Philadelphia Phillies Philes Vol 1.12: Father’s Day edition

Honoring the greatest Philadelphia Phillies center fielder of all time, plus a look at father-son combos in this Dad’s Day edition of Phillies Philes.

Leading off

In a week that saw the Philadelphia Phillies slip out of first place for the first time since mid-April and then lose in gut-wrenching fashion in the series opener at Atlanta, the team reminded everyone of their resilience last night with a come-from-behind victory against the red-hot Braves.

Cesar Hernandez delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the ninth, plating Scott Kingery and Sean Rodriguez as the Phillies took the 6-5 lead. Hector Neris, a day removed from suffering his first blown save on the year, set down the top of the Braves order – one, two, three – picking up his 15th save.

As injuries continue piling up for the team, both J.T. Realmuto and Jay Bruce left early with separate issues. The Phillies enter Sunday’s rubber match 1.5 games behind the first-place Braves.

And the Phillies leading All-Star vote-getter is…

Cesar Hernandez. Seriously.

On Tuesday, MLB revealed its first look at the 2019 All-Star balloting, and the Phillies’ second baseman is the team leader in votes. Bryce Harper is second, trailing Hernandez by more than 20,000 votes.

Under the new voting format, the only Phillie who currently stands a chance to start is J.T. Realmuto, who’s third in votes for NL catchers.

Voting continues until June 21st, with the “Starters Election” running 28 hours on June 26th where the top vote-getters at each position compete to see who will start the game. All-Star reserves are announced June 30th.

Take a seat

Boasting an 8.89 ERA in his last six starts – good for a 1-3 record during that span – Phillies pitcher Jerad Eickhoff has been relegated to the bullpen, Gabe Kapler announced earlier this week. Originally beginning the season in Triple-A, Eickhoff took over Nick Pivetta‘s spot in the rotation in mid-April and pitched well initially. In his place, Cole Irvin will get the start today against the Braves.

Flashin’ some leather

Jay Bruce has obviously been bringing the lumber since joining the Phillies, and on Tuesday he showed just what he can do with his glove:

Like Father, Like Son

More from Philadelphia Phillies

• The Real Reason Behind Trea Turner’s Recent Hot Streak
• VIDEO: Bryce Harper Hustles for Inside-the-Park Home Run vs. Giants
• Phillies Fans Let Ex-Manager Gabe Kapler Hear It in First Inning
• Andrew Knapp Finds New MLB Home With AL Contender
• VIDEO: Phillies Send Touching Message to Media Little League Team Before World Series

It’s Father’s Day, and in honor of this day let’s take a look at some father-son combos with Phillies ties.

Catcher Bob Boone is perhaps the most popular of the Phillies connections. A member of the Phillies Wall of Fame, Boone played for the team from 1972-81, as he followed in the footsteps of his own father, Ray Boone, who played with six different organizations from 1948-60. Bob’s sons Bret and Aaron each carved out a nice big-league career of their own, as Aaron now manages the first-place Yankees.

David Bell was just in town as manager of the Reds, but the former Phillies third baseman (2003-06) came up following the footsteps of his father Buddy Bell, a 5x All-Star and 6x Gold Glover in the 1970s and ’80s. Like his son currently, Buddy also managed after his playing days were done. Their grandfather was Gus Bell, who hit 206 big league homers with four different teams between 1950-64.

Ruben Amaro Jr. and Ruben Amaro Sr. each played for the Phillies, as did Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr, while former manager Terry Francona‘s dad, Tito, briefly played with the team in 1967.

Hall of Famer Tony Perez was a member of the Phillies’ “Wheeze Kids” team in 1983, and his son, Eduardo, played 13 years with six different teams and now works as an analyst on ESPN.

More recently, Tony Gwynn Jr. suited up for the Phillies, and a touching moment occurred at Citizens Bank Park when he stepped to the plate following the passing of his legendary father. (Check it out here).

John Mayberry Jr. enjoyed some success through six seasons in Philly, while his dad, John Sr, played 15 years for four teams while earning two All-Star nods.

