Game 104 - Photo Night Returns! (Part One)

2019 Chachi Photo Night #2

2019 Chachi Photo Night #16

2019 Chachi Photo Night #8

Braves 15, Phillies 7
Game 104 - Saturday Night, July 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 54-50, 3rd place, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves absolutely demolished the Phillies in this 15-7 loss.

What It Means:  This is one of the worst games Jenna and I have ever witnessed in person.  It only helped a little that both teams were wearing awesome throw-back uniforms, with the Phillies in their infamous, all-burgundy Saturday Night Special uniforms.  These uniforms were worn once and only once back in 1979.

What Happened:  Zach Eflin allowed 10 runs (six earned) in his 2 2/3 innings of work, with Jean Segura and Rhys Hoskins contributing to the drubbing with costly errors.  The offense showed some punch with 12 hits and both J.T. Realmuto (13) and Sean Rodriguez (3) hit home runs.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #3

2019 Chachi Photo Night #5

2019 Chachi Photo Night #10

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Photo night returned!  One of the games we look forward to every season is the annual Phillies Photo Night promotion.  The players and coaches walk along cordoned sections of the outfield - some fast and some slow - and pose for pictures with the fans.  With last year's event cancelled due to rain, it was nice to return to this now annual tradition.

Promptly at 5:40, Bryce Harper was the first player to emerge and he took a brisk walk around the ballpark, never getting more than 15 feet away from the sectioned off fans.  Maybe over the next 13 years, that will slowly change and he'll interact more with us.  After Harper's stroll and polite waves, the rest of the team made their way around the outfield.  We enjoyed talking with the broadcasters and coach Pedro Guerrero asked if he could try on Ben's sunglasses.  New Phillie Mike Morin was very nice and he was one of the last players, along with Pat Neshek, out on the field.  Neshek was great to talk to as well.

2019 Chachi Photo Night #1

2019 Chachi Photo Night #4

2019 Chachi Photo Night #6

2019 Chachi Photo Night #7

2019 Chachi Photo Night #9

Doug snuck autographs from Morin and Brad Miller, although technically that was against the Photo Night rules.  We missed seeing Rhys Hoskins and Sean Rodriguez as their handlers shuffled them off the field right before both arrived at our location.  We also missed getting photos with Jean Segura (walked right by us), Scott Kingery, Nick Williams, Aaron Nola and Nick Pivetta, as none of them made it over to our spot.  Any other players and coaches (including manager Gabe Kapler) not listed here or not featured on the cards I've created, we simply didn't see.  J.T. Realmuto and Zach Eflin were excused as they were getting ready for the game, and unless I'm mistaken I think Jake Arrieta skipped the event entirely.

After leaving the field, Doug stationed himself by the Phillies dugout and added autographs to his collection from coaches Dusty Wathan, Rob Thomson and Figueroa.  Adam Haseley also graciously signed for him again.  I'll have the rest of the Photo Night insert cards in a second post.

Memory Lane
1984 Photo Day - Hudson, Maddox and Lefebvre
2004 Photo Day - First at Citizens Bank Park
2006 Photo Day - with Rick White
2007 Photo Day - with Shane Victorino
2016 Photo Day - Parts One, Two and Three
2017 Photo Night - Parts One, Two and Three
2018 Photo Night - Cancelled due to rain
2019 Photo Night - Part One and Part Two

Trio of Kevins Joins Broadcast Booth

1994 Fleer #601

2001 Topps #172

2012 Choice International League All-Stars #19

During the Phillies Broadcaster Golden Age between 1977 and 1997, the core broadcasting team consisted of Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler.  There were some supporting players that came and went during that time, but the core four were the primary voices of the Phillies.  I miss listening to Harry and Whitey call a game, and no one will ever replace them (in my opinion).

