Braves at Phillies - August 29th to September 1st

1984 Topps #365

1984 Topps #484

Thursday and Friday 6:40, Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 7:10
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Thursday is German Heritage night at the ballpark and on Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies gold wristband to recognize the annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Night.

Atlanta Braves 66-58
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Phillies

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (7-7, 4.24)
Reynaldo Lopez (7-4, 2.02)
Max Fried (8-7, 3.50)
Spencer Schwellenbach (5-6, 3.72)

Braves Leaders (as of 8/27/24)
Average:  Marcell Ozuna - .307
Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 82
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 37
RBIs:  Marcell Ozuna - 98
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna - 16

Wins:  Chris Sale - 14
ERA:  Chris Sale - 2.62

Strikeouts:  Chris Sale - 191
Saves:  Raisel Iglesias - 28

Philadelphia Phillies 78-55
1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.51)
Ranger Suarez (11-5, 2.82)
Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.74)
Aaron Nola (12-6, 3.30)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .305
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 88
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 28
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 89
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 26

Wins:  Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler - 12
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.74
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 176
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 13

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

Game 118 - '83 and '93 Phillies Return for Alumni Weekend

Twins 8, Phillies 1
Game 118 - Saturday Night, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 65-53, 2nd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker and Gregory Soto were hit hard in this 8-1 loss to the Twins, and the Phillies offense went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

What It Means:  A series win is still a possibility with Ranger Suarez on the mound for the Phillies this afternoon.

What Happened:  On the field, after the first pitch was thrown, not much happened from the Phillies' perspective.  Off the field, and prior to the game, several Wall of Famers returned to Philadelphia to induct three more members - former general managers John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter and the newly elected Hall of Famer Scott Rolen.  It was a lackluster event, given Rolen wasn't able to attend and the election of two former executives to the Wall of Fame didn't exactly induce a strong emotional reaction.  In the Hall of Fame Club, Doug and I braved the crowds and autograph seekers to once again load up on signatures for Doug's Quinn/Carpenter/Rolen Wall of Fame print.  The key above shows who signed the newest treasure in his collection.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Fellow collector Rick and his wife were kind enough to save us a spot at the front of the club entrance line, and we quickly staked our territory outside the alumni suite in the Hall of Fame Club level.  As has been the case in recent years, many of the returning players took their time and honored all autograph requests, sometimes signing several things for the same collector.  Stand-outs included Tony Longmire, Kevin Gross, Steve Jeltz and my personal favorite player, Bob Dernier.  Dernier was outside the suite the longest, signing everything, posing for pictures, talking with fans and genuinely seeming to enjoy himself.  Runner-up to Dernier in terms of signing was probably Danny Jackson, who graciously signed everything handed to him and posed for several pictures letting fans model his 1993 National League Champions ring.

Old favorites Mickey Morandini, Dickie Noles, Charlie Manuel and Manny Trillo were there again too and the time these players spend patiently signing dozens of autographs should be appreciated.  Doug's personal highlight was getting Jim Kaat to sign his print as Kaat snuck out a back door of the suite and walked down the hall, largely unrecognized.

Riding home, Doug and I recapped the night and discussed our plans for next year.  He realizes he's reached the age where he's "aged-out" of the cute kid asking for autographs, and as fun as the night is, it's also a bit exhausting.  As he prepares to look at colleges, and depending who the Wall of Fame inductee is next year, we may decide to take 2024 off.  We're both looking forward to the Phillies breaking the seal on the 2008 team and starting to induct some of the players for those team into the Wall of Fame.

As I've done the last few years, I created a limited edition Chachi insert set from photos I took throughout the evening.  My favorite four are featured below, and a second post with the rest of the set can be found here.

