Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
We’re back. Happy Monday. Great weekend for the Phillies, taking 2 of 3 from the White Sox. Brandon Marsh is making a compelling case to be an All-Star. June 8 has seen some milestone Phillies moments, an improbable come back and some NBA Finals moments.
Drysdale Sets the Mark
Cristopher Sanchez just pitched 50 2/3 scoreless innings, good enough for fifth on the all-time list (third modern day). He was chasing Orel Hershiser’s MLB record of 59 consecutive. Before Hershiser, the record belonged to Don Drysdale. On this day in 1968 his scoreless innings streak was snapped at 58 2/3 when Phillies pinch-hitter Howie Bedell hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. It was Bedell’s only RBI that season, but the Dodgers still won 5-3.
Watch What You Say
Be careful what you say, it just may come back to bite you. The Phillies and Pirates were playing at the Vet in 1989. The Pirates scored ten runs in the first inning, which led Pirates broadcaster to declare “If we lose this game, I’ll walk back to Pittsburgh.” I don’t have to tell you what happened next. The Phillies chipped away led by Von Hayes and Steve Jeltz who each hit two homers. For Jeltz, he hit one from each side of the plate. When the dust settled the Phillies had completed the comeback winning 15-11. Hayes and Jeltz combined for nine RBI. As for Rooker? He made good on his declaration completing the walk from Philly to Pittsburgh that offseason. He made the journey from the Vet to Three Rivers Stadium in 13 days, raising over $100,000 for charity in the process.
First Time on Fox
The Phillies lost to the Astros 7-3 in Houston on this day in 1996. Jim Eisenriech hit two homeruns, knocking in all three of the Phillies runs. It was the Phillies first nationally televised game on Fox.
Trivia – Other than Allen Iverson, who is the only Sixer to score 20 points during the 2001 NBA Finals for the Sixers? (Answer Below)
At Least We Stole Game 1
After the Sixers won Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals, the Lakers made some adjustments for Game 2, making life hard for Allen Iverson. The Sixers hung tough, cutting the lead to three in the 4th Quarter. However a few clutch shots from Derrick Fisher and dominant performance from Shaquille O’Neal – who tied an NBA Finals record with eight blocks – sealed the 98-89 win for the Lakers. As the series shifted back to Philly, things were starting to get chippy between Iverson and Kobe Bryant. Bryant who scored a game high thirty-one allegedly said to Iverson (the reigning MVP) “I’m the best player in the league.” Iverson replied, “Cut it out bro, you’re not even the best player on your team.” While this is unconfirmed, the two were jawing at each other throughout the game.
Trivia Answer – Dikembe Mutombo scored 23 points in Game 3 in Philly.
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