The
Philadelphia Phillies are a
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the
Eastern DivisionThe National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
of Major League Baseball's
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. Since 2004, the team's home has been
Citizens Bank ParkCitizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
in the
South PhiladelphiaSouth Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
section of the city.
The Phillies have won two
World SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
championships (against
Kansas CityThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in and
Tampa BayThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
in ) and seven National League pennants, the first of which came in 1915. The franchise has also experienced long periods of struggle. The age of the team and its history of adversity has earned it the dubious distinction of having lost the most games of any team in the history of American professional sports. In light of the collectively poor performance over the years, the Phillies have performed much better in recent seasons, winning their division five times in a row since 2007.
The franchise was founded in Philadelphia in 1883, replacing the
team from Worcester, MassachusettsThe Worcester Worcesters were a 19th century Major League Baseball team from to in the National League. The team is referred to, at times, as the Brown Stockings or the Ruby Legs; however, no contemporary sources from the time exist that support the use of either name...
. The team has played at several stadiums in the city, beginning with
Recreation ParkRecreation Park was a baseball park in Philadelphia.The ballpark was the first home of the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League during the years 1883-1886, prior to the opening of the arena that became known as Baker Bowl....
and continuing at
Baker BowlBaker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
; Shibe Park, which was later renamed
Connie Mack StadiumShibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a major league baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When it opened April 12, 1909, it became baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium. In different eras it was home to "The $100,000 Infield", "The Whiz Kids" and "The 1964 Phold"...
in honor of the longtime Philadelphia Athletics manager;
Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
; and now
Citizens Bank ParkCitizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
.
The team's
spring trainingIn Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
facilities are located in
Clearwater, FloridaClearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
, where its
Class-A minor leagueMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
affiliate
Clearwater ThreshersThe Clearwater Threshers are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the Florida State League. Since 2004, the team competes in the West Division....
play at Bright House Field. Its Double-A affiliate is the
Reading PhilliesThe Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
, which play in
Reading, PennsylvaniaReading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, and its Triple-A affiliate is the
Lehigh Valley IronPigsThe Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, which plays in
Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
.
Early history
After being founded in 1883 as the "Quakers", the team changed its name to the "Philadelphias", after the convention of the times. This was soon shortened to "Phillies". "Quakers" continued to be used interchangeably with "Phillies" from 1884 until 1890, when the team officially became known as the "Phillies". Though the Phillies moved into a permanent home at
Baker BowlBaker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
in 1887, they did not win their first pennant until nearly 30 years later, after the likes of standout players Billy Hamilton,
Sam ThompsonSamuel Luther Thompson was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. "Big Sam" was known for his offensive production and was second on the career home runs list at the time of his retirement...
, and
Ed DelahantyEdward James Delahanty , nicknamed "Big Ed", was a Major League Baseball player from 1888 to 1903 for the Philadelphia Quakers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Infants and Washington Senators, and was known as one of the early great power hitters in the game.He was elected to the Baseball Hall of...
had departed. Player defections to the newly-formed
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, especially to the cross-town
AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, would cost the team dearly over the next several years. A bright spot came in 1915, when the Phillies won their first pennant, thanks to the pitching of
Grover Cleveland AlexanderGrover Cleveland Alexander , nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.-Career:Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of thirteen...
and the batting prowess of
Gavvy CravathClifford Carlton "Gavvy" Cravath , also nicknamed "Cactus", was an American right fielder and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball who played primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies...
, who set what was then the modern major-league single-season record for home runs with 24. Poor fiscal management after their appearance in the
1915 World SeriesIn the 1915 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one.In their only World Series before , the Phillies won Game 1 before being swept the rest of the way. It was 65 years before the Phillies won their next Series game...
, however, doomed the Phillies to sink back into relative obscurity; from to 1948 they only had one winning season. Though
Chuck KleinCharles Herbert "Chuck" Klein was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1932 and the National League Triple Crown in 1933, the team continued to flounder at the bottom of the standings for years.
Cox, Carpenter, and the "Whiz Kids" era
After lumber baron
William B. CoxWilliam D. Cox was an American businessman and sports executive.-New York Yankees :A Yale University alumnus and wealthy lumber broker, Cox first entered the sports world when he headed a group that bought the New York Yankees of the third American Football League in 1941...
purchased the team in 1943, the Phillies began a rapid rise to prominence in the National League, as the team rose out of the standings cellar for the first time in five years. The fans responded with an increase in attendance, but it soon became clear that not all was right in Cox' front office. Eventually, it was revealed by Cox that he had been betting on the Phillies and he was banned from baseball. The new owner, Bob Carpenter, Jr., scion of the Delaware DuPont family, tried to polish the team's image by unofficially changing its name to the "Bluejays"; however, the new moniker did not take, and it was quietly dropped by 1949.
Instead, Carpenter turned his attention to the minor league affiliates, continuing an effort begun by Cox a year earlier; prior to Cox' ownership the Phillies had paid almost no attention to player development. This led to the advent of the "
Whiz KidsThe Whiz Kids was a nickname given to the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. This team, averaging only 26.4 years of age, won the National League pennant during that season.After owner R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr...
," led by a lineup of young players developed by the Phillies' farm system that included future Hall of Famers
Richie AshburnDon Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
and Robin Roberts. Their 1950 season was highlighted by a last-day, pennant-clinching home run by
Dick SislerRichard Alan Sisler was an American player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Sisler was the son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler. Younger brother Dave Sisler was a relief pitcher in the 1950s and 1960s with four MLB...
to lead the Phillies over the
DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and into the World Series. Comparatively, the Athletics finished last in 1950 and longtime Manager Connie Mack retired. The A's would struggle on for four more years with only one winning team, and then abandon Philadelphia under the Johnson brothers who bought out Mack and started play in Kansas City in 1955.
From lows to highs
The Phillies sank back to mediocrity during the mid-1950s after the departure of the "Whiz Kids", their competitive futility culminating in a record that still stands: in 1961, the Phillies lost 23 games in a row (a record since 1900). But from this nadir bright spots began to appear. Though Ashburn and Roberts were gone, younger pitchers
Art MahaffeyArthur Mahaffey, Jr. is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals . He batted and threw right-handed...