In recent years, I've thoroughly enjoyed the radio broadcast tandem of Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen and those two have worked together since 2006.  My wife Jenna fully supports the nightly ritual of me muting the TV and turning up the radio so that we can listen to Franzke and L.A. call the game.  With Andersen announcing he'll no longer travel for road games in 2018, a replacement was needed to give Franzke a new partner.  The Phillies will fill Andersen's void with three former players - Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker - and I can't help but feel the broadcast booth is getting way too crowded at this point.

If you're keeping score at home, here's the Phillies broadcasters' line-up for the 2018 season that now includes 11 (!) voices.

Television
Play-by-play - Tom McCarthy
Color commentary - Ben Davis and John Kruk (although not always together)
Color commentary, home weekends - Mike Schmidt
Roving reporter/occasional fill-in for play-by-play - Gregg Murphy

Radio
Play-by-play - Scott Franzke
Play-by-play, middle innings - Jim Jackson
Color commentary, home games - Larry Andersen
Color commentary, road games - Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker

2017 Phillies Team Issue - Broadcasters

Comeback Falls Short; Photo Night Highlights! (Part One)

2017 Chachi Photo Night #22

Brewers 9, Phillies 8
Game 95 - Saturday Night, July 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 33-62, 5th place, 24 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Down 8-1 heading the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies mounted an improbable comeback but ultimately fell short in a 9-8 loss to the Brewers.

What It Means:  It was a fun few innings, but Hector Neris couldn't keep the Brewers off the board in the top of the ninth.

What Happened:  Cesar Hernandez (7) hit a three-run home run in the seventh, followed by a three-run home run from Cameron Rupp (7) in the eighth to tie it up.  Odubel Herrera went 4 for 4 with a solo home run (9) in the fifth, and an extremely impressive bat flip following a double in the second.

Jeremy Hellickson didn't improve his trade value with his shaky outing, allowing six runs on seven hits over five innings.

2017 Chachi Photo Night #3

2017 Chachi Photo Night #7

Featured Cards/Field Report:  This past December 4th, while walking around the Valley Forge baseball card show, I missed a call from Phillies broadcaster Larry Andersen.  Andersen left me a voice mail explaining I had won a prize in the early-bird season ticket holder sweepstakes (we have a partial plan), and I'd later find out that my prize was four Diamond Club tickets to a 2017 Phillies game.  My first choice for the game was the Pete Rose Wall of Fame night, but I was told no Diamond Club tickets remained for that entire weekend.  So I chose last night, Photo Night, as my second choice.

We had a blast on the field before the game getting pictures with the Phillies, and then we were lucky enough to be inside the Diamond Club when a brief tropical rainstorm passed over the area.  Similar to what I did last year (see below), I decided to make a Chachi insert set for the photos we took.  The Phillies were more than accommodating when posing for pictures and we only missed a few players.

Jenna and I felt that they were a little sped up this year due to the approaching bad weather and we missed pictures with Aaron Altherr, Ty Kelly, Cameron Perkins and Hoby Milner.  Those four players never made it to the area where we were standing.  Cesar Hernandez sped by too fast for a picture and Jeremy Hellickson understandably wasn't walking around as he was preparing for his start.

This is the first time I can remember the Phillies holding the event prior to a night game.  Both our boys have already asked if we can go back again for Photo Day/Night in 2018.

2017 Chachi Photo Night #1

2017 Chachi Photo Night #2

2017 Chachi Photo Night #4

2017 Chachi Photo Night #5

2017 Chachi Photo Night #6

2017 Chachi Photo Night #9

2017 Chachi Photo Night #10

2017 Chachi Photo Night #11

Memory Lane
1984 Phillies Photo Day
2006 Phillies Photo Day with Rick White
2007 Phillies Photo Day with Shane Victorino
2016 Phillies Photo Day - Parts One, Two and Three
2017 Phillies Photo Night

2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 - Phillies Broadcasters

Braves 12, Phillies 2
Game 158 - Wednesday Night, September 28th in Atlanta
Record - 70-88, 4th place, 22 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  In his final start of the season, Adam Morgan was hit hard and the Phillies dropped another laugher, 12-2.

