About the Philadelphia Phillies
The fall of 2008 was a great time to be a Phillies fan. After coming from behind to beat the New York Mets for the National League East title for the second straight year, the Phillies defeated the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers to earn a spot in the World Series. Despite not having the homefield advantage against a team that had beaten the defending world champion Red Sox, the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games to win their second World Series title.
-
History
-
They began playing in 1883 and took the name of the Phillies on a fulltime basis in 1890. The Philadelphia Phillies struggled for many years to maintain a competitive edge in the National League. The only semblance of success they had in the first half of the 20th century came in 1915 when the Phillies won their first pennant. Their appearance in the World Series was short-lived as they were beaten by the Red Sox in five games.
The Phillies soon became one of the worst teams in baseball. Through poor management, they lacked talent. The Phillies would have only one winning season between 1918 and 1948.
After years of suffering in the National League's lower reaches, the Phillies developed some excellent young talent. Richie Ashburn took over in centerfield and Robin Roberts filled ace's role on the mound. The Phillies won the 1950 National League pennant and met the New York Yankees in the World Series. It was a mismatch. The key for the Phillies during their pennant run had been the outstanding relief pitching of Jim Konstanty. In an effort to try to get the jump in the series, Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer decided to give Konstanty the start in Game One against Yankees ace Vic Raschi. The move worked as Konstanty held the Yankees to one run, but Raschi blanked the Phillies 1-0. The Yankees would follow with three close wins to take the series in four games.
The 1964 Phillies appeared to be on their way to the pennant. Led by manager Gene Mauch, pitcher Jim Bunning, outfielder Johnny Callison and rookie 3rd baseman Richie Allen, the Phillies built a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games to play in the National League. But the Phillies lost 10 games in a row and were caught and passed by the St. Louis Cardinals.
It took years for the Phillies to get over that loss and they wouldn't win their next pennant until 1980. Led by pitcher Steve Carlton and 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt, the Phillies met the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. The matchup was an even one and the two teams split the first four games, with each team winning its home games. However, the Phillies broke through in Kansas City in Game 5 and took their first World Championship in Game 6 as relief pitcher Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson to give Philadelphia its first World Championship.
The Phillies had a strong team in 1983 but dropped a five-game series to the Orioles. Ten years later, they met the Toronto Blue Jays in an exciting and high-scoring series. Toronto built a 3-1 lead, but the Phillies climbed back in the series when Curt Schilling threw a 5-hit shutout in Game 5. The Phillies had a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 6, but Toronto's Joe Carter hit a 3-run homer off Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams to give the Blue Jays their title.
Philadelphia made impressive runs to the National League East titles in 2007 and 2008 by overcoming huge leads by the New York Mets in each year. The Phillies were eliminated by the Rockies in the 2007 NL Divisional Series, but there were no missteps in 2008. They punished the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers before they met the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series. While Tampa was favored because they came from the stronger American League, the Phillies were led by pitcher Cole Hamels, shortstop Jimmy Rollins and power-hitting 1st baseman Ryan Howard to win the World Series in five games.
Great players
-
Richie Ashburn was one of the best fielding centerfielders in National League history and a solid clutch hitter. Robin Roberts was a stylish and crafty lefthander with lethal control. Richie Allen was an impressive power hitter who was misunderstood by the fans. JIm Bunning was a solid pitcher with the Detroit Tigers before he came to the Phillies and was dominant in the National League. Steve Carlton was a dominant pitcher throughout the 1970s and keyed the 1980 World Championship run. Mike Schmidt was probably the best third baseman in Major League history. Pete Rose made his name with the Reds, but he brought leadership and clutch hitting when he joined the Phillies. Garry Maddox was one of the best defensive centerfielder in baseball history. Jimmy Rollins is one of the top shortstops of his era. Ryan Howard is among the foremost power hitters in the game.
Top moments
-
The 1950 pennant represented the franchise's first trip to the World Series in 35 years. While the "Whiz Kids" could not beat the Yankees, they were so popular that the Philadelphia Athletics decided to pack their bags, move to Kansas City and cede the City of Brotherly Love to the Phillies.
The 1980 World Championship was the first for the team even though they had started playing in 1883, almost 100 year earlier. It was Philadelphia's first championship in an sport since the NHL Flyers had won the 1975 Stanley Cup against the Buffalo Sabres.
While the Phillies lost the 1993 World Series to the Blue Jays, Curt Schilling's shutout in the fifth game of the World Series kept the team alive and force the World Series back to Toronto.
The Phillies needed two days to beat the Rays in the fifth and final game of the 2008 World Series. The Phillies and Rays were tied at 2-2 after 5 1/2 innings when baseball officials suspended the game due to poor weather. The rain did not abate until two days later and the Phillies closed out the game by scoring the winning run on Pedro Feliz single in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Painful memories
-
The 1964 collapse was the worst fold in baseball history until the 2007 N.Y. Mets lost a 7-game lead with 17 to play. In 1964, the Phillies lost 10 games in a row in late September and that allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to catch and pass the Phillies by a game in the standings. The fact that the Cardinals would go on to beat the New York Yankees in 7 games made the collapse that much more painful. Philadelphia manager Gene Mauch earned a reputation as one of the best game managers in baseball for his overall career, but he did not do anything to earn that reputation late in 1964. Instead, he managed his team not to lose and by doing so, the Phillies lost their aggressiveness and made too many mistakes.
Potential
-
After decades of losing, the Phillies finally broke through in 1950 with a National League pennant. The 1980 World Series victory turned the team's image completely and the Phillies are looked at as one of the most solid organizations from top to bottom. Citizen's Bank Park is widely viewed as one of the most aesthetically pleasing and hitter-friendly ballparks in professional baseball.
-