,
Chris ShortChristopher Joseph "Style" Short was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , and in his final year, for the Milwaukee Brewers . He was a left-handed pitcher, but batted righty. He was born in Milford, Delaware.Short was considered a top pitcher from 1964 through 1968 with...
, and rookie
Ray CulpRaymond Leonard Culp was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs , and Boston Red Sox ....
; veterans
Jim BunningJames Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
and
screwballA screwball , is a baseball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action....
er
Jack BaldschunJack Edward Baldschun was a relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres ....
; and fan favorites
Cookie RojasOctavio Victor Rojas Rivas , better known as Cookie Rojas, is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and outfielder who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. After retiring as a player he went on to both coach and manage in the...
,
Johnny CallisonJohn Wesley Callison was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1960 to 1969...
, and NL Rookie of the Year
Richie AllenRichard Anthony Allen is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s...
brought the team within a hairsbreadth of the
World SeriesThe 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with the Cardinals prevailing in seven games. St...
in 1964 after strong showings in 1962 and 1963. However, the Phillies squandered a six-and-a-half-game lead during the final weeks of the season that year, losing 10 games in a row with 12 games remaining and losing the pennant by one game to the
St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. The "Phold of '64" is among the most notable collapses in sports history. One highlight of the season occurred on Father's Day, when Jim Bunning pitched a
perfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
against the
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, the first in Phillies history.
At the end of the decade, in October 1970, the Phillies played their final game in
Connie Mack StadiumShibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a major league baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When it opened April 12, 1909, it became baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium. In different eras it was home to "The $100,000 Infield", "The Whiz Kids" and "The 1964 Phold"...
and prepared to move into newly built
Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, wearing new maroon uniforms to accentuate the change. While some members of the team performed admirably during the 1970s, the Phillies still clung to their position at the bottom of the National League standings. Ten years after "the Phold", they suffered another minor collapse in August and September 1974, missing out on the playoffs yet again. But the futility would not last much longer. After a run of three straight division titles from 1976 to 1978, the Phillies won the NL East in 1980 behind pitcher
Steve CarltonSteven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
, outfielder
Greg Luzinski, and infielders
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
,
Larry BowaLawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
, and
Pete RosePeter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
. In
a memorable NLCS-Game 1:Tuesday, October 7, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGame 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. Starters Ken Forsch and Steve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single by Gary Woods...
, with four of the five games going into extra innings, they fell behind 2–1 but battled back to squeeze past the
Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
on a tenth-inning, game-winning hit by center fielder
Garry Maddox, and the city celebrated its first pennant in 30 years.
Facing the
Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in the
1980 World Series-Game 1:Tuesday, October 14, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaThe Royals jumped on Philly rookie starter Bob Walk early with a pair of two run bombs—one by Amos Otis in the second and another by Willie Aikens in the third...
, the Phillies won their first World Series championship ever in six games thanks to the timely hitting of
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
and
Pete RosePeter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
. Schmidt, who was the National League MVP that
1980 season-Major league baseball final standings:-Postseason:The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in 6 games to win their first ever World Series Championship.*American League Championship Series: Frank White, MVP...
, also won the World Series MVP award on the strength of his 8-for-21 hitting (.381 average), including game-winning hits in Game 2 and the clinching Game 6. Thus, the Phillies became the last of the 16 teams that made up the major leagues from 1901 to 1961 to win a World Series. The Phillies made the playoffs twice more in the 1980s after their Series win, in 1981 and 1983, where they lost to the
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in the
World Series-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandJohn Denver, whose Thank God I'm a Country Boy was played at the seventh-inning stretch of each Orioles home game, sang the National Anthem prior to this game....
, but they would soon follow these near-misses with a rapid drop back into the basement of the National League. The 1992 season, for example, would end with the Phillies in last place in the National League East. But their fortunes were about to change.
Recent history
The 1993 Phillies started the season by going 17–5 in April and finishing with a 97–65 season. The Phillies beat the
Atlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the
1993 National League Championship Series-Game 1:Wednesday, October 6, 1993 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaCurt Schilling began the series spectacularly by striking out the first five hitters he faced. The game would be back and forth and low-scoring. A wild-pitch by Atlanta starter Steve Avery allowed Philadelphia to a...
, four games to two, to earn the fifth pennant in franchise history, only to be defeated by the defending league champion
Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
in the
1993 World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 1993 at SkyDome in Toronto, OntarioThe Series' first game sent two staff aces—Curt Schilling for Philadelphia and Juan Guzman for Toronto—against one another. The result was less than a pitcher's duel, however, as both teams scored early and often.The deciding plays...
. Toronto's
Joe CarterJoseph Christopher Carter is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to . Carter is most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays....
hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 to clinch another Phillies loss. The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike was a blow to the Phillies' attendance and on-field success, as was the arrival of the Braves in the division due to league realignment. Several stars came through Philadelphia, though few would stay, and the minor league system continued to develop its young prospects, who would soon rise to Phillies fame.
In 2001, the Phillies had their first winning season in eight years under new manager
Larry BowaLawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
, and their season record would not dip below .500 again from the 2003 season onward. In 2004, the Phillies moved to their new home,
Citizens Bank ParkCitizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
, across the street from the Vet.
Charlie ManuelCharles Fuqua Manuel, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder and current Major League Baseball manager of the Philadelphia Phillies...
took over the reins of the club from Bowa after the 2004 season, and general manager
Ed WadeEd Wade is the former General Manager of the Houston Astros.-Early career in baseball:Wade started his baseball career in 1977 as an intern in the Phillies public relations department. In 1977, he was named public relations assistant for the Astros and was promoted to public relations director in...
was replaced by
Pat GillickLawrence Patrick David Gillick is a retired American professional baseball executive. He was the general manager of four Major League Baseball teams, and guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: in 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with...
in November 2005. Gillick reshaped the club as his own, sending stars away in trades and allowing the Phillies' young core to develop. After the franchise lost its 10,000th game in 2007, its core of young players, including infielders
Chase UtleyChase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, before moving on to UCLA...
,
Ryan HowardRyan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
, and
Jimmy RollinsJames Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....
and pitcher
Cole HamelsColbert Michael "Cole" Hamels is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hamels throws a four-seam fastball, a circle changeup, a curveball, and a cut fastball, which he added in 2010...
