1989 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46

Number of Cards (SGA Version):  32
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"

Description:  The Phillies came up with this card design . . . and then took the next six years off.  The 1989 to 1995 team issued sets are all identical in design, containing the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  This set is notable as it's the last set (to date) to be sponsored by Tastykake.

How Distributed:  A 32-card set was given away to all fans on May 13, 1989 at Veterans Stadium and a 37-card set was available for sale at the ballpark throughout the season.  Both sets contain identical photos, but the 32-card giveaway set cards feature a darker tint and are not as vibrant as their 37-card counterparts.  The 32-card sets can be found in uncut sheets and thanks to fellow collector Rick, I added these cards to my collection via an eBay auction.  As (I believe) the 37-card set is more prevalent, I've listed the stadium giveaway 32-card set (and its variations) under the Variations/Rarities section below.

Given the ton of roster moves made by the club in the first half of the season, a nine-card update set was issued and available for purchase at souvenir stands throughout the Vet.  This was the second year in a row that a nine-card update set was released.  Of the nine players in the set, Jim Adduci made his debut the latest, on July 3rd, so this set would have been first available for sale in mid to late July.

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

1. Header / Sponsor Card 2. Steve Bedrosian (#40 - RHP) 3. Larry Bowa (#2 - CO) 4. Don Carman (#42 - LHP) 5. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 6. Bob Dernier (#22 - OF) 7. Curt Ford (#24 - OF) 8. Todd Frohwirth (#52 - RHP) 9. Greg Harris (#33 - RHP) 10. Von Hayes (#9 - OF-1B) 11. Tom Herr (#28 - 2B) 12. Ken Howell (#43 - RHP) 13. Chris James (#26 - OF-3B)

14. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 15. Ron Jones (#26 - OF) 16. Ricky Jordan (#17 - 1B) 17. Darold Knowles (#3 - CO) 18. Steve Lake (#25 - C) 19. Nick Leyva (#16 - MG) 20. Mike Maddux (#44 - RHP) 21. Alex Madrid (#34 - RHP) 22. Larry McWilliams (#46 - LHP) 23. Denis Menke (#4 - CO) 24. Dwayne Murphy (#6 - OF) 25. Tom Nieto (#19 - C)

26. Randy O'Neal (#27 - RHP) 27. Steve Ontiveros (#41 - RHP) 28. Jeff Parrett (#49 - RHP) 29. Bruce Ruffin (#47 - LHP) 30. Mark Ryal (#31 - OF) 31. Mike Ryan (#5 - CO) 32. Juan Samuel (#8 - OF) 33. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 34. Tony Taylor (#12 - CO) 35. Dickie Thon (#21 - SS) 36. John Vukovich (#7 - CO) 37. Floyd Youmans (#15 - RHP)

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

1. Jim Adduci (#18 - INF) 2. Eric Bullock (#35 - OF)      3. Dennis Cook (#39 - LHP)

4. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF) 5. Charlie Hayes (#8 - 3B) 6. John Kruk (#11 - OF-1B)

7. Roger McDowell (#13 - RHP) 8. Terry Mulholland (#45 - LHP) 9. Randy Ready (#23 - 3B)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (5):  Adduci, Bullock, Nieto, O'Neal, Ryal

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (18):  Cook, Dykstra, Ford, C. Hayes, Herr, Howell, Kruk, Lake, Madrid, McDowell, McWilliams, Mulholland, Murphy, Ontiveros, Parrett, Ready, Thon, Youmans
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (15):  Bedrosian, Carman, Daulton, Dernier, Frohwirth, Harris, V. Hayes, James, Jeltz, Jones, Jordan, Maddux, Ruffin, Samuel, Schmidt

This is the only set featuring Phillies baseball cards of the five players listed in the One and Only One category.  The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared on a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Leyva
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Knowles, Menke, Ryan, Taylor, Vukovich

Other Cards (1):  Header / sponsor card

Surprises:  The 37-card set includes the entire 25-man opening day roster, the manager and all six coaches, Juan Samuel and Tom Nieto, who both began the season on the disabled list, and three players who started the year in the minors but who would eventually spend time with the Phillies - Todd Frohwirth, Alex Madrid and Randy O'Neal.  There aren't really any surprises here, and it's a fairly inclusive checklists.

The Chris James card is an uncorrected error.  James wore #18 in 1989, but the back of the card lists his uniform as #26.  James had switched from #26 mid-way through the 1988 season and Ron Jones wore #26 in 1989.

