Phillies Team History Stuff

[PopTop]

Philadelphia Phillies (1883-2003)
8505-9729

Team names:
Quakers: 1883-89
Phillies: 1890-1942, 1945-2003
Blue Jays: 1943-44

One World Series Title: 1980
Five NL Pennants: 1915, 1950, 1980, 1983, 1993
Nine Postseason Appearances: 1915, 1950, 1976-1978, 1980-81, 1983, 1993

Managerial Info: The club has employed 49 managers over the course of their now 121-year history. The first dugout commander was Bob “Death to Flying Things” Ferguson who was at the helm for just the first 17 games of the team’s inaugural 1883 campaign. After a 4-13 start, Ferguson was replaced by William Aloysius “Blondie” Purcell. Ferguson’s opening 17-game stint is just the fifth-shortest managerial tenure in franchise history. Andy Cohen went 1-0 in his only game as Phils manager in 1960. John Vukovich (9 games in 1988), Al Reach (11 games in 1890) and Dusty Cooke (13 games in 1948) also had shorter tenures in Philadelphia’s dugout. Among the other notable managers in club history are:
Harry Wright, with 10 years on the job, the longest of any Phillies field boss
• Gene Mauch, who guided the team during its notorious collapse in 1964
• Danny Ozark, who had a lot of success with the club in the 1970s
• Dallas Green, who managed the team to its only WS title in 1980
• Eddie Sawyer, the manager for the “Whiz Kids” that won the 1950 NL flag
• Larry Bowa, the fiery present-day manager who also rates among the club’s top players

[PopTop]

Stadium Info: For the past 33 seasons (1971-2003), the Phillies have played in good ol’ Veteran’s Stadium, one of the so-called “cookie cutter” parks built in the late 1960s, early 1970s across the country. In 2004 the club will move into brand new Citizens Bank Park (photo from MLB.com). Before that the club played at Recreation Grounds, Philadelphia Baseball Grounds, Baker Bowl and Shibe Park.

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/images/y2003_ballpark/im_cbp_header_581x260.gif

[PopTop]

Team Nicknames: One of the earliest threads in this Forum includes a link to a story on Philadelphia’s MLB.com site proclaiming “the Phillies are the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional sports.” I disagree with this statement and feel that honor is held by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia’s cross-state rivals.

The team started out as the Quakers (1883-89), which, as far as I’m concerned, is a more imaginative name than the Phillies. Of course, I’m sure that in today’s PC society, that name would be offensive to someone.Baseball Reference (http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PHI/) lists 1890 as the first season the team was called the Phillies.

With just one World Series appearance in their first 50-odd years of operation, the franchise went through a lot of changes during the WWII years when the club was headed up by three different owners. The Nugent Family sold the team to William Cox who was soon banned for his gambling ties, including betting on the Phillies. Robert Carpenter then took over the club around the end of the ’42 season and started to rebuild the fledgling franchise.

Thinking a fresh start in all areas was the way to go, Carpenter launched a contest to rename the Phillies, and Blue Jays was declared the winner. The name was apparently never filed as the “official” team name, and I believe that is true since so many different sources on the subject disagree on exactly which seasons the team was known as the Blue Jays. Baseball Reference lists 1943-44 as the two seasons Philadelphia was called the Blue Jays, and that’s what I believe as well. What I suspect, and having not had the opportunity to really delve into old Philly newspapers and such for additional sources, is the club moved towards the direction of being known as the Blue Jays, but after so many years as the Phillies the name never really took hold among the fans and writers. By the time the 1950 Whiz Kids captured the NL Pennant, Blue Jays was long forgotten.

(Uniforms shown from Hall of Fame.org website)

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/images/nl_1944_philadelphia.gif 1944 Blue Jays

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/images/nl_1970_philadelphia.gif 1970 Phillies

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/images/nl_1979_philadelphia.gif 1979 Phillies

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/dressed_to_the_nines/images/nl_2003_philadelphia.gif 2003 Phillies

[PopTop]

Since I’m not a tried-and-true Phillies Phanatic, my list of top Phillies games will no doubt differ greatly from their real fans. But even though they came at the expense of my beloved Astros, the 1980 NLCS still ranks at the top of the greatest games I’ve ever seen. And I’m sure there are many Phils fans who will at least agree with me on that.

