Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago White Sox - A.L. Swing Continues

2005 Topps #25

2005 Topps #606

Monday, July 28th - 7:40
Tuesday, July 29th - 7:40
Wednesday, July 30th - 2:10

Rate Field - Chicago, IL
Monday is Christmas in July at the ballpark and holders of a special theme ticket will receive an Aaron Rowand Christmas Vacation-themed bobblehead.  Tuesday is Seinfeld Night, and again a special themed ticket is available, this time for a Robin Ventura Seinfeld-themed bobblehead.

Philadelphia Phillies 60-45
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (9-2, 2.40)
Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.58)
Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.84)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .293
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 75
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 36
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 84
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 25

Wins:  Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler - 9
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.40
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 172
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 8

Chicago White Sox 38-68
5th Place in the A.L, Central, 22 1/2 games behind the Tigers

White Sox Probables
Davis Martin (2-8, 3.89)
Jonathan Cannon (4-7, 4.48)
Adrian Houser (6-2, 2.10)

White Sox Leaders
Average:  Lenyn Sosa - .264
Runs:  Miguel Vargas - 54
Home Runs:  Andrew Beninitendi - 13
RBIs:  Andrew Beninitendi - 42
Stolen Bases:  Luis Robert - 26

Wins:  Adrian Houser - 6
ERA:  N/A

Strikeouts:  Sean Burke - 93
Saves:  Grant Taylor - 3

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

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - Rainy, Quick Trip

We weren't supposed to attend this show, as Doug had a travel baseball tournament scheduled for the weekend in the Toms River area.  The torrential downpour that started on Friday night scuttled those plans, so we pivoted and made the hour-plus drive to Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest Philadelphia Sports Collector Show, better known as The Philly Show.

Our goals were simple.  Doug wanted to add a Michael Lorenzen signature to the recently released Phillies scorecard celebrating the pitcher's August no-hitter.  Lorenzen may not return in 2024, and this could have easily been the only chance to get his autograph before he moves on.  I wanted to add at least one Diamond Stars card and hopefully a few 1969 Topps star cards.  My massive 1969 Topps haul from March is still mostly sitting on my project table, as life and work have forced me to step away from my 1969 Topps blog for a little bit.  (I hope to return to it in October.)

We drove through a hard, steady rain, navigated our way through the confusing admission lines, found the not-well-marked autograph pavilion, stood in line again, purchased our autograph tickets and waited our turn.  I made an impulse Jim Thome autograph ticket purchase, as I wanted to have the Hall of Famer sign his Phillies Alumni photo card.

For the first time ever, I spent all my allotted money at one table and one table only.  Technically, it was two tables, but the two dealers from the Buffalo area were working together and even provided me with a joint business card.  From the Ed Hans side of the table, I found a Paul Waner card needed for my 1934-36 Diamond Stars set build, which is steadily plugging along.  From the Gary Nuchereno side of the table, I first settled on four star cards needed for our 1969 Topps set - all in good shape and very reasonably priced.  After we secured Thome's and Lorenzen's autographs, I went back and found 11 needed commons and semistars from the same dealer's 1969 Topps binder.

Doug spent his money on Ultra Pro supplies with nary a new baseball card purchased.  We were on our way out in less than two hours, me with 16 new cards for my two current, primary set builds and a Thome autograph, Doug with his signed Lorenzen scorecard and some much needed supplies.  We'll now rest up and get ready to likely do a little more damage at the next show in December.

Recent Memory Lane

Valley Forge 12 - December 2021 - Huge haul of 1965 Topps, Jim Thome

Valley Forge 13 - March 2022 - Easy like Sunday morning, close to completing 1965 Topps

Oaks 3 - December 2022 - 1965 Topps set completed, dent made in 1969 Topps, Schwarber, Vierling and Stott

Oaks 4 - March 2023 - Huge haul of 1969 Topps and five Diamond Stars cards added

Oaks 5 - September 2023 - Thome, Lorenzen, only 26 cards purchased from two dealers

Game 154 - Rolen Returns, Bohm Walks It Off

Phillies 5, Mets 4 (10 Innings)
Game 154 - Friday Night, September 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 85-69, 2nd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets' attempted comeback fell short when Alec Bohm singled home Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 5-4 walk-off win.