Omissions:  47 players appeared with the Phillies in 1989.  Only 10 of them didn't have cards in the original 37-card set or the 9-card update set.  Bob Sebra, Gordon Dillard and Marvin Freeman all briefly appeared on the roster and weren't considered for either set.  Neither were any of the seven September call-ups - Tom Barrett, Pat Combs, Chuck McElroy, Keith Miller, Steve Stanicek, Al Pardo and Jason Grimsley.

Variations/Rarities:  The 32-card stadium giveaway set omitted the following five cards - the Header/sponsor card and the cards for four players - Nieto, Jones, O'Neal and Madrid.  Both O'Neal and Madrid were on the 24-man roster on the giveaway day, as was Dillard who was around for all of two weeks.  It's a shame, but completely understandable, that Dillard didn't somehow make it into the SGA set.  

In addition to these omissions, this set contains the following name placement variations, as well as being darker in tone as mentioned above.

• Don Carman, name is bottom center (instead of bottom left)
• Todd Frohwirth, name is more to the right (instead of centered)
• Ken Howell, name is bottom center (instead of bottom left)
• Steve Ontiveros, name is top center (instead of top right)
• Bruce Ruffin, name is top center (instead of bottom left)
• Mike Ryan CO, name is top center (instead of top left)
• Floyd Youmans, name is bottom right (instead of bottom left)

Unless you're a Phillies team issued set or Bruce Ruffin super collector (and why wouldn't you be?) there's really no need to add these cards to your collection.

Also See:  1989 Phillies - The Missing Links, 1989 Topps Phillies

Resources:  14,000 Phillies; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

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

1988 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1990 Phillies Photo Cards

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

Game 118 - Phils Throw It Back to the '90s with Loss

1995 Donruss
Diamond Kings #DK-18

Mets 7, Phillies 2
Game 118 - Friday Night, August 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-53, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets offense hit Aaron Nola early and often, and the Phillies offense couldn't string together meaningful hits in this 7-2 loss.

What It Means:  Frustrating night at the ballpark, exacerbated by the obnoxious Mets fans in attendance who lost their minds every time a Mets player did anything remotely positive.  (Disclaimer - Not all Mets fans are obnoxious.)

What Happened:  Nola labored through five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, including a two-run home run to Pete Alonso in the third.  Andrew Bellatti coughed up two more runs in the seventh, and the game was pretty much out of reach at that point.  Phillies pitchers struck our 14, but allowed 11 hits.

Kyle Schwarber knocked in the only Phillies runs of the game with a two-run single in the fifth.  J.T. Realmuto had three hits and Nick Castellanos stranded four baserunners.

Featured Card:  This Lenny Dykstra Diamond Kings card is perhaps the most '90s card in my entire extensive Phillies baseball card collection, and I thought it fitting to post here given the events of the evening - see below.

Field Report:  We attended this game with my brother-in-law Andy and his wife Wendy, and while the company was good, the game was not.  However, I need to talk about the I Love the ‘90s concert we attended following the game.  It was surreal, and here's a quick recap:

• DJ Jazzy Jeff - Great set, excellent skills, fun opener. 
• Tone Lōc - Good effort, very sweaty, felt nostalgic. 
• Rob Base - Genuinely enjoyable, still has it although he might be a bit slower now (we all are).
• Vanilla Ice - WHAT IS HAPPENING? Why is there an inflatable polar bear and an upside down clown on stage? HERE COMES A NINJA TURTLE?? 

Transaction:  Brandon Marsh suffered a bone bruise and sprained ankle after coming down hard during Tuesday night's game in Cincinnati, attempting to reel in a home run ball.  Marsh (of) was placed on the injured list and Bradley Zimmer (of) was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays to replace him.  Zimmer was immediately inserted into Friday night's line-up, going 1 for 4 with a run scored.  He's a five year veteran and has a surprising amount of baseball card appearances.  Bryce Harper (of) was moved to the 60-day injured list to make room for Zimmer, but the expectation is Harper will return in early September.

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

Series Preview - Mets at Phillies: April 5th to April 7th

1986 Topps #53

1986 Topps #475

Monday and Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 4:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The city of Philadelphia allowed the Phillies to move to about 11,000 fans in the ballpark beginning with Sunday's game, so if it seems incrementally louder that's the reason why.  Fans attending both night games against the Mets will receive a McDonald's Opening Night t-shirt.  The Mets will finally begin their 2021 season after a coronavirus mini-outbreak on the Nationals led to the postponement of their series over the weekend.

