Tagged: Richie Ashburn
The Phils get crush as they lose to the Marlins, 14-5.
The Phils’ bullpen give up eight runs late in the game, as the Phils end up being crushed by the fish, losing to the Marlins, 14-5.
The Phils took the lead in the top of the first as, with one man on, and with two men out, Ryan Howard hits an RBI double, knocking in Carlos Ruiz, who was safe at first on first baseman Garrett Jones’ missing catch error, after having originally been called out, which was then overturned on Phils’ manager Ryne Sandberg’s challenge, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then made it a 2-0 lead as Marlon Byrd followed with an RBI single, scoring Howard. The Marlins got a run back in their half of the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Casey McGehee hits an RBI single, knocking in Derek Dietrich, who had earlier doubled, making it a 2-1 Phils’ lead, while sending Giancarlo Stanton, who had just walked, over to third base. The Marlins then tied the game up at two-all as Jones hits a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Stanton. The Marlins took the lead in the bottom of the third as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Stanton hits an RBI ground out, 4-3, scoring Dietrich, who had just tripled, giving the Marlins a 3-2 lead. The Phils would retie the game up at three-all in the top of the fourth as, with runners on second and third, and with one man out, Tony Gwynn, Jr. hits an RBI single, knocking in Byrd, who had started the inning off with a single, stopped at second base on Cody Asche’s single, then moved up to third on Dom Brown’s soft ground out, 1-3, while sending Asche, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second base on Brown’s ground out, up to third base. The Marlins regained the lead in their half of the fourth as, with runners on the corners, and with one man out, Marcell Ozuna hits an RBI single, scoring Jones, who had started the inning off with a double, then moved up to third base on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s fly out to center field, making it a 4-3 Marlins’ lead, while sending Ed Lucas, who had just walked, up to second base. The Marlins added to their lead two batters later, after Nathan Eovaldi had hit a sacrifice bunt that loaded up the bases, as Lucas and Ozuna both moved up a base, and with still one man out, Christian Yelich hits an RBI single, scoring Lucas, giving the Marlins a 5-3 lead, while moving up both runners up a base, leaving the bases loaded. The Marlins then made it a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the sixth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Yelich hits an RBI triple, knocking in Ozuna, who had earlier been safe at first on a force out, 6-4, as Lucas, who had started the inning off with a single, is wiped out at second base for the inning’s first out. The Marlins then broke the game wide open in the bottom of the seventh as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Jones, a walk by Saltalamacchia, moving Jones up to second base, and a single by Lucas, moving up both runners, and with two men out, Ozuna hits a grand slam home run, his seventh home run of the season, knocking in Jones, Saltalamacchia and Lucas, giving the Marlins a 10-3 lead. The Phils got two runs back in the top of the eighth as, with one man and with nobody out, Brown hits a two-run home run, his third home run of the season, knocking in Asche, who had started the inning off with an infield single, making it a 10-5 Marlins’ lead. The Marlins got a run back in their half of the eighth as, with the bases loaded once again, via a single by Yelich, who then moved up to second base on pitcher Luis Garcia’s wild pitch, a walk by Dietrich, and then a walk to McGehee, moving up both runners, and with one man out, Jones received a walk, forcing in Yelich, making it an 11-5 Marlins’ lead, while Dietrich and McGehee both moved up a base. The Marlins then made it an 13-5 lead as Saltalamacchia hits a two-run single, knocking in Dietrich and McGehee, while moving Jones up to second base. The Marlins added another run two batters later as, with the bases loaded once again, after Lucas had grounded out 4-3, moving up both runners and Ozuna had walked, and now with two men out, pinch-hitter Donovan Solano hits an RBI infield single to the pitcher Garcia, scoring Jones, while Saltalamachia and Ozuna both moved up a base, making it a 14-5 Marlins’ lead. That would end up being the final score as Kevin Slowey pitched a scoreless ninth, getting Asche to strike out, swinging, to end the game.
Kyle Kendrick (0-5, 4.53) took the lost as he lasted five and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out three. Mario Hollands pitched a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Jeff Manship pitched an inning, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk. Luis Garcia also pitched an inning, as he gave up four runs on three hits, four walks and a wild pitch, striking out two. Nathan Eovaldi (3-2, 3.41) got the win as he went six innings, giving up three runs, only one of which was earned, on ten hits and a walk, while striking out two. Mike Dunn collected his fifth hold of the year as he pitched a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Matt Capps pitched an inning, giving up two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batter. Kevin Slowey pitched a scoreless inning, giving up two hits, while striking out a batter.
