Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
Stop the presses! A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts hugged it out yesterday. Now, can we put this behind us and move on to football?
The Phillies open a huge series against the Cardinals this weekend and look to make it seven straight tonight with Jesús Luzardo on the mound.
August 21 has seen a historic defeat, a near riot, and John Kruk being John Kruk.
That’s Gonna Leave a Mark
On this day in 1883, the Phillies, then known as the Quakers, lost to the Providence Grays 28-0.
It remains the worst shutout in Major League Baseball history and is still the second-largest defeat in MLB history.
For some perspective, the modern MLB record for largest margin of victory was set earlier this week, when the Brewers beat the Mariners 22-0. The Quakers lost by 28.
The Quakers were in their first season as a professional team and were essentially a mix of rookies with no experience and a collection of 19th century journeymen. They certainly wouldn’t be confused with the 1927 Yankees.
It’s in Our DNA
On this day in 1949, the Phillies and Giants played a doubleheader at Shibe Park. The Phillies won Game 1, 4-0, but Game 2 ended in one of the more infamous fan incidents in Phillies history.
The Phillies trailed 3-2 in the top of the ninth when Richie Ashburn appeared to make a tremendous catch on a line drive for the second out. The umpire saw it differently, ruling that Ashburn had trapped the ball.
The Giants scored their fourth run, and a heated argument followed.
The fans, seeing how enraged the Phillies were, became enraged themselves. Soon, trash, bottles and even fruit were raining onto the field. The umpires eventually moved both teams into their dugouts for their own safety.
After a 15-minute delay, it became clear the fans weren’t going to settle down. The umpires had no choice but to forfeit the game to the Giants.
And remember, this was 1949. These were our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
So whenever anyone asks why Philly fans are the way they are, maybe the answer is simple:
It’s in our DNA.
Room Service
On this day in 1990, the Phillies were heading for a blowout loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles, trailing 11-1 heading into the eighth inning.
After scoring twice in the eighth, the Phillies erupted for nine runs in the ninth, much to the dismay of Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.
John Kruk, who entered as a pinch-hitter, hit a game-tying three-run homer. Carmelo Martínez followed with a double that drove in the go-ahead run, and Don Carman closed it out as the Phillies pulled off the improbable 12-11 comeback.
But, of course, Kruk’s explanation for the comeback might be even better than the comeback itself.
His only thought before the rally started was getting back to the hotel by midnight because that’s when room service closed.
Once the comeback was underway, Kruk realized, “I’m not going to make it.”
His response?
“If you’re not going to get room service, you might as well win.”
Don’t ever change, John.
Trivia – What is the Phillies largest come from behind victory? (Answer below)
First Time for Everything
On this day in 1991, the Phillies walked off the Pirates for the second consecutive night, winning 6-5.
This time, Wally Backman delivered the heroics, driving in Braulio Castillo—how’s that name for a blast from the past?
An oddity happened in the third inning. John Kruk was hit by a pitch for the first time in his career, ending a streak of more than 2,600 at-bats without being plunked.
Apparently, even John Kruk had to get hit eventually.
Moving on in the Bubble
On this day in 2020, Ivan Provorov, Kevin Hayes and Michael Raffl scored as the Flyers beat the Canadiens 3-2.
Carter Hart remained hot in the bubble, stopping 31 shots as the Flyers closed out the series with a 4-2 victory.
The win sent the Flyers into the second round, where they would face the Islanders in the bubble.
Trivia Answer – The Phillies came back from being down 13-2 after four innings against the Cubs in 1976. They’d win the game 18-16 in ten innings, the same game Mike Schmidt hit four home runs.
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