Spring Training Game 11 - Phils Can't Find Runs in Florida

Philadelphia Phillies	1
Tampa Bay Rays	3

2025 Topps Heritage #632

Spring Training Game 11

Tuesday Afternoon, March 3rd

Charlotte Sports Park - Port Charlotte, FL

Record - 3-7-1

One Sentence Summary:  A pair of errors downed the Phillies in this 3-1 loss to the Rays.

What It Means:  I know these spring training records and statistics don't mean anything, but it would be nice to be winning more games than the Phillies are losing.

What Happened:  The Rays scored an unearned run in the first following an error by right fielder Brandon Marsh.  They would score an earned run in the second when Taylor Walls singled off Phillies' reliever Jack Dallas to score Ryan Vilade.  A third run, again unearned, followed in the third inning on a wild pitch by Lou Trivino and throwing error by catcher Rafael Marchan.  The offense plated one lone run in the fifth when Aroon Escobar reached on a ground rule double and scored on an RBI-single from Jose Rodriguez.

Featured Card:  Johan Rojas didn't play in this game, but there were reports the back-up outfielder is about to be suspended for 80 games for PED use.  Rojas was sent home by the Dominican Republic team competing in the World Baseball Classic.

Camp Head Count:  69

2025 Chachi #14 Johan Rojas

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Opening Day 2025 Age:  24

Born:  August 14, 2000, San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Acquired:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent, January 18, 2018

Contract Status:  Signed through 2030
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2023-25

Postseason Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2023-24

2025 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

Johan Rojas made the team's opening day roster as a back-up outfielder, but his offensive struggles resulting in the Phillies ultimately acquiring Harrison Bader at the July trade deadline.  Rojas was optioned to Lehigh Valley to make room on the roster for Bader, and he'd spend the rest of the summer with the IronPigs.  He suffered a left quad injury in late September, ending his season.  With the Phillies, Rojas appeared in 71 games, batting .224 with a home run and 18 RBIs.  He made 46 starts in center field, seeing regular playing time throughout April, until entering into a platoon with Brandon Marsh in May.

Rojas swapped his uniform number from #18 to #23 for the 2025 season. 

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2021 Bowman Heritage #156
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  2024-25
Favorite 2025 Card:  2025 Philadelphia Phillies Kids Club / Club 215
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  33 as of 12/29/25, 6 added in 2025

TCDB Stats: 890 total as of 12/29/25, my 33 cards overall are ranked 7th, 1st is mstetsko with 125

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi #48

2024 Chachi #9

2025 Chachi #14

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

2025 Chachi #13 Edmundo Sosa 

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2025 Chachi #15 Jesus Luzardo

Game 51 - Phils Hang On to Win in Sacramento; Winning Streak at 8

Philadelphia Phillies	4
Athletics	3

2025 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-190

Late Friday Night, May 23rd

Sutter Health Park - West Sacramento, CA
33-18, 1st Place, 3 games ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies hung on to win their first-ever game played in Sacramento, against the currently mononymous and future Las Vegas Athletics.

What It Means:  The Phillies have an eight-game winning streak, and the best winning percentage in baseball.  The Tigers, with a 33-19 record, are percentage points behind them.

What Happened:  Trea Turner connected for his first career lead-off home run to start the game, and for seven innings, that was the only scoring from either team.  Zack Wheeler pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, two walks and striking out eight.  He'd improve to 6-1.  With the tying run on third and two outs in the eighth, Johan Rojas made a winding, leaping catch to record the final out of the inning and preserve the lead.  The offense added important, and ultimately needed, insurance runs in the top of the ninth with RBIs from Alec Bohm (double), Rojas (single) and Turner (single).

Jordan Romano, who had been pitching well, got into trouble in the ninth.  He allowed two to reach and then Nick Kurtz hit a three-run home run to get the Athletics to within a run.  Tanner Banks would relieve Romano, striking out Lawrence Butler to end the game and record his first save.

Featured Card:  Let's go with Rojas here, as the outfielder hasn't had any featured cards so far this year.

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

Game 64 - Phils, Harper Take London (Remastered)

Consider this the remastered version of the original June 8th game summary post, as I went back after the fact and decided Harper's British home run deserved its own highlight card in my 2024 Chachi set.

2024 Chachi #40

Phillies 7, Mets 2

Game 64 - Saturday Afternoon, June 8th in London
Record - 45-19, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Bryce Harper took London by storm, with The Showman living up to his name with a big day at the plate.

