Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
A quiet night in Philly sports. Be sure to check out The Philly Hall, the official podcast of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. May 22 paved the way for the Sixers franchise to exist, Sixers and Flyers championship memories and some good vibes for the Phillies.
Curt Simmons Does it All
Curt Simmons did it all on this day in 1952. He beat the Pirates with his pitching, shutting out the Pirates 6-0 while allowing three hits and striking out eight. At the plate he helped himself with a 3-run inside the park homerun in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was the last and likely final time a Phillies pitcher hit an insider the parker.
Birth of the Sixers
The NBA approved the move of the Syracuse Nationals to Philadelphia on this day in 1963. The approval came weeks after Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman bought the team. They moved the team to Philly, held a naming contest – won by Walter Stalberg – with the winning submission being the 76ers. While in Syracuse the team was successful making the playoffs all 14 years in the NBA, winning the championship in 1955. All records and stats from the Nationals are a part of Sixers history.
One Down, Three to Go
The Sixers beat the Blazers in Game 1 of the 1977 NBA Finals 107-101. Dr. J scored 33 in his first NBA Finals game while Doug Collins added 30. The Sixers would also win Game 2 but a bench clearing brawl in the final minutes of Game 2 seemed to galvanize the Blazers, led by Bill Walton, and coached by Philly native Jack Ramsay as they’d win the next four games.
Flyers Bounce Bank
After losing the first two games of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals in Edmonton the Flyers returned home for Game 3. After falling behind 3-0 early in the second period, the Flyers chipped away. Five different Flyers scored and Ron Hextall settled down as the Flyers cut the lead to two games to one. They’d lose game four before battling back to force Game 7.
Trivia – Which teams have the Flyers played in the Stanley Cup Finals? (Answer Below)
Phillies Hot Start Continues
In 2024 the Phillies beat the Rangers 11-4 thanks to homeruns by JT Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and Edmundo Sosa. The win improved their record to 36-14, their best 50 game start in team history. It was also their 15th straight series without a loss which is also a team record.
Sweep
The following season the Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Rockies at Coors Field winning the final game 2-0. Ranger Suarez went 6 2/3 innings striking out six, giving the Phillies their first four game sweep at Coors Field. Coupled with their three-game sweep earlier in the season, the Phillies completed their first season sweep of a team they played at least seven times.
Trivia Answer – Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers (Twice), Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks.
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