Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies: Phils Need to Get Going

2006 Topps #438

2026 Chachi 2006 Topps Missing Links #12

Friday, April 17th - 6:40
Saturday, April 18th - 7:15
Sunday, April 19th - 7:20

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
There's a Jordan Davis postgame concert tonight following the game.  On Saturday, all kids 14 and under will receive a Trea Turner replica jersey.

Atlanta Braves 12-7
1st Place in the N.L. East, 3 games ahead of the Marlins and Nationals

Braves Probables
Martin Perez (0-1, 3.14)
Chris Sale (3-1, 3.27)
Grant Holmes (1-1, 3.32)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Mauricio Dubon - .333
Runs:  Drake Baldwin - 19
Home Runs:  Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson - 5
RBIs:  Drake Baldwin - 19
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna - 4

Wins:  Chris Sale - 3
ERA:  Bryce Elder - 0.77

Strikeouts:  Bryce Elder - 23
Saves:  Raisel Iglesias - 4

Philadelphia Phillies 8-10
4th Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Taijuan Walker (1-2, 7.36)
Cristopher Sanchez (2-1, 2.01)
Andrew Painter (1-0, 3.77)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .290
Runs:  Trea Turner - 13
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 6
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 12
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 4

Wins:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.01

Strikeouts:  Cristopher Sanchez - 31
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 5

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall (Coming Soon) / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 64 - Phils, Harper Take London (Remastered)

Consider this the remastered version of the original June 8th game summary post, as I went back after the fact and decided Harper's British home run deserved its own highlight card in my 2024 Chachi set.

2024 Chachi #40

Phillies 7, Mets 2

Game 64 - Saturday Afternoon, June 8th in London
Record - 45-19, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Bryce Harper took London by storm, with The Showman living up to his name with a big day at the plate.

What It Means:  This was fun to watch, although we quickly switched over to the Phillies radio broadcast to avoid the Fox announcers.  The Phillies had a contingent of former players on hand, and I spent Saturday morning following along with the events in London on social media.  This two-game series has the feel of an All-Star Weekend, except with the Phillies as the main characters and the Mets in town since the Phillies needed an opponent.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez gave up a first inning run, but then settled down to pitch 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.  The win improved his record to 10-1.  The Phillies' offense seemed to struggle at first given the early evening sun glare, but once that went away, they jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1, sliding into a football/soccer goal celebration as he returned to the Phillies dugout.  An RBI single followed from Edmundo Sosa to score Alec Bohm, and then Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.  Cristian Pache doubled and Kyle Schwarber singled him home, chasing Manaea from the game.  Nick Castellanos capped the Phillies scoring with a solo home run to left in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  Harper doubled in the first, becoming the first Phillies player with a hit in Europe.  His thrilling home run in the fourth will be replayed for years, and I'm waiting for the e-mail from Topps with the celebration image on an inevitable Topps Now card.  Here's a card with several symbols from the first time Philadelphia and England mixed things up.

Transaction:  The Phillies and Mets were both given an extra roster spot for this series, with the Phillies recalling Rafael Marchan (c).  Nick Nelson (rhp) and Darick Hall (1b) are also in London as a two-player taxi squad, just in case they're needed.

L to R: Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #39 Rafael Marchan / 2024 Chachi #41 Michael Mercado

Game 124 - Bullpen Falters as Nats Avoid Sweep

2013 Finest 1993 Finest #93F-CR

Nationals 6, Phillies 4
Game 124 - Sunday Afternoon, August 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 73-51, 1st Place, 7 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Two late runs were the difference in this game, as the Nationals scored off All-Star relievers Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman to steal a 6-4 win over the Phillies.

What It Means:  The Phillies won three out of the four games with the Nationals, and they're off to Atlanta to face off against the second place Braves with a crucial series beginning Tuesday night.

What Happened:  Taijuan Walker started for the Phillies, and departed after 4 2/3 innings with the Nationals leading, 3-2.  Tanner Banks gave up another run in the top of the sixth, but the Phillies battled back to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back home runs from Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh.  The usually reliable Strahm and Hoffman gave up runs to the Nationals in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.  In the bottom of the ninth, with J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper available off the bench, Edmundo Sosa singled to start the inning but then Cal Stevenson grounded into a rally-killing double play.

