Game 71 - Sanchez, Offense Sputter Out in Finale

Philadelphia Phillies	0
Milwaukee Brewers	4

1992 Fleer #521

Sunday Afternoon, June 14th

American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
38-33, 2nd Place, 8 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Cristopher Sanchez experienced a rare off-day and the Phillies offense couldn't get a thing going in this 4-0 shutout loss.

What It Means:  Well that was disappointing.  The Phillies open up a six-game homestead against the Marlins on Monday night.  The Mets come to town for three beginning on Thursday.

What Happened:  Settling in to watch Sanchez take care of the Brewers line-up, my plans were quickly scuttled when Jackson Chourio connected for a first inning home run, and Blake Perkins followed with a three-run home run in the fourth.  The Phillies offense managed four singles and not one runner reached scoring position against starter Kyle Harrison and relievers Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby.  Sanchez dropped to 8-3, allowing four runs on eight hits and striking out only three in 5 2/3 innings.

Featured Card:  Reliever Ashby is the nephew of former Phillie Andy Ashy, who spent time with the club in two different stints in 1991-92 and 2000.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 105 - Wheeler, Phils Fall Flat in Bronx Finale

Philadelphia Phillies	3
New York Yankees	4

1992 Philadelphia Phillies
ALS Autograph Party

Sunday Afternoon, July 27th

Yankee Stadium - New York, NY
60-45, 2nd Place, 1 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler had an uncharacteristically bad second inning, and Otto Kemp's two home runs weren't enough, as the Yankees defeated the Phillies, 4-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies still won the series, and they'll head to Chicago next to take on the last place, but playing well of late, White Sox.

What Happened:  All of Wheeler's problems came in the second inning.  The sequence went as follows - Giancarlo Stanton single, Jazz Chisolm and Jason Dominguez both hit by pitches, Ryan McMahon two-run double, Anthony Volpe strikeout, Austin Wells sacrifice fly and Trent Grisham single.  Wheeler recovered to pitch 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight.  

The Phillies offensive output all came via solo home runs.  Nick Castellanos and Kemp both hit home runs in the top of the second.  Kemp hit his second home run in the fifth for his first multi-home run game.

Featured Card:  In Cooperstown, Dick Allen was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame, an honor that was very much overdue.  Allen and Dave Parker were enshrined posthumously.  Joining them in the Class of 2025 were Billy Wagner, C.C. Sabathia and Ichiro Suzuki.  Allen's Hall of Fame plaque features the interesting combination of his 1970s look along with a 1960s Phillies hat logo.  I'm not sure if that was at the request of the Allen family, or if there's a quality control issue at the Hall of Fame.  I'm hoping it's the former, but once you see it, it's hard not to notice it.

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

Game 16 - Sloppy Defense, Pitching, Offense Cost Phils in Loss

2021 Topps Update
1992 Topps Redux #T92-37

Pirates 9, Phillies 2
Game 16 - Sunday Afternoon, April 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 8-8, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Sloppy play, a lack of offense and a rough start from Zack Wheeler contributed to this 9-2 loss to the Pirates.

What It Means:  The Phillies split the series, and they'll open up a three-game series against the last place Rockies on Monday night.

What Happened:  The Phillies are winless in Wheeler's four starts, scoring a total of six runs when he's on the mound.  Ahead 2-1 in the top of the sixth, the Pirates opened the inning when Ke'Bryan Hayes reached on an error by Alec Bohm.  Rowdy Tellez walked, Andrew McCutchen singled and Jack Suwinski hit a back-breaking grand slam off Wheeler to give the Pirates a 5-2 lead.  Relievers Seranthony Dominguez and Ricardo Pinto would allow four more runs to score.  Trea Turner raised his average to .302 by going 3 for 4 with a third inning solo home run.

Featured Card:  McCutchen hit a two-run home run off Pinto in the ninth, the 300th of the popular outfielder's career.  I remember being so hopeful when McCutchen signed here prior to the 2019 season, but a devastating knee injury on June 3rd that season and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season essentially derailed his Phillies career.

Transaction:  Orion Kerkering (rhp) was activated from the Injured List, pitching a scoreless inning in this game in his 2024 debut, and Nick Nelson (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

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

Game 135 - Nola Brewed by Crew in Loss

1992 Fleer #191

Brewers 7, Phillies 5
Game 135 - Saturday Night, September 2nd in Milwaukee
Record - 74-61, 2nd Place, 16 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was hit often and hard in this 7-5 loss to the Brewers.

