Game 147 - Nola's Very Bad 5th Inning Leads to Loss

1979 Topps #566

Mets 11, Phillies 3
Game 147 - Friday Night, September 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 88-59, 1st Place, 7 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Two, three-run home runs in the sixth inning sunk Aaron Nola and the Phillies in this 11-3 drubbing from the second place Mets.

What It Means:  The Phillies need to win these crucial games, and hopefully Nola can figure out what went wrong.

What Happened:  The offense wasn't much help either, with the bats going quiet against Mets' pitching until the ninth inning.  Jose Quintana pitched seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out four.  Brandon Marsh hit a three-run home run in the ninth following walks to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.  Nola went 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits, including two big home runs to Francisco Alvarez and Brandon Nimmo in the nightmare sixth inning.

Featured Card:  Former Mets and Phillies pitcher Nino Espinosa says, "Let's flush this one and look ahead to the next game."

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

Game 159 - Phils Fall Flat in Series Finale

2022 Topps Throwback
Thursday #77

Pirates 3, Phillies 2
Game 159 - Thursday Night, September 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 89-70, 2nd Place, 14 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies looked fairly flat in this series finale loss, also the final regular home game of the 2023 season.

What It Means:  The Phillies will be back at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.

What Happened:  Kyle Schwarber led off the bottom of the first with his 46th home run of the season, tying his league leading total from 2022.  Jared Triolo doubled home a run for the Pirates in the top of the third, tying the score at 1-1.  Triolo gave his club the lead in the top of the fifth with another RBI double, and Jack Suwinski singled home the Pirates' third run of the day a batter later.  The Phillies would score their final run in the eighth after Trea Turner doubled, stole third and came home on a throwing error from catcher Jason Delay.

Featured Card:  In the bottom of the third, Bryce Harper checked his swing on a 3-2 count and was ruled to have swung by third base umpire Angel Hernandez.  Harper had some justifiable words for Hernandez and was promptly tossed from the ballgame.  Harper went a little nuts on Hernandez and threw his helmet into the stands on his way into the Phillies' dugout.  I went through recent Phillies binders looking for a card to represent Harper's rage, and I thought this one would be appropriate to feature.  From last year, this is a Throwback Thursday online exclusive card using the design of the 1979 Topps Incredible Hulk set.

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

Game 128 - Bucs Snap Win Streak with Shutout

2016 Topps Archives Fan
Favorites Autographs #FFA-CH

Pirates 5, Phillies 0
Game 128 - Sunday Afternoon, August 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 72-56, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

Post-Vacation Catch-Up II, Post 8 of 11

One Sentence Summary:  Roansy Contreras and three Pirates relievers held the Phillies to four singles in this deflating 5-0 loss.

What It Means:  After riding high through a six-game winning streak, the Phillies looked flat in this game and they didn't appear to ever really be in it.

What Happened:  Noah Syndergaard couldn't repeat the success of his last start, allowing five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.  The bullpen kept the Pirates off the board after Syndergaard exited, but the Phillies offense couldn't get anything going.  The line-up went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven runners on base.

Featured Card:  Before the game, former Phillies third baseman Charlie Hayes threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, Ke'Bryan Hayes, the current Pirates third baseman.  This is the one signed card of the elder Hayes in my collection, from the 2016 Topps Archives release.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 9 - Bohm Paces Offense, Losing Streak Ends

2021 Topps Update 70 Years
of Topps Baseball #70YT-29

Phillies 10, Marlins 3
Game 9 - Saturday Night, April 16th in Miami
Record - 4-5, 3rd Place, 2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The bats finally showed some life in this 10-3 win over the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies went for a series split on Sunday afternoon and (spoiler alert) it did not go well.

What Happened:  Serving as the club's DH, Alec Bohm continued swinging a hot bat, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs and his season average is currently an impressive .700 (7 for 10).  The Phillies put up six runs in the second, with RBI doubles provided by Matt Vierling, Bryce Harper and Johan Camargo.