, responded by winning the
National League EastThe National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
division title, but they were swept by the Colorado Rockies in the
Division Series-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies:-Game 1, October 3:Chase Field in Phoenix, ArizonaEighteen-game winners Carlos Zambrano and Brandon Webb matched each other pitch for pitch in the opening game of the series. Stephen Drew's fourth-inning home run stood as the game's only run until Ryan...
. After the 2007 season, they acquired closer
Brad LidgeBradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge is a reliever who is currently a free agent. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career...
.
In 2008, the Phillies clinched their second straight division title and defeated the
Milwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in the
Division Series-Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers:-Game 1, October 1:Wrigley Field in Chicago, IllinoisThe Dodgers swiped Game 1 from the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mark DeRosa gave the Cubs an early lead in the second inning with an opposite-field home run. James Loney's fifth inning grand slam proved to...
to record the franchise's first post-season victory since winning the 1993 NLCS. Behind strong pitching from the rotation and stellar offensive production from virtually all members of the starting lineup, the Phillies won the
2008 National League Championship Series-Game 1:Thursday, October 9, 2008 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDerek Lowe and Cole Hamels faced each other at Citizens Bank Park for Game 1. In the first inning, Manny Ramírez missed a home run by mere feet to center field and settled for an RBI double to give LA a 1–0 lead,...
against the
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
; Hamels was named the series' Most Valuable Player. The Phillies would then go on to defeat the
Tampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
in 5 games for their second World Series title in their 126-year history. Hamels was named both NLCS MVP as well as World Series MVP after going 4–0 in the
postseasonThe Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of Major League Baseball's regular season. It consists of one best-of-five series and two best-of-seven series...
that year.
Gillick retired as general manager after the 2008 season and was succeeded by one of his assistants,
Ruben Amaro, Jr.Rubén Amaro, Jr. is the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.He is also a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from to . He is the son of former infielder Rubén Amaro, Sr....
After adding outfielder
Raúl IbañezRaúl Javier Ibáñez is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.Over his career, Ibáñez, who did not make 500 plate appearances until the age of thirty, has batted .280 with 377 doubles, 252 home runs and 1054 runs batted in over sixteen Major League seasons...
to replace the departed
Pat BurrellPatrick Brian "Pat" Burrell , nicknamed "Pat the Bat," is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He stands tall and weighs . He bats and throws right-handed...
, the Phillies retained the majority of their core players for the 2009 season. In July, they signed three-time
Cy Young AwardThe Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
winner
Pedro MartinezPedro Jaime Martínez is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion...
and acquired 2008 American League Cy Young winner
Cliff LeeClifton Phifer "Cliff" Lee is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee has also played for the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers....
before the trade deadline. On September 30, 2009, they clinched a third consecutive National League East Division title for the first time since the 1976–78 seasons. The team continued this run of success with wins over the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS (3 games to 1) and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS (4 games to 1), to become the first Phillies team to win back-to-back pennants and the first National League team since the 1996 Atlanta Braves to have an opportunity to defend their World Series title. The Phillies were unable to repeat, falling to the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, 4 games to 2. Nevertheless, in recognition of the team's recent accomplishments,
Baseball AmericaBaseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
named the Phillies as its Organization of the Year.
On December 16, 2009, they acquired starting pitcher
Roy HalladayHarry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
from the Toronto Blue Jays for three minor-league prospects, and traded
Cliff LeeClifton Phifer "Cliff" Lee is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee has also played for the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers....
to the
Seattle MarinersThe Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
for three prospects. On May 29, 2010, Halladay pitched a
perfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
against the
Florida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
.
In June 2010, the team's scheduled 2010 series against the
Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
at
Rogers CentreRogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
was moved to Philadelphia, because of security concerns for the
G-20 SummitThe 2010 G-20 Toronto summit was the fourth meeting of the G-20 heads of government, in discussion of the global financial system and the world economy, which took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during June 26–27, 2010...
. The Blue Jays wore their home white uniforms and batted last as the home team, and the
designated hitterIn baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
was used. The game was the first occasion of the use of a designated hitter in a National League ballpark in a regular-season game; Ryan Howard was the first player to fill the role.
The 2010 Phillies won their fourth consecutive NL East Division championship despite a rash of significant injuries to key players, including Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Carlos Ruiz. After dropping seven games behind the Atlanta Braves on July 21, Philadelphia finished with an MLB-best record of 97–65. The streak included a 20–5 record in September, the Phillies' best September since winning 22 games that month in 1983, and a 11–0 run in the middle of the month. The acquisition of pitcher Roy Oswalt in early August was a key step, as Oswalt won seven consecutive games in just over five weeks from August 11 through September 17. The Phillies clinched the division on September 27, behind a two-hit shutout by Halladay.
In Game 1 of the 2010 National League Division Series, Halladay threw the second no-hitter in Major League baseball postseason history, leading the Phillies over the Cincinnati Reds, 4–0. The first no-hitter in postseason history was New York Yankee pitcher
Don LarsenDonald James Larsen is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 15-year baseball career, he pitched from 1953-67 for seven different teams. Larsen is best known for pitching the sixth perfect game in baseball history, doing so in game 5 of the 1956 World Series...
's perfect game in the
1956 World SeriesThe 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series...
. Halladay's no-hitter was the fifth time a pitcher has thrown two no-hitters in the same season, and was also the first time that one of the two occurred in the postseason. The Phillies went on to sweep the Reds in three straight games. In the
2010 National League Championship Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 16, 2010 — 7:30 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaIn one of the most touted postseason pitching matchups in recent history, two former Cy Young Award winners faced off: Roy Halladay for the Phillies and Tim Lincecum for the Giants...
, the Phillies fell to the eventual
World Series championThe 2010 World Series was the 106th occurrence of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, , and ended on Monday, , with the Giants...
San Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in six games.
On September 17, 2011, the Phillies won their fifth consecutive East Division championship, and on September 28, during the final game of the season, the team set a franchise record for victories in a season with 102 by beating the
Atlanta BravesThe Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in 13 innings, denying their division rivals a potential
Wild CardIn Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
berth. Yet the Phillies lost in the NLDS to the
St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
- the team that won the National League Wild Card as a result of the Phillies beating the Braves. The Cardinals subsequently won the 2011 World Series in 7 games.
