Philadelphia Baseball History

Beginning with Octavius Catto and Jacob White of the Philadelphia Pythians, the City of Brotherly Love played a large role in the development of African-American baseball. The origins of several talented African-American teams include ties to the Philadelphia area, such as the Cuban Giants, and the Philadelphia Giants. One such team that played in the early 20 th Century was the Hilldale Club. Hilldale played in a city just southwest of Philadelphia, Darby, PA.   The team had its roots in an athletic association for young men, called the Hilldale Athletic Club, formed in 1910. Ed Bolden, who worked in the main branch of the Philadelphia Post Office, founded the club, and had Hilldale Park built in 1914 at Chester and Cedar Avenues in Darby.   Bolden eventually incorporated the team in 1916 as the “Hilldale Baseball and Exhibition Company,” and began recruiting top African-American baseball players. Hilldale had no official nickname, and was mostly referred to as H...

In baseball history, a team's stadium can be as much of a star of the game as the best players.  Stadiums bring character to the game, invoking strong emotions and memories.  Ebbets Field, Fenway Park, the Polo Grounds, Yankees Stadium, all cathedrals where fans revere the performances of star players from their respective teams' storied past. The Phillies have had its share of memorable ballparks, contributing to the unique personality of the different eras in the team's history.  One of the most memorable venues that framed the team's triumphs and tribulations was the Baker Bowl. Known originally as the Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds, the Baker Bowl first welcomed fans in 1887.  The stadium, considered state of the art upon its completion, replaced Recreation Park as the home of the Phillies.  Recreation Park had itself earned a place in Philadelphia baseball history, having served as the home field of the Philadelphia Centennials, one of three teams tha...

This week, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that MLB was considering a proposal for a new playoff format .  Pursuant to the proposal, each league would send seven teams to the playoffs, as opposed to the current five.  The three division winners would be joined by four wild card teams.  The team with the best record in each league would earn a first round bye.  The division leaders, as well as the wild card team with the best record, would host a first round play-off series, which would be a best-of-three series.  That's right.  They would host all three games, not merely two out of the three. But so far, we have not reached the most unusual part of the proposal.  Two of the three teams hosting the first round of playoffs would get to choose their opponent from the bottom three wild card teams.  The division winner in this first round with the best record would have first choice.  The final division winner would get the second c...

Offense.   First basemen are known for providing their team with much needed offense.   Often, a team will put a power-hitter on first, or even convert a good-hitting outfielder to the position, making the first baseman one of the strongest hitters of the team. The Phillies have had a number of good first basemen in their history.   What follows are the five players that stand out as the top first basemen to play for the Phillies, in our opinion.  If you believe any players belong on this list, or that the order in which he placed the following players is incorrect, please let us know in the comments. 5.             Fred Luderus Born on September 21, 1885 in Milwaukee, WI, Fred Luderus joined the National League in 1909 at age of 23 with the Chicago Cubs.   After a year and a half with the Cubs, Luderus was batting only .242 with an OPS of .644.   On July 29, 1910, the Cubs traded Lude...