Ranger Suarez was the beneficiary of the heavy run support, and he earned the win after pitching five innings, allowing a pair of runs on six hits.  Seranthony Dominguez and James Norwood both contributed scoreless innings of relief.

Featured Card:  Topps went all-in on Bohm baseball cards in 2021, and while I know I don't have a fraction of his total baseball card output in my collection, I did manage to add 34 different cards of his last year.  And while his glove work continues to suffer, Bohm has been solid at the plate, despite receiving limited playing time from manager Joe Girardi so far this season.  This is one of his many retro-inspired cards released last year.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Another Wonderful Christmas: Diamond Stars, Phillies Yearbooks and Vintage Cards

As has become tradition, we spend the day after Christmas at my Mom's house with my sister and her family.  The day is filled with food, way too many presents and a steady stream of laughter.  This year was no different and there were a few different times I was literally out of breath as I was laughing too hard.  In between the food and the laugher and handing out presents, I sat down to open my presents from my Mom and as is also tradition, the gifts were spectacular.  The baseball card/Phillies portion of this year's gifts consisted of the following:

• 1963 and 1979 Phillies Yearbooks - The 1963 Yearbook is new to my collection, and the 1979 is a much-needed upgrade from the original version obtained during my first ever Phillies game.
• 1953 Bowman Black & White - I needed two more cards to complete my Phillies team set and Mom added them both, #35 Johnny Wyrostek and #64 Andy Hansen.  I'm now the happy owner of a full run of Bowman Phillies cards, with the sole and notable exception of the Richie Ashburn rookie card from the 1949 Bowman set.
• 1956 Topps - To wrap up my Phillies team set from this iconic release, and essentially the second time I've collected these cards, the last five cards I needed were added.  There were two Phillies cards, #180 Robin Roberts and #334 Bob Miller, and three cards of players on other teams who played with the Phillies during the 1956 season, #3 Elmer Valo, #77 Harvey Haddix and #293 Stu Miller.
• 1934-36 Diamond Stars - Finally, two cards were added to my growing 1934-36 Diamond Stars set, and I'll cover both of those with separate posts over on my blog for that set.  I think the coolest, and most unexpected, gift was an original yellow wrapper from the set.  I've seen pictures of these, and I know this is one of three colors available, but I've never actually held one and now it will make an excellent top page within my set's binder.

My Mom puts so much thought and care into her Christmas presents for all of us, and she once again outdid herself this year!  I hope Santa brought plenty of new baseball cards for your collection this holiday season and here's to a wonderful, hopeful and healthy 2022!

1979 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  38
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1979.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below. 

How Distributed:  The photo cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.  The set's checklist is comprised of the manager, four coaches, all but one of the 25-man opening day roster (Mike Anderson is omitted) and eight players who would make their season debut with the team between May and early July. 

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Ramon Aviles (action) 2. Doug Bird 3. Bob Boone (action, auto) 4. Larry Bowa (action, auto) 5. Warren Brusstar (action) 6. Jose Cardenal (action) 7. Steve Carlton (action, auto) 8. Larry Christenson (action) 9. Rawly Eastwick (action, auto)       10. Nino Espinosa (auto) 11. Greg Gross 12. Bud Harrelson (action) 13. Jim Kaat (auto)

14. Randy Lerch (action) 15. Jim Lonborg (action) 16. Greg Luzinski (action, auto) 17. Pete Mackanin (auto) 18. Garry Maddox (action, auto) 19. Bake McBride (action, auto)       20. Tim McCarver (action) 21. Tug McGraw (action, auto) 22. Rudy Meoli (action, auto) 23. Dickie Noles (action) 24. Danny Ozark MG (auto) 25. Dave Rader 26. Ron Reed (action, auto)

