Showing posts with label Nola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nola. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Game 35 - Nola Catches Fish, Phils Win Series

Philadelphia Phillies  1 
Miami Marlins  0 

2025 Topps Archives #3
Monday Night, May 4th
loanDepot park - Miami, FL
15-20, 4th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A solo home run from Bryce Harper and six shutout innings from Aaron Nola led to this 1-0 Phillies win over the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies won the series and headed home for a six-game set against the Athletics and Rockies.

What Happened:  Nola gave up five hits and walked none while striking out five in his solid outing.  The bullpen trio of Tanner Banks, Jose Alvarado and Brad Keller finished up the shutout, with Keller earning his second save of the season.  Harper hit his seventh home run of the year in the third inning, accounting for all the scoring in the game.  The slugger had three hits on the day.

Featured Card:  How do I not have any 2026 Nola cards in my collection yet?  Topps seems to largely ignore the former ace of the staff, although they did include him in last year's Topps Archives set.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall (Coming Soon) / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist
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Saturday, February 28, 2026

Spring Training Games 7 and 8 - Phils Split Squad, Split Games

Miami Marlins  2 
Philadelphia Phillies  10 

Spring Training Game 7
Friday Afternoon, February 27th
BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Philadelphia Phillies 8 
Detroit Tigers 16 

2025 Topps Allen & Ginter #231
Spring Training Game 8
Friday Afternoon, February 27th
Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium - Lakeland, FL
Record - 3-4-1

One Sentence Summary:  On the only scheduled split-squad day of the spring, the Phillies won in Clearwater but lost in Lakeland.

What It Means:  Split squad games are always good opportunities for everyone on the roster to get a little playing time, and by the look of the box scores there were even some minor league call-ups seeing some action.

What Happened:  The Phils were clobbered by the Tigers in Lakeland.  No one fared worse than Yoniel Curet, who allowed five runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter, and was removed without having recorded an out.  Minor leaguer Andrew Baker allowed five more runs to score in an 11-run sixth inning.  Christian Cairo had a pair of hits and Rene Pinto homered for the Phillies.

In Clearwater, the Phillies rode a four-run first inning to a 10-2 win.  Adolis Garcia, Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa all brought home runs in the first frame, supporting a decent outing from Aaron Nola.  Nola went two innings, allowing a run on two hits while striking out two.  Minor leaguer Robert Moore went 2 for 2 with four RBIs, and Bryan Rincon hit a solo home run in the eighth.

Featured Card:  Last season, I mostly posted Nola cards following one of his awful outings as a show of support for the long-time Phillies pitcher.  I'm hoping to have more Nola cards featured after good outings in 2026.

Camp Head Count:  69
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Friday, January 16, 2026

2025 Chachi #16 Aaron Nola


Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Opening Day 2025 Age:  31
Born:  June 4, 1993, Baton Rouge, LA
Acquired:  Drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round (7th pick) of the 2014 amateur draft, June 5, 2014
Contract Status:  Signed through 2030
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2015-25
Postseason Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022-25

2025 Topps Now
Lou Gehrig Day #LGD-AN
By all accounts, Aaron Nola had an absolutely atrocious season, going 5-10 with a 6.01 ERA in 17 starts and 94 1/3 innings pitched.  He was shut down from mid-May to mid-August with what was deemed a right ankle strain, and his post-injury numbers were slightly better than his pre-injury numbers.  Nola was the surprise starter in Game 3 of the NLDS, pitching two scoreless innings against the Dodgers.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2014 Bowman Draft #DP4
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  2016-25
Favorite 2025 Card:  2025 Topps Now Lou Gehrig Day: Presented by Sarah Langs #LGD-AN
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  288 as of 12/29/25, 19 added in 2025
TCDB Stats:  6,299 total as of 12/29/25, my 288 cards overall are ranked 7th, 1st is herkojerko with 737

Complete Chachi Checklist
2023 Chachi #68 - NLCS Game 2
2023 Chachi #72 - NLCS Game 6
2024 Chachi #69 - NLDS Game 3
2025 Chachi #16

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Sunday, September 28, 2025

Game 160 - Nola Returns to Pre-2025 Form

Minnesota Twins  1 
Philadelphia Phillies  3 

2023 Topps Heritage Clubhouse
Collection Relics Gold #CCR-AN
Friday Night, September 26th
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
95-65, 1st Place, 13 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was fantastic in this 3-1 win over the Twins.