Mets 0-0
Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies

Mets Probables
Jacob deGrom (0-0, 0.00)
Marcus Stroman (0-0, 0.00)
David Peterson (0-0, 0.00)

Mets Leaders - Spring Training
Average:  Francisco Lindor - .370
Runs:  Brandon Nimmo - 10
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor - 4
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 16
Stolen Bases:  Kevin Pillar - 2

Wins:  Jacob deGrom - 3
ERA:  Marcus Stroman - 3.44
Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 21
Saves:  Sam McWilliams and Daniel Zamora - 2

Phillies 3-0
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Marlins

Phillies Probables
Matt Moore (0-0, 0.00)
Chase Anderson (0-0, 0.00)
Aaron Nola (0-0, 2.70)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .444
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 2
Home Runs:  Andrew Knapp - 1
RBIs:  Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins - 2
Stolen Bases:  Alec Bohm and Jean Segura - 1

Wins:  3 tied with - 1
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 10
Saves:  Hector Neris - 1

Surprise Package from Dan's Other World

1996 Pinnacle FanFest #30

1995 Studio Gold #44

I'll never get tired of getting surprise packages of baseball cards from fellow bloggers.  Dan was one of the first Phillies-related blogs I started following back in the day, and one of the first bloggers to reach out to me when I started The Phillies Room in 2009.

Dan was kind enough to send Doug nine of the cards he needs to complete his 2014 Topps Update set.  He also sent several Phillies cards for my collection, including this fantastic Darren Daulton card that has eluded my collection for 20 years and a never-before-seen (by me) gold parallel of Lenny Dykstra's 1995 Studio card.  You can probably tell from the scan that the Daulton card is of the lenticular persuasion.

Thanks Dan!

Phillies Baseball Cards with Griffey & Piazza #HOF2016

2003 Topps 205 Triple Folder #TF33

I was happy to see that both Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza were voted into the Hall of Fame last week and their election had me checking my Phillies baseball card inventory for their "Phillies" cards.  I'm sure there are other cards out there featuring both Griffey and Piazza with former Phillies players, but these are the cards I have currently in my collection.

Mike Piazza
The Phillies have commissioned beautiful oil paintings of all Phillies players in the Hall of Fame and all "native sons" in the Hall of Fame.  These paintings, which I believe have all been painted by Dick Perez, hang within the Phillies Hall of Fame Club inside Citizens Bank Park.  As Piazza is from nearby Phoenixville, his painting will now also grace the walls of the Phillies' Hall of Fame Club.

1995 Donruss Dominators #2 - with Darren Daulton and Ivan Rodriguez
2003 Topps 205 Triple Folder #TF33 - with Bobby Abreu
2003 Topps 205 Triple Folder #TF49 - with Bobby Abreu

1994 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #TP6

1994 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #TP6 (Back)

Ken Griffey, Jr.
Two of the three Griffey cards in my collection pair him with Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra.  The other card is in my collection because it includes Bobby Abreu.

1994 Pinnacle Team Pinnacle #TP6 - with Lenny Dykstra
1994 Topps #388 - with Lenny Dykstra
2004 Bazooka 4 on 1 Sticker - with Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter and Garret Anderson

Memory Lane
2012 Inductees - Larkin and Santo
2013 Inductees - O'Day, Ruppert and White
2014 Inductees - Cox, Glavine, LaRussa, Maddux, Thomas and Torre
2015 Inductees - Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz
2016 Inductees - Griffey and Piazza

7th Annual @Section_36 Purge & Cards for Doug's Sets

2006 Bowman Gold #91

2006 Fleer Tradition #132

2006 Fleer Ultra #193

2006 Upper Deck First Pitch #148

One of the cool things about receiving a package from Section 36 is that I'm never expecting it.  I was away last week for a work conference and upon my return, sitting among a pile of bills and Christmas catalogs was a 300 count box with a Section 36 return address label.  As has been the tradition now for seven years, I was the lucky recipient of the annual purge of Phillies cards that had reached their 10 year expiration date.  Upon opening the box, I found a bunch of 2006 Phillies cards and I was instantly transported back to those pre-glory days right before the Phillies hit their five year franchise high mark.

There were quite a few cards from 2006 that I needed for my collection, and the others have already found their way to Doug's "Vintage Phillies" binder.  Yes, 2006 is vintage to an eight-year-old.

Speaking of Doug, the box contained small stacks of cards needed for Doug's 2014 Topps Update and 2015 Topps Archives sets, including his first high number card (#308 Gary Sheffield) from Topps Archives.  Doug's lists are now up to date although I'll be holding off on taking on any more trades until we see what Santa leaves under the tree this year.

