Formerly known as: Philadelphia Quakers ( 1883- 1889). Name changed to "Phillies" in 1890. Some newspapers tried to call them the Quakers in the 1910s, and during World War II, a poll selected "Blue Jays" as a new name, but neither stuck.
Former home ballparks:Veterans Stadium ( 1971- 2003), Connie Mack Stadium/Shibe Park ( 1938- 1970Events January events January 1 Construction begins on Arcosanti, by Paolo Soleri, in Mayer, Arizona, located 65, miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. January 1 Unix epoch at 00:00:00 UTC. January 12 Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war. January), Baker Bowl ( 1895Events January events January 5 Dreyfus Affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his rank and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. February events February 14 First showing of Oscar Wilde's last play The Importance of Being Earnes- 1938), Philadelphia Baseball Grounds ( 18871887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). Events January 20 The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base. January 21 The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is formed January 26 Battle of Dogali: A- 1894Events January 8 A fire at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago causes a good deal of damage. January 9 New England Telephone and Telegraph installs the first battery-operated telephone switchboard ( Lexington, Massachusetts). February 15 04:51 GMT), Recreation Park ( 1883- 18861886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) Events January 18 Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. January 29 Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile. March)
Founded in 1883, the National League's Philadelphia Phillies are the longest standing, one-name, one-location team in all professional American sports. Also, amongst franchises having played enough all time games to have eliminated most statistical anomalies, they are the worst team in the history of all American professional sports (in terms of winning percentage.)
Imaginitively named for a verbal shorthand of their city of residence ("Philly"), the Phillies replaced the Worcester, MassachusettsWorcesters in the National League. However, the team was not relocated - the Worcesters were ejected from the league, and the new Phillies were given their spot. The name has absolutely nothing to do with horses. Their initial owners were John Rodgers and Al Reach , the first ever professional baseball player according to many definitions.
The Phillies Franchise historically had four strong winning periods:
the 1890s, when they featured one of the strongest outfields of all time in Hall of Famers Billy Hamilton, Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty. The 1894 team set an all-time mark for team batting average, but finished low in the standings due to weak pitching. The team still contended throughout the decade.
After Mike Schmidt retired in 1989, the Phillies had a decade of losing seasons, save for a World Series berth in 1993. Beloved by the city of Philadelphia, this team with names such as Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra also known as Nails, and Curt Schilling surprised the city and the nation with their achievements. Losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, giving the Canadians two consecutive World Series titles, was nonetheless disappointing. The team was often described as "shaggy," "unkempt" and "dirty." The previous year, noting the presence of the clean-cut Dale Murphy, Kruk himself described the team as "24 morons and one Mormon." Their character endeared them to Philadelphia, and attendance records were set the following season. But with that season's ( 1994) players' strike, most of the Phillies' fan base was greatly offended, and since then the Phillies have had little success either on the field or at the gate - the realignment of the Atlanta Braves into the National League East in 1994 having had a negative effect on both as the Braves have won the division every year since joining it, often by lopsided margins. Indeed, following their 1983World Series loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the team neglected to post back-to-back winning seasons until finally doing so in 2003 and 2004; the 2004 team also was second in the NL East, only the third time the Phillies have finished that high since the 1994 realignment (including a joint second-place finish with the New York Mets in 1995).
Most Valuable Player (5): Chuck Klein, 1932; Jim Konstanty, 1950; Mike Schmidt, 1980, 1981, 1986
Cy Young Award (6): Steve Carlton, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1982; John Denny, 1983; Steve Bedrosian, 1987
Rookie of the Year (3): Jack Sanford, 1957; Dick Allen, 1964; Scott Rolen, 1997
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year (7): Del Ennis, 1946; Richie Ashburn, 1948; Jack Sanford, 1957; Dick Allen, 1964; Lonnie Smith, 1980; Juan Samuel, 1984; Scott Rolen, 1997