Philadelphia Phillies Reach 10,000 Losses

July 15, 2007, the St. Louis Cardinals crush the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-2, making the Phillies the first team in sports history to reach 10,000 franchise losses. The Phillies had been a terrible organization for decades and once went 98 years without a championship. At the moment, the city of Philadelphia was in a winless streak of its own, having not won a title since 1983. 

However, the Philadelphia fans appeared to embrace the lackluster distinction; they chanted "10,000" throughout the game and gave the club a standing ovation when they finally lost.

The Phillies' accomplishment had been 125 years in the making. They began play in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers and inauspiciously lost the first eight games of the season; in 1904, they became the first team to ever lose 100 games in a year; from 1918 to 1948, the Phillies had just one winning season and placed among the bottom three teams in the National League 28 times; in 1961, they lost a big league record 23 games in a row; in 1964, they blew a six-and-a-half game lead with 12 games to go in the season; in 1993, they lost the World Series on a game-winning home run to Joe Carter. They had even started a pitcher in 1940's (Hugh Mulcahy) who was so bad that he earned the nickname "Losing Pitcher."

But as they say, it's always darkest before the dawn. Philly fans basked in the sorrow that came with their 10,000 loss, but just one year later, they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their second World Series in franchise history. As Ed Barkowitz of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote after the title, "Phillies' 10,000 losses are a distant memory."

Check out a fan's view from the Phillies franchise loss 10,000: 

Oakland Athletics Dave Stewart And Los Angeles Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela Throw No-Hitters

On June 29, 1990 Oakland Athletics Dave Stewart no-hits the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela no-hits the St. Louis Cardinals. 

It is the first time no-hitters were thrown in both leagues on the same day. 

The two were also teammates in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the last time the Dodgers won the World Series.

Stewart played 17 seasons in the MLB with the Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.

Stewart ended his career with one All-Star nomination in 1989, a three-time World Series Champion in 1981 with the Dodgers, 1989 with the Athletics and in 1993 with the Blue Jays. In 1989 he was also the World Series MVP.

Stewart was a two time American League Championship Series (ALCS) MVP in 1990 and 1993, with the Athletics and Blue Jays respectively. In 1989 he won the Babe Ruth award and in 1990 he won the Roberto Clemente Award.

Stewart finished his career with 168 wins and 129 losses, a 3.95 ERA with 1,741 strikeouts in the regular season.

In the post season Stewart excelled. In 22 games he pitched 133 innings with 10 wins and six losses, posting a 2.77 ERA with 73 strikeouts while only allowing 13 home runs.

In the World Series, Stewart started eight games, and pitched in 10 for a total of 57 innings. He accumulated a 2-4 record with an ERA of 3.32 while striking out 33. Both of his World Series victories came with the Athletics against the San Francisco Giants in the 1989 Battle of the Bay World Series.

After retirement Stewart has served as pitching coach for the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Toronto Blue Jays.

He was also assistant general manager for the Blue Jays, and for a time regarded as a candidate for GM.

He started a sports agency called Sports Management Partners, and currently represents Major League players such as Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Valenzuela played 18 seasons in the MLB with the Dodgers, California Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Valenzuela ended his career with six All-Star nominations, one World Series Championship in 1981 with the Dodgers.

He was the 1981 Rookie of the Year and CY Young award winner, making the first time in history that a rookie had won both awards. He was a Gold Glove winner in 1986, a two-time Silver Slugger winner in 1981 and 1983.

Valenzuela finished his career with 173 wins and 153 losses, a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts in the regular season.

In the post season Valenzuela was stellar. In nine games he pitched 63.2 innings with five wins and one loss, posting a 1.98 ERA and 44 strikeouts all while allowing just one home run.

In his only World Series appearance Valenzuela pitched a complete game, nine innings allowing four earned runs, striking out six for the win over the New York Yankees.

After retirement Valenzuela returned to the Dodgers organization in 2003 as the Spanish-language radio color commentator for National League West games, joining Jaime Jarrín and Pepe Ýñiguez in the Spanish-language booth.

Valenzuela also served on the coaching staff of Team Mexico during the 2006 World Baseball Classic, 2009 World Baseball Classic and 2013 World Baseball Classic.

He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on August 23, 2003, in a pregame on the field ceremony at Dodger Stadium.

In 2005, he was named one of three starting pitchers on Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team.

Dodgers’ clubhouse manager Mitch Poole has unofficially kept Valenzuela's jersey number 34 out of circulation out of respect for him.