27. Pete Rose (action, auto) 28. Dick Ruthven (auto) 29. Kevin Saucier (action) 30. Mike Schmidt (action) 31. Lonnie Smith (auto) 32. Herm Starrette CO (auto) 33. Tony Taylor CO (auto) 34. Bobby Tiefenauer CO (auto) 35. Manny Trillo 36. Manny Trillo (action) 37. Del Unser 38. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Meoli

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (12):  Aviles, Bird, Espinosa, Gross, Mackanin, Noles, Rader, Rose, Saucier, Smith, Trillo (2)
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (20):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Cardenal, Carlton, Christenson, Eastwick, Harrelson, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, McBride, McCarver, McGraw, Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Unser

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coach (4):  Starrette, Taylor, Tiefenauer, Wine

Surprises:  The biggest surprise here is the inclusion of a Bud Harrelson card, although his photo could ver well be from 1978.  Harrelson had retired from baseball following the 1978 season, but injuries to Larry Bowa and Manny Trillo in the early part of the season forced the club to reach out to him.  Harrelson resigned with the Phillies on May 25th and made his season debut a day later.  The last player to make his debut during the season and appear within the set is Dickie Noles, who made his big league debut on July 5th.

Omissions:  For some reason, hitting/third base coach Billy DeMars didn't card a new card for this set.  He'd return to the checklist in 1980.  Also odd is the omission of outfielder Anderson who returned to the Phillies via free agency on March 5th and appeared in 79 games for the team.  Five other players, all September call-ups, appeared with the Phillies in 1979 and didn't receive photo cards - John Vukovich, John Poff, Jack Kucek, Keith Moreland and Dan Larson.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Steve let me know of a few rarities and variations for this set.

Signature Variation 1. Rawly Eastwick (no auto) 2. Dick Ruthven (no auto)

Error 1. Warren Brusstar (actually depicts Randy Lerch)

And while it's definitely not part of the team-issued photo card set, I'm including a scan of the Richie Ashburn photo below which could have fit in nicely with the set.  The photo is 5" x 7" and the note on the back indicates the Phillies broadcaster signed the photo on June 16, 1979 at Whitehall Mall.

Also See:  My First Phillies Game; 1979 Burger King Phillies #13 Pete Rose

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Steve F.

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

1978 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1980 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Just One Card & Missing Links - 1970s Phillies Edition

1975 Topps #405

1977 Topps #394

1979 Topps #169

1980 Topps #277

1981 Fleer #585

Having tackled the Phillies Missing Links from 1980 through 2008 at this point, I wanted to see what a Phillies Missing Links set from the 1970s would look like.  As far as I can tell, and please offer revisions in the comments if needed, listed below are the players who suited up with the Phillies between 1970 and 1979 and never received a Phillies baseball card.

Below this list, I've presented what I believe to be those Phillies players who received just one Phillies card, with most of these occurring in the team-issued photo card sets from the '70s.  I don't know if creating cards for these players is a project I'll tackle in the near-term, but with the checklist in place the next step would be hunting and gathering pictures of these players in red pinstripes (or baby blue road uniforms).

Phillies Missing Links of the 1970s - Initial Checklist
1 Del Bates (1970)
2 Mike Jackson (1970)
3 Manny Muniz (1971)
4 Dave Downs (1972)
5 Bob Terlecki (1972)
6 Dave Wallace (1973-1974)
7 John Stearns (1974)
8 Larry Fritz (1975)
9 Ron Clark (1975)
10 John Montague (1975)
11 Rick Bosetti (1976)
12 Bill Nahorodny (1976)
13 Mike Buskey (1977)
14 Manny Seoane (1977)
15 Dan Warthen (1977)
16 Orlando Gonzalez (1978)
17 Kerry Dineen (1978)
18 Todd Cruz (1978)
19 Horacio Pina (1978)
20 Dan Boitano (1978)
21 John Poff (1979)
22 Jack Kucek (1979)