What It Means:  Nola's inconsistent season continued, and this was his worst start of the year.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in top of the second following another lead-off home run from Kyle Schwarber in he first, and a solo home run from J.T. Realmuto in the second.  Nola's troubles began in the bottom of the second when he allowed three Brewers runs.  He worked a quick third and fourth innings and then ran into serious trouble in the fifth, with a two-run home run from Carlos Santana followed quickly by an RBI double from Mark Canha chasing him from the game.  The Phillies would score three more times, highlighted by a Trea Turner solo home run in the sixth, but the deficit caused by Nola was too much to overcome.

Featured Card:  I just finished inputting all 705 cards within my 1992 Phillies binder into my collection over at TCDB.com, which included this card of Dale Sveum, who joined the team before the 1992 season.  This is one of 11 total Sveum cards in my collection, which ranks me 828th among all Sveum collectors at TCDB.com.  I don't see my Sveum ranking improving any time soon.

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

Game 122 - Phils Squander Big Lead in Big Loss to Nats

1992 Donruss #155

Nationals 8, Phillies 7
Game 122 - Friday Night, August 18th in Washington
Record - 66-56, 2nd Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  There was no repeat no-hitter for Michael Lorenzen as he was hit hard in this 8-7 loss to the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phillies still hold a two game lead over the Giants for the top Wild Card spot, but they need to win games like this.  They've now lost four of their last five.

What Happened:  All was well after the top of the fourth, as the Phillies held a 6-1 lead.  J.T. Realmuto and Jake Cave both had RBI double, Johan Rojas contributed an RBI single and Kyle Schwarber hit the first of his two home runs in this game, a two-run shot to center.  But then the wheels came off in the bottom of the fourth.  Rojas misplayed a ball to get the Nationals going, and then what followed gave them a 7-6 lead - single, single, walk, single, three-run home run from CJ Abrams.  With that, Lorenzen's night was over.  Schwarber hit a solo home run in the ninth, but it wasn't enough to overcome the costly fourth inning.

Featured Card:  It's hard to believe this is already the 19th season for the Nationals, following the franchise's move from Montreal.  Next up in my long-term project to enter my Phillies collection into TCDB.com is my 1992 Phillies binder.  Reliever Barry Jones joined the Phillies in 1992, and I have several of his Expos baseball cards from that year in that binder.  Between 1970 and 1991, and as cross-referenced and confirmed by the massive Excel schedule that keeps track of my collection, I have 6,254 baseball cards in my Phillies collection.  At the (slow) rate I'm going, I should have everything entered at TCDB.com by this time next year.

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

1992 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"

Description:  For the fourth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company sponsored the set for the second year in a row. 

In the spring of 1992, the new Phillies uniform were kept top secret and they didn't make their public debut until opening day.  The cards in this set feature portraits of all players, coaches and the manager in their new uniforms, and (in my opinion) this is one of the nicer team-issued photo card sets released by the Phillies.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1992 season.  The ten card update set was available for sale at some point beginning in late June or early July.  Pat Combs is the "newest" Phillie in the update set, having joined the team on June 18th.

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

1. Kyle Abbott (#47 - LHP) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Andy Ashby (#40 - RHP) 4. Wally Backman (#6 - INF) 5. Kim Batiste (#5 - INF) 6. Larry Bowa (#2 - CO) 7. Cliff Brantley (#51 - LHP) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#44 - OF)            9. Danny Cox (#34 - RHP) 10. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 11. Mariano Duncan (#7 - INF) 12. Lenny Dykstra (#4 - OF)

13. Jim Fregosi (#11 - MG) 14. Tommy Greene (#49 - RHP) 15. Dave Hollins (#15 - INF) 16. Barry Jones (#50 - RHP) 17. John Kruk (#29 - INF) 18. Steve Lake (#30 - C) 19. Jim Lindeman (#19 - OF) 20. Denis Menke (#14 - CO) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - INF) 22. Terry Mulholland (Close up photo - #45 - LHP)     23. Dale Murphy (#3 - OF) 24. Johnny Podres (#46 - CO)

25. Wally Ritchie (#39 - LHP) 26. Mel Roberts (#26 - CO) 27. Mike Ryan (#25 - CO) 28. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP)        29. Steve Searcy (#24 - LHP) 30. Dale Sveum (#8 - INF) 31. John Vukovich (#18 - CO) 32. Mitch Williams (#28 - LHP)     33. Phillie Phanatic 34. Phillies Team 35. Veterans Stadium 36. Uniforms Through the Years

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

1. Bob Ayrault (#55 - RHP) 2. Brad Brink (#23 - RHP) 3. Pat Combs (#21 - LHP)        4. Jeff Grotewold (#48 - C)

5. Mike Hartley (#42 - RHP) 6. Ricky Jordan (#17 - INF/OF)        7. Tom Marsh (#9 - OF)

8. Terry Mulholland (Shoulders visible - #45 - LHP) 9. Ben Rivera (#34 - RHP) 10. Don Robinson (#35 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Robinson

