Phillies at Tigers - June 24th to June 26th

1984 Topps #199

1984 Topps #563

Monday and Tuesday 6:40, Wednesday 1:10
Comerica Park - Detroit, MI

At the Ballpark:  There's a special ticket package for Educator Appreciation Day on Monday night that comes with a Tigers quarter zip.

Philadelphia Phillies 51-26
1st Place in the N.L. East, 7 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (8-3, 3.54)
Ranger Suarez (10-1, 1.75)
Spencer Turnbull (3-0, 2.63)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .304
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 57
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 18
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 61
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 18

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 10
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.75
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 107
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 12

Detroit Tigers 36-41
4th Place in the A.L. Central, 14 games behind the Guardians

Tigers Probables
Casey Mize (1-5, 4.43)
Tarik Skubal (8-3, 2.50)
Jack Flaherty (5-4, 2.92)

Tigers Leaders
Average:  Riley Greene - .261
Runs:  Riley Greene - 50
Home Runs:  Riley Greene - 15
RBIs:  Riley Greene - 40
Stolen Bases:  Javier Baez and Wenceel Perez - 6

Wins:  Tarik Skubal - 8
ERA:  Tarik Skubal - 2.50

Strikeouts:  Jack Flaherty - 108
Saves:  Jason Foley - 13

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

Nationals at Phillies - May 17th to May 19th

2012 Topps Archives #162

1984 Topps Traded #129T

Friday 6:40, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies are wearing their City Connect uniforms tonight and all fans are getting a Bryson Stott bobble head.  There's a pregame ceremony tomorrow night as part of the Salute to Service Night.  And on Sunday, all kids will get a Phanatic children's book.

Washington Nationals 20-22
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 9 1/2 games behind the Phillies

Nationals Probables
Jake Irvin (2-3, 3.55)
MacKenzie Gore (2-4, 3.38)
Trevor Williams (4-0, 1.94)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Luis Garcia Jr. - .283
Runs:  CJ Abrams - 26
Home Runs:  CJ Abrams - 7
RBIs:  Joey Meneses - 21
Stolen Bases:  Jacob Young - 14

Wins:  Trevor Williams - 4
ERA:  Trevor Williams - 1.94
Strikeouts:  MacKenzie Gore - 51
Saves:  Kyle Finnegan - 13

Philadelphia Phillies 31-14
1st Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (4-3, 2.53)
Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.43)
Aaron Nola (5-2, 3.10)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .343
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 33
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 10
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 36
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 12

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 8
ERA:  Ranger Suarez - 1.37
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 65
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 8

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Blue Jays: May 14th to May 16th

1986 Topps #736

1986 Topps #775

Friday and Saturday 7:37, Sunday 1:07
TD Ballpark - Dunedin, FL

At the Ballpark:  This looks to be a promotion-less series, as the Blue Jays continue to play their home games at their spring training home in Dunedin.  With travel restrictions to and from Canada in place, the Blue Jays will move their home games to Sahlen Field in Buffalo in June.

Phillies 20-18
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Vince Velasquez (1-0, 4.18)
Aaron Nola (3-2, 3.59)
Chase Anderson (2-3, 5.23)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .314
Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 24
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 8
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 22
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper and Roman Quinn - 4

Wins:  Four tied with - 3
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.85
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 56
Saves:  Hector Neris - 7

Blue Jays 20-16
Tied for 2nd Place in the A.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Red Sox

Blue Jays Probables
Steven Matz (5-2, 4.86)
TBD
Robbie Ray (1-1, 3.38)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. - .307
Runs:  Bo Bichette - 31
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 8
RBIs:  Randal Grichuk - 28
Stolen Bases:  Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien - 6

Wins:  Steven Matz - 5
ERA:  Hyun Jin Ryu - 2.95

Strikeouts:  Robbie Ray - 39
Saves:  Rafael Dolis - 3

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

1986 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  49
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Description:  With the exception of the copyright date on the bottom right, these photo cards are identical in design to the set issued in 1985.  Fronts feature a full color picture and the backs include brief biographical notes on each player, coach or manager.  The multi-player Future Phillies cards return for a second year in a row and each of the four National League pennant winning teams from the franchise's past get their own team cards.

