; Phillies collector Steve

This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past five-plus years.

2011 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition / 2012 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition

2000-Present Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

2011 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition

I updated this post here in October 2020 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  42
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The cards have a very basic design, with full color photos and a red and white bottom border including the player's number, name and position.  The Phillies script logo appears in one of the upper corners.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The Phillies issued a second edition 40-card set much earlier than in the previous year, as I found this set for sale at Citizens Bank Park on June 12th.  To date, this is the earliest a second edition set has been issued.  In August, cards for Domonic Brown and Hunter Pence were inserted into the set and I wrote about my discovery of these two extra cards in this post.  Pence was acquired from the Astros on July 29th.

It's interesting to note that the second edition set acquired by 14,000 Phillies dropped five cards - Contreras, Romero, Sardinha, Zagurski and the broadcaters card.  As such, these cards could be considered short-prints within this set, along with the Brown and Pence cards.

Steve's comment below also indicates that the Brown card existed prior to the insertion of the Pence card and that his version of the "update" set excluded a card for Danys Baez.

Complete Standard Checklist (40):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Sam Perlozzo CO 4 - Dane Sardinha 5 - Pete Orr 6 - Ryan Howard 7 - Ross Gload 8 - Shane Victorino 10 - Ben Francisco 11 - Jimmy Rollins 12 - Juan Samuel CO 15 - John Mayberry, Jr. 16 - J.C. Romero 17 - Mick Billmeyer CO 18 - Greg Gross CO 19 - Michael Martinez 21 - Wilson Valdez 22 - Pete Mackanin CO 23 - Brian Schneider 26 - Chase Utley 27 - Placido Polanco 29 - Raul Ibanez

30 - Rich Dubee CO 33 - Cliff Lee 34 - Roy Halladay 35 - Cole Hamels 38 - Kyle Kendrick 40 - Michael Stutes 41 - Charlie Manuel MG 44 - Roy Oswalt 46 - Ryan Madson 49 - Vance Worley 51 - Carlos Ruiz 52 - Jose Contreras 54 - Brad Lidge 55 - Danys Baez 56 - Joe Blanton 57 - David Herndon 58 - Antonio Bastardo 59 - Mike Zagurski Phillie Phanatic Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist (2):

• 3 - Hunter Pence
• 9 - Domonic Brown

One and Done (1):  Sardinha
First Appearances (3):  Pence, Stutes, Worley
Returning Players (29):  Baez, Bastardo, Blanton, Brown, Contreras, Francisco, Gload, Halladay, Hamels, Herndon, Howard, Ibanez, Kendrick, Lee, Lidge, Madson, Martinez, Mayberry Jr., Orr, Oswalt, Polanco, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Schneider, Utley, Valdez, Victorino, Zagurski

Sardinha receives his only Phillies baseball cards in this 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):  Manuel
Coaches (6):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gross, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  This card features the same line-up of broadcasters and photo as found in the first edition set - Tom McCarthy, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Jim Jackson, Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews.
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  Thanks to a few comments left by Steve to earlier posts, I know of the existence of three offseason additions to this set - Nix, Wigginton and Willis.  I found the fourth addition (Thome) via an eBay auction.

• 19 Laynce Nix (portrait)
• 24 Ty Wigginton (portrait)
• 25 Jim Thome
• 53 Dontrelle Willis (portrait)
• 58 Jonathan Papelbon (portrait)

These players were all acquired following the 2011 season and these cards were presumably issued so that the players could honor autograph requests.  I have the Willis card, and the back features a Phillies script logo and a 2012 copyright.

Steve also notified me to the existence of black backed cards for the following - Gross, Pence, Polanco, Schneider, Stutes, Victorino and Worley.

Update (December 2016) - A posed Jonathan Papelbon card has appeared, along with additional Phillies script logo backed cards for Greg Gross and Michael Stutes.

Also See:  I featured a few cards from the 2011 Phillies Postcards set here, and these cards aren't to be confused with the 2011 Phillies Fan Appreciation Night Postcard set, which 14,000 Phillies covered in a post here.
Resources:  14,000 Phillies; Phillies collector Steve

2011 Topps Phillies

2011 Topps #300, 2011 Topps Update #US100, 2011 Topps #460 and #174

Trying to stay awake during the Phillies-less postseason gives me a good reason to look back to the last year the Phillies kept me up late at night in prior Octobers.  I'm going to try to get through my look back at the 2012 and 2013 Topps Phillies cards during this postseason so that this series is finally current.  I'll take a look at the 2014 Topps Phillies cards following the release of this year's update set.