What It Means:  The Magic Number to clinch a postseason berth is three.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth when J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run home run, his 20th of the season.  Kyle Schwarber singled home Johan Rojas in the seventh for an insurance run.  Francisco Lindor hit a solo home run off Gregory Soto in the eighth, bringing the Mets to within a run.  In the ninth, and with Craig Kimbrel on the mound trying to close it out, Brett Baty stunned the crowd with a game-tying solo home run.

With the game in extra innings, Seranthony Dominguez worked out of a mostly self-created bases loaded jam, striking out Lindor and Pete Alonso to end the Mets' threat in the top of the 10th.  With Turner at second as the ghost runner in the bottom of the 10th, Bohm laced his single to right, scoring the winning run and starting yet another on-field celebration.

Featured Card/Field Report:  Jenna, Doug and I braved the windy weather and attended this game, solely to see Scott Rolen officially inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in a pregame ceremony.  Rolen had a scheduling conflict and couldn't attend Alumni Weekend in August.  My feelings toward Rolen have softened over the years, and the bitterness I felt when he unceremoniously left Philadelphia in 2002 has dissipated over time.  His speech was on the mark and sincere and the cheers from the early-arriving fans outweighed the few boos.  Former teammates Wayne Gomes, Mark Grace, Kevin Sefick, Rico Brogna, Kevin Jordan and a few others I couldn't quite place were on hand.  The card shown above shows the Wall of Famers who were in attendance for the ceremony.

Doug staked out the alumni suite within the Hall of Fame club, and his patience was rewarded when Rolen came through and signed for the autograph seekers assembled there.  Rolen signed Doug's Wall of Fame print, which joined his quickly growing, and impressive collection.  Shake Shack was on the menu for all of us, and I continue to be underwhelmed by their burgers.  I think I'm in the minority?

Transaction:  The Phillies purchased the contract of Orion Kerkering (rhp) a 22-year-old 5th round draft pick from 2022 who began the season at Low-A Clearwater.  Kerkering has shot up through the system quickly, having been recently promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  Yunior Marte (rhp) was sent down to Lehigh Valley and Drew Ellis (inf) was designated for assignment to make room for Kerkering on the 40-man roster.

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

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - Massive Crowd, Thome, 1965 Topps Haul

For the first time since February 2020, we returned to King of Prussia and attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, known to its friends as the Philly Show.  Doug and I have attended a few mall shows over the past year, but this was our first venture back to the Valley Forge Casino Resort since the Before Times, back when Doug's hair was cut into a neat trim.  We specifically went Saturday so that Doug could get Jim Thome to sign his Wall of Fame print, which in turn was part of Doug's Christmas present from Santa.

The convention room floor was jam packed and we realized immediately there were also way more tables and dealers than usual.  In the past, the show had been somewhat neatly organized into rows and clusters of tables but this show seemed to have a more haphazard feel to it and the walking lanes between dealers were noticeably slimmer.  Doug was there to do some freestyle picking as he's termed it, specifically looking for newer Phillies cards to add to his collection.  The highlight of his day was adding a Zack Wheeler certified autograph card from last year's Topps Heritage set to his collection.  Doug also was lucky enough to win a door prize, which was an Eagles display from their Super Bowl LII victory.

We braved the crowds for Doug's Thome autograph, and the Hall of Famer was very pleasant to us.  I then settled into a chair at Uncle Dick's Cards, which I had often seen but never really appreciated.  All told, I added 94 cards from Uncle Dick's to our 1965 Topps set, which I'll slowly chronicle over at my 1965 Topps blog.  I added three other star cards to the set, including my big purchase for the day, a Catfish Hunter rookie card.  A few 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps cards were added for good measure, as I've already determined I'll be chasing those sets after the 1965 Topps set is polished off.  It was a wonderful day, despite the crowds, and we're already looking forward to the next big show in March.

