Nick Castellanos and Craig Kimbrel will represent the Phillies in the 2023 All-Star Game. They’ll join 91 other Phils who played in at least one midsummer classic since the game’s introduction in 1933.
It’s an exclusive group, and an eclectic one. Some all-stars are more all-starry than others. Hall of Famers like Mike Schmidt and Robin Roberts are in the club; less heralded players like Domonic Brown and Heathcliff Slocumb are members as well. But they all made it in, and nobody can ever take that away from them.
Here are some Phillies ASG trivia questions, ranging from easy to impossible. Answers at the end.
Post your point total in the comments, and if it’s high enough you’ll win a 2008philz Certificate of Excellence.
Q1. For 5 points. Two Phillies played in the first All-Star Game in 1933. One was shortstop Dick Bartell. The other is more famous. Can you name him?
Q2. For 5 points. Which Phillie hit a walk-off home run to win the 1964 ASG?
Q3. For 10 points. Mike Schmidt was selected to 12 ASGs, most of any Phillie. How many games did he actually play in?
Q4. For 10 points. Five Phillies have hit a home run in an ASG. Can you name them? (Give yourself two points for each one you get right.)
Q5. For 10 points. Two players are tied for the Phils’ all-time lead in ASG hits. One is Mike Schmidt, with five hits in 18 at-bats. Who is the player that matched him, with five hits in just nine at-bats?
Q6. For 10 points. Just behind the guys with five ASG hits, two players are tied with three ASG hits. Can you name them? (Give yourself five points for each one you get right.)
Q7. For 15 points. Three Phillies are tied for the most ASG RBI as a Phil, with 3 RBI each. Can you name them? (Give yourself five points for each one you get right.)
Q8. For 15 points. Three Phillies are tied for the most ASG stolen bases as a Phil, with one stolen base each. Can you name them? (Give yourself five points for each one you get right.)
Q9. For 15 points. Who has the only Phillies triple in ASG history?
Q10. For 15 points. Five Phillies have a career 1.000 batting average in the ASG. But all but one are just 1/1. Can you name the hitter that’s 3/3?
Q11. For 15 points. Three Phillies have been credited as the winning pitcher in an ASG. Can you name them? (Give yourself five points for each one you get right.)
Q12. For 20 points. Which star has struck out the most times as a Phillie in the ASG?
Q13. For 20 points. Robin Roberts was named to seven ASGs, and played in five. How many times was he the starting pitcher for the NL?
Q14. For 20 points. Who has the lowest ASG ERA as a Phillie out of this group: Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton, Jim Bunning, or Curt Simmons?
Q15. For 20 points. Robin Roberts has the most ASG strikeouts as a Phillie with nine. Two Phils are tied for second with six strikeouts. Can you name them? (Give yourself ten points for each one you get right.)
Q16. For 20 points. This player represented the Phillies in the ASG three times. He hit .143 in those games, and he’s the only player to ground into more than one double play in the ASG as a Phil. Can you name him?
Q17. For 25 points. Who are the five players to hit at least one double in an ASG as a Phil? (Give yourself five points for each one you get right.)
Q18. For 25 points. Which of the following players appeared in more than one ASG as a Phillie (only one is correct): Scott Rolen, Von Hayes, Manny Trillo, Jim Thome, Juan Samuel, Aaron Nola, or Terry Mulholland?
Q19. For 30 points. Brad Lidge famously took the loss for the NL in the 2008 ASG, the only blemish on his otherwise perfect season. Which other three Phillies pitchers have been tagged with an ASG loss? (Give yourself 10 points for each one you get right.)
Q20. For 30 points. This player was 8-4 with a 2.81 ERA at the All-Star break in 1995. He threw a scoreless inning in the 1995 ASG, then won only ten more games for the rest of his career. Can you name him?
Q21. For 30 points. Which player represented the Phillies in the 2003 ASG?
ANSWERS ARE UNDER THIS PHOTO OF 1994 ALL STAR DANNY JACKSON. ADD UP YOUR TOTAL AND DROP IT IN THE COMMENTS! NO CHEATING, WE ARE NOT ASTROS FANS. MAX TOTAL POINTS IS 365.
A1. Chuck Klein. He went one for four in a loss to the American League.
A2. Johnny Callison. He represented the Phillies in three ASG.
A3. Schmidt played in ten games. He was named a starter in 1980 but didn’t play. And when he was elected in 1989, he made a ceremonial appearance but had already retired earlier in the season.