On October 26, 2010, ESPN broadcast a documentary commemorating Valenzuela's arrival with the Dodgers titled Fernando Nation as part of their 30 for 30 documentary series.

In 2013, he was enshrined into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame.

Carlton Sets A New NL Strikeout Record

On Sept. 21, 1981, Philadelphia Phillies great and Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton strikes out a National League record 3,118 batters, fanning Montreal Expos outfielder Andre Dawson. Carlton would end his career with 4,000 strikeouts in the National League, which is still the most of all-time.

The next highest player who is currently playing is Livan Hernandez with 1,922, so it is fairly easy to say that Carlton will most likely hold the National League strikeout record forever.

Carlton’s 4,000 career strikeouts in one league are also the second highest mark of any player in a single league to that of Roger Clemens, who has 4,167 career strikeouts in the American League.
Carlton spent the majority of his 24-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, but also saw time with the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and the Minnesota Twins.

Carlton finished his career with 10 All-Star appearances, including four consecutive appearances from 1979-1982. He was a four time National League CY Young Award winner, a Gold Glove winner in 1981 and a two-time World Series Champion, winning the 1967 World Series with the Cardinals and 1980 World Series with the Phillies.

Although he never won an MVP award, he was in the conversation six-times, being in the top five in voting three times.

Over his career Carlton stacked up some impressive numbers including 329 wins, 244 losses with two saves in 744 games, including 709 starts. He was able to pitch 254 complete games and 55 shutouts. Over his career Carlton put together a lifetime 3.22 ERA over 5,217.2 innings pitched with 4,136 strikeouts allowing 4,672 hits, 1,864 earned runs, 1,833 walks and 414 home runs.

Over the course of his career Carlton led the league in wins four times, with his highest single season total coming in 1972 with 27 wins. He led the league in losses twice, with his highest single season total coming in 1973 with 20. He led the league in ERA once in 1972, with his lowest single season ERA coming that same year with a 1.97 mark. He also led the league in games started four times, with his highest single season total of starts coming in 1972 with 41.

Carlton also led the league in complete games three times, with his highest single season total coming in 1972 with 30. He led the league in shutouts once in 1982 with six, although his highest single season total came in 1972 when he had eight. He led the league in innings pitched five times, with his highest single season total of innings pitched coming in 1972 with 346.1. He also led the league in strikeouts five times, with his highest single season total coming in 1972 with 310.

Carlton’s No. 32 jersey was retired by the Phillies in 1989.

In 1994 Carlton was inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame with 95.8 percent of the vote on the first ballot on which he appeared.

Plank Reaches 300

On Sept. 11, 1915, Eddie Plank, playing for the St. Louis Terriers of the Federal League, collects win 300 in his career, making him the first left-hander to reach the 300-mark. 

 In his career, Plank went 326-194 with a 2.35 ERA and won 20 or more games in eight different seasons. One of the winningest lefties to ever play in the major leagues, Plank won as many as 26 games in a season but was the first player to reach 300 wins without leading the league in wins at least one time.

Plank, won 305 games in the American League for the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Terriers making him that league's winningest left-handed pitcher. He would help the Athletics to World Series titles in 1911, and 1913.

In addition, he was the winningest pitcher left or right-handed in the American league until 1921, when Walter Johnson, who finished his career with 417 wins, surpassed him. Plank is still one of the most winningest pitchers of all-time, he is now ranked no. 13 with his 326 wins. 

He also has the most career shutouts by a left-hander in MLB history with 69. His 69 shutouts also put him in the top five in baseball history for most shutouts, only behind the likes of Johnson, Pete Alexander, Christy Mathewson and Cy Young in that order. 

The next closest left-handed pitcher with shutouts is Warren Spahn with 63; he is sixth on the list for most shutouts all-time. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay leads all active major league pitchers with 20 shutouts, in 16 seasons.

Reds Set A National League Record

On Sep. 4, 1999, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 22-3. 

The story lies in that the Reds had nine home runs a National League record, with eight different players hitting a home run, which was a Major League record.

The eight players who hit home runs in that game were: Ed Taubensee, who hit two, Jeffrey Hammonds, Pokey Reese, Greg Vaughn, Aaron Boone, Mark Lewis, Dimitri Young and Brian Johnson.

Amazingly Lewis and Johnson’s home runs came in pinch-hit at-bats.

The 1999 Reds would go to post the best record by a Reds team since the “Big Red Machine” in 1976, however, their 96 wins would still not get them to the playoffs.

Since the switch to 162 games in 1963, the Reds of 1999 posted the sixth-best record, only to not make the playoffs.