What It Means:  The Phillies have two more regular season games, and then they'll play an intrasquad game, open to the public for $10 per seat, on October 1st.  This marks the third time in franchise history the Phillies have had back-to-back 95 win seasons.  They did it in 1976-77 and 2011-12, and now 2024-25.

What Happened:  Nola was throwing a perfect game until Christian Vazquez hit a solo home run with two outs in the sixth.  He'd pitch eight innings, allowing two hits while striking out nine.  He also tied and then passed Robin Roberts for second place on the Phillies' all-time strikeout leaders list.  Nola has 1,876 to the 1,871 by Hall of Famer Roberts.  Steve Carlton is first on the list, with 3,031, a mark that will likely not be broken.

In the first, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper singled and Schwarber scored the game's first run on an Alec Bohm sacrifice fly.  The red hot Edmundo Sosa hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth.  After Nola gave up the Vazquez home run in the top of the sixth, the Phillies got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Bohm singled and Brandon Marsh doubled him home.  Jhoan Duran allowed a few baserunners in the ninth, but shut down his former team to record his 16th save with the Phillies.

Featured Card:  Of course it's Nola.  I don't buy many singles via eBay, focusing on Phillies team sets, but this card found its way into my eBay cart recently given the reasonably low price coupled with other discounts.  I find it strange Topps had an employee hand write "80/99" instead of having it stamped in the printing process.
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Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Game 144 - Nola Shines in Combined Shutout Against Mets

New York Mets  0 
Philadelphia Phillies  1 

2025 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards
Monday Night, September 8th
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
84-60, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola reminded Phillies fans he can still pitch in big games, authoring six shutout innings in this 1-0 victory over the second place Mets.

What It Means:  Coming in to the series, the Mets needed to win three out of four to make any headwind in the division race.  Thanks to Nola's gutsy performance, they'll now need to win the next three to gain ground.

What Happened:  Nola faced off against Mets' rookie Nolan McLean, and given Nola's recent performances, there wasn't a whole lot of optimism as the game began.  But he settled in, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven in his 94-pitch outing.  He shut down the heart of the Mets' line-up in order in the top of the sixth - Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo - to end his impressive night.  The big three at the back-end of the Phillies' bullpen - David Robertson, Matt Strahm and Jhoan Duran - did their jobs, preserving the shutout and clinching the win.

The Phillies scored the only run of the game in the second.  Max Kepler singled to lead off the inning and went to third on Harrison Bader's single.  Nick Castellanos singled home Kepler to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead, and the final score of the game.  Bader had a three hit night.

Featured Card:  After posting Nola's cards following games in which he was atrocious, I love posting this card following last night's game.  Hopefully he's figured something out.

Transaction:  In a flurry of pregame moves, Trea Turner (ss) and Alec Bohm (3b) were both placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain and left shoulder inflammation, respectively.  Otto Kemp (3b) was recalled and Donovan Walton (inf) had his contract purchased from Lehigh Valley.  Walton had been playing in the Mets system when the Phillies purchased his contract on July 1st.  To make room for Walton on the 40-man roster, Daniel Robert (rhp) was moved to the 60-day injured list.

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Sunday, September 7, 2025

Game 139 - Nola Roughed Up Again in Loss to Brewers

Philadelphia Phillies  3 
Milwaukee Brewers  6 

2025 Topps #454
Wednesday Night, September 3rd
American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
80-59, 1st Place, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't recover from the five first inning runs allowed by Aaron Nola, ultimately falling to the Brewers by a 6-3 score.

What It Means:  Sadly, Nola could be working his way off the Phillies postseason roster.  He did battle back to pitch five full innings, but he allowed six runs in those innings on six hits, and his season ERA is now an unsightly 6.78.

What Happened:  Brewers' starting pitcher Jose Quintana pitched well through 6 1/3 innings, allowing an RBI single to Trea Turner in the fifth and a two-run home run to Weston Wilson in the seventh.  Turner raised his average to a league-leading .302 with two more hits in this game.

Featured Card:  I really wish I had had more opportunities to post Nola cards this season following his good starts.

Transaction:  Max Lazar (rhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Daniel Robert (rhp) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain.

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Sunday, August 24, 2025

Game 129 - Sosa's Blast Backs Nola's Solid Start

Washington Nationals  4 
Philadelphia Phillies  6 

2025 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215
Saturday Night, August 23rd
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
75-54, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Edmundo Sosa's three-run home run in the fourth backed Aaron Nola's first win since early May in this 6-4 defeat of the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phillies go for a series win this afternoon with Ranger Suarez on the mound.