The Set

2011 Topps #300 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Omitting any short-print or gimmick cards, series one, series two and the update series all contained 330 cards, for a whopping 990 cards for the complete 2011 Topps set.
My very brief thoughts on the set:  The set has a nice, clean design allowing for plenty of room for the photography to take center stage.  As I wrote back in February 2011 after I had opened my first packs of 2011 Topps, the full team name circling the baseball in the lower right doesn't need to be there twice.  Other than that, it's hard to find fault with the design or this set in general.
Notable competition:  None to speak of, and this is the last post in which I'll even list this as a sub-category.  Upper Deck issued a logo-less set in 2010 and Panini would come along in a few years with more logo-less products.

2011 Topps #420, #219, #495 and #89

2011 Phillies
Record and finish:  For the fifth and final year in a row, the Phillies won the N.L. East, finishing with a franchise high 102 wins to just 60 losses.  The second place Braves finished 13 games back.  Unfortunately, the postseason ended prematurely as the Phils were defeated in five games by the eventual World Champion Cardinals.

Key players:  Pitching was the emphasis in 2011 as the Four Aces - Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt - came together to open the season.  Lee had been traded away following the 2009 season, but he re-signed with the Phillies prior to the 2011 season.  The four starters would finish with a combined record of 59-33 and a 2.71 ERA.  Halladay and Lee led the way with 19 and 17 wins respectively, and Halladay started the All-Star Game for the National League.  Ryan Madson assumed the closer's role with Brad Lidge missing significant time due to injuries.  Madson ended up saving 32 games and Antonio Bastardo recorded eight saves.

2011 Topps #656, 2011 Topps Update #US92 and 2011 Topps #638

Ryan Howard turned in another solid season, driving in 116 and hitting 33 home runs.  Unfortunately, his bat really hasn't been heard from since.  Raul Ibanez drove in 84 runs and Carlos Ruiz hit .283 while the rest of the offense had relatively mediocre years.  Hunter Pence provided a spark following his acquisition from the Astros in July.  In 54 games with the Phils, Pence hit .324 with 11 home runs.  Placido Polanco provided steady defense, winning his third Gold Glove and his first as a third baseman.

2011 Topps #359

Key events:  The key takeaway from the regular season is that the Phillies absolutely dominated the competition throughout the year.  However, it's hard to appreciate and look back fondly on their play during the 162 regular season games given their quick exit in the playoffs.  Halladay and the Cardinals' Chris Carpenter battled throughout the decisive N.L.D.S. Game 5, with the Cardinals emerging with a 1-0 victory.  In a play that's still hard to watch, Howard grounded out to end the game, rupturing his Achilles on the way to first.

In other news, utility infielder Wilson Valdez earned the victory in a 19-inning game against the Reds in May.  Valdez came in to pitch the 19th, holding the Reds scoreless and earning his own Chachi Highlight card to commemorate his feat.

2011 Phillies in 2011 Topps
There are 25 Phillies cards to be found within the base set, and another six within the update series for a total of 31 cards.  There are also veteran variation cards for Mike Schmidt and Robin Roberts.
Who's in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#219 Carlos Ruiz (c), #420 Ryan Howard (1b), #214 Chase Utley (2b), #199 Jimmy Rollins (ss), #89 Placido Polanco (3b), #656 Raul Ibanez (lf), #495 Shane Victorino (cf), #US92 Hunter Pence (rf)

2011 Topps #214, #199, 2011 Topps Update #US189 and 2011 Topps #341

• Cards of the starting pitcher rotation - 4 cards

#300 Roy Halladay, #US100 Cliff Lee, #460 Cole Hamels, #174 Roy Oswalt

The Four Aces are all represented and Joe Blanton (who was limited to eight starts because of injuries) has a card, but rookie Vance Worley who spent the majority of the season as the team's fifth starter, was omitted.  Worley's sole mainstream 2011 baseball card can be found in the Topps Heritage set.