How Distributed:  The set's entry in the 2001 Standard Catalog Baseball Cards notes the "cards were given away at the Phillies' annual baseball card promotion."  Double checking the team's promotional schedule for the season, there's no actual mention of a photo card giveaway day.  My best guess is that these sets were available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.

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

1. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 2. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP) 3. Steve Bedrosian (#40 - RHP) 4. Steve Carlton (#32 - LHP) 5. Don Carman (#42 - LHP) 6. Rocky Childress (#50 - RHP)           7. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 8. Jim Davenport (#2 - CO) 9. Lee Elia (#4 - CO) 10. John Felske (#7 - MG) 11. Tom Foley (#11 - SS) 12. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B) 13. Kevin Gross (#46 - RHP) 14. Von Hayes (#9 - 1B) 15. Charles Hudson (#49 - RHP) 16. Tom Hume (#41 - RHP) 17. Chris James (#26 - OF)

18. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 19. Joe Lefebvre (#23 - OF) 20. Randy Lerch (#35 - LHP) 21. Garry Maddox (#31 - OF) 22. Claude Osteen (#3 - CO) 23. Shane Rawley (#28 - LHP) 24. Gary Redus (#22 - LF) 25. Ronn Reynolds (#29 - C) 26. Robin Roberts (#36 - HOF)           27. Dave Rucker (#39 - LHP) 28. John Russell (#6 - C) 29. Mike Ryan (#5 - CO) 30. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B) 31. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 32. Rick Schu (#15 - INF) 33. Dave Shipanoff (#33 - RHP)

34. Dave Stewart (#48 - RHP) 35. Jeff Stone (#14 - OF) 36. Kent Tekulve (#27 - RHP) 37. Milt Thompson (#24 - CF) 38. Fred Toliver (#43 - RHP) 39. Del Unser (#25 - CO) 40. Glenn Wilson (#12 - RF) 41. Ramon Carabello / Joe Cipolloni 42. Arturo Gonzalez / Mike Maddux 43. Francisco Melendez / Ricky Jordan 44. Kevin Ward / Randy Day 45. 1915 Phillies Team 46. 1950 Phillies Team 47. 1980 Phillies Team 48. 1983 Phillies Team 49. June 11, 1985 - A Night to Remember

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (11):  Bedrosian, Foley, Hume, Redus, Reynolds, Rucker, Shipanoff, Stewart, Tekulve, Thompson, Toliver
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (22):  Aguayo, Andersen, Carman, Carlton, Childress, Daulton, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, Hudson, James, Jeltz, Lefebvre, Lerch, Maddox, Rawley, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt, Schu, Stone, Wilson

Manager (1):  Felske
Coaches (5):  Davenport, Elia, Osteen, Ryan, Unser

Commemorative Cards (1):  Roberts
Other Cards (5):  Four pennant winning team cards; June 11, 1985 commemorative card

The "Night to Remember" photo card commemorates the night the Phillies defeated the Mets 26-7, thanks in part to two first inning home runs from Von Hayes.  Hayes, Glenn Wilson, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt, Garry Maddox and Bo Diaz are all featured on the card in a Dick Perez painting.

Surprises:  Robin Roberts was presumably a guest instructor during spring training 1986, hence his inclusion in the set.  I always think it's odd seeing former Phillies wear current uniforms they themselves didn't wear during their playing days.  Seeing Roberts in maroon pinstriped jersey is just strange.  Dave Shipanoff is the only player to receive his own solo card not to appear in a game with the Phillies in 1986.

Omissions:  This is a very comprehensive set, featuring the entire 25-man opening day roster, the two players who started the season on the disabled list (Tom Foley and Tom Hume) and solo photo cards for six players who started the season at Triple-A Portland - Jeff Stone, Chris James, Ronn Reynolds, Randy Lerch, Fred Toliver and Rocky Childress.  The checklist creators missed out on five players who would start the season in the minors and make an appearance with the Phillies during 1986 - Greg Legg, Michael Jackson, Jeff Bittiger, Bruce Ruffin and Marvin Freeman.  Legg was the first one up, getting recalled on April 14th when Samuel landed on the disabled list.