What Happened:  By his own admittance, Nola has had a horrible season, so it was great to see him pitch four scoreless innings before allowing an unearned run in the top of the fifth.  He'd give up a pair of solo home runs in the sixth before exiting with his team holding a 6-3 lead.

The Phillies offense had been held in check by Nationals' starter Mitchell Parker until the fourth inning.  With one out, Bryce Harper singled to right and scored on a J.T. Realmuto double to center.  Alec Bohm doubled home Realmuto to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.  Harrison Bader singled to put runners on the corners, and then Sosa launched his home run to left-center, giving the Phillies a 5-0 lead.  Trea Turner hit a solo home run in the sixth, just inside the left field foul pole.

Featured Card:  I flipped a coin between Sosa and Nola, and Nola got the nod.

Field Report:  Jenna and I enjoyed some Bull's BBQ before settling into our seats in Section 315.  It was a great night for a ballgame, made even better by the big fourth inning and Jhoan Duran's successful save.  We strategically started for the exit in the top of the ninth, pausing to watch Duran's dramatic entrance and watch him seal the win before beating traffic.
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Monday, April 28, 2025

Game 28 - Nola Returns to Form Against Cubs

Philadelphia Phillies  3 
Chicago Cubs  1 
10 Innings

2025 Topps Heritage #186
Sunday Night, April 27th
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
15-13, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was finally Nola-esque and the Phillies prevailed in 10 innings to take the three-game series with the Cubs.

What It Means:  Following an off-day on Monday, the Phillies return home for six games against the Nationals and Diamondbacks.

What Happened:  He didn't get the win, but Nola provided a lot of relief to Phillies fans on Sunday night, allowing a run on three hits and a walk while striking out six over seven solid innings.  Nola didn't give up any home runs.  The bullpen trio of Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Romano (!) was able to keep the Cubs from scoring in the final three innings of the game.

In the third, the Phillies tied the game at 1-1 when Bryson Stott tripled and scored on Trea Turner's RBI-single to left.  The game remained knotted until the 10th inning.  With Nick Castellanos starting the inning at second base, J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler both walked to load the bases.  Alec Bohm then hit a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.  Later in the inning, Turner provided an insurance run with an RBI-single to score Kepler.  Romano needed 13 pitches, 10 of which were strikes, to retire the Cubs in the bottom of the 10th.

Featured Card:  Nola's 2024 Topps Heritage card was recently released in the High Numbers series, and a few weeks later we already have his 2025 Topps Heritage card.  This year's Heritage set pays tribute to the 1976 Topps set, and I couldn't resist opening a hobby box recently with my oldest son, Doug.  This fairly unflattering Nola card was one of several Phillies in the box.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Game 23 - First Win Elusive for Nola

Philadelphia Phillies  4 
New York Mets  5 

2024 Topps Heritage #596
Monday Night, April 21st
Citi Field - Flushing, NY
13-10, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola fell to 0-5 and a late game comeback wasn't enough for the Phillies in this 5-4 loss to the first place Mets.

What It Means:  I hate the Mets.

What Happened:  Nola gave up a pair of home runs in the first two innings to Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.  It was briefly 5-0 Mets in the third inning after Juan Soto hit what was originally called a three-run home run, but replays showed the ball as clearly foul.  Nola departed with one out in the seventh inning, having settled down and allowed seven hits overall while striking out six.  Jose  Ruiz entered the game, inheriting runners on first and second from Nola, and quickly gave up a three-run home run to Lindor.

The Phillies scored all their runs in the ninth.  Max Kepler led off with a double and scored on J.T. Realmuto's RBI single.  Alec Bohm reached on a single, and the Mets brought in closer Edwin Diaz.  Bryson Stott gave us some temporary hope when he launched a three-run home run off Diaz to bring the deficit to just a run.  But Diaz quickly struck out Trea Turner and Bryce Harper to end the ballgame.

Featured Card:  Posting a card for Nola in the hopes he turns it around with his next start.
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Friday, March 7, 2025

Spring Training Game 12 - Nola Sharp Against Rays

Tampa Bay Rays  5 
Philadelphia Phillies  4 

2024 Stadium Club #295
Spring Training Game 12
Thursday Afternoon, March 6
BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL
Record - 4-7-1

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola fed the Rays a steady diet of curve balls, pitching three shutout innings and striking out six, but the Phils coughed up the lead in the ninth, losing 5-4.