2015 Topps Stadium Club Gold #37

2015 Topps First Home Run Relics #FHRR-MS

2015 Topps Heritage Mini #490

2015 Topps Archives #88

My favorite three cards in the box happen to be cards from 2015.  I'm grateful that Section 36 sent these cards my way now instead of making me wait for the 2025 purge.  I don't actively pursue parallel Phillies cards, but I'm always happy to add these to my collection.  The Mike Schmidt relic card was the highlight of the bunch, and it quickly became one of my favorite cards in my entire 2015 Phillies binder.  The Cole Hamels mini from this year's Topps Heritage set and the gold Stadium Club Carlos Ruiz cards are also welcome additions.

Doug and I are going to be pulling together some Sox cards to send north to show our gratitude. Thanks again Section 36 and here's hoping our teams' respective rebuilds have us both enjoying the postseason again soon.

Memory Lane - Section 36 Purge
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

Mets at Phillies: April 29th to April 30th

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Mets 14-11, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves
Phillies 13-12, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

Mets Probables:  Jon Niese (1-2, 2.45), Bartolo Colon (2-3, 4.50)
Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (0-1, 3.00), Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 3.52)

At the Ballpark:  It's another Dollar Dog night at the ballpark tonight.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .360

Runs:  Carlos Ruiz - 18

Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 5

RBIs:  Marlon Byrd - 16

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 9

Wins:  Antonio Bastardo and Cliff Lee - 3

ERA:  A.J. Burnett - 2.15

Strikeouts:  Cliff Lee - 40

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 8

1988 Topps #355, #655 and #705

1988 Topps Appreciation:  If you've been a Phillies or a Mets fan for the past 25 years or so, you should probably realize how these guys fit together.  On June 18, 1989, the Phillies traded Juan Samuel to the Mets for Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell and a player to be named later (Tom Edens).  Samuel, who is now the Phillies first base coach, lasted only half a season with the Mets before being traded to the Dodgers that December.  Playing exclusively in center field for the Mets, Samuel hit just .228 in 86 games but still managed to steal 31 bases.

McDowell immediately settled into the closer's role for the Phillies, and he'd go on to save 44 games over 2 1/2 seasons with the club.  He and Samuel would actually be teammates for two seasons with the Dodgers in 1991 and 1992.

Dykstra played the last eight seasons of his 12-year career with the Phillies, providing the spark the team needed in 1993 to reach the World Series.  He was a two-time All-Star with the Phils, but a bad back shortened his career and he played in his last game in May 1996.  Dude has had his share of troubles over the past decade or so, but he's recently resurfaced on local sports talk radio stations.  No disrespect but . . . I won't be listening.

1991 MooTown Snackers #18 Len Dykstra

Indians 10, Phillies 4
Game 41 - Wednesday Afternoon, May 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 19-22, 3rd Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Indians absolutely demolished Cole Hamels and the bullpen, winning easily by a score of 10-4.

What It Means:  The Phillies were attempting to win four in a row for the first time this season, but it was not to be.  There's an off day today (and the annual Phillies Phestival) and then the club opens a three-game weekend series with the Reds on Friday night.

What Went Wrong:  Something is off with Hamels.  He lasted just five innings in this game, allowing five runs on six hits including two home runs.  His record is now an un-Hamels-like 1-6 and he leads the National League with 24 walks.  Relievers Chad Durbin and Raul Valdes made sure the game was out of reach by allowing a combined five runs in their 2 2/3 innings of work.  Durbin's ERA is now 7.30, while Valdes' is up to 7.65.

Featured Card:  I find myself going the oddball route whenever a rough Phillies loss leaves me drawing a blank as to which card to feature.  I recently purchased a small group of Phillies oddball cards from Checkoutmycards.com, and the card featured here is one of the oddest and best of the lot.  When the Phils are making you blue, sometimes you just need to reach for a MooTown Snacker.

And Finally:  I have yet to wrap my head around the Phillies' signing of Carlos Zambrano to a minor league contract yesterday.  The move reeks of desperation.

1995 Topps Traded #162T Lenny Dykstra & Kirby Puckett AS

Twins 12, Phillies 5
Spring Training Game 5 - Wednesday Afternoon, February 27th in Fort Myers
Record - 1-3-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils lost again behind more shaky defense and an even shakier bullpen.

What It Means:  The mantra heading into this season is that the Phils will compete if:  1.) They're healthy, 2.) They play solid defense and 3.) Their bullpen is stronger than last year.  So far, the latter two must be giving Charlie Manuel indigestion.

