The Philadelphia Phillies are a professional baseball team located in the city of Philadelphia in the United States of America. They are affiliated to the National League of Baseball, and they are known for winning at least seven pennants of that association and two World Series titles. While their numbers are not exactly stellar, they are considered an American staple since they are the oldest baseball team in the country that hasn’t changed their name since their debut or hasn’t relocated at some point.
A Struggling Team Loved by Their City
The Phillies team was founded in 1883, in the early days they were colloquially known as the Quakers. However a shortened version of their real name, “the Phillies” became much more popular shortly. The team officially adopted the nickname as their official name in 1890. While the Phillies had the gear and proper training, they struggled really hard to rise to prominence. It wasn’t until 1915 where the team would finally manage to qualify for the playoffs in 1915, backed up by the efforts of their star pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander.
As it happens in baseball, money talks when it comes to quality players and with Philadelphia bleeding talent, they traded Alexander in 1917. The move backfired on them as they entered an extended slump. The Phillies could manage a better position in the league other than last or second to last from 1919 to 1947. Three years later, the arrival of Richie Ashburn as an outfielder, and Robin Roberts as a pitcher proved to be a great incentive to the moral of the team. The Phillies finally managed to score their first World Series in 35 years. Sadly they would lose to the New York Yankees.
Ever Lasting Well Intentions
It would be a long time until The Phillies managed to do something noticeable again. Things seemed to be pretty interesting as they hired a talented slugger named Dick Allen who was known for being extraordinarily temperamental and overly reactive to what he perceived to be unfair plays or bad calls by referees. He was with the team for seven years from 1963 to 1969. The Phillies would turn around their luck in 1972 when they hired Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton. Both men would go on to be Hall of Famers by sticking with the team.
Steve Carlton was one of the most powerful and aggressive pitchers on the league. This time the Phillies held on to their star to get results. Mike Schmidt was an incredible slugger who scored hits with great timing. Both players helped the Phillies on their most prolonged period of success in their history. They managed to score six National League East Division titles between 1976 and 1983.
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The Phillies Time to Shine
Even with the impressive performance on their side The Phillies just managed to get to the World Series twice in that time. They finally scored the world championship in 1980. They would manage to get in the run for the title again on 1993, but they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. The team would go back into the fare again by repeating as division champions in 2008. They went on to advance to the World Series backed up by the power plays of pitchers Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge. They defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in a series of five games to win their second World Series title.