What It Means:  This was fun to watch, although we quickly switched over to the Phillies radio broadcast to avoid the Fox announcers.  The Phillies had a contingent of former players on hand, and I spent Saturday morning following along with the events in London on social media.  This two-game series has the feel of an All-Star Weekend, except with the Phillies as the main characters and the Mets in town since the Phillies needed an opponent.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez gave up a first inning run, but then settled down to pitch 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.  The win improved his record to 10-1.  The Phillies' offense seemed to struggle at first given the early evening sun glare, but once that went away, they jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1, sliding into a football/soccer goal celebration as he returned to the Phillies dugout.  An RBI single followed from Edmundo Sosa to score Alec Bohm, and then Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.  Cristian Pache doubled and Kyle Schwarber singled him home, chasing Manaea from the game.  Nick Castellanos capped the Phillies scoring with a solo home run to left in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  Harper doubled in the first, becoming the first Phillies player with a hit in Europe.  His thrilling home run in the fourth will be replayed for years, and I'm waiting for the e-mail from Topps with the celebration image on an inevitable Topps Now card.  Here's a card with several symbols from the first time Philadelphia and England mixed things up.

Transaction:  The Phillies and Mets were both given an extra roster spot for this series, with the Phillies recalling Rafael Marchan (c).  Nick Nelson (rhp) and Darick Hall (1b) are also in London as a two-player taxi squad, just in case they're needed.

L to R: Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

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

2024 Chachi #39 Rafael Marchan / 2024 Chachi #41 Michael Mercado

2024 Christmas Baseball Card Additions from Santa (and His Helpers)

We interrupt the daily 2024 Chachi card postings to bring a brief report on the annual Christmas baseball card additions to The Phillies Room.  It was another solid year in our household in the gift-giving department.

On Christmas morning, Santa delivered the previously seen 2024 Topps factory set and the Diamond Stars Jimmie Foxx card.  Also added to the mix was a 2024 Topps Holiday Mega Box, which was a lot of fun to open, and the very first card in the Diamond Stars set, Lefty Grove.  Truth be told, Grove was delivered to our house on December 1st, but I decided it was a big enough card that it should be under the tree with the Foxx card.  I had somewhat surprisingly won the Grove card in an eBay auction I had no intention of actually winning.  With the addition of Foxx and Grove, I'm down to needing just six more Diamond Stars cards for my version of a master set.  Progress on that set will likely slow until Christmas 2025.

We traditionally spend the day after Christmas at my Mom's house with my sister's family.  As is now tradition, there was a box of individually wrapped baseball cards waiting to be opened and cherished.  My Mom is going somewhat in order through my 1955 Bowman want list, since I'm not yet officially collecting the set.  She veered off the path of adding cards in order, opting to also track down the Whitey Ford and Roy Campanella cards, two names she recognized from my list and players she thought should enter my set build sooner rather than later.

I hope Santa (or his helpers) brought you plenty of new baseball cards this year too.  Happy New Year!

2024 Chachi #9 Johan Rojas

#18 / Johan Stiven Rojas / Center Field

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Opening Day Age:  23

Born:  August 14, 2000, San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Acquired:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent, January 18, 2018

Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2023-24

Postseason Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2023-24

2024 Topps Heritage #171

Johan Rojas was the Phillies' opening day center fielder, but a slow start and shaky defense led to a demotion to Lehigh Valley in mid-June.  He'd be back up relatively quickly due to an injury to Bryce Harper, batting .252 through the end of the season and improving on his defense.  Rojas made 102 starts in center field, more than any other player, and it would seem he'll battle Brandon Marsh for playing time in center in 2025.  For the season, he batted .243 with three home runs, 32 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, second most on the club.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2021 Bowman Heritage #156
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  2024
Favorite 2024 Card:  2024 Topps Heritage #171
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  26 as of 12/20/24, 14 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi #48

2024 Chachi #9

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

2024 Chachi #8 Brandon Marsh / 2024 Chachi #10 Zack Wheeler

Game 141 - Phils Fry Fish Pitching

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club

Phillies 16, Marlins 2
Game 141 - Friday Night, September 6th in Miami
Record - 85-56, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Braves and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense unloaded on a depleted Marlins' pitching staff, scoring 16 runs on 22 hits.

What It Means:  This game was fun to watch, and I'm appreciative of the Phillies giving us an stress-free evening of enjoyable baseball.  Having Scott Franzke call the game on television was an added bonus.

What Happened:  The Phillies led 7-0 after two innings, chasing Marlins' starter Austin Kitchen.  They'd go up to 14-1 after six innings.  Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Kody Clemens and Johan Rojas all had three-hit nights.  Three other Phillies had two-hit nights.  Turner and Kyle Schwarber both homered, with Turner hitting his 16th in the second inning and Schwarber connecting for his 33rd in the sixth inning.  Zack Wheeler was the beneficiary of the run support, securing his 14th win while allowing a run on two hits and striking out seven.