What Went Wrong:  Three errors led to three unearned runs in the fourth.  Relievers Justin De Fratus and B.J. Rosenberg gave up three runs each in back to back innings.

On the plus side, John Lannan looked decent in his spring debut and Carlos Ruiz went 2 for 2 with 3 RBIs.  Ben Revere, facing his former team for the first time, went 2 for 4 with 2 stolen bases.

Featured Card:  I listened to the first few innings of the game on the Twins radio broadcast yesterday, and the Twins announcers were absolutely gushing about Revere.  The announcers talked about how seeing Revere in a Phillies uniform was weird, and how much the organization is going to miss him.  They also compared his energy and overall positive clubhouse demeanor to that of a young Kirby Puckett.  These are all good things for the Phils, as one of the things the team seemed to be missing last year (especially after the trade of Shane Victorino) was a lot of positive energy.  While the announcers were discussing Revere's aggressiveness on the base paths, he stole his first base on queue.

This is one of two Puckett cards in my Phillies collection.  The other features him along with Mike Schmidt and Brewers pitcher Juan Nieves on a 1988 Sportflics card.  I have no idea what Puckett, Schmidt and Nieves could possibly have in common.

1990-1999 Phillies

1993 Donruss Diamond Kings #DK-17, 1993 Upper Deck #485,
1994 Fleer Pro-Visions #1 and 1992 Donruss Diamond Kings #DK-12

I'll be honest here - going through these last few series of posts for Topps Phillies cards from the late '90s was not an enjoyable exercise.  I'm also very anxious to get through the first few years of the '00s and move into the post-2006 era of Topps Phillies baseball cards.  Before moving into Y2K, here's a look back at the Phillies of the '90s.

Decade MVP
Mike Schmidt was the easy choice for the decade MVP of the '70s and '80s, but I don't think it's as clear cut for the '90s.  From the offensive side, I narrowed it down to Darren Daulton, John Kruk or Lenny Dykstra before deciding that Dutch was the appropriate choice.  He's at the top of all the major statistical categories and he was the clear leader of the team throughout his time with the club, including the magical 1993 season.

Curt Schilling was far and away the best pitcher for the Phils during the decade.  But it's telling that both Daulton (in 2010) and Kruk (in 2011) were elected to the Phillies Wall of Fame before Schilling.  Schilling is on the ballot for induction this year, but as I told Phungo a few weeks ago, I'd like to see either Jim Konstanty or Rick Wise get in before the Big Schill.

1994 Donruss #373, 1992 Score #892, 1993 Score #526 and 1994 Ultra Phillies Finest #9

Leaders
Games - Mickey Morandini (874), Daulton (780), Kruk (663), Dykstra (644), Kevin Stocker (545)
Average* - Kruk (.306), Dykstra (.298), Gregg Jefferies (.287), Scott Rolen (.280), Morandini (.268)
Home Runs - Daulton (110), Rolen (82), Dave Hollins (67), Mike Lieberthal (67), Rico Brogna (64)
RBIs - Daulton (466), Kruk (352), Rolen (297), Brogna (287), Hollins (273)
Stolen Bases - Dykstra (152), Morandini (98), Doug Glanville (57), Jefferies (52), Bobby Abreu (46)

Games - Ricky Bottalico (234), Schilling (226), Mitch Williams (200), Wayne Gomes (181), Terry Mulholland (149), Toby Borland (149)
Wins - Schilling (95), Mulholland (58), Tommy Greene (36), Danny Jackson (26), Ben Rivera (23)
ERA** - Schilling (3.31), Jackson (3.53), Jose DeJesus (3.55), Mulholland (3.68), Greene (4.02)
Strikeouts - Schilling (1,458), Mulholland (510), Greene (429), Bottalico (280), Matt Beech (266)
Saves - Mitch Williams (102), Bottalico (75), Heathcliff Slocumb (32), Doug Jones (27), Roger McDowell (25)

*At least 1,700 ABs with the Phillies, completely subjective
** At least 300 IP, completely subjective

1990-1999 Topps
Total Phillies Players (1990-1999):  219.  There were 179 different Phillies in the '80s and 142 different Phillies in the '70s.
Total Phillies Players with Topps Phillies Cards:  105.  Only 36% of the players who suited up with the Phillies during the decade ended up on Phillies baseball cards between 1990 and 1999.  The success percentage was 63% in the '80s and 59% in the '70s.
Managers with Cards:  Nick Leyva (2 cards) and Jim Fregosi (3 cards).
Topps Phillies Cards of Non-Phillies:  5 cards - Jeff Jackson (1990), Chad McConnell (1993), Shane Pullen, Larry Wimberly and Rob Grable (all 1995).

