Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Phillies are a major league baseball team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest single city professional sports team. The Phillies play in the Eastern Division of the National League and are two time world champions and have won seven National League pennants in their franchise history.

The franchise was founded in 1883 as the Quakers. The name was soon changed to the Philadelphias which was ultimately shortened to the Phillies. The Phillies remained relatively quiet until the 1950’s. Their lone league pennant came in 1915. During this large stretch of mediocrity, the Phillies managed just one winning season from 1918-1948.

With a new owner in 1943, the Phillies began to work their way out of the basement. The new leadership combined with exciting young players propelled the Phillies to win the NL pennant and sent them back to the World Series in 1950.

But they fell apart following the season and struggled through the late 1970-1980’s. The Phillies were thought to have beaten the curse in 1964, but lost ten games in a row to finish the season, knocking them out of the playoffs and being charged with the most notable collapses in sports history.

The Phillies made a charge at greatness again. They managed to win three straight division titles from 1976-1978 and then the National League pennant and World Series championship in 1980. The pennant was their first in thirty years and the championship was the first in franchise history. They made the playoffs again in 1981 and 1983 before falling back into the basements through the 1990’s.

The Phillies returned to the World Series again in 1993. They began the season 17-5 and finished just as strong, defeating the Atlanta Braves to make the World Series. The Phillies would fall short in the World Series, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.

They would continue to build their franchise and by the end of the 2000’s, the Phillies had built themselves a powerhouse. The Phillies won four straight division titles in 2007-2010 and the National League pennant in 2008-2009. The Phillies captured their second World Series crown in 2008 when they swept the Tampa Bay Rays.

Over the course of their history, the Phillies played in five different stadiums: Recreation Park (1883-1886), Baker Bowl/National League Park/Philadelphia Baseball Grounds (1887-1926, 1928-1938), Connie Mack Stadium/Shibe Park (1927, 1938-1970), Veteran Stadium (1971-2003) and Citizens Bank Park (2004-present). The Phillies currently hold spring training in Clearwater, Florida.

The Phillies franchise consists of eight minor league clubs. As of 2010, these clubs include:
  • Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (AAA, International League)
  • Reading Phillies (AA, Eastern League)
  • Clearwater Threshers (A+, Florida State League)
  • Lakewood Blue Claws (A, South Atlantic League)
  • Williamsport Crosscutters (A-, New York-Penn League)
  • GCL Phillies (R, Gulf Coast League)
  • DSL Phillies (R, Dominican Summer League)
  • VSL Phillies (R, Venezuelan Summer League)
Thirty-five former Phillies are honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame. They also have retired the numbers of six players, these include:

  • 1 – Richie Ashburn
  • 14 – Jim Bunning
  • 20 - Mike Schmidt
  • 32 – Steve Carlton
  • 36 – Robin Roberts
  • 42 – Jackie Robinson
Click on the photo above to visit my Philadelphia Phillies photo gallery. Here you will find pictures from spring training games and players.

Updated January 17, 2011

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