2021 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Oaks 1 - October 2015 - Meeting Pete Rose and Steve Carlton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017 - Doug's big day
Valley Forge 7 - December 2017 - Ben's first baseball card show with Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins!
Oaks 2 - December 2018 - Meeting Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels
Valley Forge 8 - March 2019 - 5 Phillies Autographs and Vintage Phillies Additions
Valley Forge 9 - September 2019 - Closing in on 1971 Topps set and Andrew McCutchen
Valley Forge 10 - December 2019 - Finishing 1971 Topps set, Starting 1965 Topps set, adding key autographs from Ryan Howard and Brad Lidge
Valley Forge 11 - February 2020 - More 1965 Topps cards, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Lieberthal and Jim Kaat

Valley Forge 12 - December 2021 - Huge haul of 1965 Topps, Jim Thome

2004 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  37
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The 2003 team-issued set contained elements celebrating the final season of Veterans Stadium, so it's only fitting the 2004 team-issued set contains the Inaugural Season logo for Citizens Bank Park.  The card fronts feature a white border, full color photos and the player's name, position and uniform number in a simple, clean and bright design.  The card backs go horizontal for the first time and feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The set was available for sale at Citizens Bank Park throughout the season.  Similar to the 2003 set, collectors had to wait a few series into the start of the regular season until the cards were available for sale, which explains the potentially short-printed card celebrating the back-to-back-to-back home runs hit by Bobby Abreu, Jim Thome and Pat Burrell on May 18, 2004.  All cards feature photos from the first few games to be played at the new ballpark, including the on-deck exhibition series against the Indians prior to the start of the regular season.

The Abreu/Thome/Burrell card was numbered to 3,000, the first and last time the Phillies would include a numbered card in these sets, and I'm not sure if this card was available in every set sold during the season.

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

1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - RF) 2. David Bell (#4 - 3B) 3. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO) 4. Larry Bowa (#10 - MG) 5. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF) 6. Marlon Byrd (#29 - CF) 7. Rheal Cormier (#37 - LHP) 8. Doug Glanville (#6 - OF) 9. Greg Gross (#8 - CO) 10. Ramon Henderson (#59 - CO) 11. Roberto Hernandez (#35 - RHP)     12. Joe Kerrigan (#16 - CO) 13. Ricky Ledee (#33 - OF)

14. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 15. Ryan Madson (#63 - RHP) 16. Jason Michaels (#22 - OF) 17. Kevin Millwood (#34 - RHP) 18. Eric Milton (#21 - LHP) 19. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP) 20. Vicente Padilla (#44 - RHP) 21. Tomas Perez (#9 - INF) 22. Placido Polanco (#27 - 2B) 23. Todd Pratt (#3 - C) 24. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 25. Amaury Telemaco (#47 - RHP)

26. Jim Thome (#25 - 1B) 27. Milt Thompson (#15 - CO) 28. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 29. Gary Varsho (#7 - CO) 30. John Vukovich (#18 - CO) 31. Billy Wagner (#13 - LHP) 32. Randy Wolf (#43 - LHP) 33. Shawn Wooten (#23 - INF/C)     34. Todd Worrell (#38 - RHP) 35. Phillie Phanatic 36. Phillies Broadcasters 37. Back to Back to Back / 3000

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (7):  Hernandez, Madson, Milton, Utley, Wagner, Wooten, Worrell
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (19):  Abreu, Bell, Burrell, Byrd, Cormier, Glanville, Ledee, Lieberthal, Michaels, Millwood, Myers, Padilla, Perez, Polanco, Pratt, Rollins, Telemaco, Thome, Wolf

Manager (1):  Bowa
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Gross, Henderson, Kerrigan, Thompson, Varsho, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown atop the Phillies new dugout at Citizens Bank Park.
Broadcasters (1):  John Kruk exited and Tom McCarthy joined the broadcast team in 2004.  McCarthy is joined on this card by Chris Wheeler, Scott Graham, Larry Andersen and Harry Kalas.