1997 Topps Gallery #54, 1994 Pinnacle #159, 1991 Donruss Bonus Cards #BC-14, 1994 Triple Play #175

Card Statistics
Most Featured:  Schilling (10 cards), Daulton (9 cards), Dykstra (9 cards), Morandini (8 cards), Hollins (6 cards), Ricky Jordan (6 cards), Kruk (6 cards), Green (6 cards).

By comparison, Steve Carlton and Schmidt had the most Topps Phillies cards in the '80s with 26 each.

Most Games (Batter), No Phillies Topps Card:  Kevin Sefcik (325 games from 1995 through 1999), Alex Arias (174 games from 1998 and 1999), Mark Lewis (142 games in 1998), David Doster (138 games in 1996 and 1999), Todd Zeile (134 games in 1996), Mark Whiten (120 games in 1995 and 1996), Rob Ducey (104 games in 1999).

Sefcik and Ducey would have to wait until the 2001 Topps set for their first and only cards in a Topps base set.  While Arias, Lewis, Doster, Zeile and Whiten were never featured as Phillies within a Topps flagship set.

Most Games (Pitcher), No Phillies Topps Card:  Jerry Spradlin (145 games in 1997 and 1998), Larry Andersen (93 games in 1993 and 1994), Yorkis Perez (92 games in 1998 and 1999), Wally Ritchie (79 games in 1991 and 1992), Russ Springer (65 games in 1995 and 1996).

Andersen and Ritchie make the list because their tenure with the team in the '90s produced no Topps Phillies cards, but they appear within Topps sets in the '80s.  Andersen is in the 1985 and 1986 Topps sets, while Ritchie is in the 1987 Topps Traded and 1988 Topps sets.

1998 SP Authentic #153, 1998 Sports Illustrated Then and Now #128,
1998 Ultra #391 and 1997 Collector's Choice #192

The Phillies Topps 60
Here are the next ten cards in my checklist of the best 60 Topps Phillies cards since 1951.  By the time I'm done with this series of posts, I'm going to need to revamp this to the Topps 61.

41 - 1990 Topps #469 John Kruk
42 - 1991 Topps #345 Lenny Dykstra
43 - 1992 Topps #83 Tommy Greene
44 - 1993 Topps #235 Mitch Williams
45 - 1994 Topps #504 Jim Eisenreich
46 - 1995 Topps #2 Mickey Morandini
47 - 1996 Topps #85 Darren Daulton
48 - 1997 Topps #268 Scott Rolen
49 - 1998 Topps #94 Mike Lieberthal
50 - 1999 Topps #385 Curt Schilling

Cards That Never Were Series
This set is getting much bigger than I had originally anticipated, and I had to purposely cut back on the cards I'd include from the late '90s, in order to keep the latest batch of additions at 51.

141 - 1990 Topps Dale Murphy
142 - 1990 Topps Jose DeJesus
143 - 1990 Topps Sil Campusano
144 - 1991 Topps John Morris
145 - 1991 Topps Jim Lindeman
146 - 1991 Topps Wally Ritchie
147 - 1992 Topps Ben Rivera
148 - 1992 Topps Kyle Abbott
149 - 1992 Topps Jeff Grotewold
150 - 1992 Topps Juan Bell
151 - 1992 Topps Stan Javier
152 - 1992 Topps Don Robinson
153 - 1993 Topps Danny Jackson
154 - 1993 Topps Milt Thompson
155 - 1993 Topps Kevin Stocker
156 - 1993 Topps Jim Eisenreich
157 - 1993 Topps Larry Andersen
158 - 1994 Topps Coming Attractions Andy Carter
159 - 1994 Topps Billy Hatcher
160 - 1994 Topps Paul Quantrill
161 - 1994 Topps Fernando Valenzuela
162 - 1995 Topps Andy Van Slyke
163 - 1995 Topps Mark Whiten
164 - 1995 Topps Lenny Webster
165 - 1995 Topps Sid Fernandez
166 - 1995 Topps Gary Varsho
167 - 1996 Topps Benito Santiago
168 - 1996 Topps Todd Zeile
169 - 1996 Topps Ken Ryan
170 - 1996 Topps Toby Borland
171 - 1996 Topps Russ Springer
172 - 1997 Topps Terry Francona MG
173 - 1997 Topps Rico Brogna
174 - 1997 Topps Midre Cummings
175 - 1997 Topps Mark Leiter
176 - 1997 Topps Ruben Amaro, Jr.
177 - 1997 Topps Darren Daulton
178 - 1998 Topps Doug Glanville
179 - 1998 Topps Mark Lewis
180 - 1998 Topps Desi Relaford
181 - 1998 Topps Tyler Green
182 - 1998 Topps Mark Portugal
183 - 1998 Topps Yorkis Perez
184 - 1999 Topps Alex Arias
185 - 1999 Topps Marlon Anderson
186 - 1999 Topps Paul Byrd
187 - 1999 Topps Ron Gant
188 - 1999 Topps Kevin Jordan
189 - 1999 Topps Robert Person
190 - 1999 Topps David Doster
191 - 1999 Topps Kevin Sefcik

