New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies: Second Half Begins

2006 Topps #150

2006 Topps #205

Thursday, July 16th - 7:10
Saturday, July 18th - 4:05
Sunday, July 19th - 1:35

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Coming off the high of the All-Star break and hosting the All-Star Game at the ballpark, the Phillies have zero promotions or theme nights for this series.

New York Mets 40-57
5th Place in the N.L. East, 16 games behind the Braves

Mets Probables
Christian Scott (2-1, 3.17)
Sean Manaea (2-4, 4.56)
Nolan McLean (6-6, 3.52)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Juan Soto - .290
Runs:  Carson Benge - 52
Home Runs:  Juan Soto - 21
RBIs:  Bo Bichette and Juan Soto - 51
Stolen Bases:  Carson Benge - 15

Wins:  Nolan McLean - 6
ERA:  Nolan McLean - 3.52

Strikeouts:  Nolan McLean - 125
Saves:  Devin Williams - 13

Philadelphia Phillies 54-43
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.75)
Jesus Luzardo (8-4, 3.51)
Alan Rangel (0-2, 4.19)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Brandon Marsh - .301
Runs:  Trea Turner - 62
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 32
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 59
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott - 17

Wins:  Cristopher Sanchez - 11
ERA:  Cristopher Sanchez - 2.62

Strikeouts:  Cristopher Sanchez - 144
Saves:  Jhoan Duran - 24

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

Game 110 - Tigers Outslug Phillies in Loss

Detroit Tigers	7
Philadelphia Phillies	5

2025 Topps Living #849

Saturday Afternoon, August 2nd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
62-48, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Tarik Skubal out dueled Zack Wheeler as the Tigers took the middle game of this weekend series, 7-5.

What It Means:  The Mets won, so the two teams again flip flopped in the standings.

What Happened:  The long ball hurt Wheeler, as he gave up three home runs in his six innings, departing with his team trailing, 4-0.  Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter and Javier Baez all connected off Wheeler, with Gleyber Torres welcoming reliever Tanner Banks with another home run in the top of the seventh.  The Phillies finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh when J.T. Realmuto doubled home Bryce Harper, and Nick Castellanos hit a two-run home run, his 15th of the season.  Matt Strahm gave two runs right back in the top of the eighth, and a two-run home run from Harper in the bottom of the eighth wouldn't be enough to overcome the deficit.

Featured Card / Field Report:  Jenna and I attended this game, and when we attend tonight, we will have attended all three games in a series for the first time since probably pre-kids.  The Phillies honored the late Dick Allen in a pregame ceremony, and his new Hall of Fame plaque was on display at the ballpark throughout the game.  This card from the Topps Living Set arrived in the mail as we were heading out to the game.  I also took a picture of Jimmy Rollins' new Wall of Fame plaque on our way out.

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

Game 109 - Rollins, Wade Join Wall of Fame; The Durantula Era Begins

Detroit Tigers	4
Philadelphia Phillies	5

2025 Topps Now #493

Friday Night, August 1st

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
62-47, 1st Place, 1/2 game ahead of the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies stormed back to take a late-inning lead and Jhoan Duran dramatically and theatrically introduced himself to Philadelphia in this 5-4 win over the Tigers.

What It Means:  The Phillies temporarily retook sole possession of first place.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez got the start, and allowed three runs on four hits in seven innings of work.  The big blow was a three-run home run by Gleyber Torres in the top of the third.  Trailing 3-0, the Phillies began their comeback in the bottom of the seventh.  With the bases loaded (Nick Castellanos single, Otto Kemp single, Harrison Bader walk), Bryson Stott brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly.  Back-to-back singles from Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber then tied the score.  Orion Kerkering surrendered a solo home run to Wenceel Perez in the top of the eighth, giving the Tigers the lead again.

Castellanos singled again to start the rally in the bottom of the eighth, and Kemp doubled him home with the tying run.  Stott barely beat out an infield single, scoring Kemp for the lead.