What It Means:  Ryan Howard and A.J. Ellis called a players only meeting following this latest loss, discussing the need to finish strong over the final four games.

What Happened:  Morgan finished the 2016 season with a 2-11 record and a 6.04 ERA.  In five innings, he allowed nine runs on 10 hits.  Phil Klein entered the game in the sixth and by keeping the Braves off the scoreboard for that one inning, he became the first Phillies reliever in 11 appearances to not allow a run.

Featured Card:  This is as good a time as any for my annual show of appreciation towards the Phillies primary radio broadcasters - Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen.  I've mentioned before how my preferred method of enjoying a Phillies game is with the television muted and the radio broadcast synced up to the video.  Franzke and Andersen are a fantastic team and they've made the last few weeks of dreadful Phillies baseball almost bearable.

Franzke and L.A. are flanking former big leaguer Ben Davis on this year's broadcaster card found within the series two team-issued photo card set.

Want to revisit every game of the 2016 season?  My handy game summary index can be found here.

Fun at the @Phillies Photo Day! (Part One)

2016 Chachi Photo Day #35

2016 Chachi Photo Day #25

2016 Chachi Photo Day #21

Phillies 4, Mets 2
Game 92 - Saturday Night, July 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-49, 4th place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard homered and Maikel Franco drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh as the Phillies defeated the Mets, 4-2, on Photo Day.

What It Means:  Our family - siblings, kids, cousins, parents and friends - occupied 17 seats in Section 421 for this game and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in spite of the occasional rain shower.

What Happened:  Howard hit a solo shot (13) in the second inning and Franco broke a 2-2 tie with his hit.  Carlos Ruiz scored in the eighth on a wild pitch to add an insurance run.  Jared Eickhoff pitched six strong innings (two runs on five hits) and Jeanmar Gomez earned his 25th save.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  We made our way down to the field at around 5:10 to take our place in the outfield for the team's annual Photo Day.  After a six (or seven?) year absence from the event, it was great to be back and both our sons had an absolute blast.  The majority of the players were extremely gracious and most of the them took the time to small talk with our sons.  I was going to pick one or two of my favorite photos for a few custom cards, but then I thought . . . why not just make a whole set of cards?

So that's what I did.  Here's part one of the set, and I'll feature parts two and three in future posts.

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

2016 Chachi Photo Day #1

2016 Chachi Photo Day #2

2016 Chachi Photo Day #3

2016 Chachi Photo Day #4

2016 Chachi Photo Day #5

2016 Chachi Photo Day #6

2016 Chachi Photo Day #8

2016 Chachi Photo Day #10

2016 Chachi Photo Day #7

2016 Chachi Photo Day #9

Ben & Doug's Amazing Autograph Adventure at the @Phillies Game

Pre-game preparations

Eickhoff signing for Doug & Ben

Braves 7, Phillies 1
Game 42 - Friday Night, May 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 24-18, 2nd place, 2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Bad defense and a quiet offense led to an easy 7-1 win for the Braves over the Phillies.

What It Means:  The Phils were so close to first place and now, thanks in part to the red hot Nationals, they're still in second place, two games back.

What Happened:  The Braves hit three two-run home runs (two from Freddie Freeman) and Maikel Franco committed two big errors.  The offense managed six hits and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Aaron Nola pitched seven innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits.


Featured Cards/Field Report:  We decided to splurge last night and get four tickets in Section 115, five rows from the field, right behind first base and just off the corner of the Phillies dugout.  It was Bark in the Park night, so while 360 dogs paraded around the warning track, our boys Doug and Ben positioned themselves at the edge of the Phillies dugout with their new (more on that later) photo card sets and two Sharpies.

After about 25 minutes of waiting, the Phillies young players did not disappoint these two eager autograph seekers.  Jared Eickhoff was the first to acknowledge them, followed by Adam Morgan, Odubel Herrera, David Lough and Tommy Joseph.  Joseph was omitted from the second team-issued photo card set, so the boys had to get creative.  Doug had Joseph sign his hat (after receiving a "What's up, bro" from Joseph) and Ben had him sign his Phillie Phanatic card.