The Phils banged out fourteen hits in a losing effort, with Jimmy Rollins (Single, Double, becoming tied for second place with Richie Ashburn for most career hits as a Phil with 2217), Marlon Byrd (Singles, RBI), Cody Asche (Singles) and Tony Gwynn, Jr. (Singles, RBI), all leading the team with two hits each. Chase Utley (Single), Ryan Howard (Double, RBI), Dom Brown (Home Run, 2 RBIs), Kyle Kendrick (Single), Reid Brignac (Single) and John Mayberry, Jr. (Double) had the other six Phils’ hits. The Phils also had two walls (Byrd, Gwynn) and a stolen base (Gwynn (2)) in the game.
Some recent news…
This past Friday, Jim Thome announced that he was doing what he could do, physically, to get himself ready to occasionally play first base (expected to be at least once a week) both before and after Ryan Howard returns, although during the season the Phils will be using him mainly as a late-innings pinch-hitting threat, like they did with Matt Stairs in late 2008 and 2009. Although the Phils will most likely be using Ty Wigginton as their everyday first baseman with John Mayberry playing the position against certain lefties during the regular season, until Howard’s expected return in late May, it is nice to know that Thome is getting himself ready for when he is called upon to play the position.
On Monday, it was announced that former Phils announcer Andy Musser died on Sunday at the age of 74 at his home in Wynnewood, PA. Musser was a member of the Phils’ broadcasting crew from 1976-2001, working with Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn and Ford C. Frick Award winners Harry Kalas and Tim McCarver, as well as present Phil broadcaster Chris Wheeler. Rest in Peace, Chris, and late condolences to your family.
Philadelphia Phillies – Awards: At-Bat Champions.
During the team’s previous 127-year history, twelve Phillies players have led the National League in at-bats a total of 20 times, with four of them winning it more than once.
The first Phil to lead the NL in at-bats was Hall of Famer Sam Thompson, who would win it in 1893 with 600 at-bats. The next Phil to lead the NL would be Duff Cooley, who in 1897 ended up in a four-way tie with Gene DeMontreville of the Washington Senators, Fred Tenney of the Boston Beaneaters and George Van Haltren of the New York Giants, who all finished that year with 566 at-bats. The third Phil to lead the NL in at-bats was Eddie Grant, who would do it in two straight seasons, with 598 at-bats in 1908, and leading again in 1909 with 631 at-bats. The fourth Phil to lead the league in at-bats would do so twenty-four years later, as Chick Fullis would have the most at-bats in 1933 with 647 of them. Phils nos. five and six would be tied for the lead in 1949 as Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn and Granny Hamner would both end the season in a tie for first with 662 at-bats. The next Phil to lead the NL was Larry Bowa, who ended the 1971 season with 650 at-bats. Phil no. eight would be Dave Cash, who would lead the league in three straight years, 1974 (687), 1975 (699) and 1976 (666), helping to lead the team to the first of three NL Eastern Division pennants that year. The ninth Phil to lead the league in official at-bats would be Juan Samuel, who, like Cash, would lead the NL in three seasons, 1984 (701), 1985 (663) and 1987 (655). The next Phil to lead the league in at-bats was Lenny Dykstra, who did so in 1993, the year that the Phils won the NL pennant, with 637 at bats. The eleventh Phil to lead the league would be Doug Glanville, who would have 678 at-bats in 1998. The twelfth, and presently last, Phil to lead the NL in at-bats is Jimmy Rollins, who would lead the lead in at-bats in four different seasons, 2001 (656), 2002 (637), 2007 (716), the year that he won the MVP as he help lead the Phils to their first NL Eastern Division title since 1993 and 2009 (672), the season that the Phils would win their first back-to-back NL pennants.
During the twenty times that a Phil had led the league in officials at-bats, three had done so while tied with another player, in 1897 (4-way tie) and 1949 (2-way tie between two Phils). Phils would lead the NL twice in the 19th Century, fifteen times in the 20th Century and four times, so far, in the 21st Century. Two of the Phils to lead the league were Hall of Famers (Sam Thompson in 1893 and Richie Ashburn in 1949). Jimmy Rollins had done it the most times with four, followed by both Juan Samuel and Dave Cash, who have each done it three times, then Eddie Grant, who did it twice. The rest have done it only once. Jimmy Rollins would have the highest total of at-bats with his 716 in 2007 and Duff Cooley would have the least with his 566 official at-bats in 1897.
