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"Phillies" redirects here. For other uses, see Phillies (disambiguation).
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.[1] The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. Since 2004, the team's home has been Citizens Bank Park in the South Philadelphia section of the city. The Phillies have won two World Series championships (against Kansas City in 1980 and Tampa Bay in 2008) 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 distinction of having lost the most games of any team in the history of American professional sports.[2] The franchise was founded in Philadelphia in 1883, replacing the team from Worcester, Massachusetts. The team has played at several stadiums in the city, beginning with Recreation Park and continuing at Baker Bowl; Shibe Park, which was later renamed Connie Mack Stadium in honor of the longtime Philadelphia Athletics manager; Veterans Stadium; and now Citizens Bank Park. The team's heated rivalry with the New York Mets has been an issue of contention within the division in recent seasons. The team's spring training facilities are located in Clearwater, Florida, where the single-A minor league affiliate Clearwater Threshers play at Bright House Field.
[edit] HistoryMain article: History of the Philadelphia Phillies [edit] Early historySee also: 1915 World Series 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".[3] "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 Bowl in 1887,[1] they did not win their first pennant until nearly 30 years later, after the likes of standout players Billy Hamilton, Sam Thompson, and Ed Delahanty had departed. Player defections to the newly-formed American League, especially to the cross-town Athletics, 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 Alexander and the batting prowess of Gavvy Cravath, who set what was then the modern major-league single-season record for home runs with 24.[4] Poor fiscal management after their appearance in the 1915 World Series, however, doomed the Phillies to sink back into relative obscurity; from 1918 to 1948 they only had one winning season. Though Chuck Klein won the MVP in 1932 and the National League Triple Crown in 1933, the team continued to flounder at the bottom of the standings for years.[5] [edit] Cox, Carpenter, and the "Whiz Kids" eraFor more details on this topic, see 1950 World Series. After lumber baron William B. Cox 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.[6]  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 Kids," led by a lineup of young players developed by the Phillies' farm system that included future Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts.[7] Their 1950 season was highlighted by a last-day, pennant-clinching home run by Dick Sisler to lead the Phillies over the Dodgers and into the World Series.[8] It was about this time that the Phillies' popularity drove the Athletics to abandon Philadelphia for Kansas City and, later, Oakland.[9] [edit] From lows to highsThe 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 Mahaffey, Chris Short, and rookie Ray Culp; veterans Jim Bunning and knuckleballer Jack Baldschun; and fan favorites Cookie Rojas, Johnny Callison, and NL Rookie of the Year Richie Allen brought the team within a hairsbreadth of the World Series in 1964 after strong showings in 1962 and 1963. However, the Phillies squandered a 61⁄2 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 Cardinals. The "Phold of '64" is among the most notable collapses in sports history.[10] At the end of the decade, in October 1970, the Phillies played their final game in Connie Mack Stadium and prepared to move into newly built Veterans Stadium, 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 of 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,[11] the Phillies won the NL East in 1980 behind pitcher Steve Carlton, outfielder Greg Luzinski, and infielders Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, and Pete Rose. In a memorable NLCS, with four of the five games going into extra innings, they fell behind 2–1 but battled back to squeeze past Houston on a tenth-inning, game-winning hit by center fielder Garry Maddox, and the city celebrated its first pennant in 30 years.[12] Facing Kansas City in the 1980 World Series, the Phillies won their first World Series championship ever in six games thanks to the timely hitting of Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose. Schmidt, who was the National League MVP that 1980 season, 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.[13] The Phillies made the playoffs twice more in the 1980s after their Series win, in 1981 and 1983, where they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, but they would soon follow these near-misses with a rapid drop back into the basement of the National League.[12] 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. [edit] Recent history The 1993 Phillies started the season hot, going 17–5 in April and powering their way to a 97–65 season. The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves in the 1993 National League Championship Series, four games to two, to earn the fifth pennant in franchise history, only to suffer defeat by the defending league champion Toronto Blue Jays in the 1993 World Series.[14] Toronto's Joe Carter hit a walk-off home run in Game 6 to clinch another Phillies loss.[15] The players' strike in 1994 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 Bowa, and their season record would not dip below .500 again from the 2003 season onward.[16] In 2004, the Phillies moved to their new home, Citizens Bank Park,[17] across the street from the Vet. Charlie Manuel took over the reins of the club from Bowa after the 2004 season, and general manager Ed Wade was replaced by Pat Gillick 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,[2] its core of young players, including infielders Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins and pitcher Cole Hamels, responded by winning the National League East division title, but they were swept by the Colorado Rockies in the Division Series.