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (13):  Abbott, Amaro, Ayrault, Batiste, Brantley, Duncan, Grotewold, Hartley, Jones, Marsh, Rivera, Schilling, Sveum
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (21):  Ashby, Backman, Brink, Chamberlain, Combs, Cox, Daulton, Dykstra, Greene, Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, Lindeman, Morandini, Mulholland (two versions), Murphy, Ritchie, Searcy, Williams

Don Robinson's eight game stint with the Phillies to wrap up his 15-year career is commemorated with his sole Phillies baseball card in the update set.

Managers (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  Like everyone else in the set, the Phanatic is posed in a studio setting, wearing his new uniform.

Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (1):  Uniforms Through the Years
Other Cards (2):  Phillies Team, Veterans Stadium

The Uniform Through the Years card is perhaps one of the coolest cards ever produced by the Phillies for its team-issued photo card sets.  It was originally given out on Opening Day as a poster.  Veterans Stadium gets its first card since the 1984 Tastykake Phillies set.

Set Composition:  The 25 players in the base set represent the entire opening day roster, which is a fairly impressive feat.  The nine new players in the update set feature players who made their season debut with the team between mid-April (Grotewold) and mid-June (Combs).  For some reason, Mulholland receives another card in the update set, with a different posed photo than the original base set.  

Omissions:  Those who could have had cards in the update set but were omitted are Julio Peguero, Darrin Chapin and Steve Scarsone.  Peguero was called up on the second day of the season after Dykstra suffered a broken hand on opening day.  Chapin was on the active roster for six games in late April/early May, and Scarsone was on the active roster for 18 games in May into early June.

Variations/Rarities:  In the original post for this set, fellow collectors Rick and Steve helped me piece together a checklist of photo cards available at the annual ALS Autograph Party.  The checklist below features four players who were on the active roster, but had not appeared on officially released photo cards by the time of the annual fund raising event, held on August 10th.  Mike Williams received a card, and must have been at the event, although the team's transaction log shows him being optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 29th.  Only Greg Mathews was omitted here, which is odd, as the pitcher had been recalled from Triple-A on July 17th and stayed with the team for the remainder of the season.

Along with these five "update" cards for recently added players, 12 more cards were produced for either returning Phillies alumni or other, non-alumni former players.

ALS Autograph Party 1. Dick Allen 2. Jay Baller (#56 - RHP)           3. Steve Bedrosian 4. Dave Cash 5. Joe Coleman, Jr.

6. Joe Coleman, Sr. 7. Stan Javier (#22 - OF) 8. Sparky Lyle       9. Garry Maddox 10. Tug McGraw 11. Joe Millette (#27 - INF)

12. Dickie Noles 13. Todd Pratt (#23 - C) 14. Bobby Shantz 15. Joe Torre 16. Elmer Valo 17. Mike Williams (#41 - RHP)

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: April 7, 1992; Uniforms Through the Years

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick (@rickphils) and Steve F.

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 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.

1991 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1993 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

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

Game 134 - 1992 ALS Phillies Phestival Steve Bedrosian

Marlins 10, Phillies 3
Game 134 - Friday Night, September 3rd in Miami
Record - 69-65, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A nightmare sixth inning, in which the Marlins scored seven times, doomed the Phillies in this 10-3 loss.

What It Means:  The Braves and Reds both also lost, so no ground was gained by the Phillies in the hunt for a postseason spot.

What Happened:  The Phillies battled back to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth on an RBI double from Matt Vierling.  Vierling had delivered an RBI triple in the second and Freddy Galvis homered to start the game.  In nine games so far, Vierling is batting .529 (9 for 17) with two doubles and a triple.  Kyle Gibson suffered his first shaky outing with the Phillies, allowing eight runs on eight hits.  Reliever JD Hammer allowed all three inherited runners from Gibson to score, along with two more runs of his own.  Galvis added a crucial error in the sixth that prolonged the inning and contributed to the Marlins' run deluge.

Featured Card:  In the eighth inning, reliever Cam Bedrosian made his Phillies debut, pitching a perfect inning with one strikeout.  He and his father Steve joined two other father-son combinations to have played for the Phillies - Ruben Amaro and Ruben Amaro, Jr., along with Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter, Jr.  Bedrosian made his debut in 2014 and spent seven seasons with the Angels.  The Phillies are his third team of 2021, as he pitched earlier in the season with the Reds and Athletics.