Featured Card:  The Phillies hosted another fantastic pre-game ceremony before this game, this time recognizing alumni, Wall of Famers and key moments from the first 20 years of Citizens Bank Park.  There were memorable moments from the first few years (2004-07), the dynasty years (2008-11) and recent years (2019-23), with almost no reference of the dark times (2012-18), other than Rhys Hoskins' home run tear in 2017 as a rookie.  I'll go with a card for Carlos Ruiz here, as he served as a stand-in during the ceremony for the late, great Roy Halladay.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 122 - Turner Walks It Off as Good Vibes Continue

2024 Topps #352

Phillies 3, Nationals 2
Game 122 - Friday Night, August 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 72-50, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Trea Turner capped a 4 for 5 night with a walk-off single to score Brandon Marsh in this 3-2 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  It appears (hopefully) as if things are back on track for the Phillies.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings, scattering seven hits and striking out four, but was left with a no-decision after Carlos Estevez blew his first home save chance in the ninth.  The Phillies had scored twice in the third.  Turner singled to start the inning and was at third base with two outs when Nick Castellanos singled to left.  Castellanos stole second base and came home on a J.T. Realmuto single up the middle.  Estevez couldn't convert the 2-0 lead into a save, giving up three straight singles to start the ninth.

Featured Card:  Turner was given the night off on Wednesday, and went a combined 7 for 10 with a pair of doubles on Thursday and Friday.  Brandon Marsh led off the ninth with a single to right and went to second on an error by right fielder Alex Call.  Cal Stevenson then laid done a perfect bunt, advancing Marsh and safely reaching first for an infield single.  Kyle Schwarber was intentionally walked, setting up Turner's big hit to win the game.

Field Report:  We were there, and while it was great to see a walk-off win, the highlight for me had to be the pregame ceremony honoring Carlos Ruiz.  The Phillies always do these things right, and the highlight video shown of Ruiz's greatest hits brought goosebumps.  To top it off, Ruiz threw out a ceremonial first pitch to former closer Brad Lidge, reversing the roles each played in the clinching game of the 2008 World Series.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 64 - Phils, Harper Take London

2022 Topps Home Field
Advantage #HA-3

Phillies 7, Mets 2
Game 64 - Saturday Afternoon, June 8th in London
Record - 45-19, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Bryce Harper took London by storm, with The Showman living up to his name with a big day at the plate.

What It Means:  This was fun to watch, although we quickly switched over to the Phillies radio broadcast to avoid the Fox announcers.  The Phillies had a contingent of former players on hand, and I spent Saturday morning following along with the events in London on social media.  This two-game series has the feel of an All-Star Weekend, except with the Phillies as the main characters and the Mets in town since the Phillies needed an opponent.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez gave up a first inning run, but then settled down to pitch 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.  The win improved his record to 10-1.  The Phillies' offense seemed to struggle at first given the early evening sun glare, but once that went away, they jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1, sliding into a football/soccer goal celebration as he returned to the Phillies dugout.  An RBI single followed from Edmundo Sosa to score Alec Bohm, and then Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.  Cristian Pache doubled and Kyle Schwarber singled him home, chasing Manaea from the game.  Nick Castellanos capped the Phillies scoring with a solo home run to left in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  Harper doubled in the first, becoming the first Phillies player with a hit in Europe.  His thrilling home run in the fourth will be replayed for years, and I'm waiting for the e-mail from Topps with the celebration image on an inevitable Topps Now card.  Here's a card with several symbols from the first time Philadelphia and England mixed things up.

Transaction:  The Phillies and Mets were both given an extra roster spot for this series, with the Phillies recalling Rafael Marchan (c).  Nick Nelson (rhp) and Darick Hall (1b) are also in London as a two-player taxi squad, just in case they're needed.

L to R: Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2009 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  41
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The Phillies went with black borders for the first time ever.  The cards have a very basic design featuring the team logo and the player's number, name and position in a digital font.  Other than the 2008 World Champions card, which is my all-time favorite card from a team-issued set, there's no indication the Phillies had won the World Championship in 2008 on the cards themselves.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 37-card set was available at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of the season.  Following the signing of Pedro Martinez on July 15th and the acquisition of Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco on July 29th, cards of Martinez, Lee and Francisco, along with back-up catcher Paul Bako, were inserted into the set.  With the addition of these four cards to the updated set, five cards available from the original set were removed - the 2008 World Champions card, along with the cards for Chris Coste, Tim Gradoville, Geoff Jenkins and Ronny Paulino.  Jenkins and Paulino had been released prior to the start of the season and Coste was claimed off waivers by the Astros on July 10th.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position): 

1. 2008 World Champions 2. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - Bullpen Coach) 3. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP) 4. Eric Bruntlett (#4 - INF/OF) 5. Clay Condrey (#55 - RHP) 6. Chris Coste (#27 - C) 7. Greg Dobbs (#19 - INF/OF) 8. Rich Dubee (#30 - Pitching Coach) 9. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP) 10. Scott Eyre (#47 - LHP) 11. Pedro Feliz (#7 - 3B) 12. Tim Gradoville (#60 - Bullpen Catcher)         13. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP)

14. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP) 15. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B) 16. Raul Ibanez (#29 - LF) 17. Geoff Jenkins (#10 - OF) 18. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 19. Davey Lopes (#15 - First Base Coach) 20. Pete Mackanin (#45 - Bench Coach) 21. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 22. Charlie Manuel (#41 - Manager)         23. Jamie Moyer (#50 - LHP) 24. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP) 25. Chan Ho Park (#61 - RHP)

26. Ronny Paulino (#23 - C) 27. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - Third Base Coach) 28. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 29. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP) 30. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 31. Matt Stairs (#12 - OF) 32. Milt Thompson (#25 - Hitting Coach)         33. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 34. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF) 35. Jayson Werth (#28 - RF) 36. Phillie Phanatic 37. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position):

1. Paul Bako (#23 - C) 2. Ben Francisco (#10 - OF)

3. Cliff Lee (#34 - LHP) 4. Pedro Martinez (#45 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Bako

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (8):  Eyre, Francisco, Ibanez, Lee, Martinez, Park, Paulino, Stairs
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (21):  Blanton, Bruntlett, Condrey, Coste, Dobbs, Durbin, Feliz, Hamels, Happ, Howard, Jenkins, Lidge, Madson, Moyer, Myers, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Utley, Victorino, Werth

Paul Bako wrapped up his 12-year career playing 44 games with the Phillies in 2009.  His card in this set is his sole Phillies baseball card.  Paulino was traded on March 27th to the Giants for Jack Taschner, and never appeared in a game for the Phillies.  He has a second Phillies card in the 2009 Topps Heritage set.

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gradoville, Lopes, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Thompson

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown atop the dugout is his alternate day-game uniform.

Broadcasters (1):  Harry Kalas, who passed away on April 13, 2009, is joined on this card by Tom McCarthey, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke.
Commemorative Cards (1):  2008 World Champions

The 2008 World Champions card (see below) features manager Charlie Manuel along with the team's main stars (minus Pat Burrell who had departed during the offseason) decked out in tuxedos with red bow ties flanking the World Series trophy.

Set Composition:  The Phillies created the first 37-card checklist a few days before the start of the regular season, accounting for the cards in the set for Paulino and Jenkins.  Miguel Cairo and Taschner, both on the opening day roster, got left out of the original set and the update set.  J.C. Romero started the season on the Restricted List, but he's in the set as well.

Omissions:  The Phillies could have included a few more update cards, in addition to the four players who were added late in the season to the set.  Cairo and Taschner would have been in the set had the Phillies waited until early April to create the checklist.  Kyle Kendrick, John Mayberry, Jr., Sergio Escalona and Tyler Walker all spent sufficient enough time on the roster to merit cards as well.  Escalona spent quite a bit of time going back and forth between Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley, as the lefty pitcher was with the team in six different stints.

Variations/Rarities:  I'm going to separate the known rarities into two different groups - non-set cards and cards with a 2009 National League Champions logo on the back.  14,000 Phillies featured a post many years ago containing a Jayson Werth card I had never seen before, and I've never seen since.  The card was distributed to kids participating in the team's annual Home Run Derby competition and contains a purple facsimile autograph and the Home Run Derby logo. The card uses a different photo than Werth's regular team issued card.

As pointed out in a comment from Steve F. in an earlier post, a card was issued for Placido Polanco in the style of the 2009 team-issued set.  Polanco was signed as a free agent on December 3rd.  Finally, fellow collector and invaluable resource Rick added a comment to this set's original post with a number of other rarities available - clipped and shown below.  Roy Halladay received his first Phillies baseball card in the style of this set, as the future Hall of Famer had signed with the Phillies on December 16, 2009.

Other than the Halladay card, which is an original, the cards featuring the 2009 National League Champions logo on the back use the same photos as the cards found in the set sold at the ballpark.