Featured Card:  And then the lights went out in the ballpark, flames appeared on the scoreboards and large spiders started crawling across the illuminated screens.  In the dark, music blaring and 40,000+ cell phone flashlights waving, new Phillies closer Duran ran in from the bullpen.  He needed four pitches to retire the Tigers and seal the win.  Topps could have picked a way better picture to commemorate the moment, but I'm glad they at least gave him a Topps Now card.

Field Report:  We all attended and enjoyed the pregame Wall of Fame induction ceremony for Ed Wade and Jimmy Rollins from Section C in the Diamond Club.  Once again, the Phillies showed they're the best in the sport at honoring their legacy and paying tribute to their past.  The game itself was pretty boring until the seventh inning, when it turned into a playoff game atmosphere.  And Duran's entrance was by far one of the coolest moments I've ever witnessed at Citizens Bank Park, and that's saying something.

We attended all Wall of Fame ceremonies between 2012 and 2023, breaking the streak last year with a college visit.  A new streak began this year, likely to be broken in a few more years when college visits start up again.

Transaction:  With the trade deadline acquisitions ready to go, some moves needed to be made.  Duran (rhp) and Bader (of) were activated.  Johan Rojas (of) was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Daniel Robert (rhp) was placed on the injured list with a blister.

Wall of Fame Memory Lane

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 (replacing Pete Rose)

2018 - Pat Gillick and Roy Halladay
2019 - Bobby Abreu (Part One and Two)

2020 - Manny Trillo

2022 - Bake McBride and Ron Reed

2023 - Ruly Carpenter, John Quinn and Scott Rolen (Part One and Part Two)

2024 - David Montgomery

2025 - Jimmy Rollins and Ed Wade

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

Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto Blue Jays - Phils Look to End Losing Streak

2005 Topps #76

2025 Chachi Series Preview #4

Tuesday, June 3rd - 7:07
Wednesday, June 4th - 7:07
Thursday, June 5th - 3:07

Rogers Centre - Toronto, Ontario
The Blue Jays, unlike the Phillies, still have $1 hot dog nights and tonight is one of them.

Philadelphia Phillies 36-23
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (4-1, 3.32)
Mick Abel (1-0, 0.00)
Jesus Luzardo (5-1, 3.58)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .299
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 44
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 19
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 44
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 16

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 6
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 94
Saves:  Jordan Romano - 8

Toronto Blue Jays 31-28
2nd Place in the A.L. East,  5 1/2 games behind the Yankees

Blue Jays Probables
Bowden Francis (2-6, 5.04)
Jose Berrios (2-2, 3.86)
Chris Bassitt (5-3, 3.80)

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Alejandro Kirk - .301
Runs:  Vladimir Guerrero - 35
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 8
RBIs:  Bo Bichette - 32
Stolen Bases:  Andres Gimenez - 9

Wins:  Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman - 5
ERA:  Chris Bassitt - 3.80

Strikeouts:  Chris Bassitt - 69
Saves:  Jeff Hoffman - 13

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

Spring Training Game 18 - Phils' Bats Continue to Mash

Atlanta Braves	9
Philadelphia Phillies	16

2008 Upper Deck
StarQuest Common #SQ-48

Spring Training Game 18

Thursday Afternoon, March 13

BayCare Ballpark - Clearwater, FL

Record - 9-8-1

One Sentence Summary:  Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Max Kepler combined for ten RBIs as the Phillies feasted on Braves' pitching in this 16-9 win.

What It Means:  In their last four games, the Phillies offense has scored a combined 50 runs.

What Happened:  Turner, Schwarber, Bryson Stott and Kepler all homered in this game, with Schwarber's blast a three-run home run that gave the Phillies an 8-1 lead in the second inning.  Tuner's home run, his first of the spring, led off the bottom of the first inning.  After Turner's opening salvo, Bryce Harper walked, Alec Bohm doubled, and J.T. Realmuto tripled them both home.  Stott's home run in the fifth came off old friend Enyel De Los Santos.

Cristopher Sanchez got the start and the win, allowing a run on three hits while striking out five over four innings.  Non-roster relivers Jose Cuas and Koyo Aoyagi didn't help their chances of making the opening day roster, allowing a combined six runs in an inning of work.