Commemorative Cards (1):  My "short-printed" version of the back to back to back home runs card is number 322 out of 3,000.

This set contains the first team issued card for Utley and the last team issued card for long-time player and coach Vukovich.  Due to my limited resources and skills when developing the first Chachi cards in 2005, a lot of the photos used for this set are duplicated within the initial 2005 Chachi set.

Surprises:  This is a great checklist to mark the first Phillies team to take the field during Citizens Bank Park's inaugural season.  The entire 25-man opening day roster is represented, plus Chase Utley, who was recalled on May 8th.

Omissions:  Assuming the set was issued in late May, accounting for the inclusion of Utley and the Back to Back to Back card, there are a few other Phillies relievers who could have been included in the set.  On the day of the back to back to back home runs, relievers Brian Powell and Jim Crowell were both on the active roster.  Geoff Geary was recalled the day after the feat, on May 19th.  Promotions for Josh Hancock (May 22nd) and Elizardo Ramirez (May 23rd) would follow shortly thereafter.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Rick has made me aware of several somewhat rare cards in the style of this set.  First, four of the stars of the team received versions of their cards containing white facsimile autographs.  Somewhat randomly, and one of my personal white whales, reserve outfielder Lou Collier received a card at some point during the summer.  Collier was recalled on August 5th and remained with the club through the rest of the season.  August 5th would have been too late (I think) for the annual ALS Phillies Phestival, so the existence of this card puzzles me.

Finally, the Phillies hired Charlie Manuel to become their 51st manager on November 4, 2004.  A blank-backed card was created so the new skipper would have something to sign during his offseason winter caravan appearances.

White Facsimile Autographs        1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - RF) 2. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF) 3. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 4. Jim Thome (#25 - 1B)

Late Season Addition 1. Lou Collier (#58 - OF) Winter Caravan 1. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG)

Also See:  The Phillies teamed up with Upper Deck and McDonald's to release a 27-card set in 2004, available at local McDonald's.  14,000 Phillies posted a set summary and checklist as part of its now defunct Phillies Database Project.

Resources:  Phillies collector 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.

2003 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2005 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

2011 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 2nd Edition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version: 

1. Domonic Brown (#9 - OF)

2. Hunter Pence (#3 - RF)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Sardinha

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

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

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

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

June 4 - Mike Zagurski optioned to Lehigh Valley.

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

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

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

July 22 - Danys Baez designated for assignment.

July 29 - Hunter Pence acquired from Astros.

August 1 - Baez released.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resources:  14,000 Phillies; Phillies collector Steve

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

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

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

Game 105 - 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter #226 Jim Thome

Reds 4, Phillies 0
Game 105 - Sunday Afternoon, July 29th in Cincinnati
Record - 58-47, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The offense continued their disappearing act as the Reds downed the Phillies, 4-0.

What It Means:  To summarize this series with the last place Reds, the Phillies offense hit seven home runs on Thursday night and then shut down for the next three games.  This was a missed opportunity for the club as they could have put some breathing room between them and the second place Braves this weekend.  They next head to Boston for a quick, two-game set against the best team in baseball.

What Happened:  The line-up went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position, managing just 8 hits in this game.  Zach Eflin struggled, allowing four runs on seven hits in his 5 1/3 innings of work.

Featured Card:  Congratulations to Jim Thome, who was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame on Sunday afternoon!  Thome joined five other players in Cooperstown as the Class of 2018 - Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell.  Thome thanked his long-time mentor and former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel as part of his acceptance speech.

