Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

Zack Wheeler was dominant in the Phillies’ 3-0 win last night, trimming their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to six.

It’s a busy time in Philly sports, as the Flyers open training camp and the Eagles gear up for Sunday’s matchup against the Titans.

September 17 has seen a couple of legends debut, a record-breaking quarterback performance, and another division title.

Legends Debut

On this day, a couple of Philly baseball legends made their MLB debuts.

First, in 1906, future Hall of Famer Eddie Collins made his debut for the A’s in a 5-4, 11-inning walk-off loss to the White Sox.

Collins went 1-for-4 with a stolen base while playing under the pseudonym Sullivan. Collins was still a student and the quarterback for the Columbia football team and wanted to protect his eligibility.

He would go on to become a member of Connie Mack’s famed $100,000 Infield, play on three World Series championship teams, and win the MVP in 1914.

Seventy-four years later, in 2000, Jimmy Rollins made his debut at the Vet.

J-Roll tripled in his first at-bat, scored twice, and walked as the Phillies beat the Marlins 6-5.

Rollins would win the MVP in 2007 and become a key part of the 2008 World Series championship team. He would go on to become an all-time Phillie, finishing his career as the franchise’s all-time hits leader before being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Ultimate Weapon

On this day in 1989, the Eagles found themselves down 20-0 after the first quarter at RFK Stadium and 30-14 at halftime. All looked lost.

Then Randall Cunningham came out after halftime and went off.

Cunningham threw four second-half touchdowns, including the game-winner to Keith Jackson. With under two minutes remaining and Washington trying to run out the clock, Seth Joyner forced a fumble that Al Harris returned 77 yards to the Washington 4-yard line, setting up the final touchdown pass.

Cunningham set a team record with 447 passing yards while throwing five touchdowns as the Eagles came back to win a thriller, 42-37.

The defense, uncharacteristically, gave up 492 yards—including a Washington team-record 221 rushing yards to Gerald Riggs—but forced six turnovers to do its part in one of the wildest comebacks in Eagles history.

Trivia – Cunningham’s record has been broken, who currently holds the Eagles single game passing yardage record? (Answer below)

Emotional Return

On this day in 2001, the Phillies and Major League Baseball returned after the 9/11 tragedies.

It was an emotional night at the Vet, and I still remember the patriotism I felt sitting in the stands that night.

On the field, the Phillies beat the Braves 5-2 thanks to two Scott Rolen home runs. Both came off future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, just the fifth time in Maddux’s career that he had allowed two home runs to the same player in a game.

The win moved the Phillies to within 2.5 games of the Braves for first place.

But the baseball was almost secondary to what was happening around the Vet.

During the emotional National Anthem, a touching image of Larry Bowa with tears falling down his face captured the emotion of the night. Harry Kalas then gave an amazing pregame speech centered around coming together.

And it seemed like everyone had a flag.

Jim Minacci, better known as Flag Man, took it a step further, making laps around the upper bowl with a flag from Gloria Dei Old Swedes Episcopal Church. Minacci would do the same for each of the Phillies’ remaining home games that season.

5-Peat

On this day in 2011, just three days after clinching a playoff spot, Roy Oswalt took the mound and pitched seven solid innings.

Jimmy Rollins went 4-for-5, while Raul Ibáñez hit a grand slam as the Phillies cruised to another division title—their fifth consecutive N.L. East championship.

Five straight.  The Golden Era of Phillies Baseball.

Trivia Answer – Nick Foles threw for a team record 471 yards on December 23, 2018 against the Texans.  The Eagles won 32-30.

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