History of the Philadelphia Phillies
Although the Philadelphia Phillies were established in 1883, it took them almost 100 years to finally win a World Series. They won their first National League pennant in 1915 and their first World Series title in 1980. They had their best season in 2011 with 102 wins and 60 losses.
1883-1889
The Philadelphia Phillies started as the Quakers in 1883, but they were soon known as the Phillies and the new name became official in 1890. They played at Recreation Park until 1887, when they moved to Baker Bowl.
The original Quakers/Phillies started off poorly with only 17 wins and 81 losses in 1883. They had four winning seasons (1885-1888) in their first seven years, but they didn't make it to the World Series. A highlight of their 1885 season was Charlie Ferguson's no-hitter on August 29th. Their best season was 1887, when they had 75 wins and 48 losses.
In their first year, the Quakers/Phillies had two managers. Bob Ferguson managed for 17 games before he was replaced by Blondie Purcell. Harry Wright took over in 1884 and he remained their manager through 1893. He would eventually be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as an executive.
1890-1899
The Phillies played much better in their second decade, with seven winning seasons (1890, 1892-1895, 1898, 1899). However, they still didn't get to play in a World Series. Their best season was 1899, when they had 94 wins and 58 losses.
In 1894, Arthur Irvin took over the managerial position from Harry Wright. He managed the Phillies for two years, and then was followed by Billy Nash in 1896, George Stallings in 1897 and 1898, and Bill Shettsline from 1899 through 1902.
The Phillies added several future Hall of Famers to their roster, starting in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The first was Ed Delahanty in 1888. The following year, they added Sam Thompson. Billy Hamilton joined the team in 1890 and he played with them through 1895. At the end of the decade, they added Elmer Flick, who played with the team from 1898 through 1901.
1900-1909
Although the Phillies had five winning seasons from 1900 to 1909, they once again didn't get to the World Series. Their best season was 1901, when they had 83 wins and 57 losses. They also had 83 wins in 1905, 1907, and 1908, but they had more losses in each of those years than they had in 1901.
The Phillies had four managers from 1900 through 1909. After Shettsline, they had Chief Zimmer in 1903, future Hall of Fame player Hugh Duffy from 1904 through 1906, and Billy Murray from 1907 through 1909.
1910-1919
The Phillies had six winning seasons from 1910 through 1919, and they finally made it to the postseason in 1915. The following season was their best one with 91 wins and 62 losses.
The Phillies had 90 wins and 62 losses in 1915, enough to win them the NL pennant. However, they lost the World Series to the Boston Red Sox.
The Phillies had four managers from 1910 through 1919. The first was Red Dooin (1910-1914), followed by Pat Moran (1915-1918). Jack Coombs managed the team for 63 games in 1919, and Gavvy Cravath managed the team in 1919 and 1920.
The Phillies strengthened their team with two future Hall of Famers. Grover Cleveland Alexander played with them from 1911 through 1917, and Dave Bancroft was with them from 1915 through 1920.
1920-1929
After their pennant win in 1915 and winning seasons in 1916 and 1917, the Phillies went into a downslide, with no winning seasons throughout the 1920s. Their best season was 1929 with 71 wins and 82 losses. One of their only star players during those years was Cy Williams (1918-1930), an outfielder who led the NL in home runs in 1920, 1923, and 1927.
As they kept losing, the Phillies also kept changing managers. Cravath managed through 1920, but in 1921, the team had two managers - Bill Donovan for 87 games and Kaiser Wilhelm, who continued to manage the team through the 1922 season. Art Fletcher took over in 1923 and he managed them through 1926. He was followed by Stuffy McInnis in 1927, and Burt Shotten from 1928 through 1933.
1930-1939
In the 1930s, the Phillies had only one winning season, 1932, when they had 78 wins and 76 losses. Moving to a new ballpark, Shibe Park, in 1938, didn't help them win more games. They added future Hall of Famer Chuck Klein to their roster in 1928, but even with him on the team in the 1930s (1930-1933, 1936-1939), they couldn't produce winning seasons. They didn't have another winning season until 1949.
