Phillies at Cardinals: April 8th to April 10th

1984 Topps #780

1984 Topps #580

Monday and Tuesday 7:45, Wednesday 1:15
Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO

At the Ballpark:  The Cardinals have three theme tickets available for this series, beginning with Peanuts Night tonight, College Night I on Tuesday and Béisbol in the Classroom on Wednesday afternoon.  Fans with theme night tickets tonight will receive a Cardinals-themed Peppermint Patty bobble head.

Phillies 4-5
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Spencer Turnbull
Zack Wheeler
Aaron Nola

Phillies Leaders
Average:  J.T. Realmuto - .300
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 7
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 3
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 7
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 3

Wins:  Four tied with - 1
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.75
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 15
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 2

Cardinals 5-5
5th Place in the N.L. Central, 3 games behind the Pirates

Cardinals Probables
Miles Mikolas (1-1, 6.10)
Sonny Gray (0-0, 0.00)
Lance Lynn (0-0, 4.15)

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Brendan Donovan - .313
Runs:  Brendan Donovan - 7
Home Runs:  Willson Contreras and Nolan Gorman - 2
RBIs:  Nolan Gorman - 7
Stolen Bases:  Victor Scott and Masyn Winn - 1

Wins:  Five tied with - 1
ERA:  Steven Matz - 1.74

Strikeouts:  Lance Lynn - 12
Saves:  Ryan Helsley - 3

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

1981 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  32
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued since 1970, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1981.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs as noted on the checklist below.  There are six cards available with a horizontal orientation as also noted below.  The Sparky Lyle card contains an uncorrected error with the spelling of his first name as "Sparkey."

How Distributed:  The cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe these cards were ever available in complete set form.

The set's composition features the entire 25-man opening day roster, the manager and all six coaches.  No one who made his 1981 season debut after opening day received a photo card.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Luis Aguayo 2. Ruben Amaro CO 3. Ramon Aviles (auto) 4. Bob Boone (auto, horizontal) 5. Larry Bowa 6. Marty Bystrom (auto) 7. Steve Carlton (horizontal)       8. Larry Christenson 9. Dick Davis (auto) 10. Billy DeMars CO (auto) 11. Lee Elia CO

12. Nino Espinosa (auto) 13. Dallas Green MG (auto) 14. Greg Gross 15. Sparky Lyle 16. Garry Maddox (auto) 17. Gary Matthews 18. Bake McBride (auto) 19. Tug McGraw 20. Keith Moreland (horizontal)       21. Mike Proly (auto) 22. Ron Reed

23. Pete Rose (auto) 24. Dick Ruthven (auto) 25. Mike Ryan CO (auto) 26. Mike Schmidt (horizontal) 27. Lonne Smith (horizontal) 28. Herm Starrette CO 29. Manny Trillo (horizontal) 30. Del Unser 31. John Vukovich 32. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (5):  Bystrom, Davis, Lyle, Matthews, Proly
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (20):  Aguayo, Aviles, Boone, Bowa, Carlton, Christenson, Espinosa, Gross, Maddox, McBride, McGraw, Moreland, Reed, Rose, Ruthven, Schmidt, Smith, Trillo, Unser, Vukovich

Manager (1):  Green
Coaches (6):  Amaro, DeMars, Elia, Ryan, Starrette, Wine

Surprises:  I'm more impressed than surprised the Phillies were able to issue photo cards for Dick Davis, Gary Matthews and Mike Proly as that trio of players was acquired in the month before the start of the regular season.  Proly was acquired from the White Sox on April 1st and his photo card features a photo taken at Veterans Stadium.  The earliest date that photo could have been taken was April 17th, Proly's home debut with the Phillies.

Omissions:  The only player to appear with the Phillies during the first half of this strike-shortened season and not appear on a photo card is George Vukovich, who made his season debut on May 29th.  The 10 players who made their season debuts after the strike ended, and after the second half of the season began on August 10th, are all omitted from the set:  Dickie Noles, Mark Davis, Warren Brusstar, Ryne Sandberg, Bob Dernier, Len Matuszek, Ozzie Virgil, Dan Larson, Jerry Reed and Don McCormack.

Variations/Rarities:  Collectors Rick and Steve once again filled in with some rarities (or potential rarities) when I originally posted on this set almost six years ago.  Tim McCarver joined the broadcast booth and received a card showing him wearing a headset.  Steve notes variations may exist for the Garry Maddox and Proly cards.  

Finally, and similar to 1980, there is a black and white 1981 card of the Phillie Phanatic issued by Harrison/Erickson that is roughly the same size as the rest of the set.

Broadcaster       1. Tim McCarver

Mystery Variation?        1. Garry Maddox 2. Mike Proly

Harrison/Erickson   1. Phillie Phanatic

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Steve and Rick (@rickphils).