Links to the Past

1950-1959 Phillies

1960-1969 Phillies

1970-1979 Phillies

1980-1989 Phillies

1997 Topps Phillies

1997 Topps #268, #56, #64 and #302

I graduated from college in 1997 and spent my last, true career-free summer working at a t-shirt store on the Promenade in Sea Isle City.  I made just enough money to pay for food, sunscreen and a few books, but not enough money to buy many baseball cards.  The 1997 season for the Phillies was another disappointment, but I was thrilled to be able to watch or listen to the games again on a nightly basis after being away from home for the past few summers.

1997 Topps #368 (Back)

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  We got 55 more cards than the prior year in the 1997 Topps set, as the complete set included 495 cards - 275 from the first series and 220 in a second series.  (Note this was the first year Topps "retired" card #7 for Mickey Mantle, so while the set is numbered to 496, there are only 495 cards.)  For the second year in a row, there was no traded set.  I would imagine baseball card sales were still down as a result of the 1994 strike, and it would take a steroid-fueled home run barrage in 1998 to start to bring the collectors back.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I first mentioned the concept of adding color to borders a few posts back when I was discussing the design of the 2012 Topps cards, and this concept holds true for the 1997 Topps set.  Like the 1996 set, the design is very simplistic - name in block letters across the bottom and a team logo.  How much better would the cards look had Topps color coded the cards based on team colors?  Topps assigned green to all National League base cards and red to all American League base cards and they stopped there.  (Why not blue for all National League base cards?  I think that simple change would have vastly improved the design as well.  Everyone knows that the color blue is associated with the National League.  Right Night Owl?)

Notable competition:  Flipping through my 1997 Phillies binder, I definitely get the sense that the card manufacturers were grasping for any way to possibly connect with their consumers.  There's a lot of foil and gloss and some on-card autographs, but there's no set from 1997 that really distances itself from the herd.  Honestly, my favorite cards from that year were the reprints of older cards which were inserted into packs of Topps Stars.  Topps must have realized that collectors were yearning for more "classic" cards - be they reprints or otherwise - as they would soon start experimenting with various releases featuring vintage designs and themes.  The first Topps Heritage set was only four years away at this point.

1997 Topps #384, #289 and #229

1997 Phillies

Record and finish:  New manager Terry Francona guided his team to one more win than the previous year, as the Phils finished with a 68-94 record and in last place (again).

Key players:  This was the first year of the Scott Rolen Era, as the eventual National League Rookie of the Year hit .283 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs.  Mike Lieberthal became the team's every day backstop and while his average was low (.246) he managed 20 home runs and 77 RBIs.  New first baseman Rico Brogna also had a decent year (.252, 20 home runs, 81 RBIs) as did Mickey Morandini (.295).  Brogna also provided stellar defense at first.  Curt Schilling re-established himself as a premier pitcher, going 17-11 with 319 strikeouts (a new club record) and a 2.97 ERA.  He'd finish fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.  Other than Schilling's fine performance, the pitching was a complete debacle.  Only Ricky Bottalico's 34 saves merits mention, although he blew 7 saves. And if I recall correctly, a few of those blown saves were recorded in spectacular self-imploding fashion.

Key events:  The Phils drafted J.D. Drew in June, but they were unable to come to terms with the Scott Boras client and Drew eventually signed with the Cardinals.  (Booo!)  Darren Daulton was the team's regular right fielder until a July trade sent him to Florida for Billy McMillon.  Daulton would earn a World Series ring wearing the teal and black of the Marlins.  Interleague play began and the Phillies swept a thrilling three-game series against the Yankees at the Vet in early September.  And sadly, long-time Phillies player and announcer Richie Ashburn passed away on September 9th.

