Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The big Philly sports weekend lived up to the hype for the most part. The Phillies split with the Braves but had a chance in all four games. Not the best outcome, but far from the worst. The Union remained hot, and both Temple and Villanova picked up wins.
But this week is all about Eagles Opening Day.
September 8 has seen some long balls, the opening of the Linc, and the return of a fan favorite.
Bombs Away
On this day in 1998, the Phillies pounded the Mets 16-4 at the Vet and set a team record with seven home runs in the game. The home run parade included two each from Kevin Sefcik, Rico Brogna, and Bobby Estalella.
Marlon Anderson made his major league debut and made it memorable, hitting a pinch-hit home run to become just the 14th player in MLB history to hit a pinch-hit home run in his first at-bat.
Trivia – What is the current Phillies record for homeruns in a game? (Answer below)
Not a Great Start
On this day in 2003, the Eagles played the first regular-season game at the Linc. It came with all of the pomp and circumstance you’d expect. The Roots played before the game, and Sylvester Stallone also got the crowd pumped during the pregame festivities.
Then the game started, and the defending NFC champions picked up where they left off the previous January at the Vet. Joe Jurevicius had two touchdowns, Donovan McNabb was not very good, and the Eagles turned the ball over twice as the Bucs came to the Linc and ran the Eagles off the field, 17-0, in a game that wasn’t that close.
Making matters worse, fans were upset that the Linc banned outside food, including cheesesteaks and hoagies. The Eagles quickly became a laughingstock, and after the public backlash, the team’s brass changed course.
Join the Club
On this day in 2009, the Phillies hit five solo home runs, including two by Raul Ibanez and one each by Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and Ryan Howard. Pedro Martinez went 6⅔ innings to earn the win.
For Ibanez and Utley, their home runs were their 30th of the season, joining teammates Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth to make the Phillies just the 12th team in MLB history to have four players hit 30 or more home runs in the same season.
Even more impressively, they became just the second team to do it with three left-handed hitters in the lineup, joining the 1929 Phillies.
Welcome Home Desean
On this day in 2019, the Eagles welcomed back DeSean Jackson after he spent five years away from Philadelphia following Chip Kelly’s unceremonious trade of the fan favorite.
Jackson made the most of his return, catching eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns—both of them over 50 yards—as the Eagles erased a 17-0 deficit against Washington. Carson Wentz threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles rallied for a 32-27 win.
Unfortunately for DeSean, an abdominal injury limited him to just two more games that season.
Trivia Answer – The Phillies hit eight home runs in a game versus the Miami Marlins on September 24, 2025.
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