This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information gathered (if any) over the past five-plus years.

1980 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1982 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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

Limited Edition Chachi Insert Set: 1978 Topps Missing Links

I've needed a Phillies break since the conclusion of the Freefall of '18 wrapped up, but I wanted to break my hiatus to post these cards today.  My wife's birthday is approaching and 1978 was a big year for her so I thought I'd use her upcoming birthday as motivation to wrap up a project I've been working on for a while now.

There are several players who appeared for the Phillies during the 1978 season who never appeared on a proper 1978 Topps card in red pinstripes/baby blue.  In an attempt to right that wrong, I scoured the internet and my personal collection to provide suitable (?) cards for these 14 players and the Phillies coaching staff.

Some of these have already appeared throughout the past season atop series preview posts, but the entire 19-card, limited edition insert set is presented here.  And I'll gladly update the Kerry Dineen and Horacio Pina cards if Phillies pictures of either player ever show up.


1. Dan Boitano - The righty reliever appeared in one inning of one game for the 1978 Phillies.  He appears in the 1980 Topps set on a Brewers Future Stars card.
2. Todd Cruz - Cruz started his six-year career with 3 games for the Phillies as a September call-up.
3. Kerry Dineen - Dineen appeared in 16 big league games between 1975 and 1978 for the Yankees and Phillies.  He has a Phillies related card in the 1979 Oklahoma City 89ers team city that I've yet to track down.
4. Rawly Eastwick - Acquired from the Cardinals in June 1978 for Bobby Brown and Jay Johnstone, Eastwick appears in the 1978 Topps set with his former team.
5. Orlando Gonzalez - Gonzalez shows up in the 1977 Topps and 1981 Fleer sets, but there are no official cards marking his 26 games with the Phillies in 1978.


6. Bud Harrelson - Harrelson appears with the Mets in the 1978 Topps set.  The Phils sent Fred Andrews to the Mets in March to acquire him.
7. Dan Larson - Larson pitched in 21 games for the Phillies between 1978 and 1981.  He's in the 1977 Topps set with the Astros.
8. Pete Mackanin - The future Phillies manager appeared in 5 games for the 1978 Phillies and he's in the 1978 Topps set with the Expos.
9. Keith Moreland - Moreland made his Major League debut in the final game of the 1978 season.
10. Jim Morrison - A true omission from the 1978 Topps set, Morrison appeared in 53 games for the N.L. Champion Phillies.  He'd appear in the 1979 Topps set on a Phillies Prospects card with Lonnie Smith and Jim Wright.


11. Horacio Pina - The veteran Pina was purchased from the Mexican League on September 14th, appeared in 2 games for the Phillies, and was promptly returned to the Mexican League following the season.
12. Dick Ruthven - On June 15th, the Phillies re-acquired Ruthven from the Braves, swapping out Gene Garber.
13. Kevin Saucier - Like Moreland, Saucier made his big league debut in the final game of the 1978 season.  He allowed 4 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings of work.
14. Lonnie Smith - A September call-up, Smith appeared in 17 games for the Phillies down the stretch.


15. Carroll Beringer CO - Beringer departed following the season, having served as the bullpen coach since 1973.
16. Billy DeMars CO - The team's hitting coach between 1969 and 1981, DeMars also served as the first base coach (1969-1972) and the third base coach (1972-1979).
17. Ray Rippelmeyer CO - This was Rippelmeyer's final season as the team's pitching coach, a position he had held since 1970.


18. Tony Taylor CO - Taylor's first stint as a Phillies coach saw him serve as the infield coach (1977-1978) and first base coach (1979).
19. Bobby Wine CO - A Phillies coach from 1972 until 1983, Wine served as the infield coach (1972), first base coach (1973-1978) and bench coach (1979-1983).

Series Preview - Phillies at Rockies: August 4th to August 6th

Friday 8:40, Saturday 8:10 and Sunday 3:10
Coors Field - Denver, CO

Phillies 39-67, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 24 games behind the Nationals
Rockies 62-47, 3rd Place in the N.L. West, 14 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (2-6, 4.91), Nick Pivetta (4-6, 5.42), Aaron Nola (8-7, 3.16)
Rockies Probables:  Kyle Freeland (11-7, 3.71), Jon Gray (3-2, 5.52), Jeff Hoffman (6-3, 5.38)

At the Ballpark:  The first 10,000 fans will receive a Rockies license plate frame before tonight's game.  On Saturday night, all fans will receive a "Topps Baseball Card Special Edition Set," which is the Rockies' contribution to the National Baseball Card Day event.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .293
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 53
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 16
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 55
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 11

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 8
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4.73
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 110
Saves:  Hector Neris - 10