Current uniform
The current team colors,
uniformA baseball uniform is a type of uniform worn by baseball players. Most baseball uniforms have the names and uniform numbers of players who wear them, usually on the backs of the uniforms to distinguish players from one other. Baseball shirts , pants, shoes, socks, caps, and glove are parts of...
, and
logoA logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
date to 1992 but are meant to recall in the script, "Phillies", and red trim the style the team wore from the "
Whiz KidsThe Whiz Kids was a nickname given to the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. This team, averaging only 26.4 years of age, won the National League pennant during that season.After owner R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr...
" era in 1950 until 1969. The main team colors are red and white, with blue serving as a prominent accent. The team name is written in red with a blue star serving as the
dot over the "i"sA tittle is a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j. The tittle is an integral part of the glyph of i and j, but diacritic dots can appear over other letters in various languages...
, and blue
pipingIn sewing, piping is a type of trim or embellishment consisting of a strip of folded fabric inserted into a seam to define the edges or style lines of a garment or other textile object. Usually the fabric strip is cut on the bias, and often it is folded over a cord...
is often found in Phillies branded apparel and materials. The team's home uniform is white with red
pinstripesPinstripes are a pattern of very thin stripes of any color running in parallel found in cloth. The pinstriped suit has become associated with conservative business attire, although many designers now produce fashionable pinstripe patterns for fashion-conscious consumers...
, lettering and numbering. The
roadRoad game , more commonly known as an away game, is a reference to all cities and stadia/arenas/fields/venues where an athletic team plays games for which it is not the host. Most professional teams represent cities or towns and amateur sports teams often represent academic institutions...
uniform is traditional grey with red lettering/numbering. Both bear a script-lettered "Phillies" logo, with the aforementioned star dotting the "i"s across the chest, and the player name and number on the back. Hats are red with a single stylized "P".
In 2008, the Phillies introduced an
alternateA third jersey or alternate jersey is a sports team's alternate and/or throwback design for the previously established other two jerseys, the home and away outfits. Alternate jerseys are used in all four of the North American major professional sports leagues as well as college sports, semipro...
, cream-colored uniform during home day games in tribute to their 125th anniversary. The uniforms are similar to those worn from 1946 through 1949, featuring red lettering bordered with blue piping and lacking pinstripes. The accompanying cap is blue with a red bill and a red stylized "P." The uniforms were announced on November 29, 2007, when Phillies shortstop
Jimmy RollinsJames Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....
, pitcher
Cole HamelsColbert Michael "Cole" Hamels is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hamels throws a four-seam fastball, a circle changeup, a curveball, and a cut fastball, which he added in 2010...
, and Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts modeled the new uniforms.
For the 2009 season the Phillies added black, circular "HK" patches to their uniforms over their hearts in honor of broadcaster
Harry KalasHarry Norbert Kalas was an American sportscaster, best known for his Ford C. Frick Award-winning role as lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies...
, who died April 13, 2009, just before he was to broadcast a Phillies game. From Opening Day through July 26, 2009, the Phillies wore 2008 World Champions patches on the right sleeve of their home uniforms. In 2010, the Phillies added a black patch with a white "36" on the sleeves of their jerseys to honor Roberts, who died on May 6. Roberts' #36 had been previously retired by the team. In 2011, the Phillies added a black circular patch with a 'B' in honor of minority owners Alexander and John Buck, who passed away in late 2010.
The Phillies are one of four teams in Major League Baseball that do not display the name of their city, state, or region on their road
jerseyA jersey is an item of knitted clothing, traditionally in wool or cotton, with sleeves, worn as a pullover, as it does not open at the front, unlike a cardigan. It is usually close-fitting and machine knitted in contrast to a guernsey that is more often hand knit with a thicker yarn...
s, joining the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Phillies are the only team that also displays the player's number on one sleeve, in addition to the usual placement on the back of the jersey.
Batting practice
The Phillies were an early adopter of the batting practice jersey in 1977, wearing a maroon v-necked top with the "Phillies" script name across the chest, as well as the player name and number on the back and a player number on the left sleeve, all in white. Larry Bowa, Pete Rose, and Mike Schmidt wore this maroon batting jersey in place of their road jersey during the 1979 All-Star Game in Seattle. Currently, during spring training, the Phillies wear solid red practice jerseys with pinstriped pants for Grapefruit League home games. The red jerseys are worn with grey pants on the road.
Former uniforms
From 1970 to 1991, the Phillies sported colors, uniforms, and a logo that were noticeably different from what had come before, or since, but that were widely embraced by even traditionally minded fans. A dark burgundy was adopted as the main team color, with a classic pinstripe style for home uniforms. Blue was almost entirely dropped as part of the team's official color scheme, except in one area; a pale blue (as opposed to traditional grey) was used as the base-color for away game uniforms. Yet the most important aspect of the 1970 uniform change was the adoption of one of the more distinctive logos in sports; a Phillies "P" that, thanks to its unique shape and "baseball stitched" center swirl, remained instantly recognizable and admired, long after its regular use had ended. It was while wearing this uniform style and color motif that the club achieved its most enduring success, including a World Series title in 1980 and another World Series appearance in 1983. Its continued popularity with fans is still evident, as even today Phillies home games can contain many fans sporting caps, shirts, and/or jackets emblazoned with the iconic "P" and burgundy color scheme. The current Phillies team have worn the burgundy and powder blue throwbacks whenever their opponents are wearing throwback uniforms from that era.
Controversial uniform changes
In 1979, the Phillies front office modified the uniform into an all-burgundy version with white trimmings, to be worn for Saturday games. They were called "
Saturday Night SpecialThe phrase Saturday night special is pejorative slang used in the United States and Canada for any inexpensive handgun. Saturday night specials have been defined as compact, inexpensive handguns with low perceived quality; however, there is no official definition of "Saturday night special" under...
s", in a derisive nod to cheap handguns then called by that name and were worn for the first and last time on May 19, 1979, a 10–5 loss to the
ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
. The immediate reaction of the media, fans, and players alike was negative, with many describing the despised uniforms as pajama-like. As such, the idea was hastily abandoned.
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
did wear the uniform during the MLB All-Star Tour of Japan following the 1979 season. The final appearance on field (to date) of this uniform was during the closing ceremonies at
Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
on Sep 28, 2003. There was a rather large procession of players during the post game ceremony, most in uniform. Former pitcher
Larry ChristensonLarry Richard 'L.C.' Christenson , is a former professional baseball pitcher who played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1973-1983....
, the starting pitcher in the original game, came out wearing this old burgundy uniform, and was the only one to do so.
Another uniform controversy arose in 1994 when the Phillies introduced blue caps on Opening Day which were to be worn for home day games only. The caps were unpopular with the players, who considered them bad luck after two losses. The caps were dumped after being used on the field for a month. A different blue cap was introduced in 2008 as part of the alternate home uniform for day games, a throwback to the late 1940s.
Rivalries
- See footnote
some minor rivalries of the Philadelphia Phillies today include the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins)and the Washington Nationals. all of these teams including the New York Mets are in the National league east with the Philadelphia Phillies and all compete against each other to win the division. However in the past few years prior to the 2012 season it has been the Mets and the Braves who have been a threat to the division title for the Phillies. this threat by the Mets and Braves has caused a bigger rivalry then some of the other teams in the division.
New York Mets
The
rivalryA sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
between the
New York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
and the Phillies is said to be among the "hottest" rivalries in the
National LeagueThe National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
. The two
National League EastThe National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
divisional rivals have met each other recently in playoff, division, and
Wild CardIn Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
races.
Aside from several brawls in the 1980s, the rivalry remained relatively low-key before the
2006 seasonIn , the Major League Baseball season ended with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series with the lowest regular season victory total in history. The American League continued its domination at the All-Star Game by winning its fourth straight game; the A.L. has won nine...
, as the teams had seldom been equally good at the same time. A notable moment in their early meetings was
Jim BunningJames Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
's
perfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
on Father's Day of 1964, the first
perfect game in Phillies history, which happened when the Mets were on a losing streak. The Phillies were near the bottom of the NL East when the Mets won the
1969 World SeriesThe 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
and the National League pennant in 1973, while the Mets did not enjoy success in the late 1970s when the Phillies won three straight division championships. Although both teams each won a
World SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in the 1980s, the Mets were not serious contenders in the Phillies' playoff years (1980, 1981, and 1983), nor did the Phillies seriously contend in the Mets' playoff years (1986 and 1988). The Mets were the Majors' worst team when the Phillies won the NL pennant in 1993, and the Phillies could not post a winning record in either of the Mets' wild-card-winning seasons of 1999 or 2000, when the Mets faced the
New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the
2000 World Series-Game 1:Saturday, October 21, 2000 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe opener fell on two anniversaries. Twenty-five years prior, Boston Red Sox's catcher Carlton Fisk ended Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with his famous home run off the left field foul pole in Fenway Park in Boston to beat...
.
As the rivalry has intensified in recent years, the teams have battled more often for playoff position. The Mets won the division in 2006, while the Phillies won five consecutive division titles from 2007 to 2011. The Phillies' 2007 championship was won on the last day of the season as the Mets lost a seven-game lead with seventeen games remaining. The Phillies broke the
Curse of Billy PennThe Curse of Billy Penn was an alleged curse used to explain the failure of major professional sports teams based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to win championships since the March 1987 construction of the One Liberty Place skyscraper, which exceeded the height of William Penn's statue atop...
to win the
2008 World SeriesThe 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
, while the Mets' last title came in the
1986 World SeriesThe 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. It was cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 that allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game...
.
City Series: Philadelphia Athletics
The City Series was the name of a series of baseball games played between the
Philadelphia AthleticsThe Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
of the
American LeagueThe American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
and the Phillies that ran from 1903 through 1955. After the A's move to
Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 1955, the City Series rivalry came to an end. The teams have since faced each other in
Interleague playInterleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
(since its introduction in 1997) but the rivalry has effectively died in the intervening years since the A's left Philadelphia.
The first City Series was held in 1883 between the Phillies and the
American Association's AthleticsThe Philadelphia Athletics were a professional baseball team, one of six charter members of the American Association, a 19th-century major league, which began play in 1882 as a rival to the National League. The other teams were the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Red Stockings, Eclipse of...
. When the Athletics first joined the American League, the two teams played each other in a spring and fall series. No City Series was held in 1901 and 1902 due to legal warring between the National and American Leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The rivalry between the Phillies and the
Pittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
of
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
was considered by some to be one of the best rivalries in the National League. The rivalry started when the Pittsburgh Pirates entered play in 1887, four years after the Phillies.
The Phillies and the Pirates had remained together after the National League split into two divisions in 1969. During the period of two-division play (1969 to 1993), the two
National League EastThe National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
division rivals won the two highest numbers of division championships, reigning almost exclusively as NL East champions in the 1970s and again in the early 1990s. the Pirates nine, the Phillies six; together, the two teams' 15 championships accounted for more than half of the 25 NL East championships during that span.
After the Pirates moved to the
National League CentralThe National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
in 1994, the teams face each other only in two series each year and the rivalry has diminished. However, many fans, especially older ones, retain their dislike for the other team and regional differences between
EasternThe Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
and
Western PennsylvaniaWestern Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
still fuel the rivalry.
Awards
Five Phillies have won an MVP award during their career with the team. Mike Schmidt leads with three wins, with back-to-back MVPs in 1980 and 1981, and in 1986 as well. Chuck Klein (1932), Jim Konstanty (1950), Ryan Howard (2006), and Jimmy Rollins (2007) all have one. Pitcher Steve Carlton leads the team in
Cy Young AwardThe Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
wins with four (1972, 1977, 1980, and 1982), while John Denny (1983), Steve Bedrosian (1987), and Roy Halladay (2010) each have one. Four Phillies have won Rookie of the Year honors as well.
Jack SanfordJohn Stanley Sanford was an American right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, and later in his career a relief pitcher as well, for the Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and California Angels. He finished his career playing very briefly with the Kansas City...
won in 1957, and
Dick AllenRichard Anthony Allen is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s...
won in 1964.
Third basemanA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Scott RolenScott Bruce Rolen is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. He is an eight-time Gold Glove winner and seven-time All-Star.-Philadelphia Phillies:...
brought home the honors in 1997, while Howard was the most recent Phillies winner in 2005. In doing so, Howard became only the second player in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in consecutive years, Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles being the first.