Transactions:  Didi Gregorius (ss) and Travis Jankowski (of) returned from paternity leave.  Nick Maton (inf) and Jorge Bonifacio (of) went back to Lehigh Valley.

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

Game 28 - 2020 Bowman Heritage #12 Rhys Hoskins

Mets 8, Phillies 7
Game 28 - Sunday Night, May 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 13-15, 3rd Place, 1 game behind the Mets and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost in stunning fashion to the Mets as sloppy play, shoddy bullpen work and a shocking home run reversal led to the 8-7 loss.

What It Means:  I wish I was more optimistic about the Phillies, but after a game like this it's tough to find the positives.

What Happened:  Andrew McCutchen led off with a home run and Didi Gregorius launched a three-run home run in the sixth to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead.  A nightmarish eighth inning led to six Mets runs, and saw the Mets take a 8-4 lead.  Brandon Kintzler (three hits, including a home run), Jose Alvarado (one hit and two walks) and David Hale (bases-clearing double) were the bullpen culprits.  With the higher leverage relievers apparently unavailable, manager Joe Girardi was forced to use Hale who has now allowed six of his nine inherited runners to score.

In the bottom of the ninth, Gregorius walked and was tripled home by Roman Quinn.  Matt Joyce walked to put two runners on as Rhys Hoskins came to the plate as the tying run.  Hoskins appeared to have hit a dramatic, game-tying home run (and his 100th career home run to boot) but a replay review ruled the ball hit the top of the outfield fence for a ground-rule double.  After order was restored, Bryce Harper struck out swinging to end the chaos.

Featured Card:  Hoskins was understandably dismayed, but if not for lazy fielding on his part in the eighth, the Mets might not have had an extra run.  With one out, Jonathan Villar scored from first base on a bloop single that landed just behind Hoskins, who took his time getting the ball back to the infield.  Villar noticed that and scurried home with a run.

Field Report:  And we were there for this roller coaster of a game, although with school on Monday we opted to leave after the seventh inning.  This was a good decision, given the top of the eighth began with us walking to our cars and ended with us pulling into our driveway, 25 miles away.  As an early Mother's Day celebration, we splurged and enjoyed the game from Section 219 in the Hall of Fame Club.

Transaction:  Quinn (of) was activated from the injured list with Mickey Moniak (of) optioned back down.

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

Game 14 - 2020 Bowman Next #T6 Alec Bohm

Orioles 11, Phillies 4
Game 14 - Thursday Night, August 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 5-9, 5th Place, 4 games behind the Marlins

One Sentence Summary:  Alec Bohm made his highly anticipated debut, but the Phillies bullpen let another game get away in this 11-4 loss.

What It Means:  The Orioles easily swept the three-game series and the Mets come into town next for a three-game weekend series.

What Happened:  Former Phillies top pitching prospect Thomas Eshelman held the Phillies offense to two runs on four hits over five innings.  J.T. Realmuto hit two more home runs and Bryce Harper had two more hits as those two continue to carry the entire Phillies line-up.  Bohm doubled off Eshelman in his first big league at-bat.

1992 Phillies Team Issue - ALS Phestival

Connor Brogdon also made his big league debut, and was greeted with a three-run home from Pedro Severino on the first pitch he threw.  He gave up a second home run to Rio Ruiz in the ninth and infielder Neil Walker was called on to record the final two outs of the inning.  The Phillies bullpen owns a horrific 10.14 ERA through the first 14 games of the season.

Featured Card:  Bohm's arrival was big news, but the even bigger Phillies news was the announcement that Dick Allen's #15 would be retired by the club on September 3rd, the 53rd anniversary of his debut.  Allen will hopefully be inducted into the Hall of Fame this December, but the announcement reverses course on the Phillies prior policy of only retiring the numbers of Hall of Famers.  This is seen as opening up the possibility we could see retirements for #6 (Ryan Howard), #11 (Jimmy Rollins) and #26 (Chase Utley) all of which have been iced by the team and not assigned to anyone since those three legends left the club.

Transaction:  If nothing else, the Phillies have attempted to stay active with their transactions.  Bohm (3b) was recalled and Adam Haseley (of) was placed on the injured list with a wrist injury.  Edgar Garcia (rhp) became the latest to be designated for assignment as his 40-man roster spot was needed for Bohm.  Also, JD Hammer (rhp) was added to the 60-man Player Pool and reported to Lehigh Valley.  By my very unofficial tally, the Phillies have used 54 spots of their available 60 spots, and I'm not counting David Robertson (rhp) and Seranthony Dominguez (rhp) who are both on the 60-day injured list.