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

Show Report: Authentic Expo, Philadelphia Airport

It was a busy weekend for Phillies fans, with the annual Alumni Weekend again delivering great promotions and festivities at the ballpark and returning players making several autograph appearances throughout the Philadelphia area.  On Saturday morning, Doug and I braved the never-ending roadwork between South Jersey and Philadelphia to drive to the DoubleTree Hilton by the Philadelphia Airport.  A small-ish baseball card and memorabilia show was being held, with the key attraction being several returning players from the 1983 and 1993 National League Champions squads.

We quickly made our way around the room of tables, finding mostly slabbed and overprice Phillies cards, and very little of anything more than a few decades' old.  Luckily, I spotted a cheese box of "Older Baseball Cards" at one table, and came away with a nice stack of 1955 Bowmans and 1959 Topps cards, two sets I'm not yet officially collecting.  (My 1969 Topps blog and set build is on pause until our summer schedules calm down a little.)

The autograph process was slightly disorganized, given all signers were seated in the same medium-sized conference room.  Doug's only goal was getting Ron Reed to sign his Wall of Fame print from last summer, and I took advantage of the timing of Reed's visit, buying autograph tickets to a few favorites of mine signing around the same time.  All four former players we interacted with - Ozzie Virgil, Reed, Sixto Lezcano and Dave Hollins - were gracious with their time and happy to chat with fans.  None of them hesitated when Doug asked if we could take a quick photo.  Overall it was a good experience and if Authentic Expo hosts something similar in 2024, we'll be back.

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: September 28th to September 30th

1986 Topps #95

1986 Topps #600

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:20
Truist Park - Atlanta, GA

At the Ballpark:  On Tuesday night, the first 15,000 fans will receive a Brian McCann bobblehead and on Thursday night, the first 15,000 fans will receive an Austin Riley bobblehead.

The Braves' magic number to clinch the division is five, so essentially the Phillies need to go on a six-game winning streak to give them a shot at the postseason.

Phillies 81-75
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (14-9, 2.79)
Aaron Nola (9-8, 4.64)
Kyle Gibson (4-5, 4.87)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .313
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 98
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 34
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 82
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 13

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 14
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.79
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 240
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12

Braves 83-72
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (13-6, 3.53)
Max Fried (13-7, 3.12)
Ian Anderson (8-5, 3.60)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Austin Riley - .303
Runs:  Freddie Freeman - 117
Home Runs:  Austin Riley - 32
RBIs:  Ozzie Albies - 103
Stolen Bases:  Ozzie Albies - 18

Wins:  Max Fried and Charlie Morton - 13
ERA:  Max Fried - 3.12

Strikeouts:  Charlie Morton - 203
Saves:  Will Smith - 35

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: April 9th to April 11th

1986 Topps Traded #7T

1986 Topps Traded #119T

Friday and Saturday 7:20, Sunday 7:08
Truist Park - Atlanta, GA

At the Ballpark:  It's opening weekend for the Braves, and all fans will receive 2021 schedule magnets on Friday and Saturday.  On Sunday, the first 3,000 kids will receive a Freddie Freeman poster and Freeman is scheduled to receive his 2020 MVP award prior to that game as well.  With the ongoing pandemic, Truist Park is currently capped at 33% capacity or about 13,500 fans.

Phillies 5-1
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (1-0, 0.00)
Zach Eflin (0-0, 1.29)
Matt Moore (0-0, 5.40)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .417
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 6
Home Runs:  5 tied with - 1
RBIs:  J.T. Realmuto - 6
Stolen Bases:  Alec Bohm and Roman Quinn - 2

Wins:  Connor Brogdon - 3
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.00
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 11
Saves:  Jose Alvarado and Hector Neris - 1

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

Braves Probables
Charlie Morton (0-1, 5.40)
Ian Anderson (0-0, 1.80)
Drew Smyly (0-0, 3.00)

Braves Leaders
Average:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - .304
Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 4
Home Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Pablo Sandoval - 2
RBIs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. and Pablo Sandoval - 4
Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 2

