Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Phillies open a huge weekend series in Milwaukee tonight which could be a possible postseason preview. June 12 has seen a lot of big Phillies moments as well as an NHL Draft that significantly changed the direction of the Flyers franchise.
The No-Hitter that Wasn’t
The Phillies lost to the Giants 3-0 on this day in 1959. They were no-hit through five innings by Giants pitcher Mike McCormick before Richie Ashburn got a hit in the sixth. From there rain moved in causing the game to be suspended and was reverted back to the score after the fifth inning. This meant the Phillies were no-hit. Years later in 1991 Major League Baseball decided to revise the no-hit rule saying that only games that were full games are considered no-hitters. All of this means the Phillies technically weren’t no-hit despite not getting a hit. Got that? There will be a quiz.
Franchise Altering Draft
The 1969 NHL amateur draft took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. The Flyers drafted two players who would go in to be integral parts of their two Stanley Cup teams. In the second round they selected Bobby Clake and in the fifth round took Dave Schultz. Both Clarke and Schultz would play key roles in not only winning the Cups but helping to shape the identity of The Broad Street Bullies.
A Rifle for an Arm
The Phillies lost to the Expos 13-6 in Montreal in 1987. In the bottom of the second Bryn Smith hit an apparent single to right. Glenn Wilson had other ideas. The right-fielder threw out Smith at first. It was the second time that season that Wilson threw a guy out at first from right field. Wilson made the all-star team for the Phillies in 1985.
Lidge Stays Perfect
The Phillies beat the Marlins 3-0, pounding out eleven hits. Jamie Moyer pitched eight solid innings giving up two hits while striking out three. Brad Lidge came in to save it in the ninth, his 18th consecutive save to start the season. He became the first Phillie start the year with eighteen saves in a row. Including the postseason Lidge saved all forty-eight of his save opportunities in 2008.
JT Hits for the Cycle
J.T. Realmuto went 4-4 with three RBI while hitting for the cycle on this day in 2023. Unfortunately for the Phillies it wasn’t enough as the Diamondbacks walked out with a 9-8 win. J.T. became the eighth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle and it was the ninth overall cycle in Phillies history.
Trivia – Nine players have hit for the cycle in Phillies history. Name them. (Answer Below)
Trivia Answer – Lave Cross (1894), Sam Thompson (1894), Cy Williams (1927), Chuck Klein (1931 & 1933), Johnny Callison (1963), Gregg Jefferies (1995), David Bell (2004), J.T. Realmuto (2023), and Weston Wilson (2024)
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