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

Grapefruit Game 2 - Phillie Phanatic Evolution

2020 Chachi Preview #10

2001 Nabisco Phillies

1992 Donruss Triple Play #133

2019 Topps Opening Day Mascots #M-21

Phillies 4, Pirates 3 (10 Innings)
Spring Training Game 2 - Sunday Afternoon, February 23rd in Clearwater
Record - 1-0-1

One Sentence Summary:  Jay Bruce's two-run double in the first paced the offense and Aaron Nola pitched two scoreless innings in his spring debut.

What It Means:  Everything stopped on Sunday afternoon as my family and I gathered around the TV and watched the first few innings of the game - the first of many games we'll watch together in 2020.

What Happened:  The Phillies enjoyed a four-run first inning and made the lead stand the rest of the game.  Jean Segura and Kyle Garlick accounted for the other two Phillies runs with RBI singles.  Nola allowed three hits and struck out a batter in his outing.

Featured Card:  It was exciting to watch the Phillies on TV again, but the big news for the club was the "evolution" of the team's mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, who debuted his new look.  For the record, I'm fine with this.  He looks strange for now, but our kids seemed to shrug off the changes and fans will get used to the new look over time.  There's a copyright lawsuit going on now between the Phillies and the original creators of the Phanatic (Harrison/Erickson) and the tweaks to the Phanatic's appearance are mostly, if not entirely, due to that.

The new look Phanatic has actual hands, some sort of scalloped wings on his arms and star shapes around his eyes.  His eyes are now surrounded by bushier blue fuzz.  He appears to be skinnier with a blue tail feather and he's wearing blue socks with red shoes.  His snout is also shorter.  Shown above are a few cards tracking the evolution of the best mascot in baseball over the years.

Camp Head Count:  70

Game 148 - 1992 Donruss Rookies #1 Kyle Abbott

Red Sox 6, Phillies 3
Game 148 - Sunday Afternoon, September 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 76-72, 4th place, 15 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies continued their slow walk towards the offseason with this lazy 6-3 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies currently trail the Cubs for the second Wild Card by 4 1/2 games with 14 games remaining.  They'll need to go 6-8 to finish the season with a winning record.  I'm thinking that payment I made to the Phillies for postseason tickets will either be refunded or applied toward my 2020 partial season ticket plan.  Either way, they got an interest free loan from me.

What Happened:  As Jim Salisbury bleakly Tweeted, the Phillies scored four runs in the two-game sweep at the hands of the Red Sox and they struck out 25 times.  Rhys Hoskins hit his 28th home run to tie the game at 1-1 in the second.  Cesar Hernandez and Jean Segura would later add RBI singles, but it wouldn't be enough.

Bryce Harper and Gabe Kapler were ejected in the fourth inning while Harper was complaining about a poor strike call from the home plate umpire.

Featured Card:  Jason Vargas has made nine starts for the Phillies and has won none of them.  As Jayson Stark Tweeted, the last Phillies pitcher with no wins in his first nine starts with the club was Kyle Abbott back in 1992.  Vargas threw away a double play ball in the first that eventually led to the Red Sox' first run and then he surrendered a grand slam to Christian Vazquez in the third.  We probably will need to endure two more Vargas starts this season.

Game 68 - 1992 Phillies Team Issue ALS Phillies Phestival Sparky Lyle

Diamondbacks 2, Phillies 0
Game 68 - Wednesday Night, June 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 38-30, 2nd place, 1 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A solid performance from Zach Eflin was wasted as the Phillies offense couldn't solve D-Backs starting pitcher Merrill Kelly in this 2-0 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies are now back in second place for the first time since April 25th.  After a Thursday off day, they'll head to Atlanta for a crucial three-game weekend series.

What Happened:  Eflin went eight innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out nine.  The offense managed three hits, two coming from Nick Williams who was starting in place of Bryce Harper.  Harper was not in the starting line-up for the first time this season.

Featured Card:  I spent Wednesday evening getting ready for the annual ALS Phillies Phestival, to be held on Thursday afternoon.  This is only the third year we've attended this event, which results in my now annual refrain to Jenna of, "I can't believe we didn't start going to this sooner."  It's a fantastic event, resulting in a great haul of autographs and most importantly raising money in the fight against ALS.

Since the Phestival began, 35 years ago, the Phillies have had a habit of producing special photo cards for players, alumni or guests in attendance who wouldn't otherwise have a photo card available.  Some of these cards have become my personal white whales, resulting in eBay saved searches for "Yorkis Perez Phillies" or even just "Phestival."