The Phillies and Astros split the first two games of the then 5-game format up in the City of Brotherly Love. Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw combined to top Houston 3-1 in the series opener, thanks in part to a 2-run blast by Greg Luzinski in the 6th inning that gave Philadelphia the lead. It would be the only home run hit in the five games, and it would be the only game in the series that did NOT go extra innings.

Houston rallied to take Game 2 by a 7-5 count in 10 innings. Tied 3-3 going into the 10th, the Astros exploded for 4 runs in the top half of their frame off Phils relievers Ron Reed and Kevin Saucier. A pair of singles by Terry Puhl and Jose Cruz, an error by Philadelphia right fielder Bake McBride, and a triple by Dave Bergman highlighted the scoring for Houston.

The series then moved to Houston for Games 3, 4 and 5, and I was fortunate enough to attend all three contests. Game 3 was, for my money, was the best Astros game I ever witnessed. Philadelphia’s Larry Christenson and Houston’s Joe Niekro hooked up in a scoreless pitching duel that Friday afternoon, with Niekro working his knuckleball magic for 10 complete innings before finally giving way to his bullpen. Terry Puhl, the Astros’ leadoff hitter and in the midst of one of the greatest postseason hitting performances ever, reached base three times in the early going. But Houston’s offense never could bring him around.

Veteran Joe Morgan led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a shot off Phils reliever Tug McGraw that looked like it was destined for the right-center field bleachers at the old Astrodome. But the ball fell just a bit short and caromed off the top of the wall. Morgan hustled his way around to third for a triple and then, in a move I’ll never forgive Houston manager Bill Virdon for, was replaced by pinch-runner Rafael Landestoy. McGraw then walked Jose Cruz and Art Howe intentionally to load the sacks before a sac fly by Denny Walling plated Landestoy with the only run of the game and a 1-0 Houston win that gave the Astros a 2-1 lead in the series. All they needed was one win and the club was headed to the World Series.

But it was not to be for Houston and was to be for a Phillies team that seemed blessedly destined to win it all that season.

Game 4 pitted Phillies ace Steve Carlton against Houston’s Vern Ruhle, a matchup on paper that didn’t seem to favor the Astros despite Ruhle’s solid pitching over the second half of the season after JR Richard had suffered a career-ending stroke. Two bad calls in the 4th inning really standout in my mind, along with the fact so many people inside the Astrodome that Saturday afternoon had their transistor radios tuned to the UT-OU college football game. In the top half of the frame, Philadelphia mounted their first threat against Ruhle when Bake McBride and Manny Trillo led off the inning with singles. Garry Maddox then lined a shot straight up the middle that Ruhle appeared to catch. Both McBride and Trillo were off with the crack of the bat and Ruhle threw to Art Howe at 1B to apparently double-up Trillo. Howe then threw to Joe Morgan at 2B to apparently double off McBride. But there was a question among the umpires as to whether or not Ruhle had actually caught the liner off Maddox’ bat. The eventual ruling was a double play and McBride was allowed to stay at second. Larry Bowa then grounded out to end the inning with no real damage other than denying Houston fans a chance to say they saw a triple play.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, 2B umpire Shag Crawford blew another call on a sac fly that plated Houston’s first run. While Enos Cabell was scoring the Astros’ first run of the day on a sac fly by Art Howe, Gary Woods also tagged at 1B and advanced to second. But Crawford ruled Woods had left the 1B bag before the catch by Philadelphia’s rookie left fielder Lonnie Smith, and Woods was subsequently called out on what turned into a double play for the Phils.

Ruhle proved the paper matchup theorists wrong, matching Carlton and then some while the Astros scooted to a 2-0 lead going into the top of the 8th. Houston was 6 outs away from the World Series.