Rockies Leaders
Average:  Charlie Blackmon - .330
Runs:  Charlie Blackmon - 97
Home Runs:  Charlie Blackmon - 25
RBIs:  Nolan Arenado - 96
Stolen Bases:  Ian Desmond - 10

Wins:  Kyle Freeland - 11
ERA:  Kyle Freeland - 3.71
Strikeouts:  German Marquez - 100
Saves:  Greg Holland - 33

1982 Topps #127

1982 Topps #389

1982 Topps #745

1982 Topps Appreciation:  It seemed as if every other pack of 1982 Topps baseball cards I opened back in the day contained one of these three cards of a former Phillies outfielder.  Lonnie Smith was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 1982, having been traded to the Cardinals (via the Indians) in November 1981.  The Phillies and Indians were active trading partners prior to the 1982 season, as a month after the Smith deal the two teams swapped six players.  Of course five of those players, including George Vukovich, went to the Indians and only one player (Von Hayes) came back to the Phillies.

Finally, in February 1982, Bake McBride joined his former teammates when the Phillies sent him to Cleveland for Sid Monge.

Series Preview - Cardinals at Phillies: June 20th to June 22nd

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Cardinals 31-37, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 5 games behind the Brewers
Phillies 22-46, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 19 games behind the Nationals

Cardinals Probables:  Mike Leake (5-6, 3.14), Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.78), Carlos Martinez (6-5, 2.86)
Phillies Probables:  Jeremy Hellickson (5-5, 4.91), Nick Pivetta (1-3, 4.46), Aaron Nola (3-5, 4.76)

At the Ballpark:  It's Star Wars night on Wednesday, with fans holding a theme night ticket receiving a fantastic Phillie Phanatic bobble head wearing his X-Wing Fighter uniform.

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Jedd Gyorko - .291
Runs:  Dexter Fowler - 38
Home Runs:  Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler - 13
RBIs:  Matt Carpenter - 38
Stolen Bases:  Tommy Pham - 6

Wins:  Adam Wainwright - 7
ERA:  Carlos Martinez - 2.86
Strikeouts:  Carlos Martinez - 107
Saves:  Seung-hwan Oh - 15

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .278
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 40
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 12
RBIs:  Aaron Altherr - 37
Stolen Bases:  Howie Kendrick - 7

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5
ERA:  Jerad Eickhoff - 4.81
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 65
Saves:  Hector Neris - 6

1982 Topps Traded #108T

1982 Topps Traded #29T

1982 Topps Appreciation:  On November 20, 1981, the Phillies, Cardinals and Indians pulled off a five-player, three-way trade with Bo Diaz coming to the Phillies, Lonnie Smith going to the Cardinals and Silvio Martinez and Lary Sorensen going to the Indians.  The Phillies also sent Scott Munninghoff to the Indians to complete the trade on December 9th.

The trade worked out for the Cardinals as Smith was an All-Star in 1982 and he also helped the team win a World Championship against the Brewers.  He'd go on to win his third World Series ring with the Royals in 1985.  (His first of course was earned with the Phillies in 1980.)

Bo Diaz was never an All-Star with the Phillies, but he did bridge the gap between the Bob Boone years and the Darren Daulton years.  In four seasons with the Phillies, Diaz hit .256 with 36 home runs.

Valley Forge Autographs! - 5 for 1, Skates, Sarge & Inky

1986 Tastykake Phillies #9

1982 Fleer #259

1982 Donruss #441

1993 Medford Phillies #22

We attended the Valley Forge baseball card show on Sunday and a full summary of our haul can be found in this post from yesterday.  While we weren't tracking down cool Phillies cards for Doug's collection or "old and weird" Phillies cards for his Dad's collection, we were standing in line to obtain autographs from former Phillies players.  At first, I was going to only get a Von Hayes autograph, but the relatively low price per autograph ($10) convinced me to stand in line to meet the other former Phillies as well.  All four were very gracious with their time and they seemed happy to be there. They each shook Doug's hand and Sarge (Gary Matthews) pointed out that he particularly liked Doug's haircut and glasses.

Honestly while it's nice to have these autographs, the biggest thrill for Doug is just getting to meet these former players.  He asked me about each of their careers and who they played with and why they were "good" players.  We talked about how when I was a kid, my Dad would take me to baseball card shows where I'd meet Art Mahaffey or Del Ennis or Don Larsen and then my Dad would tell me all about these guys I had never heard of before.  We then talked about him taking his kids to baseball card shows in the future where the signers would be Aaron Nola and Cameron Rupp and Cody Asche.  I can't wait to go with him to those future shows.

Just when I thought I was finished with very limited edition 2016 Chachi inserts, I decided to make one more four-card set to commemorate our day.

2016 Chachi Valley Forge Autographs #1

2016 Chachi Valley Forge Autographs #2

2016 Chachi Valley Forge Autographs #3

2016 Chachi Valley Forge Autographs #4