No July 4 Game?
There have been a lot of weird, wild and wacky things on July 4 in Phillies history including not playing on Independence Day.
Yes, the Phillies are not scheduled on July 4 this year. But it isn’t the first time. It has happed five other seasons, 1916, 1915, 1909, 1897 and 1886.
Quoting the great Richie Ashburn, “Hard to believe, Harry.” Well, here are more things hard to believe.
July 4 Nuggets
1883: Trailing 11 to 9 at the end of the 7th inning, the visiting Providence Grays leave to catch a train to New York to play the Gothams in their second game. Philadelphia is awarded a win by forfeit. Philadelphia then plays a second game also at home and loses, 17–8, to the Boston Beaneaters who had played their first game in New York and lost 10–7. Philadelphia played two other doubleheaders this season, each against the same team.
1908: Giants’ George (Hooks) Wiltse pitches a 10-inning no-hitter against the Phillies at the Polo Grounds, 1–0. He loses a perfect game in the 9th inning when he hits losing pitcher George McQuillen with a pitch on a 1–2 count and two out. No social media criticism for Phillies manager Billy Murray for not using a pinch hitter in the 9th.
1934: Brooklyn RHP Walter Beck angerly fires the ball that hits the Baker Bowl metal right field wall when he is lifted by manager Casey Stengel in the first inning. RF Hack Wilson, not paying attention, hears the sound of the ball hitting the wall, turns, retrieves it and fires to second base. Walter became known as Boom-Boom Beck. He wound up pitching for the Phillies, 1939–43.
1938: Phillies move permanently from dilapidated Baker Bowl to Shibe Park and split a doubleheader with the Boston Bees, winning the second game, 10–2, after dropping the opener, 10–5. Attendance is listed as 12,000.
1967: Clay Dalrymple draws 6 walks in a 19-inning double-header sweep of Houston at Connie Mack Stadium. Clay sets a team record and ties the league record.
1975: A crowd of 55,301 is on hand for the Phillies first July 4 postgame fireworks show at Veterans Stadium. Going forward Phillies didn’t schedule fireworks on the holiday in respect to Philadelphia’s July 4 tradition. Phillies would schedule fireworks for dates around Independence Day pending their home schedule.
(1877: The tradition of setting off fireworks on the 4th of July began in Philadelphia during the first organized celebration of Independence Day.)
1976: On the nation’s bicentennial anniversary, Tim McCarver hits a grand slam in the 2nd inning but passes Garry Maddox at first base. Tim is credited with a three-run single instead as the Phillies beat the Pirates, 10–5, in the first game of a doubleheader at Pittsburgh.
1979: Steve Carlton ties a modern NL record with his fifth career one-hitter, 1–0, over New York, before 40,215 at the Vet. Elliott Maddox’s one-out double in the 7th snaps Carlton’s bid for a perfect game.
Remember writing a press release prior to that game — Phillies place three starting pitchers on the disabled list, Dick Ruthven (elbow bone chips), Larry Christenson (right groin pull) and Randy Lerch (broken right wrist). There went any chance of a fourth straight NL East title.
1989: Dickie Thon breaks up the Reds’ Tom Browning’s perfect game bid with a double in the 9th, Steve Jeltz then doubles, spoiling a shutout. Reds win, 2–1, in 1 hour, 44 minutes. Browning previously pitched a perfect game, September 16, 1988, against the Dodgers.
2021: Last time the Phillies played at home on July 4. Padres won, 11–1. Aaron Nola was the winner in previous July 4 home game (2018), 4–1 over Orioles.
