2010 Topps Phillies Team Set

#134 Team Card

#372 Ryan Howard / Cole Hamels FH

#42 Ryan Howard LL

#206 Ryan Howard LL

#188 Joe Blanton

#154 Pedro Feliz

#630 Ben Francisco

#70 Cole Hamels

#89 J.A. Happ

#424 David Herndon

#590 Ryan Howard

#486 Raul Ibanez

#474 Kyle Kendrick

#132 Cliff Lee

#500 Brad Lidge

#655 Ryan Mason

#403 Jimmy Rollins

#122 Carlos Ruiz

#300 Chase Utley

#23 Shane Victorino

#334 Jayson Werth

Update

#US-30 Roy Halladay AS

#US-265 Ryan Howard AS

#US-318 Domonic Brown

#US-100 Roy Halladay

#US-95 Jamie Moyer

#US-21 Roy Oswalt

#US-245 Placido Polanco

2009 Topps Phillies Team Set / 2011 Topps Phillies Team Set

Game 112 - 2010 Chachi #37 Roy Halladay HL

Phillies 3, Mets 0
Game 112 - Sunday Afternoon, August 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 59-53, 1st Place, 2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  On the day the Phillies officially retired Roy Halladay's #34, Zack Wheeler was brilliant, pitching a complete game shutout to complete the three-game sweep of the Mets.

What It Means:  So far, and I hope there's more to come, this was the high point of the season.

What Happened:  Wheeler was fantastic.  It was his 34th start with the Phillies, corresponding to Halladay's uniform number.  And per a Matt Gelb Tweet, Wheeler became the first Phillies pitcher to retire 22 consecutive batters in a start since May 29, 2010 - Halladay's perfect game.  Wheeler allowed just two hits (both to Brandon Nimmo) and struck out 11 in his gem.  Once again, all Phillies runs came from solo home runs with Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto homering in the first and Bryce Harper adding his 20th home run of the season in the sixth.

Featured Card:  I'm sure Wheeler won't mind my going with a Halladay card here, and this is the card I created 11 years ago to mark Halladay's perfect game.  We again got to watch most of this game from our room at Disney's Riviera Resort.  What a great day!

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

Game 90 - Fireworks Arrive Only After Phillies Loss

Marlins 7, Phillies 0 (Game 2 - 7 Innings)
Game 90 - Friday Night, July 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 45-45, 3rd Place, 3 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Zach Eflin struggled mightily and the offense managed only two hits in this forgettable 7-0 loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  At least the nearly 29,000 fans in attendance were treated to a postgame fireworks show for the first time since the 2019 season.

What Happened:  Eflin's final line was ugly (3 2/3 innings, 6 hits, 6 runs) but Enyel De Los Santos didn't help any when he allowed a three-run home run to Jesus Aguilar as soon as he had relieved Eflin in the fourth.  Jordan Holloway pitched five scoreless innings of relief for the Marlins and earned the win.

Featured Card:  I don't have much to work with here, so I'm going with a card from the team's 2010 postcard set given away on Fan Appreciation Day and featuring the team's world class fireworks display.

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

Game 76 - 2010 Topps #235 Neftali Feliz

Reds 12, Phillies 4
Game 76 - Monday Night, June 28th in Cincinnati
Record - 36-40, 4th Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A late-inning bullpen implosion resulted in ten Reds runs scored in the seventh and eighth innings as the Phillies fell dramatically, 12-4.

What It Means:  After enjoying our first day in the Magic Kingdom during our vacation, I was treated to this Tweet from Matt Gelb, summarizing the game as follows:  "In a season of gruesome losses, it was one of the most disgusting yet."

What Happened:  Bailey Falter entered the game in the third, after starter Spencer Howard lasted just 2 1/3 innings and gave up a pair of runs.  Falter pitched four solid innings, allowing a run while striking out six.  The Phillies held a 4-2 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh, with Alec Bohm and Ronald Torreyes each driving in two runs, but then the wheels came off.

Neftali Feliz, the 2010 A.L. Rookie of the Year, entered the game, making his first big league appearance since August 13, 2017 when he was pitching for the Royals.  Feliz was hit often and hard, with the big blow coming from Nick Castellanos in the form of a go-ahead grand slam.  Enyel De Los Santos fared even worse in the eighth, allowing six more runs to score.  Nick Maton had to enter the game to retire the final batter in the bottom of the eighth - Tony Santillan, a pitcher, who struck out as a pinch-hitter.

Featured Card:  We know now that this would be one of only two appearances Feliz would make in a Phillies uniform.  The former All-Star closer saved a career high 40 games for the Rangers in 2010.

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

Game 20 - Trouble in Buffalo

2010 Hero Decks Phillies #2C

Blue Jays 3, Phillies 2 (Game 1 - 7 Innings)
Game 20 - Thursday Afternoon, August 20th in Buffalo
Record - 9-11

One Sentence Summary:  The bullpen let another game slip away as the Blue Jays walked off with a 3-2 win.

What It Means:  The last time the Phillies played a game in Buffalo was 1885, and hopefully it's another 135 years before they return.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a quick 2-0 lead after three innings when Bryce Harper homered in the first and Andrew McCutchen drove home Roman Quinn in the third with a single to center.  Spencer Howard was pulled after only 3 2/3 innings, having allowed a run on five hits.  In the fifth, Jose Alvarez had to be carted off the field when a 105-mph line drive from Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. smoked him in his groin.  It was all downhill from there.

Tommy Hunter allowed the Blue Jays to tie the score when Cavan Biggio doubled home Billy McKinney in the sixth.  Deolis Guerra was on the mound in the seventh, and with an assist from a ccostly Quinn error, the winning run scored when Gurriel singled home Teoscar Hernandez.

Featured Card:  Harper's home run was the first home run hit by a Phillies player in Buffalo since Jack Clements homered in the second game of a double header on July 4, 1885 against the Buffalo Bisons.  (Source - Kenny Ayres Tweet.)

Transaction:  Prior to the game, JoJo Romero (lhp) was added as the 29th man for the double header.  Kyle Garlick (of) and Ramon Rosso (rhp) were optioned to Lehigh Valley, Cole Irvin (lhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Reggie McClain (rhp) was activated from the injured list.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Catching Up: Remembering Legends, Back to the Future

Leaving 1985 in the past, here's a look at a few things going on in the present for the Phillies.

Sadly, we lost a legend on Thursday morning with the passing of all-time Phillies great Tony Taylor.  A fan favorite and a member of the Phillies family for six decades, Taylor was a 2006 Phillies Wall of Fame inductee and a mainstay at the annual Phillies alumni weekends.  He continued to engage with fans up through last year's alumni weekend, signing as many autographs as he could.  He became a favorite of my son Doug as the two of them had a lengthy conversation during the 2017 alumni weekend, in which Taylor singled out Doug to give him some impromptu life advice.

That was the weekend the Phillies honored three recently departed legends - Jim Bunning, Darren Daulton and Dallas Green - and Taylor was overly emotional when Doug asked him to sign the print featuring the three.  From that night:

Tony Taylor . . . the Phillies great singled out Doug and spent about two minutes talking to him.  He talked about the players on the print, he told Doug to follow his dreams and he told Doug to never give up.  He talked about kindness and helping others and hard work.  He wanted Doug to promise to never throw away the print and to remember everything he had told him.  Finally, he told Doug to pass on everything to his kids and to bring his kids to Phillies games when they were older.  Doug took it all in.  I took it all in.  It was a very cool moment.

Something neither of us will ever forget.  Taylor's card was the first card we purchased when we decided to start collecting the 1965 Topps set late last year.

2010 Phillies Alumni Team Issue

1995 Phillies Team Issue #9

* * *

Long-time player and coach Irish Mike Ryan passed away on July 7th.  A catcher for the Phillies between 1968 and 1973, he made his mark as a long-time and popular Phillies coach following his playing days.   Ryan was a coach for the club between 1980 and 1995, and that tenure is second only in length to his long-time friend and teammate John Vukovich.  Ryan is the only coach in franchise history to coach for the club in three World Series - 1980, 1983 and 1993.

* * *

We've enjoyed watching the intrasquad games the team has thankfully decided to broadcast over the past several nights.  The Blue Phillies (wearing white jerseys) have taken on the Red Phillies (wearing red jerseys) at Citizens Bank Park with nary a fan in the stands, coaches playing defense in the later innings and a few players donning face masks throughout the games.  Batters have batted out of order and have occasionally switched teams mid-game to get additional at-bats.  Innings have had anywhere from two to six outs per inning, and everyone seems to be having fun.  It was a little jarring at first to see the shots of the empty blue seats, but I'm grateful to be watching Phillies baseball again.  The team will play one more intrasquad game tonight and then take on the Nationals, Orioles and Yankees for three straight nights beginning on Saturday in exhibition action.

2020 Chachi Almost #4

Camp Head Count:  52 - 2 - 1 + 2 - 2 = 49.  I don't even really know any more, to be honest.  When Summer Camp opened on July 3rd, by my unofficial tally there were 52 players suited up and eligible to participate.  Since then, there have been a few more roster moves that seem to amount to nothing more than paper being pushed around.  On July 13th, the Phillies optioned right-handed pitchers Enyel De Los Santos and Robert Stock to Lehigh Valley.  Both are still in camp and both have appeared in recent intrasquad games, so their removal from the roster was procedural only.

In a move that was more than just procedural, right-handed pitcher Bud Norris was released on July 16th.  Norris has been out of baseball since 2018 but was brought to spring training back in February as a non-roster invitee.  In 4 spring training games before the pandemic, Norris pitched 4 innings, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks.

Also on July 16th, left-handed pitcher Austin Davis and catcher Rafael Marchan were added to the Phillies Player Pool, only to be immediately placed on the 10-day injured list with what the team described as medical conditions.  The Phillies will open the abbreviated 2020 season on July 24th with a 30-man roster.

1985 Game 75 - 2010 Topps National Chicle #253 Ryne Sandberg

Cubs 4, Phillies 3
Game 75 - Wednesday Night, July 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 33-42, 5th Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  Phillies closer Kent Tekulve disappointed a huge fireworks crowd, letting a game against the Cubs get away in a 4-3 loss.

What It Means:  Over 56,000 fans were on hand to see this late inning loss, but hopefully an amazing postgame fireworks show made up for their disappointment.

What Happened:  The Phillies held a 2-1 lead heading to the eighth, with both their runs coming in the fourth.  Von Hayes led off that inning with a solo home run off Cubs' starter Dennis Eckersley and Derrel Thomas later singled home Mike Schmidt.  The usually reliable Kent Tekulve faltered for the Phils, allowing the Cubs to tie the game in the eighth.  Ryne Sandberg walked and went to third on a Davey Lopes single.  Sandberg came home on a Keith Moreland sacrifice fly.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies retook the lead when Ozzie Virgil singled home Hayes.  But Tekulve couldn't get the final three outs in the ninth, allowing singles to Thad Bosley and Billy Hatcher before Sandberg's double scored the tying and eventual winning runs.

Charles Hudson's efforts were for naught, as he had pitched seven innings allowing a run on eight hits.  This was Tekulve's fifth blown save of the season.

Featured Card:  Sandberg was coming off his 1984 N.L. MVP campaign, and he continued to haunt his former team.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #34 Paul Hoover

#24
Paul Chester Hoover
Catcher

Paul Hoover is the rare player who appeared in parts of two different seasons with the Phillies, but still never appeared on a Phillies baseball card.  His first Phillies stint came as a September call-up in 2009, appearing in three games but with his only start coming on September 25th.  On October 4th, in the final game of the regular season, Hoover delivered a 10th inning RBI single to score John Mayberry, Jr. and deliver a 3-2 walk-off win for the Phillies.

He returned to the Phillies twice in 2010.  First, he was recalled on May 9th when back-up catcher Brian Schneider landed on the disabled list with a left Achilles strain.  Hoover appeared in six games, starting three games in a row in mid-May to spell the banged up Carlos Ruiz.  He returned to Lehigh Valley when Schneider was activated on May 24th, but he came back up in September for the second year in a row.

In total, Hoover played in parts of seven big league seasons but never appeared in more than 13 games in any of those seasons.  He had brief tenures with the Devil Rays (8 games in 2001 and 2002), Marlins (20 games in 2006, 2007 and 2008) and Phillies (12 games in 2009 and 2010).