The boys capped their autograph seeking with a final autograph from Phillies broadcaster Gregg Murphy.  The game itself was lousy, but Jenna and both boys found themselves on Phanavision during one of the between innings breaks, which absolutely thrilled our youngest son Ben.  We got to see the Phanatic dance on the dugout and we wisely left the game right before Brett Oberholtzer served up Freeman's second home run.

It was a great night, and one I won't soon forget.  The players who signed for our boys gained lifelong fans, and what's best is that both our boys have already asked when we can all go back again.

Joseph signing Doug's hat

Recently added to The Phillies Room - 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

2014 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition

Number of Cards:  38
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  This is the fourth of four straight team issued sets featuring basically the same design elements.  The player's name, number and position are listed at the bottom of the card in a red and blue design with the Phillies script logo appearing in one of the top corners.  All photos used for this set were taken during 2014 regular season games.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The second series set was available for sale at the ballpark beginning in mid-August.  I purchased my set at the start of the Phillies-Mariners series on August 18th.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Ben Revere 3 - Marlon Byrd 5 - Steve Henderson CO 6 - Ryan Howard 8 - Juan Samuel CO 9 - Domonic Brown 10 - Larry Bowa CO 11 - Jimmy Rollins 12 - John Mizerock CO 15 - John Mayberry, Jr. 16 - Cesar Hernandez 17 - Reid Brignac 18 - Darin Ruf 19 - Tony Gwynn, Jr. 21 - Wil Nieves 22 - Bob McClure CO 23 - Ryne Sandberg MG 25 - Cody Asche 26 - Chase Utley

27 - Roberto Hernandez 30 - Justin De Fratus 33 - Cliff Lee 34 - A.J. Burnett 35 - Cole Hamels 37 - Mike Adams 38 - Kyle Kendrick 43 - Mario Hollands 45 - Pete Mackanin CO 51 - Carlos Ruiz 52 - Jeff Manship 53 - Ken Giles 54 - Rod Nichols CO 55 - David Buchanan 58 - Jonathan Papelbon 59 - Antonio Bastardo 63 - Jake Diekman Phillie Phanatic Phillies Broadcasters

One and Done (1):  Manship
First Appearances (4):  Brignac, Buchanan, Giles, Hollands
Returning Players (23):  Adams, Asche, Bastardo, Brown, Burnett, Byrd, De Fratus, Diekman, Gwynn Jr., Hamels, C. Hernandez, R. Hernandez, Howard, Kendrick, Lee, Mayberry Jr., Nieves, Papelbon, Revere, Rollins, Ruf, Ruiz, Utley

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Sandberg
Coaches (7):  Bowa, Henderson, Mackanin, McClure, Mizerock, Nichols, Samuel
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (1):  Mike Schmidt returns to the team issued set on the broadcasters card, which also features Gregg Murphy, Scott Franzke, Tom McCarthy, Larry Andersen, Matt Stairs, Jim Jackson and Jamie Moyer.
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  I'm not aware of any variations or rarities available with this set, but that doesn't mean there weren't any.  If cards are to made for the likes of Jerome Williams, Grady Sizemore or Aaron Harang prior to the start of the 2015 season, they'll most likely be produced using the design of this set.

Update (December 2016) - An Aaron Harang card has emerged, showing the pitcher in a portrait shot and with a Citizens Bank Park logo on the back.

• 34 - Aaron Harang

Cards with the Citizens Bank Park logo-backs also exist for Brown, Buchanan, De Fratus and Revere.  Giles and Utley versions with the Citizens Bank Park logo-backs emerged in December 2019 from the annual Phillies holiday sale.

Trivia:  I'm still bummed that Sizemore was omitted from this set.
Resources:  This set hasn't made it yet onto any of the mainstream online checklists/databases.