Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
Kyle Schwarber is not human. His one-armed grand slam last night broke the game open for the Phillies as they picked up Cristopher Sánchez. They’ll look to take the series this afternoon. The Union win again and remain scorching hot.
September 10 has seen a jinx of sorts, a couple of big debuts, and the start of a magical run.
Oops
On this day in 1964, Commissioner Ford Frick authorized the printing of World Series tickets for four teams: the Yankees, Orioles, and White Sox in the American League, and the Phillies in the National League.
The Yankees, Orioles, and White Sox were all locked in a tight pennant race, while the Phillies had built a six-game lead in the National League after beating the Cardinals 5-1.
Due to the cost and logistics involved, Frick waited as long as possible before giving the green light. But with the season winding down and the tickets needing to be printed and distributed on time, he finally authorized the order.
Unfortunately, only one of those four teams would actually need the tickets…and the Phillies definitely weren’t one of them.
Hall of Fame Debut
On this day in 1965, fans at Connie Mack Stadium were expecting a pitcher’s duel between Bob Gibson and Jim Bunning.
Both pitchers pitched well enough, but each gave up four runs as the game went into extra innings. The Phillies finally won it in the bottom of the 12th when Cookie Rojas delivered the game-winning RBI.
But the real story was the Phillies’ pitcher making his Major League debut.
Ferguson Jenkins came in to relieve Bunning and threw 4⅓ scoreless innings to earn his first MLB win. He would pitch in just seven games for the Phillies in 1965, earning two of his 284 career wins.
Those would be his only two wins in a Phillies uniform.
The Phillies traded Jenkins to the Cubs the following April, and the rest, as they say, is history. He went on to become a Hall of Famer and one of the best pitchers of his generation.
To this day, the Jenkins trade remains one of the biggest what-ifs in Philadelphia sports history.
Rookie Start
On this day in 1980, the Phillies trailed the Expos by a half-game in the NL East. They would beat the Mets 5-0, with Garry Maddox going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Making his first Major League start for the Phillies was rookie Marty Bystrom – and he was spectacular.
Bystrom threw a complete-game shutout, striking out five as the Phillies picked up a huge win in the division race.
It was the beginning of a remarkable stretch for the rookie. Bystrom went 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA down the stretch, helping the Phillies win the NL East by one game over Montreal.
Marty wasn’t done.
Bystrom started Game 5 of both the NLCS and the World Series. He didn’t get a decision in either game, but the Phillies won both, eventually bringing Philadelphia its first World Series championship.
Bystrom is an underrated part of the story of the 1980 Phillies. He arrived at exactly the right time and became a key piece of a championship team.
Schmidt Does it Again
On this day in 1985 the Phillies scored twice in the 8th to send their game against the Expos into extra innings. Mike Schmidt stepped up in the bottom of the 11th and hit a walk off 3-run homerun. It was his 10th and final of his hall of fame career.
Trivia – Which team does Mike Schmidt have the most walk off homers against? (Answer below)
The Start of Something Special
On this day in 2017, the Eagles opened the season in Washington, D.C.
Carson Wentz threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and early in the first quarter, Wentz and Nelson Agholor gave us a glimpse of what was to come. Wentz narrowly escaped a couple of sacks before unleashing a dime to Agholor, who took it 58 yards for a touchdown.
The defense was just as impressive, sacking Kirk Cousins four times and forcing four turnovers, including an interception and two fumbles by Cousins. The game was clinched when Fletcher Cox scooped up Cousins’ final fumble and rumbled into the end zone.
The Eagles opened the season with a 30-17 win. Little did we know what kind of season we were in store for.
Trivia Answer – Mike Schmidt hit three of his ten walk offs against the Mets.
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