Wins:  Luke Jackson and Josh Tomlin - 1
ERA:  Huascar Ynoa - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Max Fried - 11
Saves:  Sean Newcomb and Will Smith - 1

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

2007-2009 Phillies Alumni Photo Cards

Number of Known Cards:  42
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  I was admittedly completely unaware of the existence of these cards until an eBay search in 2018 yielded photos of team-issued photo cards for Phillies alumni using a design I had never seen before.  The 2008 cards have a blue border with the Phillies Alumni logo along with the player's name and uniform number at the bottom.  The 2009 cards have a gray border with the same Phillies Alumni logo at the bottom, again along with the player's name and uniform number.  Copyright dates and the corresponding year of issuance can be found on the backs of these cards.

How Distributed:  Between 2007 and 2009, the Phillies created special alumni photo cards for returning players to sign at various autograph events, during alumni weekends and as part of any reunion-related public appearances.  A team card for the 1950 National League Champion Whiz Kids was also created.  Fellow collector Rick shared with me his list of these cards, which is where the information below comes from.  He also notes the 2007 Tekulve card was created for an autograph signing with the ex-reliever that was ultimately cancelled due to inclement weather.

Complete 2007 Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Rico Brogna 2. Marty Bystrom (blank back)                 3. Larry Christenson 4. Darren Daulton

5. Terry Harmon (blank back) 6. Von Hayes 7. Ricky Jordan 8. Dickie Noles (blank back, 5 x 7)

9. Mike Rogodzinski                 10. Kent Tekulve 11. Bob Walk 12. Mitch Williams

Complete 2008 Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. 1950 Phillies Team 2. Dick Allen 3. Larry Andersen 4. Ricky Bottalico 5. Jeff Brantley 6. Larry Christenson (same photo as 2007) 7. Gene Garber

8. Dallas Green 9. Terry Harmon 10. Tommy Herr 11. Tommy Hutton                        12. Ricky Jordan 13. Garry Maddox

14. Jerry Martin 15. Gary Matthews 16. Mike Rogodzinski                             17. Juan Samuel 18. Del Unser 19. Ozzie Virgil

Complete 2009 Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Bob Boone 2. Ricky Bottalico                   3. Bob Dernier 4. Jim Eisenreich

5. Jim Kaat 6. John Kruk 7. Mike Lieberthal 8. Mickey Morandini

9. Dickie Noles 10. Juan Samuel (same photo as 2008) 11. Tony Taylor

I am actively seeking these cards and please contact me if you have any for sale or trade.  My want list is linked below.

Also See:  I recently updated, hopefully for the final time, my post covering the alumni photo cards issued between 2010 and 2019.

Resources:  Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils).

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

1985 All-Star Game - Virgil Robbed of MVP Honors

1986 Donruss All-Stars #26

1986 Donruss All-Stars #29

National League 6, American League 1
All-Star Game - Tuesday Night, July 16th in Minneapolis

One Sentence Summary:  The National League outhit the American League to win the 1985 All-Star Game, 6-1.

What It Means:  The senior circuit was at the tail-end of its dominance in 1985.  Beginning in 1986, the American League would win (or tie) 20 of the next 25 All-Star Games.  (I originally wrote about this All-Star game in a post from 2010.)


What Happened:  In his first All-Star Game appearance, catcher Ozzie Virgil was one of the stars of the game.  In the top of the fifth, Virgil singled off Bert Blyleven to score Darryl Strawberry and Tim Wallach, giving the National League a 4-1 lead.  The N.L. would go on to win, 6-1.  Virgil entered the game in the bottom of the fourth, replacing starting catcher Terry Kennedy, and he caught Nolan Ryan for three scoreless innings.  Virgil would make the squad again in 1987, this time as a member of the Braves.