Non-Set Cards 1. Kyle Drabek (#4 - Reading Phillies) 2. Lou Marson (#3 - C) 3. Placido Polanco (#27 - blank back) 4. Brian Schneider (#23 - blank back) 5. Michael Taylor (#40 - Reading Phillies)         6. Jayson Werth (#28 - Home Run Derby)

National League Champions 1. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP) 2. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP) 3. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 4. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP) 5. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 6. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 7. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)

Also See:  Here's my original post from August 31, 2009, covering the discovery of the updated team issued set.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

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

2008 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2010 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition

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

Mariners at Phillies: April 25th to April 27th

2014 Topps Heritage #144

2014 Topps Heritage #16

Tuesday and Wednesday 6:40, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Tuesday is the second Dollar Dog Night of the season, and following the afternoon game on Thursday, seniors are welcome to stroll the bases.

Mariners 10-12
4th Place in the A.L. West, 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers

Mariners Probables
Logan Gilbert (1-1, 3.57)
Marco Gonzales (1-0, 3.78)
George Kirby (2-1, 3.57)

Mariners Leaders
Average:  Jarred Kelenic - .319
Runs:  Ty France and Julio Rodriguez - 17
Home Runs:  Jarred Kelenic - 6
RBIs:  Ty France and Eugenio Suarez - 15
Stolen Bases:  Julio Rodriguez - 5

Wins:  Three tied with - 2
ERA:  Luis Castillo - 1.52
Strikeouts:  Luis Castillo - 34
Saves:  Paul Sewald - 6

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

Phillies Probables
Bailey Falter (0-3, 4.50)
Taijuan Walker (2-1, 3.80)
Matt Strahm (1-2, 3.00)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .364
Runs:  Nick Castellanos - 19
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 5
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 18
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner - 4

Wins:  Taijuan Walker and Zack Wheeler - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 4.73

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 34
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 3

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

Game 113 - 2004 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #19 Carlos Ruiz

Dodgers 5, Phillies 0
Game 113 - Tuesday Night, August 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 59-54, 1st Place, 1 game ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  After a lengthy rain delay, the back end of the Phillies bullpen couldn't contain the Dodgers in this 5-0 loss.

What It Means:  And we're back!  After 12 months or so of not leaving our area code during lockdown, we opted for two summer vacations this year and we returned from our latest Disney trip on Wednesday afternoon.  I'll gradually catch up these game summary posts in the coming days for the sake of completeness, and unlike prior catch-ups I'm actually looking forward to reliving the past week-plus of Phillies baseball.  The last game I summarized came on the final Friday of July as the Phillies lost, 7-0 to the last place Pirates.  The loss dropped them to 3 1/2 games behind the Mets and a game under .500.  Since then, the Phillies won eight in a row to propel them into first place.  We should go away more often!

What Happened:  Aaron Nola was cruising through four innings, having struck out seven, when the heavens opened with almost two hours worth of rain.  Matt Moore and Enyel De Los Santos caused most of the damage, surrendering six hits and three runs in their combined two innings of work.  Jean Segura continued to swing a hot bat with three more hits.

Featured Card:  Following Alumni Weekend and the Roy Halladay number retirement ceremony on Sunday, the Reading Fightin Phils honored catcher Carlos Ruiz on Tuesday night, inducting him into the Baseballtown Hall of Fame.  Here's Ruiz's card from 2004, his one full season with the club.  There's so much going on in the background of this card.

Transaction:  Rhys Hoskins (1b) officially landed on the injured list and the Phillies recalled Mickey Moniak (of) from Lehigh Valley.

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

2007 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  43
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  Full color photos are surrounded by a blue border (for pitchers) or a red border (for everyone else) with the player's name featured prominently in blue or red at the top of each card.  The Citizens Bank Park logo can be found in one of the four corners on the fronts.  Ryan Howard's card, from the first version of this set, contains a gold badge commemorating his 2006 N.L. MVP win.  An updated set was issued after the All-Star break containing a second version of Howard's card omitting the gold badge.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card set was available for sale at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of the season.  Early in the second half of the season, 7 new cards were added to the set with 6 cards removed.  I'll take a closer look at the additions and subtractions below.