[18] After the 2007 season, they acquired closer Brad Lidge.  In 2008, the Phillies clinched their second straight division title[19] and defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series to record the franchise's first post-season victory since the 1993 World Series. 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 against the Los Angeles Dodgers; Hamels was named the series's Most Valuable Player. The Phillies would then go on to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in 5 games for their second World Series title in their 126 year history. Cole Hamels was named both NLCS MVP as well as World Series MVP after going 4–0 in the postseason that year. Gillick retired as general manager after the 2008 season and was succeeded by one of his assistants, Ruben Amaro, Jr. After adding outfielder Raúl Ibañez to replaced the departed Pat Burrell, the Phillies returned the majority of their core players for the 2009 season. In July, they signed three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez and acquired 2008 American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee before the trade deadline. On September 30, 2009, they clinched a third consecutive National League East Division title for the first time in franchise history since the 1976 to 1978 seasons. The Phillies 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, however, were unable to repeat, falling to the New York Yankees (4 games to 2). [edit] Team uniform
[edit] Current uniformThe current team colors, uniform, and logo date to 1992 but are meant to recall in the script, "Phillies", and red trim the style the team wore from the "Whiz Kids" 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"s, and blue piping is often found in Phillies branded apparel and materials. The team's home uniform is white with red pinstripes, lettering and numbering. The road 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".[20]  In 2008 the Phillies introduced an alternate, 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.[21] 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 Rollins, pitcher Cole Hamels, and Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts modeled the new uniforms.[22] For the 2009 season the Phillies added black, circular "HK" patches to their uniforms over their hearts in honor of legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas, 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. The Phillies are one of five teams in Major League Baseball that do not display the name of their city, state, or region on their road jerseys, joining the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and 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. [edit] Batting practiceThe 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 and solid blue batting practice jerseys with gray pants for away games. [edit] Former uniformsFrom 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.[20] 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. [edit] Controversial uniform changesIn 1979, the Phillies front office modified the uniform into an all-burgundy version with white trimmings, to be worn for Saturday games.[23] They were called "Saturday Night Specials", 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,[24] a 10-5 loss to the Expos.[25] 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.[26] Mike Schmidt 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 Stadium on Sep 28, 2003. There was a rather large procession of players during the post game ceremony, most in uniform. Former pitcher Larry Christenson, 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.[27] 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. [edit] Achievements[edit] AwardsSee also: Philadelphia Phillies award winners and league leaders and Philadelphia Phillies team records 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.[28] Pitcher Steve Carlton leads the team in Cy Young Award wins with four (1972, 1977, 1980, and 1982), while John Denny (1983) and Steve Bedrosian (1987) each have one.[28] Four Phillies have won Rookie of the Year honors as well. Jack Sanford won in 1957 while Dick Allen won in 1964. Third baseman Scott Rolen brought home the honors in 1997, while slugging first baseman Ryan Howard was the most recent Phillies winner in 2005.[29] Of the fifteen players 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 Chicago's West Side Park on July 13, 1896. Chuck Klein repeated the feat nearly 40 years later to the day, on July 10, 1936, at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field. Forty years later, on April 17, 1976, Mike Schmidt became the third, also hitting his in Chicago, these coming at Wrigley Field. [edit] Wall of FameMain article: Philadelphia Baseball 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 five years' inductees to the Wall of Fame are listed below: 
Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and broadcaster Harry Kalas have also been elected to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. [edit] Centennial TeamIn 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. [edit] Hall of Famers Main article: List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame While not all of these players were enshrined with a Phillies cap, each of them was a part of the Phillies franchise at one point in his career.[36] Names with asterisks were inducted with a Phillies cap.[37] [edit] Ford C. Frick Award recipientsNames with asterisks received the award based primarily on their work as Phillies broadcasters. [edit] Retired numbers The Phillies have retired six numbers, and honored two additional players with the letter "P." Grover Cleveland Alexander played with the team in the era before Major League Baseball used uniform numbers, and Chuck Klein wore a variety of numbers with the team during his career.