Congrats to Hall of Famer Jim Thome! #ThomeHOF

2011 Phillies Team Issue
Series 2 Special Edition #25

For the past several years, I've taken a look back at the Phillies-related baseball cards for each new inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  This year is a little easier than most with all-time great and Phillies Room Favorite Jim Thome joining the hallowed hall in his first year of eligibility.  I'm lucky to have 267 different Thome cards in my collection, including this autographed photo card issued by the Phillies when they brought Thome back for a second stint prior to the 2012 season.

Like most (if not all Phillies fans), I'm a huge Thome fan and our whole family was there in August 2016 when the Phillies inducted him onto their Wall of Fame.  I know he'll most likely enter the Hall with an Indians logo on his hat, but I'd still expect a large contingent of Phillies fans to make their way to Cooperstown in August.

Joining Thome in the Hall are fellow greats Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman and Chipper Jones.  Jack Morris and Alan Trammell had been previously announced as inductees in December from the Modern Baseball Era Committee.  Here's a look at some of the baseball cards of these new Hall of Famers in my Phillies collection.

2002 Fleer Hot Prospects Co-Stars #13

2000 Upper Deck Legends Reflections in Time #R9

1984 Topps Tiffany #136

2017 Topps National Baseball Card Day SGA Phillies #19

Vladimir Guerrero - 2002 Fleer Hot Prospects Co-Stars #13 (with Scott Rolen)
Trevor Hoffman - No cards in my collection.
Chipper Jones - I have 11 different Chipper cards in my collection, all pairing him with either Scott Rolen or Mike Schmidt.
Jack Morris - 1984 Topps #136 (with Steve Carlton)
Jim Thome - The most recent card in my collection is from last year's Topps National Baseball Card Day Stadium Giveaway set.
Alan Trammell - No cards in my collection.

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
2017 Inductees - Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez, Selig and Schuerholz
2018 Inductees - Guerrero, Hoffman, Jones, Morris, Thome and Trammell

2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #6 Dylan Cozens

Braves 6, Phillies 4 (10)
Game 135 - Saturday Night, September 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 60-75, 4th place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  For the second night in a row, the Phillies couldn't hold off the Braves and sloppy defense led to a 6-4 extra-inning Braves win.

What It Means:  At least the crab fries were delicious.

What Happened:  With the Phillies up 4-3, Chase d'Arnaud hit a foul pop that Maikel Franco droppped.  d'Arnaud would walk and eventually come around to tie the score on an infield ground-out.  Edubray Ramos walked the lead-off batter in the 10th, and he would score the go-ahead run.

Franco went 4 for 5 with three doubles.  In a three-run third inning, Cesar Hernandez hit a solo home run (6) and Cameron Rupp added a two-run double.

Vince Velasquez made his final start of the season.  In his post-game comments, manager Pete Mackanin announced that Velasquez would be shut down the rest of the year to preserve his arm for 2017 and future years.  He pitched well in his final start, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out eight over seven innings.

Featured Card:  I also wanted to congratulate Reading outfielder Dylan Cozens who set the Double-A franchise's single-season home run and RBI records with 39 and 123 respectively.  He and Rhys Hoskins (37 home runs and 114 RBIs) have had monster years for the Fightin Phils.

Field Report:  Doug and I were there along with about 5,000 of our closest friends and fellow die-hard Phillies fans.  It was actually a pleasant and enjoyable night at the ballpark, with the exception of the whole losing in the 10th inning thing.

As discussed in this post, I'm taking a poll on how collectors track baseball card collections. 

Please vote in the poll on the sidebar if you haven't already.  Thanks!

Thome Joins Wall of Fame! Howard Hits Slam! #ChachiNow!

2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 #25

2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 #6

Phillies 10, Rockies 6
Game 117 - Friday Night, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 54-63, 4th place, 14 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  On the night Jim Thome was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame, Ryan Howard hit a grand slam and Jake Thompson earned his first Major League win.

What It Means:  Party like it's 2005!

What Happened:  The suddenly hot Howard hit his grand slam in the fifth inning and he finished the night with three hits and five RBIs.  (Not to be completely overlooked is the fact that the Rockies Charlie Blackmon had three home runs in this game.)