Who would most likely be the next Phil to lead the NL in at-bats? Most likely Jimmy Rollins, if he can keep from getting injured.
Philadelphia Phillies – Awards: On-Based Percentage Champions.
In its 128-year history as a member of the National League, the Phillies have won twenty-one on-base percentage titles. Thirteen Phils have won the title, with five of them winning it more than once.
The first Phil to win the title was Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton, who did in it 1891 with a .453 percentage. He would win the second and third title to be won by a Phil player by winning it two years in a row, in 1893 and again in 1894, with on-base percentages of .490 and .521, respectively. Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty would become the second Phil to win the team’s fourth title, the fourth in five years, by winning it in 1895 with an on-base percentage of .500. The next Phil to win the title would be Roy Thomas, who would win the Phil’s fifth and sixth titles in 1902 and 1903, with marks of .414 and .453. The fourth Phil to win the title, the team’s seventh, would be Sherry Magee, who would win it in 1910, with a .445 percentage. The fifth Phil to win the title would be Gavvy Cravath, who won the title in 1915, the year that the Phils won their first National League title and in 1916, with marks of .393 and .379. It would be fourteen years before another Phil would win the team’s tenth title, which would be done by Lefty O’Doul in 1929 with a mark of .465. The seventh Phil to win the title would be Hall of Famer Chuck Klein, who would win the team’s eleventh title in 1933, the year that he won the batting triple crown, by posting an on-base percentage of .422. The eighth Phil to win the title would be Dolph Camilli, who would win the title in 1937 with a .446 percentage. The next Phil to secure the title would be Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, who would win the title in 1954, 1955 and 1958, with percentages of .441, .449 and .440. The tenth Phil to become the on-base percentage leader would be Dick Allen, who would win the title in 1967 with a .404 mark. Pete Rose would become the eleventh Phil to win it, winning the team’s seventeenth title in 1979 with a .418 mark. The twelfth Phil to win the title would be Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, who would it in the strike-shortened year of 1981, 1982 and 1983 with marks of .435, .403 and .399. The thirteenth, and at the moment last, Phil to win the title would be Lenny Dykstra, who won the team’s twenty-first title in 1990 with a .418 mark. No Phil has won the title since then.
Of the twenty-one titles won by the Phils, eleven of them, or almost half of them, have been won by Hall of Famers, with Billy Hamilton, Richie Ashburn and Mike Schmidt each winning three titles, while Ed Delahanty and Chick Klein would win the other two titles. Roy Thomas and Gavvy Cravath, other than the three Hall of Famers, have won more than one title, with each man winning two titles. The Phil with the highest on-base percentage when he won the title was Hamilton with his .521 mark in 1894, while the Phil with the lowest percentage was Cravath with his .379 mark in 1916. Phils have won the title four times in the 19th Century, seventeen times in the 20th, and so far have not won it in the 21st Century.
Who will be the next Phil to win the title? I have really no idea.
Preview: Phillies v. Padres – 7:05 pm Eastern.
The Phillies (4-4, 3rd) are now home for a seven-games home stand, starting with a four-games weekend series with the San Diego Padres (7-3, T-1st National League West). The first game of the four-game series will be played tonight at Citizens Bank Park and will start after 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phillies’ starter will be their ace Cole Hamels (0-1, 17.18), who is coming off a rocky start against the Colorado Rockies on April 10. In that game, he gave up seven runs on eleven hits and a walk, while striking out only one batter, in three and two-thirds innings of work, in the Phils’ 10-3 lost. He will be trying to recover from that poor start. The Padres will counter with Chris Young (2-0, 1.38), who is coming off a win against the San Francisco Giants on April 12, where he pitched seven strong innings, giving up no runs on four hits, while striking out seven, in the Padres’ 6-1 win. He will be looking to increase his record to 3-0 at the Phillies’ expense. The Phillies will be looking for their first winning series at home.
Before tonight’s ballgame, the Phillies will be doing several tributes in honor of the late Harry Kalas, who died before last Monday’s afternoon game in Washington, D.C. During the home stand, the flag in Ashburn Alley will be hung at half-mast in his honor, while his signature will be displayed on the field. Also, there will be a black drape placed in front of both the Phillies’ TV and radio broadcast booths. The Phillies will rename the TV broadcast booth in his honor, calling it the Harry Kalas Broadcast Booth: “That’s ball’s outta here!”, as a companion to the radio broadcast booth which is named the Richie ‘Whitey” Ashburn Broadcast Booth: “This game’s easy, Harry.” in honor of Hall of Fame outfielder, fellow broadcaster, and Kalas’ friend, Richie Ashburn. Comcast Network Philadelphia has announced that there will be no commentary made during the first half inning of tonight’s game. On the outfield wall, there will be a billboard honoring Kalas. Throughout the rest of the season, a recording of Kalas’ famous catch phrase: “Outta here !” will be played on the PA system everytime a Phillie batter hits a home run. During tonight’s seventh-inning stretch, on PhanaVision, a video with him singing ‘High Hopes’ will be shown, and fans will be encouraged to sing along.