Featured Card:  The Phillies announced Jimmy Rollins would be their 2025 Wall of Fame inductee, and I recently added this card to my collection after choosing to have a bunch of recent purchases shipped from COMC.com.  Joining Rollins, and also being honored is former GM Ed Wade, and the Phillies have apparently added an "Executive" Wall of Fame branch?

Camp Head Count:  48

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

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

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

Phillies at Pirates: July 28th to July 30th

2014 Topps Heritage #337

2014 Topps Heritage #160

Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA

At the Ballpark:  The first 20,000 fans arriving at PNC Park tonight will receive a Yinzerpalooza t-shirt.  On Saturday, the Pirates are giving away a bobble head of All-Star closer David Bednar.  And on Sunday, all kids will receive a "cuddly pierogy plush."

Phillies 55-47
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 10 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (7-5, 3.88)
Aaron Nola (9-6, 4.25)
Cristopher Sanchez (0-3, 2.98)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryson Stott - .300
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 59
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 26
RBIs:  Alec Bohm and Kyle Schwarber - 62
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 21

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

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

Pirates 45-57
Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. Central, 11 1/2 games behind the Brewers

Pirates Probables
Mitch Keller (9-6, 4.01)
Quinn Priester (1-1, 9.28)
Rich Hill (7-10, 4.82)

Pirates Leaders
Average:  Andrew McCutchen - .265
Runs:  Bryan Reynolds and Carlos Santana - 45
Home Runs:  Jack Suwinski - 21
RBIs:  Carlos Santana - 53
Stolen Bases:  Ji Hwan Bae - 20

Wins:  Mitch Keller - 9
ERA:  Mitch Keller - 4.01

Strikeouts:  Mitch Keller - 137
Saves:  David Bednar - 20

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

World Series Game 4 - Astros Even Series with Shutout

Astros 5, Phillies 0
World Series Game 4 - Wednesday Night, November 2nd in Philadelphia
Series tied, 2-2

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola and Jose Alvarado suffered one bad, five-run fifth inning and the Phillies offense went quietly in this 5-0 loss.

What It Means:  With the series now tied at two games a piece, a Game 6 in Houston is guaranteed and the Phillies will attempt to win one last home game in 2022 tonight, behind starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

What Happened / Featured Card:  From a Phillies fan's perspective, the best part of this night was the pregame ceremony, featuring ceremonial first pitches thrown out by future Wall of Famers Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.

The Astros had runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings, but Nola worked out of those jams both times.  He wasn't as lucky in the fifth.  After allowing three straight singles to Chas McCormick, Jose Altuve and Jeremy Pena to open the inning, Nola yielded to Jose Alvarado who promptly drilled Yordan Alvarez in the back, scoring the first run of the game.  Alex Bregman followed with a two-run double, Kyle Tucker hit a sacrifice fly to center and Yuli Gurriel capped the scoring with an RBI-single.

Astros' starting pitcher Cristian Javier was unhittable, striking out nine and allowing a pair of walks in his six innings of work.  Relievers Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly threw the final three shutout innings with the Phillies managing only a walk off Pressly in the ninth.

 

Field Report:  All four of us went to the game, sitting high above center field in row two of Section 201.  It took me a little getting used to the elevation and the lack of a high railing in front of the first row, but it was less daunting as more fans filled the section.  We loved the pre-game people-watching from above Ashburn Alley and we had an excellent view of the Fox pre-game show with David Ortiz, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez.  It was cool to see the blue 2022 flag now flying above the ballpark, and I'm a little surprised the flag went up with absolutely no fanfare.

We weren't immune to the dread that filled the ballpark as the Astros inched closer to victory each inning, and I'm looking forward to watching the Phillies turn it back around tonight.

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

2022 Chachi #85 World Series Game 3 / 2022 Chachi #87 World Series Game 5

Astros at Phillies: October 31st to November 2nd

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #35

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #36

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8:03
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Fall Classic returns to Citizens Bank Park on Monday night for the first time since 2009.

