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Phun Week: Your First Phillies Game

With yesterday’s signing of Pedro Feliz, I delayed the start of Phun Week.

Then, the Mets decided to trade for Johan Santana. We’ll have more on the developments of the deal as it happens.

So I delayed the start of Phun Week again.

What is Phun Week?

Basically, I will share with you some of my “fun” memories as a Phillies fan, and present topics that are on the light-hearted side, just to keep those winter blues from slipping in.

So the first of these five Phun Week posts is about your first Phillies game.

I remember the game only because I was told about later on, and researched the exact date through Baseball Reference.

June 22, 1985, Phillies vs. Pirates.

Charles Hudson was on the mound for the Phils (he carried a 3.78 ERA with a 8-13 record in ’85), and gave up two runs in the first inning (including a Johnny Ray home run). Larry McWilliams threw for the Bucs, and was pretty good until a Mike Schmidt double in the fourth. He would score on a Bo Diaz GIDP. (Wow, these teams were bad.)

But Diaz would come back in the eighth, singling home slugger Glenn Wilson to make it 2-2. In the ninth, Don Robinson came into the game and hit Luis Aguayo. John Candelaria replaced Robinson and gave up a single to Tim Corcoran. (Who are these guys?) Then, up stepped Juan Samuel.

Long drive, watch that baby, outta here!

Phils win 5-2 on a Samuel walkoff.

Phils lineup for that game:
Juan Samuel – 2B
Rick Schu – 3B
Mike Schmidt – 1B
Glenn Wilson – RF
Bo Diaz – C
Garry Maddox – CF
John Russell – LF
Steve Jeltz – SS
Charles Hudson – P

Sitting out for this contest, the highly regarded Mr. 5-for-1, Von Hayes.

I was a bit younger than 1 years old at the time, and the first real Phillies game I’ll remember won’ t be until 1989 (seeing the Mike Schmidt “We Love You” sign in centerfield. But for first games, this wasn’t a bad one.

What’s your first Phillies game?

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.