1997 Phillies in 1997 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 18 Phillies cards needed for a complete 1997 Topps team set.  That matches the low tally from 1996, meaning that the 1996 and 1997 Topps sets have the least amount of Phillies cards since 1955.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 5 cards

#56 Mike Lieberthal (c), #64 Mickey Morandini (2b), #384 Kevin Stocker (ss), #268 Scott Rolen (3b), #229 Gregg Jefferies (lf)

Regular first baseman Brogna is featured in the set with the Mets.  Center fielder Midre Cummings and right fielder Daulton were omitted from the set completely.  What a quick descent for Dutch.  Daulton was a baseball card force in 1994, and just four short years later he finds himself completely left out of the Topps set.

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 1 card

#368 Curt Schilling

This is probably an all-time low as well.  The Phillies used 15 different starting pitchers in 1997.  Schilling is the only one of the top five on that list to merit a card.  Mark Leiter, Matt Beech, Garrett Stephenson and Tyler Green were all left out, although Leiter does appear on a card with the Expos.  Have I mentioned lately how much I truly appreciate the current Phillies starting pitching rotation?

1997 Topps #368, #327, #14 and #242

• Base cards of players who played with the Phillies in 1997 - 5 cards

#14 Ricky Bottalico, #106 Ricky Otero, #144 Ken Ryan, #242 Mike Grace, #302 Wendell Magee, Jr. 

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1997 - 4 cards (with new teams listed)

#82 Benito Santiago (Blue Jays), #161 Jim Eisenreich (Marlins), #299 Sid Fernandez (Astros), #413 Lenny Dykstra (injured)

This would be Dykstra's last Topps baseball card as an active player.  Following his wonderful 1993 season, the Phils extended Dykstra's contract, paying him $24.4 million for the 1995 through 1998 seasons.  (The team held a club option for 1999.)  The oft-injured Dude played in 84 games in 1994, 62 games in 1995, 40 games in 1996, and then he was done.  Unfortunately, it's been downhill ever since for Dykstra.

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Prospects cards - 2 cards

#205 Bobby Estallela, #492 Ron Blazier

Both actually appeared with the Phillies during the 1997 season, so I have no problem with their selection for these cards.

• Phillies appearing on multi-player Draft Picks cards - 1 card

#479 Adam Eaton

Spoiler alert - This is going to be my pick for the "What's he doing here" segment of this post.  

1997 Topps #106, #492 and #413

Who’s out:  The entire bench, save Otero and Magee got left out.  Outfielder Ruben Amaro, Jr. appeared in 117 games.  Infielders Kevin Jordan (84 games) and Kevin Sefcik (61 games) saw significant playing time, as did outfielders Derrick May (83 games) and Tony Barron (57 games).  I mentioned above how four-fifths of the pitching rotation didn't receive Phillies cards, but the bullpen wasn't well represented either.  Jerry Spradlin (76 games), Reggie Harris (50 games) and Wayne Gomes (37 games) went without Topps cards.

1997 Topps #78

Phillies on other teams:  There are six members of the 1997 squad featured in the Topps sets on their former teams - #33 Mark Portugal (Reds), #78 Danny Tartabull (White Sox), #206 Billy McMillon (Marlins, on a multi-player Prospects card), #254 Rex Hudler (Angels), #289 Rico Brogna (Mets) and #327 Mark Leiter (Expos)

What’s he doing here:  Adam Eaton.  I feel this needs no explanation.

Cards that never were candidates:  There were no manager cards in the set, but I'd come up with something for Francona's first year.  I came up with nine players from 1996 who should have cards, so I'll do the same for 1997 - Brogna, Cummings, Daulton, Leiter, Beech, Stephenson, Spradlin, Amaro and Jordan.

Favorite Phillies card:  It's Rolen's card.  Philly fans were absolutely in love with Rolen and his style of play back in 1997.  A few short years later, we learned that Rolen was actually a fairly grumpy guy who would rather play elsewhere.

Other Stuff

Recycled:  As far as I know, Topps hasn't re-used its 1997 design for any recent releases.

Blogs/Websites:  A little over a year ago, Capewood ran a nice post featuring a few of his favorite cards from the set on his Capewood's Collections blog.

Did You Know?:  Perhaps as a cost cutting measure, the Phillies released their 1997 Yearbook as an insert within its Phillies Magazine publication.  This really bothered me back in 1997 and it still bothers me today.  I have a nice collection of Phillies Yearbooks dating back to 1969, and the 1997 "Yearbook" throws off the whole feng shui of the collection.