Although the Phillies didn't play well in the 1930s, they did have stability in managers. Shotton managed through 1933, followed by Jimmie Wilson from 1934 through 1938, and Doc Prothro from 1939 through 1941.
1940-1949
After years of losing seasons, the ownership of the Phillies changed in the mid-1940s and the new owner, Bob Carpenter, Jr., invested in young players for the team's minor league system. In 1948, two future Hall of Famers, Robin Roberts and Richie Ashburn were added to the roster.
The Phillies changed managers six times in the 1940s. Doc Prothro managed through 1941. He was followed by Hans Lobert in 1942 and Bucky Harris and Freddie Fitzsimmons in 1943. Fitzsimmons continued to manage the team until 1945, when he was replaced by Ben Chapman. The final manager, the only one who led the team to a winning season, was Eddie Sawyer, who took over in 1949 and continued in the position to 1952.
1950-1959
In 1950, the Phillies finally won the National League pennant again. This success, however, did not last and the Phillies would not see postseason play again for 16 years.
The Phillies had 91 wins and 63 losses in 1950. They faced the powerful New York Yankees in the World Series and they lost the series in four games. They had winning seasons again in 1952 and 1953, but neither time were the wins enough to get them to the World Series.
In the 1950s, the Phillies again had stability in their managers. Sawyer continued to manage until he was replaced in 1952 by Steve O'Neill. Terry Moore replaced O'Neill for 77 games in 1954. Mayo Smith then managed the team from 1955 until he was replaced by Sawyer in 1958. In his second stint as manager, Sawyer stayed with the team through 1960.
1960-1969
Although the Phillies played better in the 1960s, with winning seasons from 1962 through 1967, they didn't get to the postseason throughout the decade. Their best season was in 1964, when they had 92 wins and 70 losses. That year, they added future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning to the roster.
From 1960 through 1969, the Phillies had three managers and one interim manager. Gene Mauch took over for Eddie Sawyer in 1961, and he managed the team until Bob Skinner replaced him in 1968. Skinner continued to manage the team until George Myatt replaced him as interim manager in 1969.
1970-1979
In 1971, the Phillies moved to Veterans Stadium. The move didn't result, however, in immediate wins. It would take four years before they would again have a winning season.
By the mid-1970s, the Phillies had been built up with top players. From 1976 to 1979, the revitalized Phillies won the National League East division title three times (1976-1978). Players on these winning teams included future Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt.
The Phillies best seasons in the 1970s came in 1976 and 1977, when they had 101 wins and 61 losses in each season. They went to the playoffs in 1976 and lost the NL Championship series to the Cincinnati Reds. In 1977 and 1978, they again went to the playoffs and lost the NLCS both years to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Phillies started the 1970s with a new manager, Frank Lucchesi. He lasted through 1972. Danny Ozark took over in 1973 and he led the Phillies until 1979, when he was replaced by Dallas Green.
1980-1989
The Phillies started the 1980s with winning seasons from 1980 to 1983. Their best season was 1980 with 91 wins and 71 losses. They went to the postseason and won the NLCS over the Houston Astros. They then went to the World Series and finally earned their first World Series title, defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games.
The Phillies again went to the postseason in the strike shortened 1981 season. Due to the strike, there were division series that year and the Phillies lost to the Montreal Expos. In 1983, they played the Dodgers in the NLCS and won. They lost the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Phillies had a final winning season in 1986, but they didn't make it to the postseason. Their manager that year was John Felske, who was replaced by Lee Elia in 1987. Prior to Felske, they were managed by Dallas Green (1980-1981), Pat Corrales (1982-1983), and Paul Owens (1983-1984). Nick Leyva took over from Lee Elia in 1989 and continued to manage the team through 1991.
1990-1999
In 1993, after two losing seasons, the Phillies finished with a 97-65 record. That year, they had two players who helped them get to the postseason, one an outfielder and the other a pitcher. Outfielder Lenny Dykstra won a Silver Slugger award that year, and pitcher Curt Schilling was named the NL Championship Series MVP. Schilling helped the Phillies win the NL pennant, defeating the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. They faced the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series and lost.