Just One Card
1970
Doc Edwards - 1970 Phillies Photocards*
Bill Laxton - 1970 Phillies Photocards

1971
Bobby Pfeil - 1971 Phillies Photocards

1972
John Bateman - 1972 Phillies Photocards
Gary Neibauer - 1972 Phillies Photocards

1974
Allan Bannister - 1975 Phillies Photocards
Jesus Hernaiz - 1974 Phillies Photocards
Frank Linzy - 1974 Phillies Photocards
Pete Richert - 1974 Phillies Photocards
Erskine Thomason - 1976 SSPC #600^


1975
Cy Acosta - 1975 Phillies Photocards
Don Hahn - 1975 Phillies Photocards
Wayne Simpson - 1976 SSPC #599^

1976
Fred Andrews - 1977 Phillies Photocards
Tim Blackwell - 1977 Phillies Photocards

1977
Dane Iorg - 1977 Phillies Photocards

1978
Dan Larson - 1980 Phillies Photocards

1979
Rudy Meoli - 1979 Phillies Photocards

*As a coach, with two variations so he might not technically belong on this list.
^Wearing a Toledo Mud Hens uniform.

Just One Card Links
1970 to 1979
1980 to 1989
1990 to 1995
1996 to 1999
2000 to 2004
2005 to 2009

2017 Chachi #26 Pete Mackanin MG

#45
Peter Mackanin, Jr.
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  August 1, 1951, Chicago, IL
Home:  Scottsdale, AZ

Teams - As Player:  Texas Rangers 1973-1974; Montreal Expos 1975-1977; Phillies 1978-1979; Minnesota Twins 1980-1981

Teams - As Coach:  Montreal Expos 1997-2000; Pittsburgh Pirates 2003-2005; Phillies 2009-2012, 2014-2015

Teams - As Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 2005; Cincinnati Reds 2007; Phillies 2015-

1974 Topps #597

1978 Topps #399

1979 Burger King Phillies #17

2009 Chachi #28

18 Mackanin Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  1978 Topps #399
First Phillies Card:  1979 Burger King Phillies #17
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2009 Phillies Team Issue #45*
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #45

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  1974 Topps #597 (with Dave Chalk, John Gamble and Manny Trillo)

*Mackanin is in the 1979 Phillies Photocards set, but I don't have that card in my collection yet.

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2009 Chachi #28 (with Milt Thompson and Davey Lopes)
2010 Chachi #27 (with Charlie Manuel, Rich Dubee, Mick Billmeyer and Sam Perlozzo)
2011 Chachi #27 (with Rich Dubee and Greg Gross)
2012 Chachi #27 (with Rich Dubee and Greg Gross)
2014 Chachi #31
2015 Chachi #31
2015 Chachi #46 - Interim manager
2015 Chachi #68 HL - Named manager through 2016
2016 Chachi #26
2016 Chachi Photo Day #8
2016 Chachi Special Edition #14
2017 Chachi #26
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #2

Card statistics through 6/3/17.

2016 Topps Archives #135 Ryan Howard

Marlins 9, Phillies 3
Game 97 - Thursday Night, July 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 44-53, 4th place, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The offense looked baffled by Tom Koehler and Jared Eickhoff had another rough outing as the Marlins easily defeated the Phillies, 9-3.

What It Means:  Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb said it best in this Tweet:  I would describe tonight as a truly pathetic effort by the Phillies' line-up.

What Happened:  The Phillies managed three hits in this game.  Eickhoff lasted just five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits.

Featured Card:  The only bright spot from this entire game was Ryan Howard's solo home run (14) in the fourth.  Earlier in the day, Howard took part in the dedication of the new Ryan Howard Training Center within the city, which was made possible with a large financial donation from the slugger.  For more on the new training center, please see this article.