Variations/Rarities:  Surprisingly, none.

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: February 21, 1986

Resources:  Beckett.com

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

1985 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1987 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

1985 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  47
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Description:  Beginning in 1985, the Phillies used the exact same card design for three straight years.  The only differences with these cards are the photos used and the copyright line on the bottom right of the cards' fronts.  The design removes the Phillies script logo found on the 1984 cards and adds the player's uniform number and position.  The set's sponsor, Tastykake, has its logo featured on the backs of the cards.

How Distributed:  All fans attending the Phillies game at Veterans Stadium on April 21, 1985, received a complete shrink-wrapped set with a header/checklist card on the top.  The back of the header/checklist card advertised that additional sets could be purchased from the Phillies via mail order for $3.50.  The Phillies raised the price of a complete set by fifty cents over the previous year.

The 1985 Tastykake Phillies set seems to be the most ubiquitous of all the team-issued sets from the 1980s.  Up through the mid-2010s, the sets could be readily found on eBay and for sale at Citizens Bank Park.  The Memorabilia Store from Hunt Auctions located behind Section 126 had several of these sets for sale throughout the 2014 season.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here based on the numbered checklist found on the back of the header card): 

1. Header Card / Checklist 2. John Felske (#7 - MG) 3. Dave Bristol (#4 - CO) 4. Lee Elia (#2 - CO) 5. Claude Osteen (#3 - CO) 6. Mike Ryan (#5 - CO) 7. Del Unser (#25 - CO) 8. Manager and Coaches 9. Pitchers 10. Catchers 11. Infielders 12. Outfielders 13. Larry Andersen (#47 - RHP)      14. Steve Carlton (#32 - LHP) 15. Don Carman (#42 - LHP) 16. John Denny (#40 - RHP)

17. Tony Ghelfi (#35 - RHP) 18. Kevin Gross (#46 - RHP) 19. Al Holland (#19 - RHP) 20. Charles Hudson (#49 - RHP) 21. Jerry Koosman (#24 - LHP)      22. Shane Rawley (#48 - LHP) 23. Pat Zachry (#38 - RHP) 24. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 25. Bo Diaz (#6 - C) 26. Ozzie Virgil (#17 - C) 27. John Wockenfuss (#14 - C) 28. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 29. Kiko Garcia (#18 - INF) 30. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 31. John Russell (#29 - OF-1B) 32. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B)

33. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 34. Tim Corcoran (#22 - 1B-OF) 35. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B) 36. Von Hayes (#9 - CF) 37. Joe Lefebvre (#23 - OF) 38. Garry Maddox (#31 - OF) 39. Jeff Stone  (#26 - OF) 40. Glenn Wilson (#12 - OF) 41. Ramon Caraballo / Mike Diaz 42. Mike Maddux / Rodger Cole 43. Rick Schu / Chris James 44. Francisco Melendez / Ken Jackson 45. Randy Salava / Rocky Childress 46. Rich Surhoff / Ralph Citarella 47. Team Photo

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Zachry

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (1):  Rawley
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (26):  Aguayo, Andersen, Carlton, Carman, Corcoran, Daulton, Denny, Diaz, Garcia, Ghelfi, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, Holland, Hudson, Jeltz, Koosman, Lefebvre, Maddox, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt, Stone, Virgil, Wilson, Wockenfuss

Manager (1):  Felske
Coaches (5):  Bristol, Elia, Osteen, Ryan, Unser
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0):  But see below.
Future Phillies (6):  Caraballo / Diaz, Maddux / Cole, Schu / James, Melendez / Jackson, Salava / Childress, Surhoff / Citarella
Other Cards (2):  Header Card / Checklist, Team Photo

Surprises:  There was very little roster turnover between the end of the 1984 season and spring training 1985, as Shane Rawley and Pat Zachry are the only two new additions to the set.  Along with Zachry's one and done Phillies card, this set includes the only Phillies baseball card of Rich Surhoff.  The stand-alone cards feature the entire opening day line-up and adds Tony Ghelfi, Darren Daulton and Joe Lefebvre, who would spend the entire season on the disabled list.

