(Bob Warrington photo) A BIG DAY FOR BASEBALL: PHILADELPHIANS CROWD THE NEW GROUNDS That was the headline in the New York Times on May 1, 1887, the day after the Phillies opened their new ballpark against the New York Giants. The style of writing back then was so different, I thought it was worthy of reprinting. “Philadelphia, April 30 — The new grounds of the Philadelphia Baseball Club, at Broad-street and Lehigh-avenue, were opened this afternoon and 18,000 people who were present to witness the initial game. These figures are based upon a fair and official calculation, and the crowd wa ..read more

“This team is capable of winning 92 games” manager Gene Mauch was quoted in spring training. Losers of 23 games in a row in 1961, his clubs won 81 and 87 in the next two seasons. Win #1 in the 1964 season came on Opening Day, April 14, against the Mets at Connie Mack Stadium on a rainy Tuesday night. The tarp wasn’t removed until 20 minutes prior to the scheduled 8 o’clock start. A crowd of 21,016 witnessed a 5–3 win, a game played in drizzle. Taylor, 2b Callison, rf Allen, 3b Sievers, 1b Gonzalez, cf Cater, lf Dalrymple, c Wine, ss Bennett, p 37-year-old Sievers hit a 3-run homer o ..read more

Inquirer photo By Larry Shenk There have been some great strikeout pitchers in Phillies history, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Robin Roberts, Jim Bunning, Steve Carlton and Curt Schilling. Now Aaron Nolan is joining the elite group. But the honor of having the biggest strikeout game in franchise history belongs to Art Mahaffey, who spent six seasons with the Phillies (1960–65). The right-hander from Cincinnati, OH, struck out 17 Chicago Cubs in the second game of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader at Connie Mack Stadium on April 23, 1961. Nine went down swinging. Mahaffey, 23, threw 146 p ..read more

AP photo As a 23-year-old rookie in 1973, Mike Schmidt hit .196 with 18 home runs in 132 games. Not the greatest start. When his 18-year career with the Phillies ended in 1989, he had amassed 548 home runs. Without a doubt, he’s the greatest player in Phils history. His career featured many great moments, but one long ball stands out. Schmidt couldn’t have written a more dramatic script for his 500th home run on Saturday, April 18, 1987. The 37-year-old unloaded his historic home run in the top of the ninth inning on a 3–0 pitch with two runners on, two outs and the Phillies down one ..read more

Twenty years to the exact date Citizens Bank Park opened (April 12, 2004) the Phillies will unveil their new blue City Connect uniforms. The plan is to wear the uniforms for each of the Friday night home games the rest of the season. April 19 is next against the Colorado Rockies. That Friday night will mean the blue uniforms will surpass the all-burgundy uniform fiasco. The history book shows the Phillies wore a burgundy uniform on May 19,1979, a Saturday night against the Montreal Expos at Veterans Stadium. That plan called for the uniforms to be part of “Saturday Night Specials” for th ..read more

Playing left field, Richie made his major league debut on April 20, 1948, against the Chicago Cubs at Shibe Park. Forty years later we honored him pre-game at Veterans Stadium on the anniversary of his first game. I wrote a column back then, “The Baron’s Corner”. Pardon the moth balls aroma. “As a kid in Tilden, Nebraska, there wasn’t much to do but play sports. I loved to run, and I could run like a deer. My twin sister, Donna, was the only person who could give me a run for the money. We used to run races in county fairs for prize money. Either she or I would win.” “The first big ..read more

When the Phillies big league club began spring training in Clearwater in 1947, their minor league camps were scattered all over the south. 21-year-old pitcher Dallas Green got to experience that first-hand as late as 1956, his first year of spring training. In the space of seven weeks, he went from Clearwater to Plant City, FL (triple-A camp) to Bennettsville, SC (Class A camp). Paul Owens, a scout based in Bakersfield, CA, was assigned to the Phillies Class A spring training camp in Leesburg, FL, in 1964–65 as coordinator of instruction. The rest of their minor leaguers (Class AA and AA ..read more

(Another in a series about the 1964 Phillies). When John Quinn took over as general manager, he began rebuilding the Phillies. His first trade was acquiring 20-year-old outfielder Johnny Callison from the Chicago White Sox in 1959. Billed as the next Mickey Mantle, the left-handed hitting outfielder dealt with the pressure of that tag. He broke in as a 19-year-old with the Class C Bakersfield (CA) Bears, his hometown, in 1957. In 86 games, he hit .340, 41 extra base hits and 31 stolen bases. Bumped to AAA the next season he led the league with 29 homers while driving in 93 runs. He ..read more

Dick Allen, truly a Phillies legend, was born on this date in 1942 in Wampum, PA. He was an exceptional two-sport star at Wampum (PA) High School in western Pennsylvania. He starred on state championship basketball teams. But his ability to hit a baseball overshadowed his hoop skills. Baseball scouts began following Dick as a junior. Scouts in those days doubled as salesmen. Era Allen served as her son’s negotiator. She was most comfortable with a 66-year-old Phillies scout, John Ogden. Upon graduating from school in 1960, Allen signed a pro baseball contract that included a $60,000 bonu ..read more

Two quality pitchers were traded for each other on February 25, 1972, because they couldn’t agree on a contract with their original clubs. LHP Steve Carlton was dealt to the Phillies from the Cardinals for RHP Rick Wise. It turned out to be the last trade for Phillies GM John Quinn, who spent 28 years as a big-league GM. Carlton, 27, was fresh from a 20-win season for a team that tied for second place; Wise, 26, a 17-game-winner with the last-place Phillies. Carlton had 77 big league wins, Wise, 75. Each was seeking a raise to $65,000 and both clubs balked. Ironically, after the trade, Lefty ..read more