Before the game, which fans are encouraged to attend early, his three sons, Todd, Brad and Kane will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. There will be held a moment of silence in Kalas’ honor, before his son, Kane, sings the national anthem. A video on his career will also be shown on PhanaVision. Lastly, all fans in attendence will be giving an 8 X 10 color picture of Harry Kalas, a commemorative program, and a poem that he wrote in 2002 as a tribute to the fans.
The Phillies announced that they have lost their voice as Harry Kalas dies in Washington hospital hours before today’s game.
This was earlier posted on Phillies.com:
Phils broadcaster Kalas passes away
Long-time announcer collapses prior to Monday’s game
WASHINGTON — Long-time Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas died at 1:20 p.m. ET Monday, shortly after collapsing in the team’s broadcast booth before the scheduled series opener against the Nationals.
“We lost Harry. I’ve been 39 years with the Phillies and 39 years with Harry and, as I said in this clubhouse, we lost our voice today,” said team president and CEO David Montgomery at about 1:50 p.m. outside the team’s clubhouse. “He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization.”
The 73-year old Kalas was found in the team’s broadcast booth around 12:30 p.m. and was taken to George Washington University Medical Center. Team officials quickly cleared the locker room and talked with the Phillies.
Montgomery said he didn’t know the exact cause of death yet.
“I know that when they took him away that they were very concerned,” he said.
Kalas had been the team’s broadcaster for the past 38 years. Prior to that, he was a member of the Houston Astros’ broadcast team from 1965-70. He was inducted into the broadcaster’s wing of the Hall of Fame in 2002 and received the 2002 Ford C. Frick Award.
Montgomery said Monday’s game would be played, but that the Phillies were going to reach out to the White House and pass up Tuesday’s scheduled trip there.
H/T Phillies.com
Like a lot of Phillies’ fans, I grew up listening to both him and Richie Ashburn. Now they’re both gone. Goodbye, Harry, thanks for all those wonderful broadcasts, and I hope that Richie will be the first one there to meet you in broadcaster heaven.
Excuse me, folks, but I need a hanky.
Philadelphia Phillies – Awards: Singles Champions.
In 126-years as a member of the National League, the Phillies have won twenty singles titles. Eleven Phils have won the title, with five of them doing it multiple times.
The first Phil to win the singles title was Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton, who, in 1890, ended up in a tie for first place with Cliff Carroll of the Chicago Colts (now the Cubs), with each men hitting 137 singles. Hamilton then won the title outright in 1891-92 and 1894 with 147 (1891), 152 (1892) and 176 (1894) singles each. The second Phillie player to win the title, the fifth to be won by a Phil, was Eddie Grant, who won it with 147 singles in 1909. In 1910, Grant won his second straight singles title by hitting 134 of them that season. The next Phil to win the singles title was Beals Becker, who hit 128 singles in 1914. The fourth Phillies player to win the tile was Lefty O’Doul, winning it in 1929, in a tie with Hall of Famer Lloyd ‘Little Poison’ Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, with each man getting 181 singles, presently the Phillies’ record for the most singles hit in a season. The fifth Phil to become the singles champ was Chick Fullis, doing it in 1933 with 161 singles. Eddie Waitkus became the sixth Phil to win the singles title, helping to lead the Phils to their second National League title in 1950, by hitting 143 of them. The following year, 1951, Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn won the first of his four singles championships, as he hit 181 singles, in the process tying Lefty O’Doul’s record. He won his second singles title, hitting 169 singles in 1953, then won his third title in 1957 with 152 and then his fourth and final title the following season, 1958, with 176. The next Phil to win the title was Dave Cash, who won it with 167 singles in 1974, then won it for the second straight year with 166 singles in 1975. Three years later, Larry Bowa became the ninth Phil to win the title as he hit 153 singles in 1978, the year the Phils won their third straight National League Eastern Division title. Pete Rose, the following season, became the tenth Phils to win the title, as he hit 159 singles in 1979. Rose won his second singles title as a Phillie player by hitting 117 singles in the strike-shortened season of 1981. The eleventh and final Phil to win the singles title was Doug Glanville, doing it in 1999 with 149 singles. No Phillie player has won the title since then.
