2025 Chachi #23 Jordan Romano

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  210
Opening Day 2025 Age:  31

Born:  April 21, 1993, Markham, Ontario, Canada
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent with the Phillies, December 9, 2024

Departed:  Granted free agency, November 2, 2025
Major League Teams:  Toronto Blue Jays 2019-24; Philadelphia Phillies 2025

Postseason Appearances:  Toronto Blue Jays 2022-23

2025 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Jordan Romano had one of the worst seasons by a Phillies reliever in recent history, which was made harder to endure given the reliever he was signed to replace, Jeff Hoffman, enjoyed an All-Star season with the Blue Jays.  Romano was 2-4 with an 8.23 ERA in 49 games and 42 2/3 innings pitched.  Things went poorly from the outset for Romano, as he blew his first save on opening day and his ERA was 12.19 by the end of April.  His season was shut down on August 26th, when he was placed on the injured list with a right middle finger inflammation.  Romano signed as a free agent with the Angels on December 16th.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage #376
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  2021-25
Favorite 2025 Card:  2025 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  3 as of 12/30/25, 2 added in 2025

TCDB Stats:  335 total as of 12/30/25, my 7 cards overall are ranked 165th, 1st is Spinmove with 106

Complete Chachi Checklist

2025 Chachi #23

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2025 Chachi #22 Orion Kerkering 

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2025 Chachi #24 Joe Ross

Game 120 - Nothing Goes Right in Loss to Reds

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Cincinnati Reds	8

2025 Philadelphia Phillies Photocards

Wednesday Night, August 13th

Great American Ball Park - Cincinnati, OH
69-51, 1st Place, 5 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez couldn't find his groove, Jordan Romano allowed a back-breaking grand slam and the Phillies offense managed three hits in this 8-0 loss to the Reds.

What It Means:  The worst loss of the season?  The Phillies headed to Washington next for a four-game set.

What Happened:  Following an hour rain delay at the outset, Sanchez departed after six innings with his team trailing, 4-0.  The fourth run was unearned due to errors by both Brandon Marsh and Sanchez on the same play.  In the bottom of the seventh, Romano loaded the bases and then surrendered a grand slam to Miguel Andujar, putting the game completely out of reach.

Featured Card:  This might be the end of the line for Romano, as the Phillies need a roster spot when Aaron Nola is activated from the injured list on Sunday.  Signed to bolster the bullpen for the late innings, Romano is 2-4 with a 7.24 ERA in 46 appearances and 41 innings pitched.  This is his rare team-issued photo card, only available (so far) as an identifier in memorabilia grab bags sold during Lou Gehrig/ALS night in June.  Along with his card in Topps Series Two, these might be the only Phillies baseball cards available for Romano.

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 83 - Schwellenbach Stifles Phils

Philadelphia Phillies	1
Atlanta Braves	6

2025 Topps #424

Saturday Night, June 28th

Truist Park - Atlanta, GA
48-35, 1st Place, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense were held in check by Braves' starter Spencer Schwellenbach and Jordan Romano surrendered a seventh inning grand slam to Sean Murphy in this 6-1 loss.

What It Means:  This game started as we began a 10-day trip to Italy, visiting Rome, the Tuscany region, Florence and Venice.  It was an absolutely incredible trip and core memories were made.  Similar to what I've done in the past whenever returning from a family vacation, I'll post game summaries solely for sake of completeness.  Given the time zone difference, we watched/listened to only a few moments here and there from these games.  As much as I loved the trip, and time spent with my family, I missed our dog, our house and the Phillies, and it's good to be home.

What Happened:  Schwellenbach allowed a run on three hits in his seven innings of work, while striking out 12.  Jesus Luzardo was the losing pitcher, allowing two runs on seven hits over five innings.  Romano's ERA crept up to 7.28 after his latest shaky outing.  The lone Phillies run scored in the sixth when Alec Bohm singled home Brandon Marsh.

Featured Card:  Romano has been a bust so far, and I'm starting to think he won't finish the season on the Phillies' roster.  This is his card from Topps Series Two, and his Blue Jays uniform has been Photoshopped into a Phillies uniform.

Transaction:  Daniel Robert (rhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Alan Rangel (rhp) was sent back down.

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 25 - Phils Can't Avoid Sweep

Philadelphia Phillies	3
New York Mets	4

10 Innings

2023 Topps #196

Wednesday Night, April 23rd

Citi Field - Flushing, NY
13-12, 2nd Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies wasted Zack Wheeler's outing as the bats continued to slumber and Jordan Romano's struggles persisted in this 4-3, extra-inning loss to the Mets. 