A4. Callison, Schmidt, Dick Allen, Greg Luzinski, and JT Realmuto.
A5. Richie Ashburn. In three games and ten plate appearances, Ashburn hit .556/.600/.667.
A6. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.
A7. Schmidt, Luzinski, Callison.
A8. Ashburn, Rollins, and Larry Bowa.
A9. Schmidt
A10. Rollins.
A11. Doug Jones, Ken Raffensberger, Heathcliff Slocumb.
A12. Dick Allen. Five strikeouts in eight ASG at-bats as a Phillie.
A13. Five. Started every game he played in.
A14. It’s Jim Bunning. Bunning pitched the most ASG innings (four) out of several Phillies with a 0.00 ASG ERA. Roberts had a 6.43 ERA in 14 innings, Carlton had a 6.75 ERA in four innings, and Simmons had a 3.00 ERA in six innings.
A15. Bunning and Curt Schilling.
A16. Pete Rose.
A17. Schmidt (2), Ashburn (1), Utley (1), Jimmie Wilson (1), Dave Hollins (1).
A18. It’s Trillo, who appeared in two. Each of the others appeared in only one as a Phillie.
A19. Schilling, Simmons, and Art Mahaffey.
A20. Tyler Green.
A21. Randy Wolf.
What’s your total? If you hit 200+ you get a Certificate of Excellence.
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Cristian Pache:
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Tweets of the week.
When Pache is in CF and Marsh is in LF, are the Phillies actually a good defensive team?
https://twitter.com/TimKellySports/status/1678420686929272834?s=20
All Phillies 2023 draft picks:
https://twitter.com/CompletePhils/status/1678534969990299653?s=20
Did the Phillies draft a new Jayson Werth?
https://twitter.com/JackFritzWIP/status/1678403777907290113?s=20
If the Phillies win it all this year, remember to thank Grimace:
https://twitter.com/Phillies_Muse/status/1677719161865158657?s=20
Aaron Nola continues to frustrate:
This week in 2008.
The 2008 Phils were 49-43 at the end of July 9, in first place by 1.5 games.
On July 3, the Phillies finished off a sweep of the Braves in Atlanta with a 4-1 win. Cole Hamels allowed one run in 8.2 innings, and Tom Gordon came in for the final out. Home runs from Chase Utley (24), Ryan Howard (22), and Pedro Feliz (10) in this one.
The 4th of July was a happy one in 2008, as the Phils returned home to Citizens Bank Park and beat the Mets, 3-2. The Phillies called up J.A. Happ from AAA to start this game. Johan Santana pitched eight strong innings for New York. Shane Victorino drove in Feliz in the ninth for the walk-off W.
On July 5, the Phillies lost to the Mets 9-4. But Brad Lidge and Chase Utley were named to the All-Star team. Pat Burrell was named a candidate for the “Final Fan Vote,” but he lost to Corey Hart. Burrell was hitting .278/.411/.585 at the time with 21 home runs and 54 RBI.
The Phillies lost four straight after that. Three against the Mets before a 2-0 loss at home to St. Louis. The loss to the Mets on July 6 was the longest game of the season, clocking in at 4 hours and 25 minutes for a 12-inning game. Adam Eaton gave up eight runs in 2.2 innings in a 10-9 loss on July 7.
The Phils finally snapped out of it on July 9, beating the Cardinals 4-2. Ryan Howard smacked his 25th home run in that one, putting him into a tie with Utley for the NL lead.
Phillie you forgot about.
You wouldn’t forget an All-Star, would you?
I guess if you were born after 1940, it’s fair to not know much about Ken Raffensberger, the Phillies’ lone ASG representative in 1944 (and an answer to one of the trivia questions above).
Raffensberger’s 1944 ASG appearance was the only ASG appearance of his 15-year MLB career. He actually led all of baseball in losses in 1944 with 20, but he posted a 3.06 ERA and an NL-best 2.63 FIP.
He played five seasons for the Phillies in all, going 23-45 with a 3.49 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9, and 4.0 K/9.
In 1946, his last season with the Phils, he led the NL in saves with 6 (not a typo). He would go on to play out the rest of his career with Cincinnati, leading the NL in games started in 1949, in WHIP in 1951, in home runs allowed in 1950, and in losses again in 1951.
A complicated career.
Raffensberger passed away in 2002.
This is the section of the newsletter where I make you look at dogs.
Thank you for reading. Go Phils!
90 points.