Of the twenty singles titles won by the Phils, almost half of them, eight, has been won by two Hall of Famers, Billy Hamilton (4) and Richie Ashburn (also 4). Three other Phils have won two titles each, Eddie Grant, Dave Cash and Pete Rose. Two Phils have won the title tied with another player, Hamilton in 1890 and Lefty O’Doul in 1929. The Phils to have hit the most singles to win the title were O’Doul (1929) and Ashburn (1951) with 181, which is still the Phillies’ record for most singles in a season. The Phil to have won the title with the least number of singles was Pete Rose with only 117 in the strike-shortened season of 1981. The Phillies have won four singles titles in the 19th Century, sixteen in the 20th, and, so far, none in the 21st Century.
Who will be the next Phils to win the single titles? At this time, I really have no clue who might win it.
Philadelphia Phillies – Awards: Triples Champions.
In the Phillies’ 126-years existance as a member of the National League, the team has won only sixteen triples championships. Ten Phils have won those sixteen titles, with four of them winning multiple titles, while one player would win it while playing for two teams and five players won the title while tied with one or more players.
The first Phil to win the triples title was Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty who won his only triples title of his fine career in 1892 with twenty-one triples. No Phil would win the triples title for the next fifty-five years. The next Phillie player to win the triples title was Harry ‘the Hat’ Walker, winning it in 1947 playing for both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Phillies, as he hit sixteen triples. Three years later, the third Phil to win the title was Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn who had fourteen triples in 1950, the year that the Phils won their second National League title. Ashburn won his second triples title in 1958 with thirteen triples. Johnny Callison became the fourth Phillie player to win the title, as he was tied with Willie Davis and Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Bill Virdon of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as all four men hit ten triples in 1962. Two years later, in 1964, Rookie of the Year winner Dick Allen became the fifth Phil to win the title, as he was tied with Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs, with each man getting thirteen triples. The next year, 1965, Callison won his second triples title, this time by himself, as he hit sixteen three-baggers. In 1972, Larry Bowa won the eighth triples title won by a Phil player, the sixth Phil to do so, by hitting thirteen triples. Dave Cash became the seventh Phil to capture the triples title by getting twelve triples in 1976, the year that the Phillies won the first of their three straight National League Eastern Division titles. In 1984, Juan Samuel won the title, the eighth Phillie player to win it, as he tied with Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs, with each man hitting nineteen triples. Samuel won the title outright four years later in 1987, as he hit fifteen triples. In 1999, Bobby Abreu won the twelfth triples title won by a Phillie player, the ninth Phil to do so, as he tied with Neifi Perez of the Colorado Rockies, with each man hitting eleven three-baggers. The tenth and last Phil to win the triples title, Jimmy Rollins, won the first of his, so far, four triples titles by hitting twelve triples in 2001. He won his second title the following year, 2002, with ten three-baggers. Rollins won his third triples title in 2004, as he was tied with Jack Wilson of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Juan Pierre of the Florida Marlins, with all three men hitting twelve triples. Rollins won his fourth and most recent title, the sixteenth won by a Phil, in 2007, as he hit twenty triples.
Of the sixteen titles wins, only three of them were won by a Hall of Famer (Ed Delahanty (1), Richie Ashburn (2)). Jimmy Rollins has so far won the most triples titles as a Phil with four title victories, followed by Ashburn, Juan Samuel and Johnny Callison with two titles wins each. Delahanty is the Phillie player to hit the most triples while winning the title with twenty-one triples, while Johnny Callison (in 1962) and Jimmy Rollins (in 2002) both won the title with the least triples with ten of them. Callison, Dick Allen, Samuel, Bobby Abreu and Rollins each won the triples title while tied with another NL player, with Callison being involved in a four way tie in 1962 and Rollins in a three-men tie in 2004. The Phillies had one triples title win in the 19th Century, eleven in the 20th Century and so far, four triples title wins in the 21st Century.
Who will win the next triples title as a Phillie? Please, that’s a no-brainer. J-Roll, who else.
Philadelphia Phillies – Awards: Stolen Base Champions.
During the past 123 seasons, starting in 1886, when the National League have been able to record stolen bases, eight Phils have eleven times stolen more bases than anyone else in the NL, including one time when a Phil was tied with another National Leaguer.