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  210
Born:  April 14, 1976, Columbus, OH
Drafted:  Drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 23rd round of the 1997 amateur draft, June 3, 1997
Major League Teams:  Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2001-2002; Florida Marlins 2006-2008; Phillies 2009-2010

Phillies Career

12 games, .308 (8 for 26), 3 RBIs
Acquired:  January 7, 2009 - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Florida Marlins organization.
Debut:  September 25, 2009 - Started behind the plate, catching Cliff Lee, and went 2 for 3 with a strikeout against the Brewers.
Final Game:  September 29, 2010 - As the starting catcher for Joe Blanton, went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts against the Nationals.
Departed:  October 28, 2010 - Granted free agency and signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox, February 1, 2011

3 Hoover Baseball Cards in My Collection
2009 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #10
2010 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #9
2010 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #11

Complete Chachi Checklist
2009 Chachi #56
2010 Chachi #36

1999 Bowman #158

1999 Topps Traded & Rookies #T19

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH149

2009 Chachi #56

2010 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #11

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1999 Bowman #158
First Topps Base Card:  1999 Topps Traded & Rookies #T19
Last Mainstream Card:  2008 Topps Update & Highlights #UH149
Other Notable Cards:  2006 Topps 52 #212, 2006 Upper Deck #1077

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
Gallery - Cards 1 to 34

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.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Castro Named Infield Coach

Joe Girardi's coaching staff for 2020 continued to come together with the addition of Juan Castro for the role of infield coach.  Castro replaces Bobby Dickerson who spent a year in that position and recently left the club to become the Padres' new bench coach.  As far as I can tell, Castro becomes the fourth coach in team history to hold the exclusive title of infield coach (see list below).  There have been other infield coaches throughout the years, but most of them had additional coaching duties above and beyond working solely with the infielders.

Castro also represents a return to hiring former Phillies players as coaches after a two-year absence of any former Phillies players on Gabe Kapler's staff.  Castro enjoyed a 17-year playing career and spent the first half of 2010 with the Phillies before being released on July 17th.  In 54 games with the club, he hit .198 with 13 RBIs and appeared in both team-issued photo card sets in 2010.

The only coaching staff position remaining to be filled is that of the hitting coach, vacated when interim hitting coach Charlie Manuel returned to his front office position.

Phillies Infield Coaches

Bobby Wine - 1972

Tony Taylor - 1977-1978

Bobby Dickerson - 2019

Juan Castro - 2020

2019 Chachi #62 Logan Morrison

#8
Justis Logan Morrison
First Base/Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  245
Opening Day Age:  31
Born:  August 25, 1987, Kansas City, MO
Drafted:  Selected by the Florida Marlins in the 22nd round of the June 2005 draft
Teams:  Florida/Miami Marlins 2010-2013; Seattle Mariners 2014-2015; Tampa Bay Rays 2016-2017; Minnesota Twins 2018; Phillies 2019
Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Yankees organization, July 15, 2019

2010 Topps Update #US268

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2010 Topps Update #US268
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  N/A

Morrison joined the IronPigs too late in the season to be included within their 2019 team set.

0 - Morrison baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 8/15/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2019 Chachi #62

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

2019 Chachi #51 Tommy Hunter

#96
Raymond Thomas Hunter
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  250
Opening Day Age:  32
Born:  July 3, 1986, Indianapolis, IN
Drafted:  Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 1st round of the June 2007 draft
Teams:  Texas Rangers 2008-2011; Baltimore Orioles 2011-2015; Chicago Cubs 2015; Clevand Indians 2016; Baltimore Orioles 2016; Tampa Bay Rays 2017; Phillies 2018-
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays, December 15, 2017
Contract Status:  Signed through 2019 season

2010 Topps #658

2018 Chachi #31

2019 Topps #619

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2010 Topps #658
First Phillies Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #40
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2018 Phillies Team Issue #40
First Topps Phillies Flagship Base Card:  2019 Topps #619
Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps #619

2018 Phillies Team Issue #40

6 - Hunter baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 7/7/19.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi New Additions #3
2018 Chachi #31
2019 Chachi #51

2019 Chachi Set Checklist
Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster