Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Field of Dreams Game last night was awesome. Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh hit some Cornbombs, and this is the way the Phillies are capable of playing. They have a much-needed day off today before continuing the series this weekend.
We also have the Eagles’ first preseason game this weekend.
August 14 has been a banner day for Philly baseball milestones.
Foxx Hits for the Cycler
On this day in 1933, the A’s beat Cleveland 11-5 at Cleveland Stadium. Jimmie Foxx went 4-for-5, hitting for the cycle and driving in a franchise-record nine runs.
That record would follow the A’s from Philadelphia to Kansas City and then to Oakland before finally being broken by Reggie Jackson in 1969. Jackson, who grew up in Cheltenham, has his own connection to the Philadelphia area.
Foxx’s 1933 season was one for the record books. He won the Triple Crown, batting .356 with 48 home runs and 163 RBI, and was named AL MVP for the second consecutive season.
Trivia – What Philly pro baseball players have won back-to-back MVP awards? (Answer below)
Mr. 300
On this day in 1981, the Phillies beat the Mets 8-4 at Shea Stadium. Keith Moreland hit a home run and drove in five runs, while Mike Schmidt also went deep.
Schmidt’s home run was the 300th of his career, making him the first player in Phillies history to reach the milestone.
The At-Bat King
On this day in 1982, the Phillies and Expos played a wild one at Olympic Stadium. The Phillies trailed 8-4 before cutting the deficit to 8-6 heading into the eighth inning. Then they exploded for nine runs to take the lead.
Bill Robinson pinch-hit for George Vukovich and led off the inning with a single. Later in the inning, Robinson came up again and hit a grand slam to break the game open. The Phillies held on to win 15-11.
Pete Rose led off the game with a flyout to left in his 12,365th career at-bat. That moved him past Hank Aaron for the most career at-bats in MLB history.
Samuel Stolen Base King
On this day in 1984, the Phillies lost to the Padres 3-2 in San Diego. Ivan DeJesus homered, and Juan Samuel scored on Von Hayes’ single after stealing second base.
The stolen base was Samuel’s 56th of the season, breaking the Phillies’ modern-era record for stolen bases in a season. He passed Sherry Magee, who had stolen 55 in 1906.
Samuel would finish the season with 72 stolen bases, a Phillies record that still stands today.
Move Over Granny
On this day in 2006, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and David Dellucci all homered as the Phillies pounded the Mets 13-0.
For Rollins, it was his 18th home run of the season, moving him past Granny Hamner for the Phillies’ single-season home run record for shortstops. One year later, Rollins extended the record to 30 home runs during his MVP season, a mark that still stands today.
The win moved the Phillies to within 5½ games of the NL Wild Card. Although they ultimately fell short, their late-season push eventually forced GM Pat Gillick’s hand, and he traded for veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer.
The Phillies didn’t make the playoffs that year, but the Moyer trade would pay dividends in 2007 and 2008, when he became an important part of the Phillies World Series team.
Move Over Larry
On this day in 2012, it was Jimmy Rollins again. This time, he hit his third leadoff home run of the season in his 1,731st game as a Phillie. The run held up as the Phillies beat the Marlins 1-0.
Rollins also passed Larry Bowa for the most games played at shortstop in Phillies history. Only Mike Schmidt had played more games in Phillies pinstripes.
Trivia Answer – Jimmie Foxx won back-to-back MVP awards with the A’s in 1932 and 1933. Mike Schmidt did it with the Phillies in 1980 and 1981. Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins went back-to-back in 2006 and 2007, with Howard winning in 2006 and Rollins taking home the award in 2007.
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