Featured Card:  Rojas had three doubles, scored three runs and knocked in a pair of runs.  He also made a nice diving catch in the outfield, and I'm hopeful he's starting to heat up.

Transactions:  Alec Bohm (3b) finally landed on the injured list with a left hand strain, retroactive to September 3rd.  Buddy Kennedy (inf) was recalled to take his place.  Michael Rucker (rhp), active for three days in July without appearing in a Phillies game, was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals.

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

Game 64 - Phils, Harper Take London

2022 Topps Home Field
Advantage #HA-3

Phillies 7, Mets 2
Game 64 - Saturday Afternoon, June 8th in London
Record - 45-19, 1st Place, 9 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Bryce Harper took London by storm, with The Showman living up to his name with a big day at the plate.

What It Means:  This was fun to watch, although we quickly switched over to the Phillies radio broadcast to avoid the Fox announcers.  The Phillies had a contingent of former players on hand, and I spent Saturday morning following along with the events in London on social media.  This two-game series has the feel of an All-Star Weekend, except with the Phillies as the main characters and the Mets in town since the Phillies needed an opponent.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez gave up a first inning run, but then settled down to pitch 5 2/3 innings while striking out six.  The win improved his record to 10-1.  The Phillies' offense seemed to struggle at first given the early evening sun glare, but once that went away, they jumped on Mets' starter Sean Manaea for six runs in the fourth inning.

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to right to tie the game at 1-1, sliding into a football/soccer goal celebration as he returned to the Phillies dugout.  An RBI single followed from Edmundo Sosa to score Alec Bohm, and then Whit Merrifield hit a three-run home run to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.  Cristian Pache doubled and Kyle Schwarber singled him home, chasing Manaea from the game.  Nick Castellanos capped the Phillies scoring with a solo home run to left in the eighth inning.

Featured Card:  Harper doubled in the first, becoming the first Phillies player with a hit in Europe.  His thrilling home run in the fourth will be replayed for years, and I'm waiting for the e-mail from Topps with the celebration image on an inevitable Topps Now card.  Here's a card with several symbols from the first time Philadelphia and England mixed things up.

Transaction:  The Phillies and Mets were both given an extra roster spot for this series, with the Phillies recalling Rafael Marchan (c).  Nick Nelson (rhp) and Darick Hall (1b) are also in London as a two-player taxi squad, just in case they're needed.

L to R: Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels

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

Game 31 - Casty, Rojas Connect for Clutch Homers in Big Win

2024 Topps Heritage #171

Phillies 7, Angels 5
Game 31 - Late Tuesday Night, April 30th in Anaheim
Record - 20-11, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies stunned the Angels with a 7-5 win following two ninth home runs from Nick Castellanos and Johan Rojas.

What It Means:  With the win, the Phillies became the first team in the majors to 20 victories.  They remain a half game behind the Braves as the Braves at 19-9 have played one less game.

What Happened:  Trailing 5-4 at the start of the ninth inning, and with closer Carlos Estevez on the mound, Castellanos connected for his second home run of the season to tie the game.  Bryson Stott reached on a ground rule double, and then Rojas hit his first home run of the season to give the Phillies a surprising and welcome lead.  Jeff Hoffman pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to earn his second save of the season.

Kyle Schwarber had initially given the Phillies a three-run lead with a three-run home run in the second.  Spencer Turnbull pitched well again, striking out six in 5 1/3 innings.  A rough outing from Yunior Marte and a costly error by Trea Turner in the sixth allowed the Angels to score four runs and take a 5-3 lead.

Featured Card:  Rojas has started to come around offensively, and his first home run of the season could not have come at a better time.  Here's his card from the 1975 Topps-inspired Heritage set.

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

2023 Chachi #48 Johan Rojas

#18

Johan Stiven Rojas
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Opening Day Age:  22

Born:  August 14, 2000, San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Acquired:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent, January 18, 2018

Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2023

Johan Rojas was recalled on July 14th when Cristian Pache was placed on the Injured List for the second time this season.  Rojas has not disappointed, although he did have a rare miscue in center field on Friday night against the Nationals, leading to an unearned run.  Other than that, he's played above average defense and is batting a solid .288 in 26 games.  He's also been a much-needed spark for the mostly veteran line-up, and the joy he displays when playing hopefully rubs off on some of his teammates.  Rojas connected for his first major league home run on August 11th against Twins' left fielder Jordan Luplow.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2021 Bowman Heritage #156
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2023 Topps Now #573
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  9 as of 8/19/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi #48

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

2023 Chachi #47 Craig Kimbrel AS / 2023 Chachi #49 Michael Lorenzen

Game 106 - Walker, Rojas Lead Phils Over Marlins in Miami

2022 Topps Heritage
Minor League #55

Phillies 4, Marlins 2
Game 106 - Monday Night, July 31st in Miami
Record - 57-49, 2nd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Taijuan Walker battled and Johan Rojas had a big two-run double in this 4-2 win over the Fish.