This Sparky Lyle card was made available at the 1992 event, and I'll be on the hunt for any new cards produced this year.  Candidates this year for an ALS Phillies Phestival exclusive card are:

• Jay Bruce
• Edgar Garcia
• JD Hammer
• Adam Haseley (currently on the IL)
• Ranger Suarez

Transactions:  Edubray Ramos returned from the Injured List, where he had been since mid-May.  Austin Davis took the shuttle back to Lehigh Valley.

Game 142 - 1992 ALS Phillies Phestival #45 Tug McGraw

Mets 6, Phillies 4
Game 142 - Sunday Afternoon, September 9th in Flushing
Record - 74-68, 2nd place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Failing to take advantage of Jacob deGrom being scratched from his start due to the rainy weather, the Phillies dropped this game 6-4 to the Mets.

What It Means:  The Phillies have not won a series since sweeping the Marlins at the beginning of August.  They've dropped nine consecutive series of three games or more.  As Larry Shenk Tweeted, the Phillies are now 15-17 against the (bad) Marlins and Mets this season while the Braves are 26-9 against those two teams.  That's going to end up being the difference between a postseason appearance and no October baseball.

What Happened:  Rhys Hoskins gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run (30) in the 1st.  The Phillies led until Michael Conforto hit a 3-run home run in the 5th off Vince Velasquez.  The offense couldn't recover.

Featured Card:  I'm cranky and it's still raining as I'm writing this.  Here's a card signed by Tug McGraw featuring a smiley face drawn by Tugger.

Ya gotta believe.  (Right?)

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #19 Jose Hernandez

#8
Jose Antonio Hernandez
Infield

An All-Star with the Brewers in 2002, Jose Hernandez ended his 15-year Major League playing career with 18 games for the contending 2006 Phillies.  Hernandez was one of a trio of veterans acquired in August along with Jamie Moyer and Jeff Conine to help the Phillies attempt a run on the N.L. Wild Card.  The team had purged the clubhouse of veteran leadership (and hefty salaries) in July with the departures of Bobby Abreu, Cory Lidle, David Bell, Sal Fasano, Rheal Cormier and Ryan Franklin.  With the youngsters now leading the way, suddenly the Phillies were in contention again.

12 of his 18 games with the Phillies saw him used as either a pinch-hitter or a pinch-runner, although he did receive four starts at third base and a start in right field.  His biggest hit with the club was a grand slam on September 18th off the Cubs' Sean Marshall in a game the Phillies would eventually lose 11-6.  Hernandez departed following the season, signing with the Pirates.  He'd spend the entire 2007 season playing for Triple-A Indianapolis before playing two final professional seasons in Mexico in 2008 and 2009.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  July 14, 1969, Rio Piedras, PR
Signed:  Signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent, January 13, 1987
Major League Teams:  Texas Rangers 1991; Cleveland Indians 1992; Chicago Cubs 1994-1999; Atlanta Braves 1999; Milwaukee Brewers 2000-2002; Colorado Rockies 2003; Chicago Cubs 2003; Pittsburgh Pirates 2003; Los Angeles Dodgers 2004; Cleveland Indians 2005; Pittsburgh Pirates 2006; Phillies 2006
Professional Affiliations:  Texas Rangers 1987-1991; Cleveland Indians 1992; Chicago Cubs 1994-1999; Atlanta Braves 1999; Milwaukee Brewers 2000-2002; Colorado Rockies 2003; Chicago Cubs 2003; Pittsburgh Pirates 2003; Los Angeles Dodgers 2004; Cleveland Indians 2005; Pittsburgh Pirates 2006; Phillies 2006; Pittsburgh Pirates 2007; Leones de Yucatan (Mexico) 2008-2009

Phillies Career
18 games, .250 (8 for 32) with a grand slam and 7 RBIs
Acquired:  August 22, 2006 - Purchased from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Debut:  August 24, 2006 - Pinch-hit for Brian Sanches in the 5th inning, remained in the game at shortstop and collected two hits in an eventual 11-2 loss to the Cubs.
Final Game:  October 1, 2006 - In the final game of the season in Miami, pinch-hit again for Sanches, striking out in the 8th against Renyel Pinto.
Departed:  October 31, 2006 - Granted free agency and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, January 15, 2007.

