5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Philadelphia Phillies

mlb.com

In this series I am going through all 30 MLB teams and presenting five facts you most likely didn’t know about each one.  As a big baseball fan, I thought I knew a lot about the history of the game, but there’s so much I’m learning as I’m going through this, which makes it really fun to put together.  Second up in this series: the Philadelphia Phillies

1. Perhaps the best individual game in MLB history was played by a Phillie

The day was June 13, 1971 and the player was Rick Wise.  In Riverfront Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds, Wise tossed a no-hitter, but wasn’t done there.  He also hit two home runs that same game, and as you could imagine, remains the only player to ever accomplish that feat.  Talk about a game!

2. The film The Natural was based on a Phillies player

In the movie his name was Roy Hobbs, but in real life his name was Eddie Waitkus, the first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies.  Waitkus returned to his hotel room one night in June of 1949 with a note from a woman that stated she needed to see him.  Obliging with the request, Waitkus was greeted with a .22 and was promptly shot in the stomach by the woman who claimed, “If I can’t have you, nobody can.”  Of course, he would survive the shooting and go on to help the Phillies win the NL pennant the following season.

3. They became the first MLB team to reach 10,000 losses

Though the Phillies have had some great teams over the years, they haven’t exactly been the most successful franchise, with fans suffering many losing seasons over the years.  In 2007, all those accumulated losing seasons resulted in the Phillies becoming the first MLB team to lose 10,000 games after a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

4. At one time were known as the Blue Jays

After many forgettable seasons, including the 1941 and ’42 seasons that remain the worst in franchise history, the team was bought by Bob Carpenter Jr. after the 90-loss 1943 season.  Hoping to instill new life into the franchise he put it up to a fan vote for a new team name.  The Blue Jays won the vote, but the results on the field didn’t change.  The name was changed back to the Phillies after just two seasons.

5. They played in two memorable “first” games

On August 25, 1921, the Phillies played against cross-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates in the first ever game to be heard on the radio.  The Pirates would claim victory in that one with the final score of 8-5.  14 years later on May 24, 1935, the Phillies squared off against the Reds in Cincinnati for the first ever night game.  They would lose that game as well, with a score of 2-1.

 Did you learn something new?  Find anything interesting?  If you did, feel free to leave a comment or add a fun fact of your own!

Garett