What It Means:  The Phillies kicked off this four-game series with a big win over their division rivals.

What Happened:  Walker won his league-leading 12th game, pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing a pair of runs on six hits while striking out four.  Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Craig Kimbrel set down the Marlins the rest of the way, with Kimbrel recording his 18th save.  Rojas' double came in the fourth, tying up the game at 2-2.  Bryson Stott brought home another run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Alec Bohm added an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI single.

Featured Card:  I have eight Rojas baseball cards in my collection, all from minor league sets.  This is one of his many cards from 2022, from the Topps Heritage Minor League set.

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

Game 92 - Rojas Stars, Harper Homers in Win Over Padres

2023 Choice Reading
Fightin Phils #31

Phillies 9, Padres 4 (Game 2)
Game 92 - Saturday Night, July 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-42, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Johan Rojas collected his first big league hits, going 3 for 4 with a pair of RBIs in this 9-4 win over the Padres.

What It Means:  Weather permitting, the Phillies will go for the four-game series win this afternoon.  They're currently a game behind the Giants for the third National League Wild Card spot.

What Happened:  Harper hit his fourth home run of the season in the fourth inning, tying up the score and marking the first time since May 25th the slugger had homered.  The Phillies took the lead for good in the fifth.  Garrett Stubbs and Rojas singled to start the inning, with Rojas collecting his first big league hit.  Kyle Schwarber then launched a three-run home to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead.  Rojas bunted safely for a base hit in the sixth, scoring Bryson Stott and giving his team a 5-2 lead.  Rojas would collect his third hit and second RBI in the seventh, singling home Stott again as the Phillies mounted a 9-2 advantage.

Taijuan Walker pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits, on the way to his 11th victory.

Featured Card:  Rojas received a Topps Now card for his big day, and that will become the first mainstream Phillies card of his in my collection.  This is the newest card of his in my collection from the Reading Fightin Phils team set.

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

Where Were We?

2021 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #3

2018 Topps Heritage #592

2021 Choice Clearwater Threshers #18

2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #1

2021 Topps Update #US68

And we're back!  After a 99-day owner-imposed lock-out, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player's Association came to an agreement on Thursday afternoon.  The transaction freeze ended that night and we've already seen several free agent signings and a few trades.  We're still waiting for official word of any Phillies signings (Kris Bryant would be nice) but the club did issue a press release on Saturday evening announcing their 17 non-roster invitees to spring training.  The first seven were announced back in December, and I've added the final (?) ten below to the list.

	Player (position)	Date	2021 Organization	Last Major Baseball Card Appearance
1	Cam Bedrosian (rhp)	12/14/21	Reds / Athletics / Phillies	2020 Topps Total #706 - Angels
2	Kyle Dohy (lhp)	12/14/21	Phillies	N/A
3	Andrew Bellatti (rhp)	12/14/21	Marlins	2009 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP37 - Rays
4	Tyler Cyr (rhp)	12/14/21	Giants	N/A
5	Joe Gatto (rhp)	12/14/21	Rangers	2016 Bowman Turn Two #TT-NE - Angels
6	Michael Kelly (rhp)	12/14/21	Astros	N/A
7	Jake Newberry (rhp)	12/14/21	Royals	2020 Topps Update #U-105 - Royals
8	Edgar Cabral (c)	3/12/22	Phillies	2018 Bowman Prospect Autographs #PA-EC - Phillies
9	Nick Duron (rhp)	3/12/22	Mariners	N/A
10	Darick Hall (inf)	3/12/22	Phillies	2019 Bowman Talent Pipeline #TP-PHI - Phillies
11	Scott Kingery (inf)	3/12/22	Phillies	2022 Topps Opening Day Luck of the Irish #LI-3 - Phillies
12	Yairo Munoz (inf)	3/12/22	Red Sox	2020 Topps Total #324 - Red Sox
13	Braeden Ogle (lhp)	3/12/22	Pirates / Phillies	N/A
14	Logan O'Hoppe (c)	3/12/22	Phillies	2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-LOH - Phillies
15	Johan Rojas (of)	3/12/22	Phillies	2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-JR - Phillies
16	Bryson Stott (inf)	3/12/22	Phillies	2021 Bowman Prospects #BP-17 - Phillies
17	Justin Williams (of)	3/12/22	Cardinals	2021 Topps Update #US68 - Cardinals