But the top of the 8th saw the Phils come alive at the plate and tally 3 runs. A pinch-single by Greg Gross got the inning cranking for Philadelphia, with singles by Pete Rose and Mike Schmidt also contributing. Coincidentally, it would be another strange “sac fly double play” that ended an inning when Trillo’s smashed one up to right that Jeff Leonard made an outstanding catch off the top of if his shoes. Rose tagged and scored by Schmidt was left in no-man’s land having broken on the pitch, and was subsequently doubled off first base.

Down 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th, Puhl singled home Landestoy to know the score three apiece. Once again, the inning ended on a double play fly out when Cabell lined to Del Unser, now in LF in place of Smith, and Puhl was called out trying to tag and advance to second base.

An RBI pinch double by Greg Luzinski eventually proved to be the game inning hit in the top of the 10th, and the Phillies took a 5-3 win to even the series 2-2 and force a deciding game 5.

Game 5 saw Nolan Ryan take the hill for Houston against Philadelphia’s Marty Bystrom. Manny Trillo, who would eventually earn Series MVP honors, helped the Phils to a 2-1 lead in the top of the 2nd, but the Astros tied it 2-2 in the 6th, thanks in part to an error by Luzinksi in left field.

Houston then seemed to take command of the game and the series with a 2-out, 3-run 7th inning, with Puhl starting the rally with a leadoff single and Art Howe capping it with a triple. Ahead 5-2, Houston was once again 6 outs from the World Series.

But the never-say-die Phils ended those hopes with a huge 5-run frame in the top of the 8th as Ryan tired. The first four Phillies hitters reached base that inning off Ryan before Joe Sambito was summoned from the bullpen, and Trillo’s 2-run triple off Ken Forsch, Houston’s third pitcher of the inning, finished off Philadelphia’s scoring that inning.

Trailing 7-5 now, singles by Landestoy and Cruz helped the Astros tie the game back up and eventually force extra innings with a 7-7 score.

Philadelphia would earn their first trip to the Fall Classic in 30 seasons when Del Unser and Garry Maddox roped doubles one out apart in the top of the 10th off Astros reliever and resident kook Frank LaCorte. No, I wasn’t really happy about the outcome of that game or that series, but I was exhausted heading home after that Game 5 on Sunday evening, having witnessed some of the greatest baseball in postseason history, and certainly some of the best baseball action in Phillies history.

[Nanner]

Good stuff, Willie! :thumbsup:

I had no idea the Phillies once were called the Blue Jays! And I also had no idea the Phillies were such an old ball club! :eek:

So, I'm learning stuff from this road trip of yours! :D

[barzilla]

For those that are interested in Phillies history there is a book you can purchase through McFarland called "Occasional Glory". You can get to the site by going to http://www.mcfarlandpub.com Obviously if you are there you can stop and take a look at my book.

Seriously, when I think of the Phillies of think of the period between 1920 and 1940. When adjusted for the 162 game schedule, the Phillies would have averaged 100 losses a season during that stretch. I'm sorry Phillies fans, but that is a long period of horrible baseball. Consider that the club won only five pennants in the 20th century (one championship) and you can see what I mean. However, three of those pennants came within 13 seasons, so they are on a better stretch now.

I think the club is on the right track with Ed Wade. With the exception of David Bell he seems to be making quality decisions. The Curt Schilling trade actually improved the team some with a solid starter and a couple of quality relievers. Jim Thome was a good signing (although the length of his contract may prove cumbersome).

The Billy Wagner and Kevin Mildwood trades were strokes of genius.

[Obri]

The Blue Jays? You learn something new every day.:D

Fascinating stuff guys. I'm finding out so much I never knew.

[RockieBill]

Kudos to PopTop and Barzilla! You guys really went out of your way to dig up this stuff and crunch the numbers, and then you make it interesting - awesome! :thumbsup:

I thought Krukker and Wild Thing constituted the whole of Phillies history! ;)

[Baseball Guru]

Most interesting gentlemen:thumbsup:

Great stuff as usual from you guys:clap2: