Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Phillies dropped a weird one last night that had a little bit of everything. They’ll look to take the series tonight with their ace on the mound. Jaylen Brown will be introduced as the newest member of the 76ers this afternoon, while Joel Embiid reportedly looks to be in the best shape of his career.
August 6 has seen the 76ers get their name, an extra-inning thriller, and the end of a remarkable streak.
I Got a Name
On this day in 1963, the 76ers were officially born. A few months after the franchise moved from Syracuse, new owners Irv Kosloff and Ike Richman held a naming contest for Philadelphia’s new NBA team. Walter Stalberg submitted one of nine entries suggesting the name “Seventy-Sixers.”
To break the tie, the owners judged the finalists based on their rationale, and Stalberg won with this:
“No athletic team has ever paid tribute to the gallant men who forged this country’s independence, and certainly Philadelphia, Shrine of Liberty, should do so.”
Not bad.
Along with receiving credit for naming the team, Stalberg won two tickets to the 76ers’ first-ever game in San Francisco against the former Philadelphia Warriors, a lifetime pass to 76ers games, and the honor of tossing the ceremonial jump ball before the franchise’s first home game on October 19. The rest, as they say, is history.
A Murphy Slam
On this day in 1991, the Phillies beat the Cubs 6–2 at Veterans Stadium when Dale Murphy hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 11th inning. Lenny Dykstra also homered as the Phillies won their seventh straight game. It came in the middle of the club’s epic 13-game winning streak and was the first of two consecutive games to end with an 11th-inning walk-off victory.
The Streak is Over
On this day in 2012, the Phillies lost to the Braves 6–1 at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies managed seven hits but scored just one run despite not striking out once as a team. More than 41,000 fans were on hand, but it wasn’t quite enough for a sellout. It marked the first time since July 2009 that Citizens Bank Park failed to sell out, ending a streak of 257 consecutive games.
Trivia – Which MLB team holds the record for consecutive home sellouts? (answer below)
Trivia Answer – The Boston Red Sox had 794 consecutive home sellouts from May 2003 and April 2013.
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