What It Means:  Dreadful.  Bryce Harper went 1 for 11 with three walks in the series, and he had this to say following the loss:  "We've got to play better baseball."

What Happened:  The game was tied 2-2 through regulation.  The Mets struck first, with Brett Baty hitting a two-run home run in the second.  The Phillies tied it up in the fourth on RBI singles from Johan Rojas and Trea Turner, scoring Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson.  Wheeler struck out nine in his six innings, allowing five hits and walking a pair.  Jose Alvarado threw two scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth innings.

The Phillies took the lead in the 10th when Nick Castellanos singled home zombie runner Harper.  With Romano on the mound in the bottom of the 10th, Pete Alonso doubled home zombie runner Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte singled Alonso home with the winning run.

Featured Card:  Romano, the team's big offseason bullpen pick-up, has been awful.  An All-Star in 2022 and 2023 with the Blue Jays, Romano owns a 13.50 ERA through 11 appearances and 9 1/3 innings pitched so far in 2025.

Transaction:  Wilson (of) was activated from the 10-day injured list and Kody Clemens (inf), who is out of minor league options, was designated for assignment.  Clemens has appeared in just seven games for the Phillies so far this season, all as a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner.

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2024-25 Offseason - Merry Christmas!

2024 Topps Chrome Update #USC32

2024 Topps #101

2024 Topps #445

2024 Choice Jersey Shore BlueClaws #8

I'm already doing a better job keeping this blog active throughout the offseason, as the last few years it sat mostly dormant between November and February.  As we get ready to celebrate Christmas and enjoy a much-needed winter break, here's a look at the Phillies news from the past month.

Hays Non-Tendered:  On November 22nd, the Phillies non-tendered Austin Hays (of) making the short-timer a free agent.  Hays suffered through injury and illness in his time with the Phillies, appearing in just 22 games and batting .256 with a pair of home runs.  He was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the NLDS.  Hays' first (and only?) Phillies baseball card can be found in the 2024 Topps Chrome Update set.

Romano Added to Bullpen:  On December 9th, the Phillies added All-Star reliever Jordan Romano (rhp) to their bullpen, signing him to a one-year deal for $8.5 million.  An All-Star with the Blue Jays in 2022 and 2023, Romano appeared in only 15 games last season following an elbow injury.  He had saved 36 games each of the two seasons before that.

Rule 5 Results:  The Phillies selected Mike Vasil (rhp) in the annual rule 5 draft and then almost immediately traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash.  In the minor league portion of the draft, the Phillies lost Eiberson Castellano (rhp), the franchise's most recent Paul Owens Award winner for minor league pitcher of the year, to the Twins.  Castellano had pitched as high as Double-A Reading in 2024.

Phils Add Kepler:  Seeking a corner outfield upgrade for 2025, the Phillies signed Max Kepler (off) to a one-year deal on December 20th.  Besides having one of the cooler cards in the 2024 Topps set, Kepler batted .253 last season with eight home runs and 42 RBIs.  He had played in 10 seasons with the Twins, enjoying a career year in 2019 when he connected for career highs in home runs (36) and RBIs (90).  Kepler is expecting to receive significant playing time in left field.

Luzardo Added to the Rotation:  Just when we thought the Phillies were done making major moves for the year, they announced a big trade with the Marlins the Sunday before Christmas.  Jesus Luzardo (lhp) and Paul McIntosh (c-of) were acquired from Miami for minor league prospects Starlyn Caba (ss) and Emaarion Boyd (of).  Luzardo joins a stacked rotation with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez, with Andrew Painter a possibility to join the rotation at some point over the summer.  Luzardo is under team control through the 2026 season.  Caba and Boyd had been ranked as the fourth and 23rd top prospects in the Phillies' system by MLB.com.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Luzardo.

Ross Joins Bullpen:  And one more amendment . . . On December 23rd, the Phillies signed free agent Joe Ross (rhp), who spent last season with the Brewers.  Before that, Ross pitched in six seasons with the Nationals.  Ross can relieve and start, but given the already crowded starting pitching rotation, I'm assuming he'll be yet another bullpen piece.  To make room on the 40-man roster for Ross, Jose Cuas (rhp) was designated for assignment.  Cuas had been claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in early September.

2024 Topps #123

2024 Choice Pensacola Blue Wahoos #17

2023 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP-164

2024 Topps Pro Debut #PD-2

2024 Topps Update #US135

There have also been a flurry of minor league signings by the Phillies, but I'll wait until they issue an official list of spring training non-roster invitees before writing further about any of those new players.

Merry Christmas everyone, and here's to a healthy, happy and safe 2025.  We've got this.