Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Phillies continue to remain hot, beating the Blue Jays 5-2 last night. Mike Gansey spoke to the media yesterday and while it’s only a press conference, I’m hopeful for what the future holds. June 9 saw a heavyweight battle, Phillies milestones and the end of a Cup run.
The Easton Assassin
Larry Holmes. The Easton Assassin was the number two ranked heavyweight in 1978. He was set to take on WBC Champion Ken Norton at Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Holmes came into the fight 27-0 with 19 knockouts. The fight lived up to the hype with Holmes taking the early rounds and Norton battling back late. Heading into the 15th and final round all three judges had the fight tied. When the final bell rang it was The Easton Assassin slightly edging Norton by split decision. It was Holmes’ first title, and he’d be the champion until losing to Michael Spinks in 1985.
Extra Bases
The Phillies lost to Reds on this day in 1991 6-3. John Kruk and Von Hayes had good days. Kruk went 3-4, hitting two triples and Hayes hitting two doubles.
Trivia – Who holds the Phillies modern day record for triples in a season? (Answer Below)
Dream Season Ends
Heading into Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals the home team had won the previous five. The Flyers looked to keep the streak alive and force Game 7. Scotty Hartnell scored twice including the game tying goal with just under four minutes left in the game. Unfortunately for the Flyers Patrick Kane hit the game winner in overtime to end the series and the Flyers magical season.
What a Debut
Luke Williams made his Phillies debut against the Braves in 2021. The Phillies found themselves down 1-0 with two out in the bottom of the 9th and Andrew McCutchen on first. Williams comes to bat with the chance to do something that no other Phillie had accomplished. Williams took Will Smith’s 0-1 pitch to deep left giving the Phillies the 2-1 walk off win. Williams was the first Phillies player to hit a walk off in his first start. The win was the Phillies first of three straight walk off wins.
Trivia Answer – Jimmy Rollins hit twenty triples during his MVP 2007 season.
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