The set's designer's decided to try something different with group photos of coaches and players by position.  Batting practice pitcher Hank King is featured on the coach's card, making this (I believe) his sole Phillies baseball card.  Bill Campbell is featured on the pitcher's card and Ivan DeJesus is featured on the infielder's card, but both are omitted from the regular set.  As the regular season was about to begin, Campbell and DeJesus were traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Dave Rucker.

Of the players receiving solo cards in the regular set, Ghelfi was left off the pitcher's card, John Wockenfuss was (sadly) left off the catcher's card, Kiko Garcia was left off the infielder's card and Lefebvre and Garry Maddox were not on the outfielder's card.

Omissions:  The day before these sets were handed out to fans, the Phillies traded Al Holland to the Pirates for Kent Tekulve.  An update set could have featured Tekulve and other players acquired during the season, such as Derrel Thomas, Tom Foley, Freddie Toliver, Alan Knicely and with a few weeks left to go in the regular season, Dave Stewart.

Variations/Rarities:  Once again, fellow collector Rick came through with a few rarities back when I originally published a post for this set.  These could have been first made available during this season's ALS Autograph Party which would have been in its second season in 1985.  (The Phestival became an official event in 1989.)  Tug McGraw announced his retirement following the 1984 season and this card seems to be a final tribute to the popular lefty reliever.  Fronts and backs of these cards are presented below.

Rarities 1. Tug McGraw - Former Phillies Great 2. Phillies Broadcasters - Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler

Also See:  With the 2020 season put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I went back and recapped the Phillies games played in 1985 between that season's opening day and the All-Star break.  An index to those game summaries can be found here.

And here's a commercial from 1985, featuring Garry Maddox and inviting fans to the game on April 21st for their free Phillies photo cards.

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

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

1984 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1986 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 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 80 - 1985 Topps #454 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 7, Astros 4
Game 80 - Monday Night, July 8th in Houston
Record - 36-44, 5th Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies unloaded for 20 hits inside the Astrodome, defeating the Astros, 7-4.

What It Means:  The source of this game's box score in my 1985 Phillies Scrapbook caught my interest as I indicate I clipped it from The Richmond Times.  Enlisting the help of my Mom, and asking her to go back through old family photo albums, we confirmed our family was on vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia while the Phillies were taking on the Astros in Houston.  My parents worked hard so that we could have one vacation a summer, and I have great memories of the few trips we took down to Virginia to visit Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens.

What Happened:  This was more of a blow-out than the final score indicates, as the Phillies led 7-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth.  Don Carman had a rare rough outing, allowing three Astros runs to score before Kent Tekulve came on to lock down the save.  Charles Hudson had another effective start, allowing a run on seven hits in 7 2/3 innings while striking out seven.  Mark Knudson was the sacrificial pitching lamb for the Astros, giving up 14 hits and seven runs in his seven-inning outing.

Other than an RBI-triple from Mike Schmidt in the third, every other Phillies run came from a single or a force out.  Von Hayes, Glenn Wilson and Ozzie Virgil all had three hits, with Wilson also driving in three runs.

Featured Card:  I seem to remember Wilson usually doing well against the Astros, his home state team.  With the All-Star Game coming up, Wilson would be a late addition to the National League roster, replacing the injured Pedro Guerrero.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 74 - 1985 Fleer #263 Shane Rawley

Phillies 11, Cubs 2
Game 74 - Tuesday Night, July 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 33-41, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  After a quiet game the day before, the Phillies offense exploded for 11 runs on 12 hits in this 11-2 walloping of Rick Sutcliffe and the Cubs.

What It Means:  Sutcliffe came back down to earth following his 1984 Cy Young Award winning performance.  Still, it's impressive he was able to battle through five innings after the Phillies had quickly scored four in the first.  He departed having allowed seven runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs.

What Happened:  The home runs allowed came from Glenn Wilson in the first with three on (not surprising) and Derrel Thomas in the fifth with one on (surprising).  Greg Gross kept the scoring going after Sutcliffe departed, with an RBI-triple in the sixth off former teammate Warren Brusstar.  Steve Jeltz added a two-run triple in the eighth.  I'm curious as to why Jeltz was in the game at that point.  The official record shows he entered the game as a defensive replacement for Thomas in the sixth right after Thomas had hit his home run.  Was Jeltz really that much of a defensive upgrade over Thomas, or had Thomas perhaps hurt himself rounding the bases?

Ozzie Virgil quietly scored twice and added two hits to improve his average to .282.

Featured Card:  Shane Rawley pitched his first complete game of the season, giving up two runs on eight hits.  As the beneficiary of the offensive outburst, Rawley evened his record at 6-6.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 57 - 1984 Fleer Update #U-128 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 5, Mets 4
Game 57 - Thursday Night, June 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-35, 5th Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Glenn Wilson's two-run home run off reliever Jesse Orosco in the eighth gave the Phillies a 5-4 lead and the eventual win.

What It Means:  This loss dropped the Mets into third place in the N.L. East behind the Expos and Cubs.  After taking three out of four from the Mets, the Phillies headed out on the road for six games in Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

What Happened:  The Mets took a 4-2 lead in the sixth after Phillies starter Jerry Koosman was chased from the game and replaced with Larry Andersen.  Andersen loaded the bases and the Mets scored three in quick succession following a two-run single by John Christensen and a steal of home by Danny Heep.  Koosman lasted 5 1/3 innings, and was charged with two runs on three hits.

Wilson's clutch home run made Shane Rawley the beneficiary of the win.  Rawley made his first bullpen appearance of the season for the Phillies, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out three.

Featured Card:  As I'm revisiting these games from 35 years ago, Wilson continues to remind me why he was one of my favorite players back then.  He seemed to have a lot of clutch moments and this is the fifth time in these 1985 game summary posts he's earned the featured card spot.

Transaction:  Opening day left fielder Jeff Stone was optioned to Triple-A Portland and converted outfielder John Russell returned to the Phillies after a brief demotion.  Russell appeared in 16 games at Portland, hitting .306 with four home runs while trying to learn to play a corner outfield position.  For the next few months, until Stone's return in mid-August, the left fielder's job would be shared by Russell, Greg Gross and Von Hayes.  Garry Maddox would get the starts in center whenever Hayes shifted over to left.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 55 - A Night to Remember

Phillies 26, Mets 7
Game 55 - Tuesday Night, June 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-34, 5th Place, 14 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies destroyed the Mets, 26-7, in one of the most memorable Phillies games from my childhood.

What It Means:  This is it.  This game represents the highlight of the season and the most positive moment from the entire Phillies' 1985 output.  They would string together some wins throughout the rest of the year, but nothing would top the euphoria of this absolute bashing of the Mets.

I clearly remember watching this game on PRISM, the Philadelphia-area cable TV channel, and I was thrilled to find the game on YouTube, embedded below.  Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler called the game for the Phillies.

With the 2020 season now possibly beginning in mid-July, I gave some thought to stopping these daily posts from the 1985 season at this point and leaving on a high note, but I decided to keep going a little further.  If nothing else, this exercise has provided a daily diversion from these strange times and I think I'll keep it up until and if live baseball resumes.

What Happened:  Von Hayes hit two first inning home runs, becoming the first player in Major League history to accomplish that feat.  The Phillies were up 9-0 after the first inning and 16-0 after the second.  The offense set a franchise record for most doubles in a game with 10, with Bo Diaz (3), Glenn Wilson (2), Mike Schmidt, Juan Samuel, Rick Schu, reliever Dave Rucker (!) and Steve Jeltz all contributing to that tally.  Interestingly enough, the 1986 Phillies would break this record with 11 doubles in a game on June 23, 1986.  Schu and Garry Maddox also tripled.

To date, the only two players in Phillies franchise history to hit two home runs in one inning are Hayes and Andy Seminick, who did it on June 2, 1949.  The runs scored and total hits (27) are still franchise records in a single game for the Phillies.

