Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Phillies’ base-running blunders continue, this time with Edmundo Sosa getting caught watching his fly ball instead of breaking out of the box, costing the Phillies a potential game-tying home run. The Sixers and Flyers’ new arena looks amazing and pays homage to the old Spectrum, while the Union look to stay hot against Cincinnati.
September 9 has seen a couple of Eagles opening games, some outstanding Negro Leagues action, and some long balls.
Pitcher’s Duel
On this day in 1934, the Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Crawfords met as part of a Negro Leagues doubleheader at Yankee Stadium in front of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 fans. Those fans witnessed one of the greatest pitching duels in Negro Leagues history—and arguably one of the greatest in baseball history.
Slim Jones took the mound for the Stars against Satchel Paige of the Crawfords. Jones carried a no-hitter through six innings, while Paige was perfect.
Paige had allegedly driven all night after a freelance pitching gig and slept in his car near Yankee Stadium the night before. Somehow, he still took the mound and put on a performance for the ages.
The game eventually ended in a 1-1 tie because of darkness. The Stars had a chance to win it in the ninth, loading the bases, but Paige escaped the jam to preserve the tie.
This was a huge moment in Negro Leagues history, with two of the league’s premier teams putting on a show in front of a massive New York crowd. The game was essentially a who’s who of Negro Leagues baseball, featuring future Hall of Famers Paige, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Biz Mackey, and Jud Wilson.
Two great teams. Two legendary pitchers. A stadium full of fans. A game that simply ran out of daylight.
Eagles Announce Their Arrival
On this day in 2001, the Eagles opened the season against the “Greatest Show on Turf” at the Vet.
They would go home with a 20-17 overtime loss, but the Eagles announced to the NFL that they were a team to be reckoned with.
The defense played a terrific game, containing Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, and Isaac Bruce. The Eagles trailed 17-3 entering the fourth quarter, but Donovan McNabb threw two touchdown passes to Cecil Martin to tie the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles forced a fumble, but instead of falling on the ball, they tried to return it, allowing the Rams to recover and sending the game to overtime. The Rams eventually won it 20-17.
Despite the loss, the Eagles essentially announced, “We’re here, and we’re ready.”
They were right.
The Eagles would finish 11-5 and make the playoffs, and just four months later, these same two teams would meet again—this time with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line in the NFC Championship Game.
A Grand Duo
On this day in 2003, the Phillies crushed the Braves 18-5 behind home runs from Mike Lieberthal, Jason Michaels, and Tomas Perez.
For Michaels and Perez, those home runs were grand slams, making them just the third pair of Phillies teammates to hit grand slams in the same game.
Trivia – Who are the last duo to hit grand slams in the same game for the Phillies? (Answer below)
The Chip Kelly Era Kicks Off
On this day in 2013, the Chip Kelly experience officially began as the Eagles opened the season on Monday Night Football in Washington and for a while, it looked like the future had arrived.
The Eagles raced out to a 26-7 halftime lead and held on for a 33-27 victory. Michael Vick threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, LeSean McCoy rushed for 184 yards and a touchdown, and DeSean Jackson caught seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles were fast, explosive, and exciting. The future was bright—or so we thought.
Of course, knowing what we know now, I still have to question what Chip Kelly was thinking when he got rid of McCoy and Jackson.
Fifty Burger
On this day in 2025, the Phillies beat the Mets 9-3 at Citizens Bank Park behind home runs from Otto Kemp, Harrison Bader, and Kyle Schwarber.
For Schwarber, it was home run number 50 on the season, making him the first Phillie since Ryan Howard in 2006 to reach the milestone and just the third Philadelphia baseball player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season.
Trivia Answer – Maikel Franco and Aaron Altherr both hit grand slams on April 7, 2018.
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