Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
Rough weekend for the Phillies out in Milwaukee. They return home for some NL East action starting with the Marlins tonight. The World Cup is under way and the US looked good over the weekend and the first match in Philly saw the Ivory Coast beat Ecuador. June 15 saw some great Phillies and A’s moments, Ben Shibe changing the game and the end of the road for the 2000-01 Sixers.
Changing the Game Forever
The US Patent office issued Ben Shibe a patent on this day in 1909 for a cork center baseball. Shibe a Philly native and part owner of the A’s got his start in the sporting goods business. The prototype was to create a baseball that would hold up longer. It made its debut in the 1910 World Series and by both the American and National Leagues in 1911. While the original goal was to keep the balls from falling apart the by product was the end of the Dead Ball Era. The cork center ball had more pop, flying faster and further than the previous models. Shibe will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame this fall.
Cobb Does it Again
In 1928 the A’s beat Cleveland 12-5. In the top of the eighth Ty Cobb stole home for the 54th and final time in his illustrious career. Lefty Grove pitched a complete game for the A’s. For those keeping score at home, Max Carey is number 2 with thirty-three steals of home.
Trivia – Who is the Phillies career leader in steals of home? (Answer Below)
Building Blocks
The Phillies made a couple of moves on this day in back-to-back years that paid dividends in 1980. First in 1977 they traded for Bake McBride and a year later they traded for Dick Ruthven. Both McBride and Ruthven played key roles in the Phillies 1980 World Series Championship.
Immaculate
The Phillies lost to the Reds at the Vet in 1991. On the mound that day was Andy Ashby. In the Top of the 4th, he struck out Hal Morris, Todd Benzinger, and Jeff Reed all on nine pitches. It was the third immaculate inning in Phillies history. Cole Hamels in 2014 was the last Phillies pitcher to throw an immaculate inning.
Thanks for the Ride
After leading at the end of the first quarter and trying to keep their season alive, the Sixers dream season ended. The duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal proved to be too much. Kobe scored 26 and Shaq had 29 – also causing both Dikembe Mutombo and Matt Geiger to foul out. AI had 37 but it wasn’t enough. Despite the loss, the 2000-01 Sixers are still one of the most beloved teams in Philly Sports History.
Trivia Answer – Sherry Magee stole home 20 times while playing for the Phillies. His 23 total rank him 5th all-time.
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