Relief pitcher Tug McGraw's "Ya Gotta Believe" became a popular rallying cry for the New York Mets teams of the mid-60s and early 70s, but he is also remembered for recording the final out in the 1980 World Series, which brought the Philadelphia Phillies their first world championship.
The organization held a fan contest prior to the 1944 season to solicit a second nickname for the Phillies. Fans voted on Blue Jays and Elizabeth Crooks designed a logo of a blue jay which perched on the players' sleeves. Not everyone appreciated the change, however, especially Johns Hopkins University, which also used the name Blue Jays, and the new nickname was soon dropped.
"Big Ed" was renowned as one of the game's early power hitters. During thirteen seasons with the club (1888-89 & 1891-1901) he belted 158 triples, edging out Sherry Magee (127) and Jimmy Rollins (111).
The Phillies won their first pennant in 1915 thanks to the pitching of Grover Cleveland Alexander who led the league in ERA four times (1915-16, 1919, and 1920), wins five times (1914-17, 1920), and shutouts five times (1915-17, 1919, and 1921).
Greg "The Bull" Luzinski was a powerful right-handed hitter who hit .300 or better for three consecutive seasons during the prime of his career.
Throughout the 1964 season, the Phillies seemed destined to make it to the World Series. Beginning with an 8-2 start, the team had been in first place, and had led the National League all season, sometimes by as many as nine or ten games. But a ten-game losing streak during the final two weeks of the season left them on the outside looking in.
On June 11, 1985, Von Hayes led off the game with a home run off Tom Gorman. He would follow it up with a grand slam later that inning off Calvin Schiraldi, setting the stage for a 26-7 Phillies victory over the Mets.
Billy Hamilton, nicknamed Sliding Billy, led the NL in stolen bases five times, eclipsing 100 on four separate occasions.
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