1 Hernandez Baseball Card in My Collection
2006 Upper Deck #763

Complete Chachi Checklist
2006 Chachi #55

1992 Topps #237

1998 Topps #234

2002 Topps Heritage #438

2006 Upper Deck #763

2006 Chachi #55

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1992 Donruss #530
First Topps Base Card:  1992 Topps #237
Last Mainstream Card:  2006 Upper Deck #763
Other Notable Cards:  1991 Classic/Best #94, 1994 Fleer Ultra #457, 1995 Donruss #466, 1998 Topps #234, 1999 Topps #90, 2000 Fleer Tradition #184, 2000 Topps #353, 2001 Topps #631, 2002 Topps Heritage #438, 2003 Topps #502, 2005 Topps Heritage #334

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock
11 Brian Powell
12 Paul Abbott
13 Todd Jones
14 A.J. Hinch
15 Ramon Martinez
16 Matt Kata
17 Aquilino Lopez
18 Adam Bernero
19 Jose Hernandez

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.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #13 Todd Jones

#55
Todd Barton Givin Jones
Relief Pitcher

On July 30, 2004, with the Phillies only 4 1/2 games behind the Braves in the N.L. East, two of their top relievers - Ryan Madson and Billy Wagner - were injured and on the disabled list.  To bolster the bullpen, Felix Rodriguez was acquired from the Giants and Todd Jones was acquired from the Reds.  Rodriguez would appear in 23 games for the Phils and end up in the Upper Deck update series.  Jones would appear in four more games (27) and have to wait until now to receive a Philles Missing Links virtual card.

An All-Star with the Tigers in 2000, Jones left the Phillies after that half-season to pitch four more seasons with the Marlins (2005) and again with the Tigers (2006-08).

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  200
Born:  April 24, 1968, Marietta, GA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Houston Astros in the 1st round of the amateur player draft, June 30, 1989.
Major League Teams:  Houston Astros 1993-1996; Detroit Tigers 1997-2001; Minnesota Twins 2001; Colorado Rockies 2002-2003; Boston Red Sox 2003; Cincinnati Reds 2004; Phillies 2004; Florida Marlins 2005; Detroit Tigers 2006-2008
Professional Affiliations:  Houston Astros 1989-1996; Detroit Tigers 1997-2001; Minnesota Twins 2001; Colorado Rockies 2002-2003; Boston Red Sox 2003; Cincinnati Reds 2004; Phillies 2004; Florida Marlins 2005; Detroit Tigers 2006-2008

Phillies Career
27 games in relief - 3-3, 4.97 ERA, 25 1/3 innings pitched, 8 walks, 22
Acquired:  Acquired with Brad Correll from the Cincinnati Reds for Josh Hancock and Anderson Machado, July 30, 2004.
Debut:  July 31, 2004 - Entered with two outs in the eighth in relief of Rheal Cormier and got Sammy Sosa to pop out to short to end the inning.  The Phillies would hang on to defeat the Cubs, 4-3.
Final Game:  October 2, 2004 - Pitched the final two, scoreless innings in a 4-3 loss to the Marlins at home.
Departed:  October 29, 2004 - Granted free agency and signed as a free agent with the Florida Marlins, December 14, 2004.

1992 Bowman #202

1994 Topps #97

2003 Topps Total #387

2009 Upper Deck #139

1 Jones Baseball Card in My Collection
2003 Topps Total #387

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1992 Bowman #202
First Topps Base Card:  1994 Topps #97
Last Mainstream Card:  2009 Upper Deck #139
Other Notable Cards:  1990 Star Osceola Astros #12, 1993 Upper Deck #423, 1997 Fleer #576, 2001 Topps Heritage #144, 2006 Topps Heritage #247

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock
11 Brian Powell
12 Paul Abbott
13 Todd Jones

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.

How Many MLB Ballparks Have You Visited?

The Phillies Room will be on auto-pilot for a short while due to a planned vacation and required routine maintenance.  A full report will be forthcoming upon our return, and I am especially looking forward to updating the list I've compiled below by adding two additional stops.  A recent comment from fellow collector Steve F. motivated me to put this list together.  I'm about to cross over the half-way point, but I still have a long ways to go to get to his list of 27.

In chronological order, here's the list of Major League ballparks I've visited.  How many have you visited?  Where should we head next?

Team - Ballpark (First Game Visited) 

1. Baltimore Orioles - Oriole Park at Camden Yards (5/23/1992) 
2. Colorado Rockies - Coors Field (5/29/2000) 
3. Pittsburgh Pirates - PNC Park (7/2001) 
4. Cleveland Indians - Progressive Field (8/2001) 
5. Chicago White Sox - Guaranteed Rate Field (9/17/2002) 
6. Kansas City Royals - Kauffman Stadium (9/26/2002) 
7. Chicago Cubs - Wrigley Field (9/28/2002) 
8. Detroit Tigers - Comerica Park (8/9/2003) 
9. Cincinnati Reds - Great American Ballpark (8/12/2003) 
10. Philadelphia Phillies - Citizens Bank Park (4/12/2004) 
11. Tampa Bay Rays - Tropicana Field (4/16/2006) 
12. Los Angeles Dodgers - Dodger Stadium (4/20/2011) 
13. Boston Red Sox - Fenway Park (8/16/2014) 
14. Washington Nationals - Nationals Park (8/24/2016) 
15. Atlanta Braves - SunTrust Park (5/17/2018)*
16. San Diego Padres - Petco Park (6/30/2018)
17. Arizona Diamondbacks - Chase Field (7/2/2018)

