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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Favorite Phillie Wall of Famers
5 Favorite Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Famers
The Philadelphia Phillies have had a hard time with attendance this year. They are sixth in all of the Major Leagues. They average 38,536 people per game. However, it seems that each game it seems the attendance goes down. This weekend did not seem that it was going to be a struggle to bring in crowds for their three game series against the Atlanta Braves.
Each year the Phillies host an alumni weekend. It usually brings in a big crowd as the fans enjoy seeing their old favorites. This weekend they are honoring the 1993 team. The 1993 team were National League Champions. They unfortunately lost the World Series to The Toronto Blue Jays. The 1993 team was a fan favorite.
The weekend first got started on Thursday when former closer Brad Lidge signed a one day contract. Although he is not part of the 1993 team it was still an honor to have him kick the festivities off. Lidge wanted to retire in a Phillies uniform. When he went out to throw the first pitch he entered from the bull pen just like fans remember him.
Friday night Curt Schilling was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. This is a big tradition that the Phillies do every year. The player’s number gets put up on the wall where fans can visit during each game. They also have an induction ceremony.
This tradition had actually begun in 1978 and kept going ever since. The Phillies were still playing at Veterans Stadium at that time.
There have been 35 Phillies inducted onto the Wall. Everyone has their favorites. In honor of alumni weekend coming to an end here in my opinion are the five top Phillies who have been inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.
#5 - Richie Ashburn
Richie Ashburn had played with the Phillies from 1948-1959. He developed into an outstanding leadoff hitter, one of the best. He hit above a .300 average in nine seasons out of his 15 played. He is the Phillies all-time leader in singles with 1,811. After his baseball career Ashburn moved to the Phillies’ broadcast booth where his voice will always be remembered.
#4 - Steve Carlton
Steve Carlton was one the Phillies’ best pitchers. He was with the club for 15 years starting in 1972. In his first season with the Phillies he managed to win 27 games; he was the fifth pitcher to ever win 20 games for a team that was in last place. That season he had only lost ten games. During his time with the Phillies he set the record for the most consecutive wins which is 15. Carlton is a National League Triple Crown winner as well. With all these accomplishments it is no surprise that he would have won the CY Young award multiple times during his career. Carlton will always be remembered as a pitching great.
#3 - Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt started and ended his career with the Phillies. He played with the club for 18 years beginning in 1972. He was an offensive king. He was the leader in RBI for all the National League four times. Schmidt also led the whole National League eight times for the most homeruns. The only player to hit 30 homeruns in a season more times than Schmidt was Hank Aaron. Schmidt is still on a lot of leader boards for all of his offensive accomplishments. During his career he won six silver slugger awards. How many homeruns did he hit in Phillies pinstripes? 548. Schmidt is and forever will be a fan favorite.
#2 - Darren Daulton
Darren Daulton made an appearance this weekend. He was not expected to with his current health situation. He has received numerous standing ovations. It has shown that the fans love him and support him in his battle against cancer. Daulton was a great catcher for the Phillies. He made his debut in 1983 and stayed with the team until 1997 until he went to Florida. He was an All-Star three times while with the Phillies along with the comeback player. During his career he hit 123 homeruns and had 525 RBI. He helped with the offensive as well. Daulton is going through hard times right now but still cares about his teammates and fans. That is what makes him a fan favorite
#1 - Harry Kalis
Harry Kalas was not a player. He was the voice of the Phillies. He had started broadcasting 1965 first for The Houston Astros. He began his career with the Phillies in 1971. Kalas had called the first and the last game at Veterans stadium, along with the first game at Citizens Bank Park. He had also called very important moments in players' careers such as Schmidt’s No. 500 career homerun. Kalas brought games to life; there was no other announcer like him. The true highlight in Kalas' career had to be when he called the 2008 World Series in which the Phillies won. Kalas passed away in 2009 and everyone was devastated. To this day listening to a Phillies game on television is not the same.