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

1. Antonio Alfonseca (#57 - RHP)           2. Rod Barajas (#2 - C) 3. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO) 4. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF) 5. Fabio Castro (#52 - LHP) 6. Chris Coste (#27 - C/INF) 7. Greg Dobbs (#19 - INF/OF) 8. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO) 9. Adam Eaton (#23 - RHP) 10. Freddy Garcia (#34 - RHP) 11. Karim Garcia (#10 - OF)   12. Geoff Geary (#56 - RHP)

13. Tom Gordon (#45 - RHP) 14. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 15. Wes Helms (#18 - 3B) 16. Ramon Henderson (#31 - CO) 17. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B, MVP Logo)           18. Jon Lieber (#21 - RHP) 19. Davey Lopes (#15 - CO) 20. Ryan Madson (#63 - RHP) 21. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG) 22. Jamie Moyer (#50 - LHP) 23. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP) 24. Abraham Nunez (#3 - INF)

25. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 26. Aaron Rowand (#33 - CF) 27. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 28. Matt Smith (#40 - LHP)           29. Steve Smith (#7 - CO) 30. Milt Thompson (#25 - CO) 31. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 32. Shane Victorino (#8 - RF) 33. Jayson Werth (#28 - OF) 34. Jimy Williams (#22 - CO) 35. Phillie Phanatic 36. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version:  

1. Michael Bourn (#9 - OF) 2. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B, No MVP Logo)           3. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP)

4. Jose Mesa (#49 - RHP) 5. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP)

6. Francisco Rosario (#54 - RHP)           7. Mike Zagurski (#59 - LHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  K. Garcia

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (17):  Alfonseca, Barajas, Bourn, Castro, Coste, Dobbs, Eaton, F. Garcia, Helms, Kendrick, Moyer, Romero, Rosario, Ruiz, M. Smith, Werth, Zagurski
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (15):  Burrell, Geary, Gordon, Hamels, Howard (2), Lieber, Madson, Mesa, Myers, Nunez, Rollins, Rowand, Utley, Victorino

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Henderson, Lopes, S. Smith, Thompson, Williams
Phillie Phanatic (1):  This is one of the strangest Phanatic cards from all the team issued sets.  The card is horizontal and someone played picture putty with the fans in the background of the photo to create a multi-colored psychedelic design.
Broadcasters (1):  Scott Graham got the boot and was replaced by Gary Matthews in the booth.  Sarge is joined on this card by Harry Kalas, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen and Chris Wheeler.

Here's the rationale for the six cards removed from the second version of the set available for sale at some point early in the second half of the season:

Karim Garcia - Released by the Phillies on March 28th, prior to opening day.

Matt Smith - Sent down to Ottawa on April 26th and had Tommy John surgery on July 3rd.

Fabio Castro - Spent most of the summer in Triple-A Ottawa, spending three weeks with the club between late April and mid-May.

Freddy Garcia - Went on the disabled list on June 9th, not to return.

Ryan Howard (MVP Logo) - For reasons we'll never know, the Phillies replaced the Howard card with an MVP logo with a logo-less version for the second edition of the set.

Jon Lieber - Went on the disabled list on June 23rd, not to return.

And the seven cards added to the second version of the set:

Michael Bourn - Made the club's opening day roster.

Francisco Rosario - Recalled on April 9th, but was on the disabled list from mid-June through the end of August.

Mike Zagurski - Had two different stints with the club, first getting recalled on May 25th.

Jose Mesa - Rejoined the Phillies on June 9th after being released by the Tigers.

Kyle Kendrick - Called up on June 13th from Ottawa and never went back down.

J.C. Romero - Joined the team on June 29th after being claimed off waivers from the Red Sox.

Ryan Howard (No MVP Logo) - See above.

Surprises/Omissions:  The inclusion of a Karim Garcia is somewhat of a surprise, and the checklist's creator swung and missed on predicting the team's opening day roster.  Bourn, and three relievers who made the club out of spring training were completely overlooked - Clay Condrey, Zack Segovia and Joe Bisenius.

The annual ALS Phestival was held on May 21st this season.  Looking at the Phillies' active roster at the time of the Phestival, only Condrey and reliever Yoel Hernandez were without photo cards.

The second version of the set couldn't have been released prior to early July, as Romero was added to the roster on June 29th.  Looking at the team's roster for their first home game following the All-Star Break on July 13th, pitchers Brian Sanches, J.D. Durbin and Anderson Garcia were all active and in the bullpen but not included in the updated second version of the set.