Lastly, there’s Kyle Drabek, son of Doug, who was drafted by the Phillies in the first round of the 2006 draft. Though never appearing for the big-league team, Kyle was shipped to the Toronto Blue Jays in December 2010 as part of the trade package netting the Phillies Roy Halladay. Kyle most recently appeared with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016, finishing his career with a disappointing 5.26 ERA in 43 big-league appearances.

Most Valuable Phillie Power Rankings – Top 15 (through 6/15/2019):

1. J.T. Realmuto (C) – Previous Rank: 1 (↔)
2. Rhys Hoskins (1B) – Previous Rank: 4 (↑ 2)
3. Zach Eflin (SP) – Previous Rank: 5 (↑ 2)
4. Hector Neris (RP) – Previous Rank: 3 (↓ 1)
5. Jean Segura (SS) – Previous Rank: 2 (↓ 3)
6. Bryce Harper (OF) – Previous Rank: 9 (↑ 3)
7. Jake Arrieta (SP) – Previous Rank: 7 (↔)
8. Scott Kingery (OF/INF) – Previous Rank: 10 (↑ 2)
9. Cesar Hernandez (2B) – Previous Rank: 6 (↓ 3)
10. Aaron Nola (SP) – Previous Rank: 8 (↓ 2)
11. Nick Pivetta (SP) – Previous Rank: 15 (↑ 4)
12. Maikel Franco (3B) – Previous Rank: 12 (↔)
13. Jay Bruce (OF) – Previous Rank: 13 (↔)
14. Vince Velasquez (P) – Previous Rank: N/A (↑)
15. Jerad Eickhoff (SP) – Previous Rank: 14 (↓ 1)

“Ring the Bell” Award Winner of the Week

The “Ring the Bell” winner of the week is… Scott Kingery for this wonderful home run.

Phillie Pholly of the Week

The “Phillie Pholly of the Week” is… also Scott Kingery for this absolute fielding blunder.

Phillies Phlashback

Today we explore the 30th anniversary of a trade by former Phillies general manager Lee Thomas that would net significant dividends for the organization, including a trip to the World Series.

On June 18th, 1989, Thomas sent Juan Samuel to the New York Mets in exchange for Roger McDowell, a gritty center fielder named Lenny Dykstra, and a player to be named later.

The 5-foot 10-inch, 160-pound Dykstra was the real gem of the deal. Unhappy with his role platooning on the Mets, the Phillies immediately implemented him as their everyday center fielder.

In 1990, the move seemed to really pay off. The gritty “Nails” as he was affectionately known, batted .325 for the Phillies, leading the NL in hits with 192 and in on-base percentage. He’d earn his first of four trips to the Midsummer Classic.

Everything came together for Dykstra and the Phillies in 1993, as the team rode the back of their fiery leadoff hitter all the way to Game 6 of the World Series (where we know what happened.) Finishing the season second in MVP voting, Dykstra tallied a slash line of .305/.420/.482, scoring a baseball-best 143 runs. He’d also add 19 homers and 37 stolen bases for the NL champion Phillies.

Part of what endeared Phillies fans to Dykstra so much was his reckless play and “Whatever it takes” attitude, the results of which – combined with negative effects of steroid use – led to Dykstra’s oft-injured status. Through seven full seasons with the team, Dykstra played in only 60-percent of his team’s games. When you remove the ’90 and ’93 seasons where he missed just 14 games combined, Dykstra appeared in only 45-percent of games during his Phillies tenure (the trade-shortened 1989 season excluded).

Lenny was an incredible baseball player… when he was able to stay on the field. Either way, the legacy of “The Dude” remains well worth the cost, and a plaque on the Phillies Wall of Fame is beyond deserving.

On Deck

The Philadelphia Phillies visit our nation’s capital for a four-game set against the Nationals next week before hosting the Marlins for a weekend series at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are 4-4 against the Nationals and 5-2 against the fish. Their divisional record so far for the season is 16-10.