Future Phillie Tom Gorman and Calvin Schiraldi were the two Mets pitchers hit the hardest, allowing a combined 16 runs on 14 hits over 1 2/3 innings.  Joe Sambito was the sacrificial lamb from the depleted Mets bullpen, soaking up three innings and giving up 10 more runs, eight of which were earned.  Phillies starting pitcher Charles Hudson was the beneficiary of the win, despite not pitching well himself.  Hudson gave up seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits in his short five-inning outing.  Rucker, along with his double, provided three scoreless innings of relief.


Featured Cards:  There are two cards in my collection commemorating this game.  Donruss celebrated Hayes' first inning heroics with a card in its 1985 Donruss Highlights set, released late in 1985.  The Phillies issued one of my favorite team-issued cards in its 1986 Tastykake set featuring a painting from artist Dick Perez.  The back of the Tastykake card contains the full box score and a summary of all the MLB, National League and Phillies records set or tied.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 37 - 1985 Cigna Phillies #9 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 6, Giants 5
Game 37 - Tuesday Night, May 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 15-22, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies took advantage of shaky Giants defense to score three times in the fifth and twice in the sixth to go on to a 6-5 win.

What It Means:  Four of the Phillies' six runs were unearned as Giants third baseman Joel Youngblood booted a ground ball and shortstop Jose Uribe had two errors of his own.  Another run scored on a Bob Brenly passed ball.

What I wouldn't give for a sloppy, Tuesday night Phillies game right about now.  This is one of those many, many games throughout the season where nothing particularly memorable happened and there wasn't any real excitement generated.  The Phillies and Giants were bad teams, already buried in the bottom of their respective divisions and this game slogged on for almost three hours.  But that sounds just fine to me, and given the choice between that and no baseball at all, I'd choose that.

What Happened:  The Phils got lucky.  The offense had six hits and went 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position.  Glenn Wilson had a pair of RBIs.  The team's regular first baseman (John Russell) and their regular third baseman (Mike Schmidt) exited this game below the Mendoza line at .189 and .195 respectively.  Schmidt also had a pair of errors in this game.  Changes to the corner infield spots were coming.

Shane Rawley picked up the win, lasting five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits.  Kent Tekulve recorded the final four outs of the game for his second Phillies save.

Featured Card:  Wilson had two clutch hits, singling home Juan Samuel for the Phillies first run in the fourth and doubling home Samuel in the fifth for the game-winning RBI.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 21 - 1985 Fleer #268 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 3, Astros 2
Game 21 - Friday Night, May 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 9-12, Tied for 4th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Cubs, Expos and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Glenn Wilson delivered a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth as the Phillies defeated the Astros, 3-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies were within three games of the .500 mark after this win, and things were looking up!  Or so I thought as an optimistic 11-year-old at the time.

We also have the first appearance of a box score from The Philadelphia Inquirer in my scrapbook.  We got the Atlantic City Press delivered to our home daily and my guess here is that the game ended too late for inclusion in the Saturday addition of the Press.  My Dad probably dutifully headed off to Wawa to pick up an Inquirer so as not to have a missing game in my scrapbook.

What Happened:  Neither Steve Carlton nor Nolan Ryan factored into the final outcome in the second meeting in 1985 of these two legends.  Carlton lasted five innings and allowed a pair of hits while striking out none.  Ryan went six innings and had runners on the base paths pretty much at all times with five hits and five walks allowed.  He did strike out 10 in his outing.

Tim Corcoran scored Jeff Stone with a sacrifice fly in the first, and that was the end of the scoring until the Astros scored twice off Kent Tekulve in the top of the eighth.  Now trailing, the bottom of the eighth started with Astros reliever Frank DiPino issuing a lead-off walk to John Russell, who was hitting .143 at the time.  That had to drive Astros' manager Bob Lillis nuts.  Wilson then homered off DiPino to give the Phillies the lead and Tekulve pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the win.

Featured Card:  Glennbo gets the card again for this game, and I'd encourage you to watch the Phillies commercial below from 1985.  Richie Ashburn, Wilson, Samuel and Kevin Gross are playing a good-natured game of Trivia Pursuit and Wilson delivers the team's 1985 slogan at the end of the commercial, imploring fans to "Follow Us."

#AtPhillies wasn't around in 1985, but even that Phillies team wanted you to follow us. #TBT pic.twitter.com/WjeV7bUsCL — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 25, 2019