Cobb Makes His Debut

On Aug. 30, 1905 Ty Cobb made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers. Cobb was just 19 years old and played in 41 games in 1905. 

He would retire as the all-time hits leader, with 4,191 hits, now he second behind only Pete Rose. 

He still holds the career record for batting average with .367, in part to such a high batting average was his three seasons of hitting over .400, which is tied for a MLB record. 

But what is more impressive is that he only batted below .320 once. Now if you bat .319 you are awesome, to Cobb that was a poor season.

Cobb also won 12 batting titles, including nine in a row from 1907-1915, he also owns the most batting titles of all time. Cobb also has the most career steals of home, with 54.

Cobb remained with the Tigers until 1926, as he player managed the team from 1921-1926. Cobb played his final two years with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1927-1928.

Cobb was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and Cooperstown Hall of Fame in 1936 with 98.2 percent of the vote.

Brock Sets A New Stolen Base Record

On August 29, 1977, Hall of Famer and St. Louis Cardinals great Lou Brock eclipses Ty Cobb's 49-year-old career stolen base record of 892 steals. Brock’s record-breaking performance came as he achieved career stolen base 893 in the loss to the Padres, 4-3.

Brock would go on to steal 938 bases, leaving him as the stolen base leader until Rickey Henderson broke the feat. Currently Brock is still second on the list, more than 300 stolen bases above Juan Pierre who is third on the list with 611.

Brock’s 19-year career with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals saw him play in six All-Star games, including four consecutive appearances from 1971-1975. He was a two-time World Series Champion in 1964 and 1967, both with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Brock won several awards during his career, including the 1967 Babe Ruth Award, given to the player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one year after Ruth's death.

The award continued to be awarded exclusively for performances in the World Series until 2007, when the New York chapter of the BBWAA changed the award to cover the entire postseason. Though it precedes the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, which was not created until 1955, the Babe Ruth Award is considered less prestigious, as it is not sanctioned by MLB and is awarded several weeks after the World Series.

Brock also won the 1975 Robert Clemente Award, which is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team", as voted on by baseball fans and members of the media. It is named for Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. Originally known as the Commissioner's Award, it has been presented by the MLB since 1971. In 1973, the award was renamed after Clemente following his death in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of the Nicaragua earthquake.

He also won the 1977 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, which is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best exhibits the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig, both on the field and off it.

In 1979 Brock won two awards, the National League Comeback Player of the Year award given to the player who has the best season after an injury or dismal season. That same season Brock won the Hutch Award, which is given annually to an active Major League Baseball (MLB) player who "best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire" of Fred Hutchinson, by persevering through adversity.

Brock finished his career with a .293 batting average, with 3,023 hits, consisting of 486 doubles, 141 triples and 149 home runs. Brock also had 1,610 runs scores, 900 RBIs, and 706 walks in his career to go along with the 938 stolen bases. Eight times Brock led the league in steals with his highest single season total coming in 1974 with 118.

Although never an MVP, Brock was in the MVP conversation 10 times, with his highest finishing rank of second in 1974.

The St. Louis Cardinals retired his no. 20 jersey in 1979, and in 1985 Brock was elected into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame with 79.75 percent of the vote on the first ballot in which he appeared.

Gagne Breaks Consecutive Save Record

On Aug, 28, 2003, Eric Gagne sets a record with consecutive save 44 of the 2003 season, with a total of 52 in a row dating back to the 2002 season.

Gagne would continue his streak into the midst of the 2004 season and eventually earn 84 consecutive saves. By far more than any other closer.

Gagne would finish his career with 187 saves, almost half of those were earned during his streak which last over three consecutive seasons.

Sandberg Notches Back-To-Back 30 Home Run Seasons

On Aug. 28, 1990, Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs hit home run 30 of the season, which helped the Cubs beat the Houston Astros at the Astrodome.

 It was the second year in a row the future Hall of Famer hit at least 30 home runs, becoming the first major league second baseman to do that. Sandberg wasn't done in 1990 either. He ended up with 40 home runs. After hitting an even 30 in 1989.

Sandberg played 16 years in the major leagues, his first with the Philadelphia Phillies, but as a result of a classic ill-advised trade on the part of Philadelphia, was sent to the Cubs in year two and played the next 15 seasons on the northside of Chicago.

Sandberg was a career .285 hitter, appeared in 10 all-star games, was National League Most Valuable Player in 1984, and elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. 

Since Sandberg retired second base has still be a position with limited power but a few players after him have completed the feat.

Jeff Kent hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Alfonso Soriano hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Chase Utley also hit 30 home runs in three consecutive seasons.