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 2011 - 10 cards

#242 Brad Lidge, #267 Jose Contreras, #341 Kyle Kendrick, #379 Ben Francisco, #421 Domonic Brown, #469 Joe Blanton, #524 Michael Martinez, #638 Ryan Madson, #US117 Michael Stutes, #US189 Wilson Valdez

2011 Topps #232

• Base cards of players who did not play with the Phillies in 2011 - 2 cards

#232 Jamie Moyer and #325 Jayson Werth

Moyer missed the entire 2011 season due to Tommy John surgery, and he'd come back in 2013 to pitch with the Colorado Rockies at the age of 49.  Werth signed his mega-contract with the Nationals following the 2010 season, locking him up through the 2017 season.

• 2010 National League Leaders cards - 2 cards

#11 Roy Halladay (Wins) and #82 Roy Halladay (ERA)

• 2010 National League Award Winners cards - 1 card, #146 Roy Halladay (Cy Young)
• 2010 Highlights/checklist cards - 1 card, #359 Roy Halladay & Carlos Ruiz (Postseason no-hitter)
• Team card - 1 card, #511 Jimmy Rollins (Walk-off celebration from June 23, 2010)
• 2011 National League All-Star cards - 2 cards, #US85 Roy Halladay and #US154 Cliff Lee

Polanco, Hamels and Victorino, who also made the All-Star team in 2011, got left out of the update series.

Who's out:  There are three position players (John Mayberry, Jr., Brian Schneider and Ross Gload) and three pitchers (Worley, Bastardo and David Herndon) who were big parts of the 2011 team, but there wasn't enough room within the Topps checklist for their inclusion.

2011 Topps #511

Phillies on other teams:  Pence (#45) and Lee (#103) are featured with the Astros and Rangers respectively within the first series.  Pence has a Phillies card in the update series, but he also appears with the Astros on his 2011 N.L. All-Star card (#US304).
What's he doing here:  I can't fault Topps for including Moyer and Werth in the first series.  Although they may have wanted to hold off on Werth as it wasn't a guarantee he'd be back with the Phillies for 2011.  Werth's series one card was photoshopped to show him with the Nationals for the Topps Chrome release.

Cards that never were candidates:  I'll go with the six players I listed above under the Who's out section.  A case could also be made for a rookie card for pitcher Justin De Fratus who made his debut in 2011 and appeared in five games.

Favorite Phillies card:  The team card showing Rollins and a group of jubilant Phillies celebrating at home plate is cool, but my favorite Phillies card from this set is the card celebrating Halladay's no-hitter against the Reds in game one of the 2010 N.L.D.S.

Other Stuff

2011 Topps Silk Collection

Variations:  I liked the format I used for the 2010 Topps Phillies post, showing in chart form the different card variations to be found throughout the flagship, Chrome, Opening Day and Retail set, along with any variations to be found within the annual factory set.  Here's the 2011 chart, and it's interesting to note that Lee's cards in everything other than the flagship set most likely feature a photo from his first stint with the club in 2009.

Also of interest is the fact that Mayberry had a card within the Silk Collection insert set, which is his only card featuring him with the 2011 Topps design.  Why Topps decided to produce a silk card for Mayberry, but omit him from all other offerings is a mystery.

Memory Lane:  Here's a fun little post I did back in January 2012 showing Utley's various 2011 Topps cards all featuring photos taken within seconds of each other at Fenway Park in 2010.

2014 Phillies Alumni Postcards Wilson Valdez

Nationals 5, Phillies 3 (10 Innings)
Game 94 - Saturday Night, July 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 42-52, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Braves and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  A late Phillies rally was wasted when the Nationals triumphed in the 10th inning, 5-3.

What It Means:  It means the five game winning streak is over.

What Happened:  The Phillies were done in by lead-off walks to the Nationals.  Phillies pitchers walked the lead-off man in the 1st, 6th and 10th innings, resulting in Nationals runs each time.  Another Cole Hamels performance was wasted, as the lefty went seven innings allowing three runs on five hits. Jayson Werth hurt his former team with a two-run home run in the sixth off Hamels.

The Phils came back to tie the game in the eighth on Ben Revere's RBI single, but reliever Jake Diekman couldn't keep the Nationals off the board in the 10th.

Featured Card/Field Report:  We were there (for the entire game) and Doug got to meet 19th inning relief specialist Wilson Valdez before the game.  If you're keeping track at home, add Valdez to the list of former Phillies appearing on a Phillies Alumni postcard.  And I think it's great that the card features the career infielder in his history making pitching performance.

I'm going to catalog this card as a 2014 issue.  It's strange that the back of the card bears a 2011 copyright date, especially when Valdez was still playing with the Phillies in 2011.  Valdez last played in the Majors in 2012 when he appeared in 77 games for the Reds.

My personal record dropped to 3-4 at Phillies games this year.

2011 Chachi Transactions #9 Wilson Valdez

There has been a deal.  Just when I thought the Phillies 25-man roster was all but set, they go ahead and trade utility everywhere guy and fan favorite Wilson Valdez to the Cincinnati Reds for left-handed pitcher Jeremy Horst.  Horst appeared in 12 games for the Reds last season, striking out 9 and walking 6 in 15.1 innings pitched.  He could provide the team with a little more lefty reliever depth behind Dontrelle Willis and Antonio Bastardo.  Horst becomes the 17th non-roster invitee to camp:

Player (position) - 2011 Organization - Last Major Cardboard Appearance

17.  Jeremy Horst (lhp) - Reds - 2011 Bowman Draft #47 (Reds)

Valdez, who will be best remembered for his 19th inning pitching performance last season, joins former teammate Ryan Madson on the Reds.  The Phils are apparently comfortable going with either Michael Martinez or Pete Orr (or even Hector Luna) as their utility infielder option off the bench in 2012.

Moving On

Dane Sardinha (10-11) 10/10/11 - Filed for free agency

Brandon Moss (11) 10/17/11 - Outrighted to Lehigh Valley and filed for free agency (Signed a minor league contract with the Oakland A's)

Brad Lidge (08-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Roy Oswalt (10-11) 10/24/11 - Team option declined

Ross Gload (10-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Raul Ibanez (09-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency

Ryan Madson (03-11) 10/30/11 - Filed for free agency (Signed with the Cincinnati Reds)

Juan Perez (11) 11/2/11 - Became a minor league free agent (Signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers)

Scott Mathieson (06, 10-11) 11/29/11 - Released (Signed with the Yomiuri Giants)

Ben Francisco (09-11) 12/12/11 - Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Frank Gailey

John Bowker (11) 1/10/12 - Released
Wilson Valdez (10-11) 1/25/12 - Traded to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Jeremy Horst.

Coming Back

Pete Orr (11) 11/3/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent with an invitation to Spring Training

Brian Schneider (10- ) 11/17/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies to a one-year contract

Jimmy Rollins (00- ) 12/19/11 - Re-signed by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a vesting fourth year

New Additions

Jim Thome (03-05) 11/5/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cleveland Indians

Jonathan Papelbon 11/14/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox

Ty Wigginton 11/20/11 - Acquired with cash from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later or cash

Laynce Nix 12/8/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals

Dontrelle Willis 12/15/11 - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Cincinnati Reds

2011 Phillies Team Issue 2 #21 Wilson Valdez

Phillies 9, Diamondbacks 2
Game 121 - Wednesday Night, August 17th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The bats came to life late, as the Phillies scored seven runs in the seventh and eighth innings to cruise to the win, 9-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies are now 79-42.  With the Braves losing last night, they're back to an 8 1/2 game lead in the division.

What Went Right:  Jimmy Rollins started the game with a lead-off home run on the first pitch he saw, and then for the most part the bats went quiet for the next several innings.  It was a Wilson Valdez two-run double in the seventh that started the late scoring surge for the Phillies and gave them a 4-2 lead.  John Mayberry, Jr. was also a big contributor to the offense with a three-hit night.

Cliff Lee (13-7) pitched seven innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out seven.

Featured Card:  As I mentioned in my previous post, I picked up another Phillies Team Issue set at the ballpark a few nights ago, solely for the Hunter Pence card now included with the set.  As I was sorting the cards tonight, I noticed a new Domonic Brown card had also been inserted into the set.  Basically, some poor schlub who works for the Phillies had to go through the inventory of existing sets, open the seal on the set's plastic bag, slide in the new cards for Pence and Brown and then re-seal the bag.  The only reason I noticed the Brown card was because it was facing the opposite way of all the other cards.

The card featured here is Valdez' card from the "Series 2" set.  Valdez is still waiting for his 2011 Topps card, which will hopefully make an appearance in the 2011 Topps Update set.

Transaction:  With Placido Polanco landing on the disabled list, and Cole Hamels scheduled to miss his next start with dead arm issues, the Phillies decided to go with another arm in the bullpen and recalled righty Michael Schwimer.

Programming Note:  Semi-regular posting and more timely game summaries will resume after the weekend.

2011 Chachi #37 Wilson Valdez HL

Phillies 5, Reds 4 (19 Innings)
Game 49 - Wednesday Night, May 25th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  Raul Ibanez hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 19th to score Jimmy Rollins and secure the win for infielder Wilson Valdez in a very long, strange game.

What It Means:  It means I was very tired at work today.  For some odd reason, I decided to stay up and watch the entire game even though I was fairly tired when the game began.  The victory raised the team's record to 30-19 as they maintained a one game lead over the Marlins in the division.

2011 Phillies Team
Issue #55

What Went Right/Wrong:  This game had so many twists and turns, I've opted to forego paragraphs and just go the bulleted list route.

• Way back in the first inning, Ben Francisco got the Phillies on the board with a 2-run home run.
• Roy Halladay pitched seven innings, giving up 11 hits and three runs.  The Reds scored twice off Halladay in the seventh to tie it up, 3-3.
• Jay Bruce hit a solo home run off Antonio Bastardo in the 10th as the Reds took a 4-3 lead.
• Ryan Howard countered with a monster home run off Francisco Cordero in the bottom of the 10th to tie it up again, 4-4.
• Kyle Kendrick and J.C. Romero somehow combined to hit a batter and walk three Reds in the 11th, yet the Reds failed to score.  Romero picked Brandon Phillips off second for the second out of the inning.  Phillips appeared to be joking around with Rollins right before the pick-off.
• David Herndon pitched out of the 11th inning jam and went on to pitch scoreless frames in the 12th and 13th.
• The unsung hero of the game was Danys Baez. Baez threw five shutout innings, allowing just one hit. 
• "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" played during the 14th-inning stretch.
• With the bullpen empty and Baez having thrown 73 pitches, Valdez (1-0) came in to pitch the 19th.
• Carlos Ruiz, after catching 18 innings, moved to third.
• Valdez induced the heart of the Reds order to fly out, pop up and pop up and he hit Scott Rolen with a pitch just for good measure.
• Valdez became the first position player to earn the win in a game in which he started in the field since Babe Ruth did it in 1921.  (Read that sentence again.  Pretty cool, isn't it?)
• The line for Herndon, Baez and Valdez - 8 1/3 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs.
• The game ended at 1:19am.  I was still up, completely wired, well after 2am.

Featured Card:  As I was trying to fall asleep last night, I decided Valdez' feat deserved its own Chachi highlight card. 

Other Stuff:  Over at The Writer's Journey, JT agreed the game resulted in some "crazy stuff."

2011 Chachi #8 Wilson Valdez

#21

Wilson Antonio Valdez

Second Base

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 5'11"  Weight: 170

Born: May 20, 1978, Bani, DR

Home: Bani, DR

Signed: Signed by the Montreal Expos as an amateur free agent, February 3, 1997

Teams: Chicago White Sox 2004, Seattle Mariners 2005, San Diego Padres 2005, Los Angeles Dodgers 2007, New York Mets 2009, Phillies 2010-

Acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the New York Mets

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

Complete Topps Base Set Checklist:

2009 Topps Update #UH158 - Mets

2011 Topps Phillies #PHI11 Wilson Valdez

Phillies 11, Mets 0
Game 6 - Thursday Afternoon, April 7th in Philadelphia

One Sentence Summary:  The bats exploded for 16 hits and Roy Halladay pitched masterfully as the Phils put the Mets in their place and decisively won the series finale, 11-0.

What It Means:  Manager Charlie Manuel preaches winning the series, which is exactly what the Phillies have done against the second tier Astros and Mets clubs.  The first real test of the 2011 season will come this weekend as the Phils faces off against the Braves on the road.

What Went Right:  Just about everything went right.  Wilson Valdez collected a career-high four hits, including two doubles, with three RBIs, Placido Polanco drove in four runs and Raul Ibanez hit his first home run of the season.  Roy Halladay pitched seven shutout innings for his first win of the season, striking out seven along the way.  The only difficult part of his afternoon came in the third when the Mets loaded the bases on three singles.  Halladay struck out David Wright on four pitches and induced a ground-out from Ike Davis and the wind completely went out of the Mets' sails.  After two games, Halladay's ERA is now 0.69.

Featured Card:  I knew I'd get a chance to show off Valdez' Phillies Topps card at some point.  There's a definite chance this could be his only mainstream baseball card of 2011.  This card is especially fitting for this game summary post, as the picture looks as if it could have been taken during this afternoon's game.  Valdez is sporting the team's alternate home day game uniform.

