Toronto Blue Jays at Philadelphia Phillies: Alumni Weekend

2006 Topps #401

2006 Topps #359

Friday, August 7th - 6:40
Saturday, August 8th - 6:05
Sunday, August 9th - 1:35

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
This continues to be one of the best weekends of the year at the ballpark.  Chase Utley will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame tonight, tomorrow night is Alumni Saturday and Sunday is the annual Alumni Day, with more than 60 former Phillies expected to be in attendance.  Additionally, "phantom" Phillies Tim Granville, Tim Lahey, Jeff Singer and Will Toffey will take the field and throw out ceremonial first pitches before Sunday's game.

Toronto Blue Jays 54-62
5th Place in the A.L. East, 15 games behind the Rays

Blue Jays Probables
Jose Soriano (9-6, 3.29)
Max Scherzer (1-4, 7.92)
Shane Bieber (3-2, 5.11)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Ernie Clement - .287
Runs:  Kazuma Okamoto - 60
Home Runs:  Kazuma Okamoto - 24
RBIs:  Kazuma Okamoto - 70
Stolen Bases:  Andres Gimenez - 15

Wins:  Dylan Cease - 7
ERA:  Dylan Cease - 2.28

Strikeouts:  Dylan Cease - 184
Saves:  Louis Varland - 24

Philadelphia Phillies 62-54
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 8 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (10-2, 2.49)
Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.55)
Jesus Luzardo (10-5, 3.36)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .280
Runs:  Trea Turner - 78
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 33
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 68
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 20

Wins:  Cristopher Sanchez - 15
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.65

Strikeouts:  Cristopher Sanchez - 174
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 25

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

Toronto Blue Jays at Philadelphia Phillies - Jays in Town for Weekend

2005 Topps #19

2005 Topps Retired Signature #78

Friday, June 13th - 6:45
Saturday, June 14th - 4:05
Sunday, June 15th - 1:35

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
On Saturday, all kids will receive a cool Kyle Schwarber "Card Show" bobble head, featuring a combination baseball card/bobble design.  On Sunday, men 15 and over will receive a pair of Phillies board shorts.

Toronto Blue Jays 38-30
2nd Place in the A.L. East,  4 games behind the Yankees

Blue Jays Probables
Kevin Gausman (5-4, 3.87)
Bowden Francis (2-8, 6.12)
Jose Berrios (2-2, 3.38)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Alejandro Kirk - .325
Runs:  Vladimir Guerrero - 41
Home Runs:  George Springer - 10
RBIs:  Bo Bichette - 40
Stolen Bases:  Andres Gimenez - 9

Wins:  Chris Bassitt - 7
ERA:  Jose Berrios - 3.38

Strikeouts:  Chris Bassitt - 78
Saves:  Jeff Hoffman - 17

Philadelphia Phillies 39-29
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (4-1, 2.70)
Cristopher Sanchez (5-2, 3.10)
Zack Wheeler (6-2, 2.85)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .303
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 48
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 21
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 47
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 19

Wins:  Jesus Luzardo and Zack Wheeler - 6
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.85
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 101
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 8

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

2009 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  41
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The Phillies went with black borders for the first time ever.  The cards have a very basic design featuring the team logo and the player's number, name and position in a digital font.  Other than the 2008 World Champions card, which is my all-time favorite card from a team-issued set, there's no indication the Phillies had won the World Championship in 2008 on the cards themselves.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 37-card set was available at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of the season.  Following the signing of Pedro Martinez on July 15th and the acquisition of Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco on July 29th, cards of Martinez, Lee and Francisco, along with back-up catcher Paul Bako, were inserted into the set.  With the addition of these four cards to the updated set, five cards available from the original set were removed - the 2008 World Champions card, along with the cards for Chris Coste, Tim Gradoville, Geoff Jenkins and Ronny Paulino.  Jenkins and Paulino had been released prior to the start of the season and Coste was claimed off waivers by the Astros on July 10th.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position): 

1. 2008 World Champions 2. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - Bullpen Coach) 3. Joe Blanton (#56 - RHP) 4. Eric Bruntlett (#4 - INF/OF) 5. Clay Condrey (#55 - RHP) 6. Chris Coste (#27 - C) 7. Greg Dobbs (#19 - INF/OF) 8. Rich Dubee (#30 - Pitching Coach) 9. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP) 10. Scott Eyre (#47 - LHP) 11. Pedro Feliz (#7 - 3B) 12. Tim Gradoville (#60 - Bullpen Catcher)         13. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP)

14. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP) 15. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B) 16. Raul Ibanez (#29 - LF) 17. Geoff Jenkins (#10 - OF) 18. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 19. Davey Lopes (#15 - First Base Coach) 20. Pete Mackanin (#45 - Bench Coach) 21. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 22. Charlie Manuel (#41 - Manager)         23. Jamie Moyer (#50 - LHP) 24. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP) 25. Chan Ho Park (#61 - RHP)

26. Ronny Paulino (#23 - C) 27. Sam Perlozzo (#2 - Third Base Coach) 28. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 29. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP) 30. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 31. Matt Stairs (#12 - OF) 32. Milt Thompson (#25 - Hitting Coach)         33. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 34. Shane Victorino (#8 - CF) 35. Jayson Werth (#28 - RF) 36. Phillie Phanatic 37. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position):

1. Paul Bako (#23 - C) 2. Ben Francisco (#10 - OF)

3. Cliff Lee (#34 - LHP) 4. Pedro Martinez (#45 - RHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Bako

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (8):  Eyre, Francisco, Ibanez, Lee, Martinez, Park, Paulino, Stairs
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (21):  Blanton, Bruntlett, Condrey, Coste, Dobbs, Durbin, Feliz, Hamels, Happ, Howard, Jenkins, Lidge, Madson, Moyer, Myers, Rollins, Romero, Ruiz, Utley, Victorino, Werth

Paul Bako wrapped up his 12-year career playing 44 games with the Phillies in 2009.  His card in this set is his sole Phillies baseball card.  Paulino was traded on March 27th to the Giants for Jack Taschner, and never appeared in a game for the Phillies.  He has a second Phillies card in the 2009 Topps Heritage set.

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Gradoville, Lopes, Mackanin, Perlozzo, Thompson

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown atop the dugout is his alternate day-game uniform.

Broadcasters (1):  Harry Kalas, who passed away on April 13, 2009, is joined on this card by Tom McCarthey, Gary Matthews, Chris Wheeler, Larry Andersen and Scott Franzke.
Commemorative Cards (1):  2008 World Champions

The 2008 World Champions card (see below) features manager Charlie Manuel along with the team's main stars (minus Pat Burrell who had departed during the offseason) decked out in tuxedos with red bow ties flanking the World Series trophy.

Set Composition:  The Phillies created the first 37-card checklist a few days before the start of the regular season, accounting for the cards in the set for Paulino and Jenkins.  Miguel Cairo and Taschner, both on the opening day roster, got left out of the original set and the update set.  J.C. Romero started the season on the Restricted List, but he's in the set as well.

Omissions:  The Phillies could have included a few more update cards, in addition to the four players who were added late in the season to the set.  Cairo and Taschner would have been in the set had the Phillies waited until early April to create the checklist.  Kyle Kendrick, John Mayberry, Jr., Sergio Escalona and Tyler Walker all spent sufficient enough time on the roster to merit cards as well.  Escalona spent quite a bit of time going back and forth between Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley, as the lefty pitcher was with the team in six different stints.

Variations/Rarities:  I'm going to separate the known rarities into two different groups - non-set cards and cards with a 2009 National League Champions logo on the back.  14,000 Phillies featured a post many years ago containing a Jayson Werth card I had never seen before, and I've never seen since.  The card was distributed to kids participating in the team's annual Home Run Derby competition and contains a purple facsimile autograph and the Home Run Derby logo. The card uses a different photo than Werth's regular team issued card.

As pointed out in a comment from Steve F. in an earlier post, a card was issued for Placido Polanco in the style of the 2009 team-issued set.  Polanco was signed as a free agent on December 3rd.  Finally, fellow collector and invaluable resource Rick added a comment to this set's original post with a number of other rarities available - clipped and shown below.  Roy Halladay received his first Phillies baseball card in the style of this set, as the future Hall of Famer had signed with the Phillies on December 16, 2009.

Other than the Halladay card, which is an original, the cards featuring the 2009 National League Champions logo on the back use the same photos as the cards found in the set sold at the ballpark.

Non-Set Cards 1. Kyle Drabek (#4 - Reading Phillies) 2. Lou Marson (#3 - C) 3. Placido Polanco (#27 - blank back) 4. Brian Schneider (#23 - blank back) 5. Michael Taylor (#40 - Reading Phillies)         6. Jayson Werth (#28 - Home Run Derby)

National League Champions 1. Chad Durbin (#37 - RHP) 2. Roy Halladay (#34 - RHP) 3. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 4. J.A. Happ (#43 - LHP) 5. Brad Lidge (#54 - RHP) 6. Ryan Madson (#46 - RHP) 7. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)

Also See:  Here's my original post from August 31, 2009, covering the discovery of the updated team issued set.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

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

2008 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2010 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards - 1st Edition

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

Orioles at Phillies: July 24th to July 26th

1965 Topps #15

2014 Topps Heritage #208

Monday and Tuesday 6:40, Wednesday 6:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies are hosting a Christmas in July theme night on Tuesday night.  On Wednesday, along with the annual German Heritage Celebration, all kids 14 and under receive a MLB Network hat.

Orioles 61-38
1st Place in the A.L. East, 2 games ahead of the Rays

Orioles Probables
Dean Kremer (10-4, 4.80)
Kyle Gibson (9-6, 4.76)
Kyle Bradish (6-5, 3.05)

Orioles Leaders
Average:  Austin Hays - .296
Runs:  Gunnar Henderson - 53
Home Runs:  Anthony Santander - 17
RBIs:  Anthony Santander - 55
Stolen Bases:  Jorge Mateo - 23

Wins:  Dean Kremer - 10
ERA:  Tyler Wells - 3.65
Strikeouts:  Tyler Wells - 110
Saves:  Felix Bautista - 28

Phillies 53-46
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 11 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (0-3, 3.06)
Taijuan Walker (11-4, 4.11)
Ranger Suarez (2-5, 4.07)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryson Stott - .304
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 57
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 26
RBIs:  Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber - 61
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 21

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 11
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.88

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 134
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 16

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

Blue Jays at Phillies: September 20th to September 21st

2000 Topps #186

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #24

Tuesday and Wednesday 6:45
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  These two games are #CollegeSeries theme nights, sponsored by Temple University's Fox School of Business

Blue Jays 83-64
2nd Place in the A.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Yankees

Blue Jays Probables
Ross Stripling (8-4, 2.94)
Kevin Gausman (12-10, 3.45)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Alejandro Kirk - .295
Runs:  Bo Bichette - 84
Home Runs:  Vladimir Guerrero - 29
RBIs:  Bo Bichette - 89
Stolen Bases:  George Springer - 13

Wins:  Alex Manoah - 14
ERA:  Alex Manoah - 2.40
Strikeouts:  Kevin Gausman - 186
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 34

Phillies 80-66
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 12 1/2 games behind the Mets 

Phillies Probables
Kyle Gibson (10-6, 4.45)
Zack Wheeler (11-7, 3.07)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Alec Bohm - .289
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 87
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 39
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 81
Stolen Bases:  J.T. Realmuto - 17

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 11
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.38

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 210
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 12

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

Game 159 - 2011 Chachi #69 NLDS Game 5

Braves 5, Phillies 3
Game 159 - Thursday Night, September 30th in Atlanta
Record - 81-78, 2nd Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell somewhat quietly yet again, getting swept by the Braves and being eliminated from postseason contention, prolonging their playoff drought to 10 years.

What It Means:  Phillies fans, myself included, are wiped out.  I can't say for sure how much of this upcoming Marlins series I'll even watch.  There's so much work that needs to be done this offseason to make this team into more of a contender, and ten years of false starts and dashed hopes is way too long for a team that seemingly has money to spend.  I'm going to miss watching Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, Ranger Suarez, Zack Wheeler, Hector Neris and Matt Vierling play, but I need a break from the rest of them.

What Happened:  The Braves held a seemingly insurmountable lead after six innings, having scored five runs off Phillies starter Kyle Gibson, making his last start of the season.  Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run home run in the seventh and J.T. Realmuto hit a meaningless solo home run in the eighth.  Harper, who carried this team for almost all of the season, went 0 for 11 in the series with five strikeouts.

Featured Card:  In a few short days, we'll hit the 10-year anniversary of the last time the Phillies played a postseason game.  It was a painful loss in Game 5 of the NLDS on October 7, 2011, as Chris Carpenter out dueled Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard had to be helped off the field after rupturing his Achilles while running to first base for the game's final out.

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

Game 136 - 2012 Topps Heritage #7 N.L. Pitching Leaders

Phillies 4, Marlins 3 (10 Innings)
Game 136 - Sunday Afternoon, September 5th in Miami
Record - 70-66, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies escaped Miami with a win, needing 10 innings and a clutch performance by the entire bullpen in the process.

What It Means:  The first place Brewers are up next with a three-game set in Milwaukee.  The Brewers hold a comfortable lead in the N.L. Central and are coming off a two-game winning streak.

What Happened:  This was a bullpen game as designed by manager Joe Girardi, and Sam Coonrod served as the opener.  Coonrod and Bailey Falter each allowed a run and a hit and the Marlins were held scoreless until a costly Brad Miller error in the sixth led to an unearned run, tying the score at 3-3.  The Phillies scored their first three runs via a solo home run from Bryce Harper in the fourth (his 27th) followed shortly by a two-run home run from Freddy Galvis.

In the 10th, and with two outs, Odubel Herrera singled home ghost-runner Galvis with the ultimate winning run.

Featured Card:  Ian Kennedy picked up the win with two scoreless (and perfect) innings that included four strikeouts.  His recent baseball card appearances are somewhat rare, although he did appear in the first series Topps flagship release from earlier this year.  The first cards of his in my Phillies collection came way back in 2012 when he shared a few League Leaders cards with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the 2012 Topps and 2012 Topps Heritage sets.

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

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

Dispatches from the Quarantine

2014 Topps Heritage #208

How is everyone doing?

Our family has reluctantly settled into our new routine, staying home and only venturing outside for exercise or a very quick trip to the grocery store.  With everything going on, I consider ourselves extremely lucky as we're all healthy and keeping relatively busy throughout the week.  My wife is a fourth grade teacher and she's essentially running three classrooms throughout the day - her own (virtually), and then assisting with our two boys' homework whenever one of them has questions.  I'm fortunate enough to have a job that can be done just as effectively most of the time from home.  While this is typically my busiest time of the year at work, it's been somewhat slower as the regular pace of my day-to-day job has changed.  I'm on calls or in online meetings for most of the day, and I'm trying to establish healthy barriers between work life and home life.

I miss baseball.  I never took for granted the daily cadence and the mundane regularity of the baseball schedule, as it has been a daily part of my life for the past 40 years between April and October.  I published my first posts on March 30, 2009, and for the past 11 years this blog has served as a daily outlet for me and I miss that routine.  I toyed with the idea of daily posts reliving the 1985 Phillies season through my meticulously kept 1985 Phillies scrapbook, but then two thoughts struck me about this potential project.  First, it was a project that would hopefully not be completed and I don't like not completing things.  I could post the boxscores and write about daily Phillies games from 1985 through April and probably most of May, but then it would halt abruptly when the 2020 season got underway.  Second, what if I did complete this project?  I truly believe baseball will return this season, but what if it doesn't?  Do I want to lock myself into a project where I'm reliving a season 35 years ago, between now and October?  Not really.  So this blog will go somewhat dormant with the occasional post until baseball comes back.  If nothing else, the postponement of the 2020 season has allowed me to focus daily on my other two blogs celebrating the cards from the 1956 and 1965 Topps sets.  I have posts for those blogs scheduled and ready to go through May.

2015 Topps Archives #244

I'm hopeful, trying to stay positive and more and more frequently avoiding the news.  I hope you're doing well too.  Stay healthy, take care of your family and friends and go wash your hands.

* * *

I originally sat down to write this post solely to thank Section 36 for the package that arrived in the mail last week.  The package was dominated by Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels cards, which is somewhat prescient given our family's viewing choices the past few days.  We re-watched the Roy Halladay perfect game on Thursday (what would have been the 2020 Opening Day) and we re-watched Cole Hamels' no-hitter from 2015 on Saturday.  Typically, I would have received Phillies cards from 2010 with this annual shipment, but I'm told there was a tragic accident in the basement of Section 36 headquarters involving water.  Still, it was great to get new baseball cards in the mail, and I'll gladly take what I can get these days.  Thanks Section 36!

Series Preview - Marlins at Phillies: September 27th to September 29th

2019 Chachi Fan Favorites #20

2012 Topps Archives #51

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05 and Sunday 3:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Marlins 56-103, 5th place in the N.L. East, 41 games behind the Braves
Phillies 79-80, 4th place in the N.L. East, 18 games behind the Braves

Marlins Probables:  Vince Velasquez (7-8, 4.76), Zach Eflin (9-13, 4.16), TBA
Phillies Probables:  Pablo Lopez (5-8, 4.96), Caleb Smith (10-10, 4.31), Sandy Alcantara (5-14, 3.95)

At the Ballpark:  Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day with all fans receiving a 2020 schedule Fathead and a few months of rest.

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Miguel Rojas - .279
Runs:  Starlin Castro - 66
Home Runs:  Starlin Castro - 21
RBIs:  Starlin Castro - 83
Stolen Bases:  Jon Berti - 16

Wins:  Caleb Smith - 10
ERA:  Sandy Alcantara - 3.95
Strikeouts:  Caleb Smith - 167
Saves:  Sergio Romo - 17

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .280
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 96
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 34
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 109
Stolen Bases:  Scott Kingery - 15

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 12
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.87

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 229
Saves:  Hector Neris - 28

Game 100 - Halladay Enters Hall of Fame; Hoskins Homers in 11th

2009 Phillies Team Issue
Special Edition #34

Phillies 2, Pirates 1 (11)
Game 100 - Sunday Afternoon, July 21st in Pittsburgh
Record - 52-48, 3rd place, 7 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Drew Smyly kept the Phillies in the game and Rhys Hoskins hit an 11th inning solo home run to send the Phillies to a 2-1 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies fly to Detroit for a Monday off-day before opening a quick two-game series on Tuesday night against the Tigers.

What Happened:  In his Phillies debut, Smyly allowed four hits and a run while striking out eight in his six-inning outing.  The bullpen held the Pirates in check with Ranger Suarez pitching the final two scoreless innings.  The offense was quiet, save for an RBI-single from Cesar Hernandez in the fourth and Hoskins' clutch homer (21) in the 11th.

Featured Card:  Normally Hoskins would get the card here, but I wanted to pay tribute again to Roy Halladay for his Hall of Fame induction.  His wife Brandy delivered his induction speech and Halladay shared the day with new fellow Hall of Famers Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Lee Smith, Mariano Rivera and Harold Baines.  Doc's new Hall of Fame plaque can be viewed here.

2017 Topps Heritage #589

Transactions:  Smyly officially joined the team on Sunday morning and Fernando Salas was designated for assignment (again) to free up a spot on the roster for him.  Smyly has appeared on a decent amount of baseball cards since 2012, with appearances in most major Topps releases.

Arrived During the 2019 Season

• Jay Bruce - of (6/2/19) - Acquired from the Seattle Mariners with cash considerations for Jake Scheiner.
• Brad Miller - inf (6/13/19) - Purchased from the New York Yankees.
• Fernando Salas - rhp (6/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.
• Mike Morin - rhp (7/20/19) - Acquired from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations.
• Drew Smyly - lhp (7/21/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Departed During the 2019 Season

• Aaron Altherr - of (5/12/19) - Selected off waivers by the San Francisco Giants.

Roy Halladay Elected to Hall of Fame

2018 Topps Salute #TS-34

For the second year in a row, a former player with major Phillies connections was voted into baseball's Hall of Fame.  Roy Halladay, who pitched for the Phillies for four seasons between 2010 and 2013, joined Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera as the latest inductees on January 21st.  We lost Halladay back in November 2017, and his wife announced last week that his hat on his plaque will be logoless.  Her preference is that Halladay be remembered as a Major League baseball player, instead of specifically as a former Blue Jay or a former Phillie.

Harold Baines and Lee Smith were voted in by the Today's Game Era Committee back in December.  I've never liked the somewhat contentious debate that surrounds each years' class of inductees, and I'm not about to revisit the merits of the players enshrined (or yet to be enshrined) here.  But it sure seems to me that if Baines can get in, it's about time for Dick Allen to take his place in Cooperstown as well.  But I digress.

With each year's announcement, I like to check my Phillies baseball card collection to see if any of these new Hall of Famers show up.  Halladay of course is well represented, and as of this writing I have 192 cards of his in my collection.

And then that's it.  Unlike in prior years, in which inductees make cameo appearance on Phillies cards or share a multi-player card with a Phillies player, I don't have any cards in my collection featuring Baines, Martinez, Mussina, Rivera or Smith.

Memory Lane
2012 Inductees - Larkin and Santo
2013 Inductees - O'Day, Ruppert and White
2014 Inductees - Cox, Glavine, LaRussa, Maddux, Thomas and Torre
2015 Inductees - Biggio, Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz
2016 Inductees - Griffey and Piazza
2017 Inductees - Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez, Selig and Schuerholz
2018 Inductees - Guerrero, Hoffman, Jones, Morris, Thome and Trammell
2019 Inductees - Baines, Halladay, Martinez, Mussina, Rivera and Smith

Game 110 - Doug's Big Night of Autographs, The Sequel

Phillies 8, Marlins 3
Game 110 - Saturday Night, August 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 62-48, 1st place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Another Post-Vacation Catch-Up, Part 1 of 7

One Sentence Summary:  Four home runs backed another impressive outing from Zach Eflin as the Phils downed the Fish, 8-3.

What It Means:  The win extended the Phillies' lead in the division to a game and a half over the Braves.

What Happened:  Nick Williams (15), Asdrubal Cabrera (19 overall, 1 with the Phillies), Carlos Santana (17) and Cesar Hernandez (9) all homered.  Eflin went eight strong innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  We were fortunate enough to be able to take two separate vacations this summer and before leaving for vacation #2, Doug and I decided to attend the Phillies Wall of Fame ceremony for the late Roy Halladay and former General Manager Pat Gillick.  We really wanted to witness the ceremony (which was fantastic, as expected) but Doug also wanted to try to get some alumni autographs in the Hall of Fame Club.

It seemed much more crowded than last year (see link below) and Doug wasn't able to wiggle his way to the front of the roped off area outside the suite where the alumni were gathering . . . or so we thought they were gathering.  He just missed getting a Pat Gillick signature and managed autographs from Dickie Noles and Pete Mackanin before frustration and some boredom set in.

That's when I noticed that the players were leaving the suite by another door, mostly unnoticed, and heading down to a different suite.  With most autograph hunters positioned by the first door, the casual fans walking through the Hall of Fame Club didn't notice the alumni leaving by the second door.  But I did.

We stationed ourselves there and Doug was able to top his record from last year by gathering 20 autographs.  Players such as Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, Pedro Feliz and Eric Bruntlett stood casually in the open while Doug asked them politely for an autograph.  Once other fans saw someone signing something, a slightly bigger crowd gathered.  Some of the returning players and coaches were happy to sign for Doug as long as he walked quickly with them to the second suite down the hall.  Brett Myers, Geoff Jenkins and Jamie Moyer were too quick for me to get pictures, but I managed to get a photo of Moyer from the back, featuring his glorious ponytail.

When the evening was through, Doug had collected autographs from most of the returning alumni, and I've included a legend above of his signed Wall of Fame print for our future reference.  (We're in the process of getting this framed.)  Some of the players/coaches lingered around long enough that he was able to get a second autograph to be included in my collection.  Eyre, Feliz, Rich Dubee and Milt Thompson signed photo cards for Doug along with his Wall of Fame print.  The prize of his collection was Pat Burrell.  Burrell personalized his Wall of Fame print from 2015 and he actually chatted a little with Doug before disappearing.  I don't know if Burrell signed for anyone else.

It was another memorable night, and we'll be back for more next year!  Of course I needed to make a very limited edition insert set to mark the occasion, and those cards are featured here.


Memory Lane - Past Induction Ceremonies/Alumni Weekends

2009 - Harry Kalas

2010 - Darren Daulton

2011 - John Kruk

2012 - Mike Lieberthal

2013 - Curt Schilling

2014 - Charlie Manuel
2015 - Pat Burrell
2016 - Jim Thome
2017 - Tribute to Jim Bunning, Dallas Green and Darren Daulton
2018 - Roy Halladay and Pat Gillick