Thompson pitched five innings, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks.  He made Phillies history in the second inning, becoming just the second player in franchise history to strike out four batters in one inning.  Doc White had accomplished the feat first back in 1902.  Thompson struck out rookie David Dahl to start the inning, but the ball went to the backstop and Dahl reached first. Thompson then struck out the next three Rockies batters.

2016 Chachi #56

Featured Cards:  There was a lot going on for this game!  Thompson earned the latest #ChachiNow (also known as a 2016 Chachi Highlights) card for his historic feat.  Howard should definitely get some recognition for his blast in this game.  And I wanted to call attention to the fact that the Phillies have updated their team-issued photo card set with several additional cards.  At the top of the "new" set is an Alumni card for Thome.  (I'll update this set's listing here for the new cards.)

Field Report:  We purchased four tickets to this game since we didn't want to miss the induction of Thome into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  I have a personal streak going of five years in a row that I've attended the Wall of Fame ceremonies and I hope to keep the streak going next year.

The Phillies do an unbelievable job at honoring their former players and the pre-game ceremony honoring Thome was no exception.  Charlie Manuel introduced him, Bobby Abreu was on hand to unveil the plaque in Ashburn Alley and Howard presented Thome with a replica of his plaque. Messages were played on Phanavision from Nick Punto, David Bell, Chase Utley (in his Dodgers uniform), Jimmy Rollins (retired?) and Tim McGraw.  Thome's speech was fantastic and I'm glad my sons got to see this great Phillies slugger honored.  (Click the pictures below to enlarge.)

Manuel inducts Thome

Abreu unveils Thome's plaque

Thome's speech

In other news . . . It was ridiculously, smoking HOT.  We missed the two biggest highlights of this game due to taking cover in the Hall of Fame Club (Thompson's four strikeouts) or heading home to be rescued by air conditioning (Howard's slam).

Transaction:  In a somewhat surprising move, outfielder Cody Asche was optioned to Lehigh Valley to make room for the activated Peter Bourjos.  I would have thought that Jimmy Paredes would be the odd man out when Bourjos was ready to return, but Asche's cold bat earned him a demotion.

Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome

Be sure to check out the 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

Series Preview - Rockies at Phillies: August 12th to August 14th

Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Rockies 56-59, 3rd place in the N.L. West, 9 1/2 games behind the Giants
Phillies 53-63, 4th place in the N.L. East, 15 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Rockies Probables:  Jon Gray (8-5, 4.26), Tyler Anderson (4-3, 3.04), Tyler Chatwood (10-7, 3.58)
Phillies Probables:  Jake Thompson (0-1, 12.46), Jared Eickhoff (7-12, 3.78), TBD

At the Ballpark:  One of the best weekends all season is the Phillies annual Alumni Weekend.  Jim Thome will be honored in a pre-game ceremony on Friday and inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  All fans will receive a commemorative print of the former Phillies slugger.

On Saturday night, Randy Wolf will return and officially retire and there will be a pre-game tribute to returning Phillies alumni.  Larry Bowa will also be honored pre-game with the annual John Vukovich award.

On Sunday afternoon, Placido Polanco will officially retire as a Phillie and all fans will receive a Phillies Wall of Fame Fathead collectible.

Rockies Leaders
Average:  DJ LeMahieu - .326
Runs:  Nolan Arenado - 85
Home Runs:  Nolan Arenado - 30
RBIs:  Nolan Arenado - 92
Stolen Bases:  Charlie Blackmon - 14

Wins:  Chad Bettis and Tyler Chatwood - 10
ERA:  Tyler Chatwood - 3.58
Strikeouts:  Jon Gray - 123
Saves:  Jake McGee - 15

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .285
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 61
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco - 20
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 66
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 18

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 9
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 3.65
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 121
Saves:  Jeanmar Gomez - 29

2003 Fleer Tradition Update #U74

2003 Fleer Tradition #322

2003 Fleer Tradition Update #U193