Philadelphia Baseball History

When you think of great Philadelphia Phillies pitchers, certain names come to mind right away.   They are certainly the trio of Hall of Fame pitchers who have had their numbers retired, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts and Jim Bunning.   I am sure some of you think of the more recent dominating Phillies arms, like Cole Hammels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.   If you reach back twenty years, you can come up with Curt Schilling and Terry Mulholland.   Still more of you can remember the likes of Jim Kaat and Chris Short. But who can remember the only relief pitcher to win the National League Most Valuable Player award?   For that, you have to reach back to the 1950 Whiz Kids, and a former Phys Ed teacher named Jim Konstanty. Hailing from Strykersville, NY, Konstanty was a sports star in his high school and with Syracuse University.   Signed by the Reds, Konstanty played three seasons with their AA affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs, until he was called up...

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,...

From a certain set of Phillies fans, Jimmy Rollins gets no love.   It’s hard to see why.   Rollins is only the all time Phillies leader in hits (2,306) and doubles (479).   In stolen bases, he’s second only to the legendary Slidin’ Billy Hamilton, whose numbers may be inflated due to how stolen bases were credited in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   He’s second only to Mike Schmidt in extra base hits and total bases.   In triples, he is third behind Hall of Famers Ed Delahanty and Sherry Magee. Certainly, in a team that has suffered through the likes of Steve Jeltz and Ivan DeJesus, Rollins has been a highlight of the shortstop position. Having grown up in the 1970s, I loved Larry Bowa.   He was a team leader.   In his twelve years with the Phillies, Bowa batted .264 with 1,798 hits and 421 RBIs.   But, in his fifteen years with the Phillies, Rollins edges out Bowa, his mentor, with a .267 average, and 887 RBIs. ...