The first Phil, when the team was then called the Quakers, to win the stolen base title, Ed Andrews, is also the first National Leaguer to win the title, winning it in 1886 with 56 stolen bases. The next Phillie player to win the title was Jim Fogarty, who won it with 99 steals in 1889. Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton was the third Phil to lead the league in steals, doing it four times in a six-year period, with 102 steals in 1890, 111 steals in 1891 (which is still the team’s franchise record, although Juan Samuel is listed as the modern single season steal leader with his 72 steals in 1984), 98 in 1894 and 97 in 1895. Fellow Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty became the fourth Phillie player to lead the league in steals, stealing 58 bases in 1898. No Phil would win the title for the next thirty-four seasons. Hall of Famer Chuck Klein then became the fifth Phil to win the stolen base crown with his 20 steals during his MVP season of 1932. Danny Murtaugh becomes the next Phil to win the title, swiping just 18 bases in 1941. Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn was the seventh Phil to win the title as he steals 32 bases during his rookie season of 1948. It would then be another fifty-three seasons before another Phil would win the title. In 2001, Jimmy Rollins would win the title, tying with Juan Pierre of the Colorado Rockies, with both men stealing 46 bases.
Of the eight Phils to lead the league in stolen bases, four of them (Billy Hamilton, Ed Delahanty, Chuck Klein and Richie Ashburn) are now in the Hall of Famers, responsible for a total of seven titles. Hamilton has the highest total among the champs, with 111 steal in 1891, setting the franchise’s overall stolen base record, while Danny Murtaugh has the lowest with his 18 steals in 1941. The Phils have won seven stolen base titles in the 19th Century, three in the 20th Century, and one, so far, in the 21st Century.
Who would be the next Phillie player to lead the National League in stolen bases? Jimmy Rollins is the most likely Phil to win it, but history is not on his side.
Philadelphia Phillies – Awards: Hit Champs.
During the Phillies’ 126 years as a member of the National League, the team have had a member outhit the rest of the league only sixteen times in its existence. Eleven players would win the title, with one player actually doing it three times, while two others, who would both win the title twice, would both win one title while tied with another National Leaguer.
The first Phillie player to win the title would be Hall of Famer Sam Thompson, who would do it in 1890, as he would get 172 hits, tying him for the lead with Jack Glassock of the New York (now San Francisco) Giants. The next Phil to be the NL hits leader would be fellow Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton, who would win the title the following year, 1891, as he would get 179 hits. Thompson would regain the title in 1893, as he would get 222 hits. The third Phil to win the team’s fourth hits title would be Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty, who would get 238 hits in 1899. The fourth Phillie player to win the hits title would be Gravvy Gravath, who would win it in 1913 with 179 hits. The following year, 1914, Sherry Magee would become the fifth Phil to become the hits champ, as he would get 171 hits that season. Lefty O’Doul would become the sixth Phil to win the title, as he would get 154 hits in 1929, which is still the franchise record for the most hits in a season. The seventh Phillie player to win the hits title would be Hall of Famer Chuck Klein, who would get 226 hits in 1932. Klein would follow that up by winning his second straight hits title during his Triple Crown season of 1933, as he would get 223 hits that year. The Phillies would not will the title again for eighteen years. Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn would then become the eighth Phil to win the team’s tenth hits title as he would win the title in 1951 with 221 hits. He would then win his second hits title two years later, in 1953, as he would get 205 hits. Ashburn would then get his third and final hits title as a Phil as he would get 215 hits in 1958. Dave Cash would become the ninth Phil to win the title, as he would win it in 1975 with 213 hits. Pete Rose would win the title in the strike year of 1981, become the ten Phillie player to win it, as he would get 140 hits that season. The eleventh, and presently the last Phil, to win the title would be Lenny Dykstra, who would win the title first in 1990, tied for the lead with Brett Butler of the San Francisco Giants, with both men getting 192 hits, and winning it by himself in 1993 with 194 hits, as he help lead the Phils to the National League pennant that year. The Phillies have not won a hits title since 1993.
Of the eleven men to win the titles, five of them would be hall of famers, who together would win nine of the sixteen hits titles. O’Doul would win the title with the most hits (154 in 1929) while Pete Rose would win it with the least hits (140 in 1981). The Phillies have won four titles in the 19th Century and twelve in the 20th, and, so far, none in the 21st Century.
Who would be the next Phil to win the hits title? I have no idea at this point, but I wouldn’t put it beyond either Chase Utley or Jimmy Rollins as being the one to do it.
Phillies Red Pinstripes 