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

2016 Topps Archives #193 Aaron Nola

Royals 6, Phillies 2
Game 82 - Saturday Afternoon, July 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 36-46, 4th place, 13 games behind the Nationals

Hawaii Catch-up - Game 8 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola's struggles continued as the Phillies weren't able to overcome a five-run second inning from the Royals.

What It Means:  Following this game, manager Pete Mackanin decided that Nola's next start before the All-Star break would be skipped.  He'll remain in the rotation following the break, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the young pitcher back with the IronPigs in the second half if he continues to labor.

What Happened:  Nola ended his day by retiring the final 10 Royals batters he faced.  Before that, he had allowed five runs on six hits.

Featured Card:  I wish there had been more opportunities to feature some of Nola's 2016 baseball cards in the first half of the season.  Due to his struggles, he's only had four cards featured in game summary posts.  This is his 1979 Topps-inspired card from the recently released Topps Archives set and hopefully there will be many more Nola cards featured in these posts in the second half.

Island Report:  This was our last full day in Hawaii, and we once again spent the entire day either in or by the pool or at the beach.  The boys spent some more time at Aunty's Beach House, one of their favorite places at Aulani.  This was by far one of my favorite family vacations.  The weather and the island of Oahu were both gorgeous.  The food was amazing.  But most of all, I got to spend nine days with my family, laughing, making memories and enjoying each other's company.  I'll never forget this trip and I hope we get the chance to go back to Hawaii one day.

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

2016 Chachi #26 Pete Mackanin MG

#45
Peter Mackanin, Jr.
Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Born:  August 1, 1951, Chicago, IL
Home:  Scottsdale, AZ

Teams - As Player:  Texas Rangers 1973-1974; Montreal Expos 1975-1977; Phillies 1978-1979; Minnesota Twins 1980-1981

Teams - As Coach:  Montreal Expos 1997-2000; Pittsburgh Pirates 2003-2005; Phillies 2009-2012, 2014-2015

Teams - As Manager:  Pittsburgh Pirates 2005; Cincinnati Reds 2007; Phillies 2015-

1974 Topps #597

1978 Topps #399

1979 Burger King Phillies #17

2009 Chachi #28

15 Mackanin Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  1978 Topps #399
First Phillies Card:  1979 Burger King Phillies #17
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2009 Phillies Team Issue #45*
Latest Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #45

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  1974 Topps #597 (with Dave Chalk, John Gamble and Manny Trillo)

*Mackanin is in the 1979 Phillies Photocards set, but I don't have that card in my collection yet.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2009 Chachi #28 (with Milt Thompson and Davey Lopes)
2010 Chachi #27 (with Charlie Manuel, Rich Dubee, Mick Billmeyer and Sam Perlozzo)
2011 Chachi #27 (with Rich Dubee and Greg Gross)
2012 Chachi #27 (with Rich Dubee and Greg Gross)
2014 Chachi #31
2015 Chachi #31
2015 Chachi #46 - Interim manager
2015 Chachi #68 HL - Named manager through 2016
2016 Chachi #26

Card statistics through 5/17/16.

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #7 Jim Kern

#37
James Lester Kern
Relief Pitcher

Over 30 years ago when I read in the transaction column of our newspaper that the Phillies hadJim Kern, I knew exactly what Kern looked like thanks to his many fantastic baseball cards. Kern had been a three-time All-Star with the Indians and Rangers in the late 1970s, and I had long admired his colorful baseball cards, some featuring him with a semi-maniacal grin.

signed pitcher

Kern was signed by the Phillies on June 3rd, the day after they placed Tug McGraw on the 21-day disabled list with shoulder soreness.  The hirsute righty reliever had been unemployed since being released by the White Sox on March 1st.

With the Phillies, Kern appeared in eight games, allowing 15 earned runs on 20 hits and 11 walks in 13 1/3 innings for a 10.13 ERA.  If you remove his dreadful first appearance (see box score), his Phillies stats become slightly more respectable - 6.57 ERA, 13 hits and 9 runs in 12 1/3 innings.  When McGraw was activated from the disabled list on July 27th, the Phis released Kern.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  185
Born:  March 15, 1949, Gladwin, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent, September 4, 1967
Major League Teams:  Clevelad Indians 1974-1978, Texas Rangers 1979-1981, Cincinnati Reds 1982, Chicago White Sox 1982-1983, Phillies 1984, Milwaukee Brewers 1984-1985, Cleveland Indians 1986
Professional Affiliations:  Clevelad Indians 1968-1978, Texas Rangers 1979-1981, Cincinnati Reds 1982, Chicago White Sox 1982-1983, Phillies 1984, Milwaukee Brewers 1984-1985, Cleveland Indians 1986

Phillies Career
8 games, 0-1, 10.13 ERA in 13 1/3 innings
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Chicago White Sox, June 3, 1984
Debut:  June 10, 1984 - Entered in the 12th inning of a 5-5 game against the Pirates and allowed 7 runs on 7 hits in the loss
Final Game:  July 20, 1984
Departed:  Released, July 27, 1984, and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on August 8, 1984

1975 Topps #621

1979 Topps #573

1983 Donruss #355

1983 Fleer #240

0 Kern Baseball Cards in My Collection
First Card:  N/A
Last Card:  N/A

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1975 Topps #621 (with John Denny, Rawley Eastwick and Juan Veintidos)
First Topps Base Card:  1975 Topps #621
Last Mainstream Card:  1983 Topps #772
Other Notable Cards:  1979 Topps #573, 1981 Topps #197, 1982 Donruss #89, 1982 Topps #463

Sources:  Thanks to Friend O' the Blog Steve F. for the photo of Kern from a 1984 Phillies program! Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #6 Steve Comer

#44
Steven Michael Comer
Starting/Relief Pitcher

Flipping through a 1983 Phillies program at some point in the mid-1980s, I did a double take when I came across a photo and biography for pitcher Steve Comer.  "He was with the Phillies?" I remember actually saying out loud.  In the days before the internet or my meticulously maintained Phillies Scrapbooks (which I began in 1984), Comer had completely slipped through my Phillies radar.

Comer was released by the Mariners organization in mid-June 1983 and signed with the Phillies a week later.  He pitched decently enough for the Portland Beavers to earn a call-up on August 29th to start the second game of a double header against the Padres.  Comer earned the win in that game and he would then languish in the bullpen before logging two relief appearances with the Phils in early October.  Left off the postseason roster, Comer nevertheless received a N.L. Champions ring from the club.

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Born:  January 13, 1954, Minneapolis, MN
Signed:  Signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent, July 10, 1976
Major League Teams:  Texas Rangers 1978-1982, Phillies 1983, Cleveland Indians 1984
Professional Affiliations:  Texas Rangers 1976-1982, Seattle Mariners 1983, Phillies 1983, Cleveland Indians 1984, Phillies 1985

Phillies Career
3 games, 1-0, 5.19 ERA in 8 2/3 innings pitched
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the Seattle Mariners organization, June 22, 1983.
Debut:  August 29, 1983 (Game 2) - Started and pitched 6 innings, allowing seven hits and walking two.
Final Game:  October 2, 1983
Departed:  Granted free agency on December 21, 1983, and signed with the Cleveland Indians, January 19, 1984.

Comer signed with the Phillies again on May 15, 1985.  He appeared in 19 games for the Triple-A Portland Beavers before calling it a career.

1979 Topps #463

1983 Donruss #163

1983 Topps #353

1985 Topps #788

3 Comer Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1983 Donruss #163
Last Card:  1983 Topps #353

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1979 Topps #463
First Topps Base Card:  1979 Topps #463
Last Mainstream Card:  1985 Topps #788
Other Notable Cards:  1981 Topps #592, 1982 Donruss #341, 1983 Fleer #564

Sources:  Baseball Reference, SABR and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.