philadelphia phillies history
philadelphia phillies history
While many cities hold baseball traditions, no place has a longer running tradition than the City of Brotherly Love. Since their founding in 1883, the Phillies have offered exciting competition for fans in Philadelphia. While the team has struggled to establish a consistent level of victory, the completion of a new stadium in 2004 makes Philadelphia Phillies tickets some of the hottest in baseball. Despite missing the playoffs throughout the last decade, fans in Philadelphia have celebrated three consecutive winning seasons since 2003. The Phillies hope to build on the mild success of 2005 after finishing just one game behind the Houston Astros for the National League Wild Card.
The Phillies have appeared in five World Series in their storied history, but the franchise has only won the championship once. In 1980, Philadelphia defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games to win the title. Hall of Fame member Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, and left field Greg Luzinski combined to form a potent offensive attack, and pitchers Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw led the Phillies presence on the mound.
Schmidt is arguably the most successful player to ever call Philadelphia home. The third baseman played his entire career in Veterans Stadium, the Phillies’ previous stadium before retiring in 1989. His 548 career home runs and 1,595 runs batted in are both career records for the franchise. However, Schmidt was more than a slugger; his 10 Gold Gloves and three Most Valuable Player awards make him one of the best third baseman to ever play Major League Baseball. The team erected a statue to commemorate his contributions to the team outside the new stadium, Citizens Bank Park.
The 1990s were a miserable decade in Philadelphia. Despite talented players that included Lenny Dykstra, John Kruk, and Darren Daulton, the Phillies only posted one winning season. They reached the World Series in 1993 before losing to the Toronto Blue Jays. When the National League East Division was restructured to include the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies faced even steeper competition. Attendance at Veterans Stadium declined dramatically after the player strike that shortened the 1994 season, and the team’s failures throughout the rest of the decade frustrated the team’s dedicated fans.
However, the team’s recent success gives fans hope that a standard of excellence is forming at Citizens Bank Park. While bad general management decisions have plagued the Phillies in the past, new GM Pat Gillick’s trade for young center fielder Aaron Rowand, last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, appears to be a preview of the good decisions to come. Former first baseman Jim Thome was a crowd favorite in Philadelphia, but trading the veteran infielder for Rowand will help build a young offensive presence in Philadelphia. Jon Lieber and newly acquired Ryan Franklin will lead the team’s veteran pitching staff, and the Phillies look ready to capitalize on last year’s Wild Card run to make a postseason appearance in 2006. Under manager Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia Phillies tickets will be some of the most exciting seats in the National League.