Outfielder Glenn Wilson was also named to the National League team, replacing an injured Pedro Guerrero on the roster.  Wilson pinch-hit for Jeff Reardon in the top of the ninth, striking out against Willie Hernandez.  Ironically enough, Hernandez, the 1984 A.L. Cy Young and MVP, had been shipped to the Tigers by the Phillies in the deal that brought Wilson and John Wockenfuss to Philadelphia in March 1984.

From a non-Phillies perspective, LaMarr Hoyt got the win with Jack Morris on the losing side.  Hoyt's performance (3 innings, two hits, 1 unearned run) earned him the game's MVP honors, and looking back the award could have just as easily gone to Virgil or Ryan.  Every starter for the American League, with the exception of second baseman Lou Whitaker, was ultimately elected into the Hall of Fame.  Only Tony Gwynn and Ozzie Smith from the N.L. starting line-up have been elected into the Hall as of this writing.

Harmon Killebrew and Sandy Koufax were named honorary captains of each team, as both had competed at the prior All-Star Game held in Minnesota back in 1965.

Featured Cards:  Virgil and Wilson were included within the 1986 Donruss All-Stars set released almost a year after this game.  By the time I added these cards to my collection, Virgil had been traded to the Braves (in December 1985) with Pete Smith for Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson.


1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

Memory Lane

1985 All-Star Game - N.L. 6, A.L. 1 in Minneapolis
From 1996 - Attending the All-Star Game at The Vet
From 2009 - All-Star Game memories
2010 All-Star Game - N.L. 3, A.L. 1 in Anaheim
2011 All-Star Game - N.L. 5, A.L. 1 in Phoenix
2012 All-Star Game - N.L. 8, A.L. 0 in Kansas City
2013 All-Star Game - A.L. 3, N.L. 0 in Flushing
2014 All-Star Game - A.L. 5, N.L. 3 in Minneapolis

2015 All-Star Game - A.L. 6, N.L. 3 in Cincinnati
2016 All-Star Game - A.L. 4, N.L. 2 in San Diego
2017 All-Star Game - A.L. 2, N.L. 1 in Miami
2018 All-Star Game - A.L. 8, N.L. 6 (10) in Washington
2019 All-Star Game - A.L. 4, N.L. 3 in Cleveland
2020 All-Star Game - Cancelled, COVID-19 Pandemic

1985 Game 68 - 1985 Topps #143 Ossie Virgil / Ozzie Virgil

Phillies 6, Cardinals 4
Game 68 - Wednesday Night, June 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 30-38, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Expos

One Sentence Summary:  Garry Maddox, Mike Schmidt and Ozzie Virgil all homered in this 6-4 win over the Cardinals.

What It Means:  The Phillies apparently figured out Cardinals' starter Danny Cox since they had last faced him in St. Louis the week before.  Cox shut out the Phillies in that June 20th game, but here he allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work.  All but one of his runs allowed came from home runs.  The Phillies had an impressive five-game winning streak going here, but it wouldn't last.

What Happened:  Juan Samuel hit a lead-off triple in the bottom of the first and scored the first run of the game on a Greg Gross sacrifice fly.  Maddox hit a solo home run in the second, followed by Schmidt's solo home run in the fourth.  Virgil's home run came in the sixth with Glenn Wilson aboard.  Virgil also gave the Phillies an insurance run with an RBI-single in the eighth, again scoring Wilson.

John Denny benefitted from the power surge and got the win to even his record at 5-5.  Don Carman and Kent Tekulve succeeded in their respective roles as set-up man and closer, pitching three scoreless innings.

Featured Card:  With Father's Day celebrated recently, I thought this would be an appropriate card for Virgil's three-RBI game.  Virgil's father, Ossie, played in parts of nine seasons between 1956 and 1969 for the Giants, Tigers, Athletics, Orioles and Pirates.  I'll be featuring his 1965 Topps card over on my 1965 Topps blog in a few days.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 48 - 1985 Topps Stickers #110 Ozzie Virgil

Phillies 3, Padres 2
Game 48 - Late Monday Night, June 3rd in San Diego
Record - 18-30, Tied for 5th Place, 12 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  After getting shelled in his previous outing, Kevin Gross pitched well and Ozzie Virgil hit a pair of home runs in this 3-2 win in San Diego.