Of the
fifteen playersWriters of Sporting News described hitting four home runs in a single Major League Baseball game as "baseball's greatest single-game accomplishment". Fifteen players have accomplished the feat to date. No player has done this more than once in his career and no player has ever hit more than four...
who have hit four home runs in one game, three were Phillies at the time (more than any other team). Ed Delahanty was the first, hitting his four in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's
West Side ParkWest Side Park was the name used for two different baseball parks that formerly stood in Chicago, Illinois. They were both home fields of the team now known as the Chicago Cubs of the National League. Both parks witnessed championship baseball...
on July 13, 1896. Chuck Klein repeated the feat nearly 40 years later to the day, on July 10, 1936, at Pittsburgh's
Forbes FieldForbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...
. Forty years later, on April 17, 1976, Mike Schmidt became the third, also hitting his in Chicago, these coming at
Wrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
.
Wall of Fame
From 1978 to 2003, the Phillies inducted one former Phillie and one former member of the Philadelphia Athletics per year. Since 2004 they have inducted one Phillie annually. Players must be retired and must have played at least four years with the Phillies or Athletics. The last six years' inductees to the Wall of Fame are listed below:
The following inductees have also been elected to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame:
Richie AshburnDon Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
,
Steve CarltonSteven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
, Robin Roberts,
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
, broadcaster
Harry KalasHarry Norbert Kalas was an American sportscaster, best known for his Ford C. Frick Award-winning role as lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies...
,
Grover Cleveland AlexanderGrover Cleveland Alexander , nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.-Career:Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of thirteen...
,
Del EnnisDelmer Ennis was an American left and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Philadelphia Phillies. From 1949 to 1957, Ennis accumulated more runs batted in than anyone besides Stan Musial and was 8th in the National League in home runs...
,
Chuck KleinCharles Herbert "Chuck" Klein was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
,
Ed DelahantyEdward James Delahanty , nicknamed "Big Ed", was a Major League Baseball player from 1888 to 1903 for the Philadelphia Quakers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Infants and Washington Senators, and was known as one of the early great power hitters in the game.He was elected to the Baseball Hall of...
,
Larry BowaLawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
,
Tug McGrawFrank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
, and
Dick AllenRichard Anthony Allen is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s...
.
Centennial Team
In 1983, rather than inducting a player into the Wall of Fame, the Phillies selected their Centennial Team, commemorating the best players of the first 100 years in franchise history. See Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame#Centennial Team.
Hall of Famers
- See footnote
Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Retired numbers
The Phillies have retired six numbers, and honored two additional players with the letter "P."
Grover Cleveland AlexanderGrover Cleveland Alexander , nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.-Career:Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of thirteen...
played with the team in the era before Major League Baseball used uniform numbers, and
Chuck KleinCharles Herbert "Chuck" Klein was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
wore a variety of numbers with the team during his career. Of the six players with retired numbers, five were retired for their play with the Phillies and one, 42, was universally retired by Major League Baseball when they honored the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier.
Richie
AshburnDon Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
OFOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
, TVIn sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
Retired 1979 |
Jim
BunningJames Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
RHPIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Retired 2001 |
Mike
SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
3BA third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Retired 1990 |
Steve
CarltonSteven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
LHPIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Retired 1989 |
Robin
Roberts
RHPIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Retired 1962 |
Jackie
RobinsonJack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
2BSecond base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
MLB–retired 1997
|
Grover C.
AlexanderGrover Cleveland Alexander , nicknamed "Old Pete", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938.-Career:Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of thirteen...
RHPIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Honored 2001 |
Chuck
KleinCharles Herbert "Chuck" Klein was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
OFOutfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Honored 2001 |
Community
Charitable contributions
The Phillies have supported
amyotrophic lateral sclerosisAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
research (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) with the "Phillies Phestival" since 1984. The team raised over
$The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
750,000 for ALS research at their 2008 festival, compared with approximately $4,500 at the inaugural event in 1984; the event has raised a total of over $10 million in its history. The ALS Association of Philadelphia is the Phillies' primary charity, and the hospitals they support include
Pennsylvania HospitalPennsylvania Hospital is a hospital in Center City, Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System . Founded on May 11, 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond, it was the first hospital in the United States...
, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and
Hahnemann University HospitalHahnemann University Hospital, established in 1885 and named after Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, is a hospital in Center City, Philadelphia. It is affiliated with Drexel University College of Medicine and serves as its Center City Hahnemann campus.-History:In 1993 Hahnemann...
. Former Phillies pitchers
Geoff GearyGeoffrey Michael Geary is a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently a reliever for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.-Biography:...
, now with the
Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and who lost a friend to the disease, and
Curt SchillingCurtis Montague "Curt" Schilling is a former American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series in and won World Series championships in with the Arizona Diamondbacks and in and with the Boston Red Sox. Schilling retired with a...
, who retired with the
Boston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, are both still involved with the Phillies' cause.
Fan support
- See footnote
Phillies fans have earned a reputation over the years for their occasional unruly behavior. In the 1960s, radio announcers for visiting teams would frequently report on the numerous fights breaking out in Connie Mack Stadium. Immediately after the final game at the old park, many fans ran onto the field or dislodged parts of the ballpark to take home with them. Later, at
Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, the 700 Level gained a reputation for its "hostile taunting, fighting, public urination and general strangeness."
Phillies fans are known for harsh criticism of their own stars such the 1964 Rookie of the Year Richie Allen and Hall of Fame third baseman
Mike SchmidtMichael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
. The fans, however, are just as well known for heckling the visiting team.
Los Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
pitcher
Burt HootonBurt Carlton Hooton , nicknamed "Happy" , is a coach and former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...
's poor performance during game three of the
1977 National League Championship Series-Game 1:Tuesday, October 4, 1977 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe Phillies took the opening game of the series, winning their first postseason game since Game 1 of the 1915 World Series...
has often been attributed to the crowd's taunting.
J. D. DrewDavid Jonathan "J. D." Drew is an American professional baseball right fielder who is a free agent. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in with the St. Louis Cardinals...
, the Phillies' first overall draft pick in the amateur draft of 1997, never signed with the Phillies following a contract dispute with the team, instead re-entering the draft the next year to be drafted by the
St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
. Phillies fans were angered over this disrespect and debris, including two
D batteriesA D battery is a size of dry cell. A D cell is cylindrical with electrical contacts at each end; the positive end having a nub or bump...
, was hurled at Drew during an August 1999 game. Subsequent visits by Drew to Philadelphia continue to be met with sustained booing from the Phillies fans.
Many sports writers have noted the passionate presence of Phillies fans, including Allen Barra, who wrote that the biggest roar he ever heard from Philadelphia fans was in 1980 when
Tug McGrawFrank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
, in the victory parade after the World Series, told New York fans they could "take this championship and shove it."
When the Phillies moved to Veteran's Stadium, they hired a group of young ladies to serve as ushers. These women wore maroon-colored outfits featuring hot pants and were called the
Hot Pants PatrolThe Hot Pants Patrol was a group used by the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team in the 1970s, designed to attract greater attendance, particularly by men, to home games at Veterans Stadium. It consisted of a number of attractive young "fillies" or "usherettes" who were assigned to various sections...
. The team also introduced a pair of mascots, attired in colonial garb and named Philadelphia Phil and Phyllis. In addition to costumed characters, animated Phil and Phylis figures mounted on the center field facade would "hit" the Liberty Bell after a Phillie home run. This pair of mascots never achieved any significant level of popularity with fans and were eventually discontinued. In 1978, the team introduced a new mascot, the
Phillie PhanaticThe Phillie Phanatic, is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green creature that somewhat resembles a bird from the rear view with a cylindrical beak containing a extendable tongue.-Creation:...
, who has been called "baseball's best mascot", which has been much more successful and has become closely associated with the marketing of the team.
In Phillies fan culture, it is also not unusual to replace an "f" with a "ph" in words, such as the Phillie Phanatic.
The club surpassed 100 consecutive sellouts on August 19, 2010, selling out over 50% of their home games and averaging an annual attendance of over 3.1 million fans since moving to Citizens Bank Park; on April 3, 2011, the team broke the three-game series attendance record at the ballpark, having 136,254 fans attend the opening weekend against the
Houston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
.
In 2011, the Phillies led the league in
attendance-Highest season home totals, by team:-4 million or more home attendance totals:Toronto Blue Jays became the first team in baseball history to draw 4 million mark in attendance in 1991 season. -Progression of the home field attendance record:...
for the first time in franchise history, with 3,680,718 fans coming out to watch Phillies baseball.
Season-by-season records
The records of the Phillies' last five seasons in
Major League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
are listed below.
Current roster
Team managers
Over 126 seasons, the Phillies franchise has employed 51
managerIn baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
s. The duties of the team manager include team strategy and leadership on and off the field. Seven managers have taken the Phillies to the postseason, with
Danny Ozark and
Charlie ManuelCharles Fuqua Manuel, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder and current Major League Baseball manager of the Philadelphia Phillies...
each leading the team to three playoff appearances. Manuel and
Dallas GreenGeorge Dallas Green is a former pitcher, manager, and executive in Major League Baseball. After playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and two other teams, he went on to manage the Phillies, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets, and managed the Phillies when they won their first World Series...
are the only Phillies managers to
winIn professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
a
World SeriesThe World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
: Green in
1980-Game 1:Tuesday, October 14, 1980 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaThe Royals jumped on Philly rookie starter Bob Walk early with a pair of two run bombs—one by Amos Otis in the second and another by Willie Aikens in the third...
against the
Kansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
; and Manuel in
2008The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies as champions of the National League and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible...
against the
Tampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
.
Gene MauchGene William Mauch was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , Boston Braves , St...
is the longest-tenured manager in franchise history, with 1,332 games of service in parts of eight seasons (1960–1968). The records and accomplishments of the last five Phillies' managers are shown below.
Minor league affiliations
| Level |
Team |
League |
Location |
| AAA |
Lehigh Valley IronPigsThe Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
|
International League The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
|
Allentown, PAAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
|
| AA |
Reading PhilliesThe Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
|
Eastern League The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
|
Reading, PAReading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
|
| Advance A |
Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the Florida State League. Since 2004, the team competes in the West Division....
|
Florida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
|
Clearwater, FLClearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
|
| Full Season A |
Lakewood BlueClaws The Lakewood BlueClaws are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the South Atlantic League, a Class Single-A baseball league. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Park located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey...
|
South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
|
Lakewood, NJ -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 60,352 people, 19,876 households, and 13,356 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,431.8 people per square mile . There were 21,214 housing units at an average density of 854.8 per square mile...
|
| Short Season A |
Williamsport Crosscutters The Williamsport Crosscutters are a Short-Season A classification minor league baseball team based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
|
New York-Penn League |
Williamsport, PAWilliamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
|
| Rookie |
GCL Phillies |
Gulf Coast League The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
|
Clearwater, FLClearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of...
|
| VSL Phillies |
Venezuelan Summer League The Venezuelan Summer League is a minor league baseball rookie league which operates in Carabobo and Aragua states, Venezuela.The VSL was created in 1997, after several operational years of the Major League Baseball's academies in the country...
|
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
|
| DSL Phillies The Dominican Summer Phillies are a minor league baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The team plays in the Santo Domingo North division and is affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies.-External links:*...
|
Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League is a branch of affiliated minor league baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. The 2011 72-game season begins May 28 and ends August 20...
|
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
|
Radio and television
- See also: Philadelphia Phillies radio network
The Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network is a network of 21 radio stations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey that air Major League Baseball games of the Philadelphia Phillies. The lead announcers are Scott Franzke with play-by-play and Larry Andersen with color commentary...
and List of current MLB broadcasters
As of 2009, the Phillies' flagship radio station is
WPHTWPHT is a CBS Radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting on 1210 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it broadcasts in an omnidirectional pattern that allows it to cover most of the eastern half of North America at night. It uses the nickname "Talk Radio 1210 WPHT." The...
(1210 AM). The Phillies' television stations are
Comcast SportsNetComcast SportsNet is a group of regional sports networks in the United States primarily owned by the Comcast cable television company....
(CSN) and
WPHL-TVWPHL-TV, channel 17, is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by the Tribune Company and currently affiliated with the News Corporation-owned MyNetworkTV television network. This makes it the largest non-O&O station of the network...
(a My Network TV affiliate) with some early season games shown on Comcast Network Philadelphia (formerly known as CN8) when there are conflicts on CSN with
76ersThe Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
and
FlyersThe Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
games. CSN produces the games shown on the above-mentioned stations.
Scott FranzkeScott Franzke is the radio Play-by-play voice of the Philadelphia Phillies.-Biography:His career began as a studio host for the now-defunct Prime Sports Radio Network in 1994 which led him three years later to be the host of the Texas Rangers radio pre- and post-game shows 1997-98...
and Jim Jackson provide play-by-play on the radio, with
Larry Andersen as the color commentator.
Tom McCarthyTom McCarthy is an American sports broadcaster. He is the play-by-play announcer for Philadelphia Phillies television broadcasts...
calls play-by-play for the television broadcasts, with
Chris WheelerChris Wheeler is an announcer and color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Wheels", or alternatively "Muffin" , Wheeler has been broadcasting for the Phillies on TV and radio since 1977. In 1971, he entered the Phillies organization as Assistant Director...
and
Gary MatthewsGary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. , nicknamed Sarge, is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. He now serves as a color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies. From through , Matthews played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Seattle...
providing color commentary.
Spanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
broadcasts are on WUBA (1480 AM) with Danny Martinez on play-by-play and Bill Kulik and Juan Ramos on color commentary.
Other popular Phillies broadcasters through the years include
By SaamByrum Fred "By" Saam, Jr. was an American sportscaster. His primary focus in his career was announcing baseball and football games in Philadelphia.-Early life:...
from 1939 to 1975,
Bill CampbellBill Campbell is a longtime sportscaster in the Philadelphia area.Campbell began his broadcasting career at the age of 17 at a radio station in his hometown of Atlantic City. He moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1941 as a minor league baseball announcer, and then settled in Philadelphia in...
from 1962 to 1970,
Richie AshburnDon Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
from 1963 to 1997, and
Harry KalasHarry Norbert Kalas was an American sportscaster, best known for his Ford C. Frick Award-winning role as lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies...
from 1971 to 2009. Kalas, a 2002 recipient of the Ford Frick Award and an icon in the Philadelphia area, called play-by-play in the first three and last three innings on television and the fourth inning on the radio until his passing on April 13, 2009.
At Citizens Bank Park, the restaurant built into the base of the main scoreboard is named "Harry the K's" in Kalas's honor. After Kalas's death, the Phillies' TV-broadcast booth was renamed "The Harry Kalas Broadcast Booth". It is directly next to the radio-broadcast booth, which is named "The
Richie 'Whitey' AshburnDon Richard "Richie" Ashburn , also known by the nicknames, "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey" due to his light-blond hair, was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska...
Broadcast Booth". When a Phillie hits a home run at Citizen's Bank Park, Kalas' signature "That ball is outta here!" home run call is played. When the Phillies win at home, Kalas' rendition of the song
High HopesAs a song title, "High Hopes" may refer to: * "High Hopes" , a song from the 1959 movie A Hole in the Head, popularized by Frank Sinatra* "High Hopes" , a 1982 song by The SOS Band...
, which he would sing when the Phillies had clinched a playoff berth or advanced in the playoffs, is played as fans file out of the stadium. In 2011, the Phillies unveiled a statue of Harry Kalas at Citizens Bank Park. The statue was funded by Phillies fans and the statue was designed and constructed by a Phillies fan.
The Phillies' public-address (PA)
announcerAn announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
is
Dan BakerDan Baker is an American public address announcer best known for many years as the voice of Veterans Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, who started in the 1972 season.
In 2011, the Phillies spent $10 million to upgrade the video system at Citizens Bank Park, including a new display screen in left field, the largest in the National League.
See also
- Curse of Billy Penn
The Curse of Billy Penn was an alleged curse used to explain the failure of major professional sports teams based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to win championships since the March 1987 construction of the One Liberty Place skyscraper, which exceeded the height of William Penn's statue atop...
- List of Philadelphia Phillies first-round draft picks
- List of Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day starting pitchers
- South Philadelphia Sports Complex
The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is the current home of Philadelphia's professional sports teams. It is the site of the Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park...
- Sports in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been home to many teams and events in professional, semi-professional, amateur, college, and high-school sports.-Major-league professional teams:Philadelphia has a long and proud history of professional sports teams...
- Tony Lucadello
Tony Lucadello was a professional baseball scout for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies . During his career, he signed a total of 52 players who made it to the Major Leagues, most notably Hall of Famers Ferguson Jenkins and Mike Schmidt...
Article
In 1981, a mid-season players' strike split the season. Philadelphia, with the best record in the East Division when play was halted, was declared the first-half division winner. They would, however, lose to the second half-winning
Montréal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
in the NLDS, losing the overall division title. The Phillies' record over the entire season was third-best in the division, 2½ games behind
St. LouisThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and Montréal.The Phillies are the only National League team with two
perfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
s. Four American League teams have accomplished the feat: New York Yankees (3), Chicago White Sox (2), Cleveland Indians (2), and Oakland Athletics (2).
Retired numbers
Grover Cleveland Alexander played in the era before Major League players wore numbers; the Phillies have honored him with the "P" logo from the 1915 season, their first
World SeriesIn the 1915 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one.In their only World Series before , the Phillies won Game 1 before being swept the rest of the way. It was 65 years before the Phillies won their next Series game...
appearance.Chuck Klein wore many numbers while with the Phillies, including 1, 3, 8, 26, 29, and 36. The Phillies wore the Old English "P" during his first six seasons; thus, they chose to use it to honor Klein.
Season records
The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play.The GB column lists "Games Back" from the team that finished in first place that season. It is determined by finding the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two.
Team managers
#: running total of the number of Phillies' managers. Thus, any manager who has two or more separate terms is only counted once.
#49: Larry BowaLawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
won the
Manager of the Year AwardIn Major League Baseball, the Manager of the Year Award is an honor given annually since 1983 to the best managers in the American League and the National League . The winner is voted on by 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America . Each places a vote for first, second, and third...
in 2001.
External links