Full Description
With more losses and last-place finishes than any other club in Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies have earned a reputation as one of the most unsuccessful teams ever to take the field. Even so, the Phillies have boasted many unforgettable players and achieved a number of notable triumphs. This history of the Phillies begins with the club's inception in 1883 and goes through the 2012 season, highlighting the team's finer moments and players but also covering less memorable times. Among the people and events it recounts are the great outfield of the 1890s, Chuck Klein's slugging feats, the 1980 World Series, the surprise 1993 pennant win, and the very successful years in Citizens Bank Park, including the world champions of 2008. An exploration of the Phillies' special relationship with Philadelphia and numerous historic photographs complete this comprehensive celebration of the oldest continuous one-name, one-city franchise in professional sports history.
Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 • The Coming of the Phillies
2 • The Phillies in the 1890s
3 • The American League Invasion
4 • Dooin Takes the Reins
5 • A Pennant for Pat Moran
6 • For Pickles Dillhoefer???
7 • Hitting Isn't Everything
8 • Doormats of the National League
9 • The Wartime Phillies
10 • Postwar Vistas
11 • Jubilee
12 • Middle-Class Baseball
13 • The Coming of Gene Mauch
14 • Tote'm Home Pennant
15 • Last Years of an Old Ballpark
16 • The Vet
17 • The Ozark Years
18 • The Team That Wouldn't Die
19 • Another Flag
20 • Michael Jack and the Dude
21 • Winning—and Losing—Wild
22 • More Losing Seasons
23 • Last Years of the Vet
24 • A Fine New Ballpark
25 • All the Way
26 • J-Roll, Chase and Ryan
27 • On to the World Series! No, Wait...
28 • Glory Nevertheless
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