Astros 1-1
Defeated Yankees in ALCS, 4-0

Astros Probables
Lance McCullers Jr. (0-0, 2.45)
Cristian Javier (1-0, 1.35)
TBD

Astros Postseason Leaders
Average:  Yuli Gurriel - .342
Runs:  Jeremy Pena - 9
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 3
RBIs:  Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman - 9
Stolen Bases:  Three tied with - 1

Wins:  Hector Neris and Framber Valdez - 2
ERA:  Framber Valdez - 1.42

Strikeouts:  Framber Valdez - 24
Saves:  Ryan Pressly - 4

Phillies 1-1
Defeated Padres in NLCS, 4-1

Phillies Probables
Noah Syndergaard (0-0, 1.69)
Ranger Suarez (1-0, 1.86)
TBD

Phillies Postseason Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .392
Runs:  Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto - 11
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 5
RBIs:  Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins - 11
Stolen Bases:  Kyle Schwarber - 3

Wins:  Three tied with - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.67

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 28
Saves:  Five tied with - 1

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

Dodgers at Phillies: May 20th to May 22nd

2022 Chachi Fan Favorites #4

2022 Chachi 2000 Topps Missing Links #29

Friday 7:05, Saturday 6:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  On Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies arm sleeve.

Dodgers 25-12
1st Place in the N.L. West, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Padres

Dodgers Probables
Julio Urias (2-3, 3.00)
TBD
Tony Gonsolin (4-0, 1.64)

Dodgers Leaders
Average:  Freddie Freeman - .312
Runs:  Mookie Betts - 36
Home Runs:  Mookie Betts - 8
RBIs:  Justin Turner - 28
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 7

Wins:  Walker Buehler - 5
ERA:  Walker Buehler - 2.89

Strikeouts:  Walker Buehler - 39
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 7

Phillies 18-20
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (4-1, 3.72)
Aaron Nola (1-4, 3.64)
Zach Eflin (1-3, 3.90)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .305
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 29
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber - 9
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 27
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 6

Wins:  Ranger Suarez - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.49

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 55
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 8

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

2007 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  43
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  Full color photos are surrounded by a blue border (for pitchers) or a red border (for everyone else) with the player's name featured prominently in blue or red at the top of each card.  The Citizens Bank Park logo can be found in one of the four corners on the fronts.  Ryan Howard's card, from the first version of this set, contains a gold badge commemorating his 2006 N.L. MVP win.  An updated set was issued after the All-Star break containing a second version of Howard's card omitting the gold badge.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card set was available for sale at Citizens Bank Park throughout the first half of the season.  Early in the second half of the season, 7 new cards were added to the set with 6 cards removed.  I'll take a closer look at the additions and subtractions below.

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

1. Antonio Alfonseca (#57 - RHP)           2. Rod Barajas (#2 - C) 3. Mick Billmeyer (#17 - CO) 4. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF) 5. Fabio Castro (#52 - LHP) 6. Chris Coste (#27 - C/INF) 7. Greg Dobbs (#19 - INF/OF) 8. Rich Dubee (#30 - CO) 9. Adam Eaton (#23 - RHP) 10. Freddy Garcia (#34 - RHP) 11. Karim Garcia (#10 - OF)   12. Geoff Geary (#56 - RHP)

13. Tom Gordon (#45 - RHP) 14. Cole Hamels (#35 - LHP) 15. Wes Helms (#18 - 3B) 16. Ramon Henderson (#31 - CO) 17. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B, MVP Logo)           18. Jon Lieber (#21 - RHP) 19. Davey Lopes (#15 - CO) 20. Ryan Madson (#63 - RHP) 21. Charlie Manuel (#41 - MG) 22. Jamie Moyer (#50 - LHP) 23. Brett Myers (#39 - RHP) 24. Abraham Nunez (#3 - INF)

25. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS) 26. Aaron Rowand (#33 - CF) 27. Carlos Ruiz (#51 - C) 28. Matt Smith (#40 - LHP)           29. Steve Smith (#7 - CO) 30. Milt Thompson (#25 - CO) 31. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) 32. Shane Victorino (#8 - RF) 33. Jayson Werth (#28 - OF) 34. Jimy Williams (#22 - CO) 35. Phillie Phanatic 36. Phillies Broadcasters

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version:  

1. Michael Bourn (#9 - OF) 2. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B, No MVP Logo)           3. Kyle Kendrick (#38 - RHP)