Variations/Rarities:  As I learned after publishing my original post on this set back in December 2014, Steve let me know there were cards made in the style of this set for Geoff Jenkins and Brad Lidge, both added in the 2007-2008 offseason.  The Lidge card I have in my collection has a completely blank back.  Rick added there are cards with facsimile autographs for four of the team's stars:

Facsimile Autographs        1. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF) 2. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B) 3. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)           4. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) Offseason Additions 1. Geoff Jenkins (OF) 2. Brad Lidge (RHP) Also See:  The Phillies and Upper Deck gave away a pack of baseball cards on Alumni Night featuring 25 regular cards and 10 "Vintage" cards featuring Phillies alumni.  The alumni cards only came one per pack, making them much harder to track down.

Resources:  Phillies collectors Steve and Rick (@rickphils).

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 2014, 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 nearly six years.

2006 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2008 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Marlins: September 3rd to September 5th

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #38

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #39

Monday 1:10, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10
Marlins Park - Miami, FL

Phillies 72-64, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Braves
Marlins 54-83, 5th place in the N.L. East, 22 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (9-9, 4.05), Jake Arrieta (9-9, 3.54), Nick Pivetta (7-10, 4.66)
Marlins Probables:  Jose Urena (4-12, 4.56), Trevor Richards (3-7, 4.26), Dan Straily (5-6, 4.13)

At the Ballpark:  There are some themed tickets available for the series, but otherwise no giveaways or promotions.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .267
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 82
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 27
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 83
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 17

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 15
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.23
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 188
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Starlin Castro - .289
Runs:  Brian Anderson - 76
Home Runs:  Justin Bour - 19
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 68
Stolen Bases:  Cameron Maybin - 8

Wins:  Wei-Yin Chen - 6
ERA:  Jose Urena - 4.56
Strikeouts:  Jose Urena - 110
Saves:  Kyle Barraclough and Brad Ziegler - 10

Choooooooooooch!

We had the pleasure of briefly meeting former Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz this afternoon at Carl's Cards & Collectibles in Havertown.  Chooch is in town this weekend for the Phillies Alumni celebration, and Doug was anxious to add his autograph to his collection.  Doug had him sign one half of the recent Pride of the Phillies print featuring Ruiz with Ryan Howard, and I decided to get an autograph on Ruiz's 2008 Phillies team issued photo card.

Chooch asked Doug if he played baseball and what position he played.  It was great to meet the catcher who was behind the plate for the final out of the 2008 World Series and who caught four no-hitters throughout his career.

2008 Phillies Team Issue #51

* * *

The Phillies Room is going back on auto-pilot for a little bit as we continue to rest our arms in preparation of an important stretch run and deep postseason.

Baseball Cards from @Section_36 Make January Better

2008 Bowman #62

2008 Topps #238

2008 Topps Opening Day #124

2008 Upper Deck #606

I've never been a big fan of January.  There's the natural post-Christmas let-down, the frigid temperatures, the busyness of my work schedule and the complete and total lack of baseball.  It's dark when I leave the house in the morning and it's dark when I get home.  My attitude towards January is usually, "Let's get this over with," and I'm not entirely proud of that.

Last week, I walked in the door from a long day at work and a crappy commute home and found a small package on our kitchen counter with a familiar return address.  The fine folks from Section 36 had once again cleaned out baseball cards that had reached their 10-year expiration date, and the Phillies cards from this purge came to me.

As has been the case the last few years, I honestly already have most of these cards, but there are always a bunch of gems in the bunch and my sons now reap the bulk of the spoils.  But most importantly, it was such a welcome (and relaxing) exercise to open a package of baseball cards and thumb through each of the three stacks within.  Along with the Phillies cards from 2008, there was a cool selection of older and some more recent Phillies cards.  There were a number of cards from a variety of years for Jimmy Rollins, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard and the Phillies all-time saves leader, the Closer Who Must Not Be Named.  Section 36 also added to my Adrian Cardenas super collection with another autographed card of the former Phillies prospect.  (I received my first two in a surprise mid-season package this past June.)

1998 Bowman #181

2007 TriStar Elegance Signature Marks #SM-AC

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum #75

2013 Bowman #81

I had to count the years linked below, and I'm a little shocked that this exercise has now been happening for nine years.  That means I've been maintaining (and enjoying) this blog for the past nine years and Section 36 has joined me on the journey.  Time really does fly.

Thanks to Section 36 for the baseball cards and I'm excited for 2018 World Series between the Phils and Sox!

Memory Lane - Section 36 Purge
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008

2017 - Mid-Year Surprise Package