The Phillies' manager in 1993 was Jim Fregosi, who took over the position from Nick Leyva in 1992. Fregosi was followed in 1997 by Terry Francona, who got his first chance to manage in the major leagues that year. Francona stayed in the position until 2000.
2000-2009
The first decade of the new century started the Phillies on a winning streak, first in 2001 under manager Larry Bowa and continuing through 2009 under the leadership of Charlie Manuel. They went to the postseason in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Their best season was 2009, when they had 93 wins and 69 losses.
In 2001, Bowa led the Phillies to 86 wins and 76 losses, a vast improvement over their 2000 record of 65 wins and 97 losses. He was named the NL Manager of the Year for that achievement. The following year, they fell back to 80 wins and 81 losses, but they rebounded in 2003 with 86 wins.
The Phillies moved to Citizens Bank Park in 2004, a move that seemed to start the team on a winning streak. Although they had only winning seasons, postseason play eluded them until 2007, when they won the National League East division title. They lost the NLDS to the Colorado Rockies that year, but in 2008, they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, the Dodgers in the NLCS, and the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series.
The Phillies, with top players like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins, continued to dominate the National League East, winning the division title again in 2009. They then won the NLDS over the Rockies and won the National League pennant, defeating the Dodgers again in the NLCS. They lost the World Series, however, to the Yankees.
Bowa managed the Phillies from 2001 through 2004. In 2005, Charlie Manuel began a long reign as manager of the Phillies, leading them until 2013.
2010-2019
The Phillies started the current decade strong, with winning seasons in 2010 and 2011, but they faltered badly from 2012 through 2017. They had three last place finishes in the NL East division and two fourth place finishes.
In 2010, the Phillies had 97 wins and 65 losses and they won the NL East division title. They then defeated the Reds in the NLDS but they lost the NLCS to the San Francisco Giants. The following season, they had 102 wins and 60 losses and again went to the postseason. They lost the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals.
After an 81-81 record in 2012, and a poor first half of the 2013 season, Charlie Manual and general manager Ruben Amaro were fired on August 16, 2013. Manuel was replaced by Hall of Fame player Ryne Sandberg. The team continued to struggle and they finished the 2013 season in fourth place in the NL East division with 73 wins and 89 losses. They had the same record in 2014, but this time they finished in last place in the division.
Sandberg was replaced in 2015 by Pete Mackanin. They had a terrible season that year, finishing in last place in the division with 63 wins to 99 losses. They were only slightly better in 2016, with 71 wins and 91 losses, but they dropped back down to just 66 wins in 2017.
Gabe Kapler took over as manager for the 2018 season and he turned the team around, with the help of some young players, including Odubel Herrera and Aaron Nola. The team fell apart in the last month of the season and they finished in third place in the NL East division, with 80 wins and 82 losses.
The Phillies had a similar record in 2019, finishing the season in fourth place in the NL East division with 81 wins and 81 losses.
2020-2022
Gabe Kapler was replaced as manager in 2020 by Joe Girardi. Although the Phillies finished higher in the division (3rd place), their record in that shortened season was only 28 wins to 32 losses.
In 2021, Girardi led the team to a second place finish in the NL East division. They had 82 wins and 80 losses that year. After the season ended, Bryce Harper was named the NL MVP.
The Phillies had a terrible start to the 2022 season and Joe Girardi was fired and replaced by Rob Thomson. They started winning under Thomson's leadership and they finished the season with 87 wins and 75 losses. Even though their record was not great, especially compared to the 101 wins by both the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets, the Phillies won a Wild Card spot. They played against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card game and they won that game with a score of 2-0. They then went on to defeat the NL East first place Braves in the NL Division Series in four games. They continued on their way to the World Series by defeating the San Diego Padres four games to one in the NL Championship Series. They played against the Houston Astros in the World Series and lost in six games.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Philadelphia Phillies
Baseball Reference - Philadelphia Phillies