Field Report:  As a person, and specifically as a person of business, I thought it my duty to accept the free ticket offered to me for this afternoon's Business Person's Special.  We sat in Section 137, along the third base line.  The seats are close to the field, but the mega-HD score board is obscured from view from where we were sitting.  Other than that very minor complaint, it was a wonderful afternoon of baseball, and it sure beat sitting in front of a computer screen all afternoon.  The Phillies are now 2-0 in games I've attended this year.

2010 Phillies Team Issue 2 #21 Wilson Valdez

Phillies 5, Brewers 4
Game 136 - Saturday Night, September 4th in Philadelphia

Roy Halladay gave up a career-high 4 home runs, but the Phils managed to keep coming at the Brewers, eventually overcoming them, 5-4.  For the first time in 2010, the Phillies are 20 games over .500 and the win allowed them to keep pace with the Braves, who also won tonight.  Fortunately, all 4 of the homers allowed by Halladay came with no one on base.  He battled through 7 innings, striking out 6 on the way to his 17th win of the year.  The bullpen continued to come together and Brad Lidge worked a perfect 9th for his 20th save.

Ryan Howard (26) and Jayson Werth (20) provided back-to-back home runs in the 2nd to tie the game up at 2-2.  Chase Utley drove home Jimmy Rollins with an RBI-single in the 3rd to tie things up again at 3-3.  In the 7th, with the bases loaded and 1 out, Placido Polanco lofted a fly ball to left fielder Ryan Braun.  Carlos Ruiz tagged up and scored to tie things up 4-4, as Braun's throw got past catcher Jonathan Lucroy.  Wilson Valdez, who had tagged and advanced to third, alertly never stopped running and came home to score the go-ahead and eventual winning run.

I could have gone with a Chooch card here, given his 3-for-3 night, but I'm going with a Wilson Valdez card.  If not for Valdez' head's-up hustle to score on the error by Braun, the Phils might still be playing as I write this.  The suddenly hot Phillies go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon and their 6th win in a row.  Go Phils!

2010 Chachi #31 Wilson Valdez

Phillies 7, Giants 6 (11 Innings)
Game 21 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 28th in San Francisco

I'm still home enjoying paternity leave, so I was fortunate enough to watch this nail-biter of a game. Throughout the game, the baseball card to be featured in my game summary post, which you're now reading, changed frequently.

Through the first 4 innings - Cole Hamels: Hamels pitched well to start the game, shutting down the Giants until the 5th inning. He had been spotted a 1-0 lead thanks to Ryan Howard's 3rd career home run off Giants' starter Tim Lincecum.

Through the first 8 innings - TBD: I was undecided about which baseball card to feature at this point, given the Giants 4-1 lead and their pending sweep of the Phils. I think I was leaning towards a Kent Tekulve card, just to brighten my mood.

Bottom of the 9th - Jayson Werth: Wow! Werth's bases-clearing double to right was thisclose to being a foul ball, but it hit the chalk and the Phils somehow managed to tie the game. Giants' closer Brian Wilson had not allowed a run up to this point in the 2010 season. (A hearty thank you to Giants' manager Bruch Bochy for removing Lincecum from the game in the 9th.)

Bottom of the 10th - Kent Tekulve: Now I definitely needed a Tek baseball card to brighten my mood. The Phils had pushed across a run in the top of the 10th, but Ryan Madson blew his 2nd save of the year when he allowed the Giants to tie it back up in the bottom of the inning.

Top of the 11th - Wilson Valdez: Can you believe it? Valdez' double somehow eluded left fielder Eugenio Velez' outstretched glove and Raul Ibañez came home to score. The Phils also scored an insurance run, which they'd need, when Velez dropped a Shane Victorino fly ball one batter later.

Nelson Figueroa surrendered a run in the bottom of the 11th before recording his first career save. The Phils will enjoy an off day at home today before starting a 3-game set with the Mets tomorrow night.

For his efforts, Valdez' 2010 Chachi card, #31 in this year's set, is featured today.

Phillies debut: April 15, 2010
Major League debut: September 7, 2004
How acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Mets, November 20, 2009
Others wearing #21 in the 2000s: Kent Bottenfield 2000, Greg Gross (coach) 2001-2003, Eric Milton 2004, Jon Lieber 2005-2007, Adam Eaton 2008, Steven Register 2009
Pictured: Valdez drives in the winning run on April 28, 2009 with a double against the Giants.