Crossed off the list, now inactive: 

1. Philadelphia Phillies - Veterans Stadium (7/15/1979) 
2. Atlanta Braves - Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (8/1/1995) 
3. St. Louis Cardinals - Busch Stadium I (9/27/2002) 
4. Montreal Expos - Olympic Stadium (9/25/2004) 
5. New York Yankees - Yankee Stadium I (8/14/2005) 
6. Washington Nationals - RFK Stadium (10/2/2005) 

*Game rained out, but I’m counting it since hot dog and beer were purchased and I waited through the 2 1/2 hour rain delay.

Game 24 - 1992 Fleer/ProCards #580 John Escobar

Diamondbacks 8, Phillies 2
Game 24 - Thursday Afternoon, April 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 15-9, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ben Lively was shellacked in his brief outing as the Diamondbacks easily won, 8-2.

What It Means:  The Diamondbacks are a good ballclub, and this series win gives them eight in a row to start the season, the most since the 1977 Dodgers.

What Happened:  Lively's ERA is now up to 6.85 after he allowed seven runs on seven hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings.  The offense went 2 for 13 with runners in scoring position and Aaron Altherr drove in both Phillies runs.

Featured Card:  I'm putting away a box-load of older Phillies minor league sets I recently acquired, and I came across this card recently.  Just like Lively's performance lately something seems to be a little off here.

John Escobar played in parts of six seasons in the Phillies minor league system, topping out at Double-A Reading in 1992 and 1993.

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s - #12 Paul Abbott

#40
Paul David Abbott
Starting Pitcher

At the start of the Phillies inaugural year playing in Citizens Bank Park, their starting pitching rotation consisted of Kevin Millwood, Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla, Eric Milton and Brett Myers.  Padilla was the first to land on the disabled list in late May followed by Wolf in early June.  Due to the thin pitching available from the Triple-A Red Barons, the Phillies signed Paul Abbott on June 7th and gave him his first start on June 13th.  He had released been released by the Devil Rays.  For a month and a half, Abbott kept his spot in the rotation but his services were no longer needed when Padilla returned from the DL on August 10th.  Abbott was outrighted to the Red Barons, getting five starts in Triple-A.  He was released following the season, ending his 11-year big league career.

He started 10 games for the Phillies, allowing two runs or more in every start except his first.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  185
Born:  September 15, 1967, Van Nuys, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 3rd round of the amateur player draft, June 3, 1985.
Major League Teams:  Minnesota Twins 1990-1992; Cleveland Indians 1993; Seattle Mariners 1998-2002; Kansas City Royals 2003; Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2004; Phillies 2004
Professional Affiliations:  Minnesota Twins 1985-1992; Cleveland Indians 1993; Kansas City Royals 1994; Chicago Cubs 1995; San Diego Padres 1996; Seattle Mariners 1997-2002; Arizona Diamondbacks 2003; Kansas City Royals 2003; Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2004; Phillies 2004

Phillies Career
10 games, all starts - 1-6, 6.24 ERA, 49 innings pitched, 31 walks, 21 strikeouts, 14 home runs
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, June 3, 2004.
Debut:  June 13, 2004 - Received a no decision in his first start, pitching five shutout innings and allowing just three hits.
Final Game:  August 7, 2004 - Earned a loss in his final start, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing four runs on five hits and nine walks.
Departed:  September 8, 2004 - Released.

1991 Donruss #639

1992 Topps #781

2000 Pacific Paramount #217

2004 Topps Total #669

1 Abbott Baseball Card in My Collection
2004 Topps Total #669

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1991 Donruss #639
First Topps Base Card:  1992 Topps #781
Last Mainstream Card:  2004 Topps Total #669
Other Notable Cards:  1986 ProCards Kenosha Twins #1, 1991 Topps Debut '90 #1, 2000 Pacific Paramount #217, 2002 Topps Total #490

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

Phillies Missing Links of the 2000s
1 Kirk Bullinger
2 Chris Pritchett
3 Bryan Ward
4 Mark Holzemer
5 Turner Ward
6 P.J. Forbes
7 Matt Walbeck
8 Kelly Stinnett
9 Valerio de los Santos
10 Josh Hancock
11 Brian Powell
12 Paul Abbott

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.