Dan Uggla is the current record holder with five consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs.

Five Way Wildcard Tie

On August 28, 2003, five National League teams were tied for the wildcard position, with another three teams within one game of the loss column. An eight-team race with only a month remaining in the regular season - you don't see that everyday.

Montreal Expos: The Expos were the best story of the year. Threatened by contraction only a year earlier, the Expos split time between Olympic Stadium in Montreal and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico.

Despite traveling to three separate countries over the course of their schedule, and despite having an incredibly small payroll, the Frank Robinson-led Expos were the feel-good story of 2003 and finished with a winning record. Sadly, the team lost nine of their next ten games to completely fall out of contention. The team's star player, Vladimir Guerrero, left for the Anaheim Angels a year later, and due to poor attendance numbers in Montreal, the team moved to Washington D.C. in 2005.

Houston Astros: Technically, the wildcard race was a seven-team race, but because the NL Central-leading Astros were tied with the Cardinals, eight teams were involved. Houston would lose the Central by a single game while finishing as the runner-up in the wildcard too. Houston later added Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite, and with their already formidable batting order, the Astros went to the World Series in 2005. There they were swept by the Chicago White Sox.

Philadelphia Phillies: Every season, the Phillies were the dark horse team that could have been a contender but oddly wasn't. This year was no exception. On September 19, with less than ten games to go, Philadelphia was atop the wildcard standings. But in true Philadelphia style, the Phillies lost seven of their last eight games to erase any shred they had of the postseason. In 2008, the Phillies finally made it to the World Series. Less than a handful of players from the '03 team were on the 2008 version.

Florida Marlins: With 72 year-old Jack McKeon at the helm, the Marlins went on a tear down the stretch. After August 28, the Marlins won 13 of their next 15 games and 21 of their last 29. They finished four games ahead of the runner-up Astros, turning what was a competitive wildcard chase into a runaway. The Fish then beat the Giants and Cubs to advance all the way to the World Series, and in beating the New York Yankees, became the second wildcard team to win it all.

After the season, the small-market Marlins decided it wasn't worth it to keep their star players around. From Ivan Rodriguez to Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera, Carl Pavano, Mike Lowell, A.J. Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, and Derrek Lee, the team went on a complete firesale. In only four years, every single player from the 2003 championship team was off the roster. And people wonder why the Marlins get bad attendances... It's hard to follow a team when you know they'll get traded as soon as they win.

St. Louis Cardinals: From 2000 to 2006, the Cardinals won the National League Central division ... except for 2003. Never down by more than a half a dozen games, the Cards went .500 in September and failed to make up enough ground. They finished just three games out of the Central and six games behind the Florida Marlins. With mostly the same players, St. Louis went to the World Series in 2004 and 2006, winning it all on their second try.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Just two years after beating the New York Yankees in the World Series, the D-backs were once again in playoff the mix. Injuries would prove costly however. The dynamic pitching duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, who had both won 20 games the previous two seasons, missed a combined 29 starts. Further injuries to Tony Womack, Matt Williams, and Byung-Hyung Kim sunk the Diamondbacks' fate. After winning the NL West two years in a row, Arizona finished 15.5 games out of first in the NL West and 7 games out in the wildcard.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Los Angeles stayed competitive thanks to their excellent pitching. The Dodgers posted the best ERA in the National League and featured Cy Young winner Eric Gagne, who had the greatest season of any closer in history: 55 saves, 0 blown saves, a 1.20 ERA, and 137 strikeouts in just 82.3 innings. The Dodgers' bats failed to carry their weight. LA ranked in the bottom five in the National League in runs, hits, doubles, walks, and home runs and lacked a single batter who hit over .300. LA lost 9 of their last 14 and finished six behind the Marlins for the wildcard.

Chicago Cubs: Last, but not least, the Cubs. Chicago would not win as many games as the Marlins, but by finishing ahead of the Astros and Cardinals, they conquered the NL Central and got into the postseason nonetheless. The Cubs and Astros were tied with only three games to go; Chicago won two of their final three games while Houston lost two of three.

The Cubs made it all the way to the National League Championship Series, where they collided with the wildcard-winning Florida Marlins. Chicago led the series 3-2 with games 6 and 7 being played in the windy city, and had their top two pitchers, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, going in both contests. The Cubs lost both matches. In one of them, a foul ball veering into the stands was deflected by Steve Bartman, who would become the most infamous fan in sports history. The Cubs' defeat was likely their most painful in franchise history; never had they come so close to victory in defeat.