Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
It was a good weekend for the Phillies as they completed the sweep of the Twins. They look to keep it rolling as they return home for a six-game homestand. Not as good for the Eagles, but it’s practice.
August 17 has seen an oddity at Connie Mack, and a milestone for Lefty.
What Are the Odds
On this day in 1957, the Phillies beat the Giants 3-1 at Connie Mack Stadium. In the first inning, Richie Ashburn hit a foul ball that struck Alice Roth, the wife of Philadelphia Bulletin sports editor Earl Roth, in the face, breaking her nose.
As Alice was being carried out of the stands on a stretcher, Ashburn fouled off another pitch. Somehow, the ball hit Alice again, this time striking her in the knee and fracturing a small bone.
What are the odds?
Ashburn visited Alice in the hospital, and the two families developed a friendship that lasted for years. Alice had attended the game with her grandsons, who received Phillies tickets and autographs following the incident. Alice herself received free Phillies tickets for life.
There was also a pretty good punchline to the whole bizarre story. While visiting their grandmother in the hospital, one of her grandsons asked if she could go to an Eagles game next so she could get hit in the face with a football.
Lefty Wins Again
On this day in 1972, the Phillies beat the Reds 9-4. Willie Montañez and Deron Johnson homered, while Steve Carlton pitched a seven-hit complete game to earn the win.
It was Carlton’s 20th win of the season and his 15th consecutive victory, extending his franchise-record winning streak. The streak would end in his next start, but Carlton was in the middle of one of the greatest individual seasons in Phillies history. He would finish with 27 of the Phillies’ 59 wins, accounting for nearly half of the team’s victories.
X-Games
On this day in 2001, the Summer X Games came to Philadelphia. Over the course of 10 days, more than 235,000 fans attended the event.
The Games brought some unique sights to the city, including the façade of City Hall being used as the backdrop for a skateboarding competition. Philadelphia also made X Games history as the event featured indoor competition at the First Union Center for the first time
Sanchez is Brilliant
On this day in 2024, David Montgomery was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. On the field, it was Cristopher Sánchez who was the star.
Sánchez pitched a 99-pitch complete game, his second complete game of the season, as the Phillies beat the Nationals 5-1. It was the first sub-100-pitch complete game by a Phillies pitcher since Roy Halladay threw one in the division-clinching game in 2010.
It was a fitting way to cap a day celebrating Montgomery, who played such an important role in building the Phillies organization. Before the game, the Phillies also renamed a portion of the center-field wall “Monty’s Angle” in his honor.
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