
Historical Milestones
The Philadelphia Phillies franchise is among the oldest organizations in professional sports. This franchise began playing in Major League Baseball during the 1883 season as the Philadelphia Quakers, a name that they kept until permanently changing their name to the Phillies in 1890. This iconic franchise plays in the National League’s East Division and has won seven pennants over the course of their history. The organization has managed to capture two World Series titles during their existence, the most recent one coming in 2008.
The Phillies first taste of success came during the 1915 season when they won the NL Pennant and faced off against the Boston Red Sox, losing in five games. That year they were led by Hall of Fame starting pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander who led the league in ERA, wins, and strikeouts that season. The organization struggled mightily from their first World Series appearance until their next one in 1950. The 1950s team was nicknamed “The Whiz Kids” because of how young their roster was. The team managed to win 91 games that season before being swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series. That season Del Ennis led the National League in RBIs and future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts was named an All-Star that year. After more down years the Phillies’ fortune began to turn around in the late 1970s, reaching the League Championship Series in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Their team was led by their power-hitting third baseman and future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, who finished his MLB career with 548 home runs. Schmidt led the team to their first-ever World Series title in 1980 over the Kansas City Royals and he was named the World Series MVP. In 1983 and 1993 the franchise would add two more pennants to its history, losing to the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series respectively. They failed to qualify for the playoffs again until 2007 but were eliminated quickly, losing in the Divisional Round. In 2008 the Phillies won their second and most recent World Series title, this time over the Tampa Bay Rays. That Phillies team was loaded with great players such as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Cole Hamels that would repeat as league champions again in 2009, but lost to the Yankees in the World Series. They made it to the playoffs again in 2010 and 2011 but have not been back since. The team has fallen on hard times in recent years but with the addition of Gabe Kapler as their manager in 2018, the organization is on its way back to the top.
Signed Philadelphia Phillies sports memorabilia is selling out fast, so purchase yours immediately. All of the product offerings that we have available for purchase are guaranteed to be authentic and will make great additions to your sports memorabilia collection. Autographed sports collectibles for World Series Champions like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, and Jimmy Rollins will look unbelievable displayed in your sports room or man cave.
Collecting Philadelphia Phillies Memorabilia
Mike Schmidt Autographed Photos