4. Jose Mesa (#49 - RHP) 5. J.C. Romero (#16 - LHP)

6. Francisco Rosario (#54 - RHP)           7. Mike Zagurski (#59 - LHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  K. Garcia

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (17):  Alfonseca, Barajas, Bourn, Castro, Coste, Dobbs, Eaton, F. Garcia, Helms, Kendrick, Moyer, Romero, Rosario, Ruiz, M. Smith, Werth, Zagurski
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (15):  Burrell, Geary, Gordon, Hamels, Howard (2), Lieber, Madson, Mesa, Myers, Nunez, Rollins, Rowand, Utley, Victorino

Manager (1):  Manuel
Coaches (7):  Billmeyer, Dubee, Henderson, Lopes, S. Smith, Thompson, Williams
Phillie Phanatic (1):  This is one of the strangest Phanatic cards from all the team issued sets.  The card is horizontal and someone played picture putty with the fans in the background of the photo to create a multi-colored psychedelic design.
Broadcasters (1):  Scott Graham got the boot and was replaced by Gary Matthews in the booth.  Sarge is joined on this card by Harry Kalas, Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen and Chris Wheeler.

Here's the rationale for the six cards removed from the second version of the set available for sale at some point early in the second half of the season:

Karim Garcia - Released by the Phillies on March 28th, prior to opening day.

Matt Smith - Sent down to Ottawa on April 26th and had Tommy John surgery on July 3rd.

Fabio Castro - Spent most of the summer in Triple-A Ottawa, spending three weeks with the club between late April and mid-May.

Freddy Garcia - Went on the disabled list on June 9th, not to return.

Ryan Howard (MVP Logo) - For reasons we'll never know, the Phillies replaced the Howard card with an MVP logo with a logo-less version for the second edition of the set.

Jon Lieber - Went on the disabled list on June 23rd, not to return.

And the seven cards added to the second version of the set:

Michael Bourn - Made the club's opening day roster.

Francisco Rosario - Recalled on April 9th, but was on the disabled list from mid-June through the end of August.

Mike Zagurski - Had two different stints with the club, first getting recalled on May 25th.

Jose Mesa - Rejoined the Phillies on June 9th after being released by the Tigers.

Kyle Kendrick - Called up on June 13th from Ottawa and never went back down.

J.C. Romero - Joined the team on June 29th after being claimed off waivers from the Red Sox.

Ryan Howard (No MVP Logo) - See above.

Surprises/Omissions:  The inclusion of a Karim Garcia is somewhat of a surprise, and the checklist's creator swung and missed on predicting the team's opening day roster.  Bourn, and three relievers who made the club out of spring training were completely overlooked - Clay Condrey, Zack Segovia and Joe Bisenius.

The annual ALS Phestival was held on May 21st this season.  Looking at the Phillies' active roster at the time of the Phestival, only Condrey and reliever Yoel Hernandez were without photo cards.

The second version of the set couldn't have been released prior to early July, as Romero was added to the roster on June 29th.  Looking at the team's roster for their first home game following the All-Star Break on July 13th, pitchers Brian Sanches, J.D. Durbin and Anderson Garcia were all active and in the bullpen but not included in the updated second version of the set.

Variations/Rarities:  As I learned after publishing my original post on this set back in December 2014, Steve let me know there were cards made in the style of this set for Geoff Jenkins and Brad Lidge, both added in the 2007-2008 offseason.  The Lidge card I have in my collection has a completely blank back.  Rick added there are cards with facsimile autographs for four of the team's stars:

Facsimile Autographs        1. Pat Burrell (#5 - LF) 2. Ryan Howard (#6 - 1B) 3. Jimmy Rollins (#11 - SS)           4. Chase Utley (#26 - 2B) Offseason Additions 1. Geoff Jenkins (OF) 2. Brad Lidge (RHP) Also See:  The Phillies and Upper Deck gave away a pack of baseball cards on Alumni Night featuring 25 regular cards and 10 "Vintage" cards featuring Phillies alumni.  The alumni cards only came one per pack, making them much harder to track down.

Resources:  Phillies collectors Steve and Rick (@rickphils).

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information gleaned (if any) over the past nearly six years.

2006 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2008 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

2000-Present Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page