[edit] Community[edit] Charitable contributionsThe Phillies have supported amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) with the "Phillies Phestival" since 1984.[46] The team raised over $750,000 for ALS research at their 2008 festival, compared with approximately $4,500 at the inaugural event in 1984;[46] the event has raised a total of over $10 million in its history.[47] The ALS Association of Philadelphia is the Phillies' primary charity,[48] and the hospitals they support include Pennsylvania Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and Hahnemann University Hospital.[46] Former Phillies pitchers Geoff Geary, now with the Houston Astros and who lost a friend to the disease,[49] and Curt Schilling, who retired with the Boston Red Sox,[50] are both still involved with the Phillies' cause. [edit] Fan support Phillies fans have earned a reputation over the years for their generally rowdy 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 Stadium, the notorious 700 Level gained a reputation for its "hostile taunting, fighting, public urination and general strangeness."[51] Some memorable incidents include racially-charged discrimination against the Phillies' first African-American star, infielder Dick Allen.[52] Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooton's poor performance during game three of the 1977 National League Championship Series[53] has often been attributed to the crowd's taunting. In addition, J.D. Drew, the Phillies' first overall draft pick in 1997, never signed with the Phillies following a contract dispute with the team. Instead, he re-entered the draft the next year and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.[54] Phillies fans were angered over this disrespect and threw batteries at Drew.[55] Another incident happened on July 25, 2009, when a Phillies fan pointed a green laser pointer at St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Julio Lugo and first baseman Albert Pujols while they were at bat. The game was delayed for 5 minutes, but the fan was not found.[56] 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 McGraw, in the victory parade after the World Series, told New York fans they could "take this championship and shove it."[57] To attract more fans, the Phillies franchise has used promotions. Two prominent examples are the Hot Pants Patrol, a group of young ladies whose presence and uniforms were designed to attract male customers to the ballpark, and the Phillie Phanatic, who has been called "baseball's best mascot."[58] In Phillies fan culture, it is also not unusual to replace an "f" with a "ph" in words, such as the Phillie Phanatic, or the "Phold" of '64.[59] [edit] Season-by-season recordsMain article: List of Philadelphia Phillies seasons The records of the Phillies' last five seasons in Major League Baseball are listed below.
These statistics are current as of November 4, 2009. [edit] Current rosterSee also: Philadelphia Phillies all-time roster
[edit] Team managersMain article: List of Philadelphia Phillies managers Over 126 seasons, the Phillies franchise has employed 51 managers.[63] The duties of the team manager include team strategy and leadership on and off the field.[64] Seven managers have taken the Phillies to the postseason, with Danny Ozark and Charlie Manuel each leading the team to three playoff appearances. Manuel and Dallas Green are the only Phillies managers to win a World Series: Green in 1980 against the Kansas City Royals; and Manuel in 2008 against the Tampa Bay Rays.[65] Gene Mauch is the longest-tenured manager in franchise history, with 1,332 games of service in parts of eight seasons (1960–1968).[66] The records and accomplishments of the last five Phillies' managers are shown below.
Statistics current through 2009 regular season [edit] Minor league affiliations
[edit] Radio and television As of 2009, the Phillies' flagship radio station is WPHT, 1210 AM.[77] The Phillies' television stations are Comcast SportsNet (CSN)[78] and WPHL-TV (My PHL 17) with some early season games are shown on Comcast Network Philadelphia (formerly known as CN8) when there are conflicts on CSN with 76ers and Flyers games. CSN produces the games shown on the above-mentioned stations. Scott Franzke provides play-by-play on the radio, with Larry Andersen as the color commentator. Tom McCarthy calls play-by-play for the television broadcasts, with Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews providing color commentary. Spanish language 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 Bill Campbell from 1962 to 1970,[citation needed] and Harry Kalas from 1971 to 2009.[79] 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' Ashburn Broadcast Booth". [edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes[edit] Article
[edit] Retired numbers
[edit] Season records
[edit] Team managers
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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