What It Means:  The Phillies were at the end of their West Coast trip, opening up a three-game series with the Padres with a much-needed win.  The Padres were coming off their first World Series appearance in 1984 and at 27-21 they held a one-game lead over the Reds for first place in the N.L. West.  Tony Gwynn went 2 for 4 in this game to raise his season average to .307.

What Happened:  Virgil hit a solo home run off Padres starter Dave Dravecky in the second, and then connected again off Dravecky in the fourth with Rick Schu on base.  The Padres out-hit the Phillies - nine hits to four, but couldn't get anything going against Gross.  Gross pitched into the eighth inning, allowing two runs while striking out three.  Kent Tekulve recorded the final five outs of the game to record his third save with the Phillies.

Featured Card:  Virgil continued to build his All-Star case with his performance in this game, raising his season home run total to eight, his RBI total to 21 and his average to .298.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 14 - 1985 O-Pee-Chee #103 Ozzie Virgil

Expos 7, Phillies 6
Game 14 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 24th in Montreal
Record - 4-10, Tied for 5th Place, 6 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  For the second game in a row, the Phillies fell short again against the Expos, despite three home runs in the 8th and 9th innings.

What It Means:  The good news for John Felske's club is the offense was starting to heat up, but the pitching was still a mess.  Starting pitcher John Denny lasted five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks.  Pat Zachry relieved Denny and allowed three more runs (two earned) in his two innings of work.

Following this game, the Phillies headed back to Philadelphia.  After an off-day on Thursday, they'd open up an 11-game homestand against the Cubs, Expos, Astros and Reds.

What Happened:  Ozzie Virgil hit a pair of home runs - one off Expos starter Bryn Smith in the second and another off reliever Dan Schatzeder in the eighth.  Garry Maddox and Mike Schmidt both homered off Schatzeder in the ninth to turn what had been a sure blow-out into a close game.  Tim Burke recorded the final out to earn his first save of the season.  The home run from Schmidt was his first of 1985, and the 426th of his career.

The Expos scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, led by Tim Raines who had an RBI triple in the fifth and an RBI double in the sixth.

Featured Card:  Virgil was on his way to a default All-Star Game appearance in 1985 as the Phillies sole representative, initially.  Glenn Wilson would later be named to the team too, replacing an injured Pedro Guerrero on the National League roster.

If you had traveled to Montreal with the Phillies for this road trip, perhaps you would have come across this Virgil card in a fresh pack of 1985 O-Pee-Chee cards.

1985 Game 2 - 1985 Donruss #61 Mike Schmidt

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 2 - Thursday Night, April 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-2, Tied for 4th Place, 2 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies scored three times in the first, but then put their bats away for the rest of the game, as the Braves won 6-3.

What It Means:  New Phillies manager John Felske would need to wait a little longer to notch his first big league win as a skipper.

What Happened:  Mike Schmidt and Bo Diaz had the first RBIs of the season for the Phils as Schmidt had a sacrifice fly and Diaz added a two-run single in the first.  Juan Samuel had a pair of hits and his first stolen base of the season.  The Braves took the lead for good in the third, scoring three times in a rally started after Schmidt booted a ball at third.  Dale Murphy went 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBIs for the Braves.

John Denny lasted only four innings in his first start of the season, allowing four runs (two earned) on 10 hits.  Kevin Gross pitched two scoreless innings of relief.

Featured Card:  Depending on how long this side project lasts, I'll most likely repeat some Schmidt cards featured in prior posts on this blog.  Here's a great card from the 1985 Donruss set showing off Schmidt's glorious head of hair.

2007-2009 Phillies Alumni Photo Cards

I updated this post here in October 2020 and this original post is now outdated.

 
I've been feeling fairly accomplished recently having completed what I consider to be a relatively comprehensive checklist of Phillies Alumni photo cards issued since 2010.  In a recent eBay search, I was very surprised to see that Phillies Alumni photo cards existed prior to 2010 and these cards contained a completely different design.  Fellow collector Rick then shared with me his list of these cards, which is where the information below comes from.  Let the hunt continue!

2007 Copyright

Rico Brogna Marty Bystrom (blank back) Larry Christenson Darren Daulton Terry Harmon (blank back) Von Hayes

Ricky Jordan Dickie Noles (blank back, 5 x 7) Mike Rogodzinski Kent Tekulve Bob Walk Mitch Williams

Rick notes that the Tekulve card was created for an autograph signing with the ex-reliever that was ultimately cancelled due to inclement weather.

2008 Copyright

1950 Phillies Team Dick Allen Larry Andersen Ricky Bottalico Jeff Brantley Larry Christenson (same photo as 2007) Gene Garber Dallas Green Terry Harmon Tommy Herr

Tommy Hutton Ricky Jordan Garry Maddox Jerry Martin Gary Matthews Mike Rogodzinski Juan Samuel Del Unser Ozzie Virgil

2009 Copyright

Bob Boone Ricky Bottalico Bob Dernier Jim Eisenreich Jim Kaat John Kruk

Mike Lieberthal Mickey Morandini Dickie Noles Juan Samuel (same photo as 2008) Tony Taylor

Series Preview - Giants at Phillies: June 2nd to June 4th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Giants 22-33, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. West, 11 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks and Rockies
Phillies 17-34, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 15 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Giants Probables:  Ty Blach (3-2, 3.83), Johnny Cueto (5-4, 4.37), Matt Moore (2-6, 4.98)
Phillies Probables:  Jerad Eickhoff (0-5, 4.74), Ben Lively (0-0, 0.00), Jeremy Hellickson (5-3, 4.45)

At the Ballpark:  For fans attending Saturday afternoon's game, there will be a postgame concert by The Avett Brothers.  Your game ticket is also your concert ticket!  On Sunday, all kids will receive a pair of Maikel Franco batting gloves.

Giants Leaders
Average:  Buster Posey - .348
Runs:  Brandon Belt - 27
Home Runs:  Brandon Belt - 10
RBIs:  Brandon Belt - 22
Stolen Bases:  Eduardo Nunez - 13

Wins:  Johnny Cueto - 5
ERA:  Johnny Cueto - 4.37
Strikeouts:  Jeff Samardzija - 84
Saves:  Mark Melancon - 10

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .299
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 35
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr and Tommy Joseph - 8
RBIs:  Aaron Altherr and Maikel Franco - 28
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 6

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4.45
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 53
Saves:  Hector Neris - 4

1982 Topps #406

1982 Topps #231

1982 Topps #754

1982 Topps Appreciation:  On December 14, 1982, the Phillies traded Mike Krukow, Mark Davis and minor leaguer C.L. Penigar to the Giants for Al Holland and Joe Morgan.  Holland and Morgan would make contributions to the 1983 Phillies team that won the N.L. pennant, while Davis would go on to win a Cy Young Award with the Padres in 1989.

Holland was the key to the deal for the Phillies.  Inserted into the closer's role in 1983, he solidified the back-end of the bullpen that had been in flux since Tug McGraw's success a few years' prior.  Mr. T saved 25 games in 1983 and had a fantastic ERA of 2.26.  He struck out Bill Russell to clinch the 1983 N.L. pennant and jumped into Mike Schmidt's arms to start the on-field celebration.

Davis is featured on the card I most coveted during the summer of 1982, as Bob Dernier had emerged as my favorite baseball player.  I have yet to tell the story on this blog of how I ended up playing catch with Dernier before a Phillies game, and it's a story I'll need to share at some point.