Philadelphia Baseball History

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Rick Wise faced the Reds’ right fielder for the final out.   Up until this point, the only blemish on Wise’s performance had been a sixth inning walk to shortstop Dave Concepcion.   In order to preserve the no-hitter, and make history, Wise would have to retire one of the most dangerous hitters, and indeed, the eventual Major League hit king, Pete Rose. The Phillies led 4-0.   Three of those runs were driven in by Wise himself, with a two run home run in the fifth and a solo shot in the eighth. But now Wise bore down on Rose.   With a full count, Rose hit a line shot, right at third baseman John Vukovich.   The date was June 23, 1971.   It would be another nineteen years before another Phillies pitcher would throw a no-hitter. Despite an All-Star season, where Wise won seventeen games and posted a 2.88 ERA, he would not return to a Phillies uniform in 1972.   Instead, Rick Wise would forever be k...

Even the casual Phillies fan knows about Mike Schmidt’s accomplishments.   In his 18 year career, he hit 548 home runs, knocked in 1,595 RBIs, and had 2,234 hits.   Up until 2014, Schmidt was the all-time Phillies hit leader, when Jimmy Rollins passed him.   He was an eleven time all-star, with a home run in the 1981 hit fest that took place in Cleveland.   Three times Schmidt earned the NL MVP award, and ten times he won the gold glove award for his defensive prowess at third base.   He was the MVP of the first Phillies World Championship in 1980, and elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1994.   In fact, many Phillies fans remember fondly the 1994 induction ceremony, when both Schmidt and Phillies favorite Richie Ashburn were inducted together. But Schmidt has one more amazing accomplishment.   He spent his entire 18 year career with one team, the Philadelphia Phillies.   To put into perspective how rare this is,...