What It Means:  Honestly, I had stopped paying attention to this game with the Phillies up, 3-0, heading to the eighth inning so to see the final score was a little surprising.

What Happened:  Nola hasn't allowed a run in his two starts, striking out eight over five innings.  Jose Alvarado struck out the side in the fourth.  The bullpen trio of Joe Ross, Jordan Romano and Orion Kerkering followed, each pitching a shutout inning.  Joel Kuhnel ran into trouble in the ninth, and wasn't helped by a fielding error from shortstop Bryan Rincon.  Kuhnel gave up four unearned runs on a two-run home run, a single, a pair of walks and a wild pitch.

Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler hit back-to-back home runs for the Phillies in the fourth.

Featured Card:  I'm hoping for nothing but smiles for Nola in 2025, and he looks so much better now with shorter hair.

Camp Head Count:  61
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Friday, February 14, 2025

2025 Topps - The First Phillie!


I didn't hesitate earlier this year when the e-mail from Topps arrived in my inbox alerting me that boxes of 2025 Topps Series One were on sale from their website.  I've missed out in the past, having to go to the secondary market (eBay) and paying an upcharge when the need to open new baseball cards inevitably overpowered me in prior Februarys.  I didn't go crazy, adding just a hobby box and a blaster to my cart, and then waiting patiently for the February 12th release date.

The box was waiting for me when I arrived home on Wednesday, but sports practices required us to wait until Thursday to open the first packs of 2025 Topps as a family.  The first Phillie, this Alec Bohm card, came quickly within the first pack I opened.

Topps has been on a roll over the past several years, and with the exception of the misfire with 2020's design, the 2025 Topps design adds to four solid set designs in the past five years.  Updating my top ten gallery below, the 2025 set takes the place of the 2015 set in the #2 spot, with 2015 leaving the list after 10 years (!).  I've used this summary in the past to describe the new Topps flagship design, but this is what a baseball card in the year 2025 should look like - crisp, great photo, modern graphics, some non-intrusive glittery effects and a little bit of silver foil with the Topps logo.  I really like that we get the team's logo and name going up the side of a card, and the curved lines along the left border are a nice modern update to the 1982 Topps design.

We were particularly impressed with how Topps found a new way to display the player's position.  The diamond in the bottom right indicates where the player would stand on the field, and it's one of those things I can't believe we've not seen on a baseball card before.  The backs are nice and clean too, as has been the case in recent years, and kudos to Topps for once again making the card number easy to find and easy to read.  My only very minor complaint is that some of the teams have player's last names in black (not white) making those harder to read.  I would have preferred Topps go with all white for every last name for each team.

Revisiting my top ten ranking below, I might move 2022 and 2019 ahead of 2023.  I still don't like the bottom three, but 2021 may eventually take over the worst design spot in my mind.

Best - 2024 Topps #194
#2 - 2025 Topps #7
#3 - 2023 Topps #278
#4 - 2022 Topps #249
#5 - 2019 Topps #303
#6 - 2016 Topps #15
#7 - 2018 Topps #26
#8 - 2021 Topps #79
#9 - 2017 Topps #247
Worst - 2020 Topps #221

2025 Topps #7 Alec Bohm
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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

2024 Chachi #15 Aaron Nola


#27 / Aaron Michael Nola / Starting Pitcher
Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Opening Day Age:  30
Born:  June 4, 1993, Baton Rouge, LA
Acquired:  Drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round (7th pick) of the 2014 amateur draft, June 5, 2014
Contract Status:  Signed through 2030
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2015-24
Postseason Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022-24

2024 Topps Now Road to
Opening Day Bonus #ODB9
Aaron Nola tested free agency for about two weeks last November, before re-signing with the Phillies for $172 million over seven years.  He'll likely finish his career with the Phillies, spending the next six seasons climbing up the franchise's leaderboard in many of the major pitching categories.  Nola just missed the 200-inning plateau in 2024, pitching 199 1/3 innings in 33 starts.  He was 14-8 overall with a 3.57 ERA and 197 strikeouts, second on the club to Zack Wheeler.  Nola threw a complete game shutout on May 14th, the fourth of his career.  Unfortunately, he struggled in his lone postseason start, giving up a pair of Mets home runs in a 7-2, NLDS Game 3 loss.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2014 Bowman Draft #DP4
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  2016-24
Favorite 2024 Card:  2024 Topps Now Road to Opening Day Bonus #ODB9
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  272 as of 12/21/24, 16 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist
2023 Chachi #68 - NLCS Game 2
2023 Chachi #72 - NLCS Game 6
2024 Chachi #15
2024 Chachi #69 - NLDS Game 3

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Thursday, October 10, 2024

NLDS Game 3 - Nola Can't Stop the Long Ball, Bats Continue to Slumber


Mets 7, Phillies 2
NLDS Game 3 - Tuesday Afternoon, October 8th in Flushing
Mets lead series, 2-1

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola gave up what felt like two unsurmountable solo home runs, and the Phillies offense managed two singles before the eighth inning in this 7-2 loss to the Mets.

What It Means:  Bad vibes everybody.  Pessimism is heavy and watching this game felt like three hours of torture.  The Phillies are lifeless.

What Happened:  Nola gave up a home run to Pete Alonso to start the bottom of the second, and Jesse Winker added a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth.  Nola put a pair of runners on before being relieved by Orion Kerkering in the sixth, and Starling Marte lined a two-run single to center to score both inherited runners.  Jose Alvarado loaded the bases in the seventh with two walks and a single, and Jose Iglesias singled home two more runs to make it 6-0, Mets.  Carlos Estevez coughed up another meaningless run to the Mets in the eighth.

From the offensive side, Trea Turner singled in the third and Alec Bohm singled in the fourth.  Bohm was thrown out at second as he somehow thought he could stretch his single into a double.  Walks and hit by pitches gave them some chances, but overall the offense was 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position.  Austin Hays was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts.
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Monday, September 30, 2024

Game 162 - Phils Win Final Regular Season Game Behind Nola

2024 Topps Chrome #262
Phillies 6, Nationals 3
Game 162 - Sunday Afternoon, September 29th in Washington
Record - 95-67, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies held on to win the final game of the season, riding a four-run fourth inning to a 6-3 victory over the Nationals.

What It Means:  And now they wait to see who they'll face off against in the NLDS, beginning on Saturday.  In the Wild Card Series, the Brewers will face either the Mets or Diamondbacks, and one of those three teams will come to Philadelphia for Game 1 of the NLDS in a little less than a week.  The Braves and Mets have a double header scheduled tomorrow to finalize the postseason picture.

What Happened:  The Phillies scored two quick runs in the first on RBI ground outs from Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm.  Bohm would finish the regular season with 97 RBIs.  In the top of the fifth, Kody Clemens walked, Edmundo Sosa and Garrett Stubbs singled to load the bases.  Kyle Schwarber delivered a two-run single to left to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead.  Weston Wilson would add a two-run double, putting the Phillies up, 6-1.  

It got dicey in the ninth, with Jose Ruiz on the mound.  Ruiz loaded the bases with no one out, struck out two batters and then got Juan Yepez to fly out to the warning track as Clemens made a leaping catch to save the game and end the season.

Also of note, Nick Castellanos played in all 162 games this season, the oldest Phillies player to do that since Pete Rose in 1982.

Featured Card:  Nola finished the season with a 14-8 record and just short of 200 innings, with 199 1/3 innings pitched for the year.  He struck out seven on the day and 197 for the season.

Transaction:  Buddy Kennedy (inf) was recalled and Tyler Gilbert (lhp) was optioned to the minor league complex in Clearwater.

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Friday, July 12, 2024

Game 93 - Nola Wins 11th, Phils Complete Sweep

2024 Topps 1989 Topps Baseball
35th Anniversary #89B2-28
Phillies 5, Dodgers 1
Game 93 - Thursday Night, July 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 61-32, 1st Place, 9 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola and the back-end of the Phillies bullpen held the Dodgers to a run and five hits, securing the win and series sweep.

What It Means:  The Phillies are firing on all cylinders, and have one more series to go, against the Athletics, before the All-Star break.

What Happened:  Nola won his team-leading 11th game with six solid innings and nine strikeouts.  He allowed a solo home run to Gavin Lux in the fifth inning for the Dodgers' only run.  Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Jose Alvarado took the final three innings, shutting down Shohei Ohtani and the rest of the Dodgers.  Ohtani was held to three singles (3 for 10) and one RBI in the three-game series.

Trea Turner (9), Brandon Marsh (9) and Kyle Schwarber (19) all hit solo home runs, with Schwarber's shot an eighth inning bomb that reached the second deck.  In the sixth, Nick Castellanos singled and was tripled home by Marsh.  Johan Rojas singled home Marsh to give the Phillies a commanding 4-1 lead at the time.

Featured Card:  Here's Nola's 1989 Topps-inspired insert card from the recently released Topps Series Two, which has an unnecessarily long name.  The card is appropriate for this post, as the Phillies hosted 1980s Retro Night as part of this game.
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Friday, June 28, 2024

Game 78 - Nola Cruises, Harper and Bohm Homer in Win

2024 Topps #463
Phillies 8, Tigers 1
Game 78 - Monday Night, June 24th in Detroit
Record - 52-26, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola cruised to his ninth victory behind the 15-hit onslaught from the Phillies offense in this 8-1 win.

What It Means:  We'll look back on this game as one of the better wins before a disastrous Thursday night pushed pause on the team's good vibes.

What Happened:  Nola pitched seven innings, allowing a run on six hits while striking out six.  Michael Mercado made his major league debut, pitching a perfect eighth inning.  Bryce Harper was 3 for 5 with five RBIs, including a three-run home run in the sixth inning.  Alec Bohm was 4 for 5 with three RBIs, including a two-run home run in the first.  Both Harper and Bohm should be heading to Arlington in a few weeks for the All-Star Game.

Featured Card:  The newest Nola card in my collection is from Topps Series Two.
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Thursday, June 6, 2024

Game 63 - Phils, Nola Sweep Away Brew Crew

2024 Topps Now Road to
Opening Day Bonus #ODB9
Phillies 2, Brewers 0
Game 63 - Wednesday Afternoon, June 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 44-19, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola and a two-run home run from Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies a 2-0 victory and completed the series sweep against the Brewers.

What It Means:  The only two teams before yesterday not to have been swept in a series in 2024 were the Phillies and the Brewers.  Now it's just the Phillies.  Following the game, the team boarded a red-eye flight to London.

What Happened:  Nola improved to 8-2 with his seven scoreless innings, allowing a pair of hits while striking out five.  Phillies pitching held the Brewers, the second best offense in the National League, to two runs the entire series.  Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless eighth and Jose Alvarado struck out the side in the ninth to record his 11th save.  Castellanos hit his home run in the fifth with Garrett Stubbs on base.

Featured Card:  He could have gone for his second shutout of the season, but Nola exited after seven strong innings.  This is the bonus card for his first complete game shutout, mailed out to those of us who had purchased a Topps Now Road to Opening Day team set.

Field Report:  Doug and I went to this game to cheer for Rhys Hoskins one more time, get our London sunglasses giveaway and enjoy Bull's BBQ for dinner.  We saw a crisp game from Section 315 and I continue to marvel at just how good the Phillies are this year.  

As for London . . . In another year we definitely would have gone to the weekend series in London against the Mets.  School responsibilities, including final projects and final exams, got in the way and honestly we're all pretty beat up from the non-stop, relentless schedule of activities over the past few months.  So instead of being there in person, we'll be watching the games from home, and I'll make sure to Door Dash us some fish and chips at some point over the weekend.

Thanks to one of my wife's co-workers, we also added a Phillies double decker bus to our collection, which is now proudly displayed in the actual Phillies Room.

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Sunday, June 2, 2024

Game 58 - Nola handles Cards Under Friday Night Lights

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club
Phillies 4, Cardinals 2
Game 58 - Friday Night, May 31st in Philadelphia
Record - 40-18, 1st Place, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Edmundo Sosa hit a two-run home run and Aaron Nola was again effective as the Phillies won their 40th game of the season, 4-2 over the Cardinals.

What It Means:  The Phillies are the first team in baseball this season to win 40 games.  Hard to believe, Harry.

What Happened:  Nola picked up his seventh win, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing a pair of solo home runs.  Jeff Hoffman got the ninth, striking out a pair and recording his fifth save.

Sosa hit his blast as we were riding the escalator up to our seats, so sadly we only saw it on replays.  In the seventh, Brandon Marsh doubled and Johan Rojas singled him home for an insurance run.  Bryson Stott played stellar defense in this game, making a few fantastic plays.

Featured Card:  Here's Nola's Kids Club card, and I kind of hope the Phillies make a few more of these for players omitted from the first run.  Notably, Sosa, Spencer Turnbull, Kody Clemens, Orion Kerkering and Gregory Soto didn't receive cards.

Field Report:  Jenna and I were there, and we continued with our 2024 pre-game ritual of enjoying dinner at Pass at Stow before heading to our seats in Section 315.  It was a gorgeous night for baseball, made even better by the outcome.  Before navigating through the crowd to Pass and Stow, we stopped by the Kids Club kiosk to pick up two more cards for our set, with only the Taijuan Walker card now remaining.

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