During the decade between 2000 and 2009, the Philadelphia Phillies produced 24 All-Star seasons from 17 different players. Most of those players and seasons were memorable, but a few of them require a closer examination when we look back at the decade.
The 2000s were a time of transition for the Phillies, one that saw them begin at the absolute bottom of the league, but eventually ride an infusion of home-grown talent to become World Series champions before the decade was out. It featured All-Star appearances from players like Scott Rolen, Jimmy Rollins, Jim Thome, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and more.
The Phillies produced a healthy number of All-Stars during the 2000s, but some are remembered less than others
It was a pretty exciting time to be a Phils fan, as they went from worst to first. And along the way, they even managed to produce some All-Star seasons that slid under the radar.
Mike Lieberthal, 2000
Leading off the decade, Mike Lieberthal was the Phillies' lone rep at the 2000 All-Star Game in Atlanta. Lieby had just had a fantastic season in 1999 when he was an All-Star for the first time, finishing that year with what ended up being his career highs in home runs, RBIs, doubles, OPS, and total bases. In 2000, he earned his second straight nod by virtue of a strong 13 home runs, 56 RBIs, and .301 average at the break. He even collected a hit off Mariano Rivera in the game.
Unfortunately, Lieberthal was bitten by the injury bug shortly after and played only 30 games the rest of that season, adding just two homers and 15 RBIs to his season ledger. Lieberthal was one of the lone bright spots of an awful 2000 Phillies team, but we couldn't even enjoy a full season of him. Ultimately, and through no fault of his own, Lieberthal's entire Phillies career (1994-2006) ended up being sandwiched between their last playoff appearance of the 20th century in 1993 and their next one in 2007.
Vicente Padilla, 2002
Padilla came to the Phillies in the Curt Schilling trade in 2000, and he would prove to be the best part of the return haul when everything was said and done. After seeing exclusive MLB time as a reliever for the rest of that season and in 2001, the Phils inserted Padilla into the rotation for 2002, and it paid off with the only All-Star appearance of his career. Not only that, but he played a pivotal role in MLB instituting a rule change that was panned for over a decade.
That year's All-Star Game was tied 7-7 after nine innings, and Padilla was the last pitcher remaining for the National League, thanks to some of the pitchers who had been named to the team not being made available. Future Phil Freddy Garcia of the AL was in the same boat as Padilla. Each of them threw two scoreless innings, and it was at that point that the managers conferred with commissioner Bud Selig on the field and decided to end the game in a tie. Overworking a team's pitcher and risking injury at the All-Star Game wasn't worth continuing, in their estimation. The move was widely ridiculed and, in response to try to re-establish the importance of the All-Star Game, MLB decided that the result of the game would determine which league got home field advantage for the World Series going forward. It went into effect in 2003, people largely hated it, and baseball finally scrapped it after the 2016 season.
What happened at the 2002 All-Star Game certainly wasn't Padilla's fault, but he'll always be caught up in the regrettable decision that followed. Padilla's 2002 was a worthy one overall, as he won 14 games and posted a 3.28 ERA. He was steady enough for three more years with the team until they shipped to Texas following the 2005 season.
Randy Wolf, 2003
Randy Wolf was a fan favorite during his time with the Phils, and he eventually put up a lengthy career that saw him win 133 games for eight different teams between 1999 and 2015. He made only one All-Star appearance, however, which came during a 2003 season when he'd eventually finish with a career-high 16 wins.
Wolf was the first man out of the bullpen for the NL in the Midsummer Classic that year. He allowed a run during his inning of action, but he did strike out Jorge Posada and Alfonso Soriano. Oddly, Wolf's 2003 season ended up ranking in the bottom half of his MLB seasons in terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), but we won't let that take away from the fact that he earned his only career accolade during it. Many people would swear that Wolf was a multi-time All-Star since he pitched for so long but, nope, this was it.
Tom Gordon, 2006
Pitcher Tom Gordon had one of the most eclectic MLB careers in recent memory. He pitched for eight different teams over 21 seasons, starting more than 200 games among his 890 appearances, which led to him becoming one of just nine pitchers in history with 100+ wins and 150+ saves. He made three All-Star teams over the course of his career, the last of which came during his first season with the Phillies in 2006. He saved 34 games for the Phils that year, and he was credited with a hold in the All-Star Game when he pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Gordon wasn't nearly as good in 2007 when Brett Myers supplanted him as the closer, then his 2008 season was cut short by injury, although he did end up earning the only World Series ring of his career that year. He made three appearances for Arizona the following season, and that was it for his career. He threw his first big league pitch at age 20 and his last one at age 40. It was quite the career, and he's even the only big leaguer who can boast about being part of the plot of a Stephen King novel.
Aaron Rowand, 2007
Rowand spent a scant two seasons in Philadelphia, but he is immortalized after running face-first into everyone's hearts despite only being on the team for a few weeks. The subsequent injury robbed Rowand of playing a full season in 2006, but he followed it up with the finest offensive season of his career in 2007. Rowand put up career highs in home runs, RBIs, hits, and doubles, and he joined Chase Utley and Cole Hamels on the 2007 NL All-Star squad as a result.
Rowand went 0-for-2 in the only All-Star appearance of his career, and the Phillies would unfortunately lose him as a free agent after the season. Even though Rowand missed out on the team's 2008 World Series win, however, he did manage to sandwich titles around it with the 2005 White Sox and 2010 Giants. He ended up playing far more games for each of those teams than for the Phillies, but mention his name around Citizens Bank Park, and you'll hear only fond memories about his playing style and the impact he made during his brief time with the team.
When you have a decade with such wild swings like the 2000s were for the Phillies, it's hard to assign equal weight to each year and each group of players. So, you can be forgiven for not remembering the exact details surrounding some of the All-Star seasons that the team produced during that time. Overall, the team's All-Star representation during the decade was a nice mix of players who would go on to become franchise cornerstones, long-time Phils, and relative short-timers who still made a positive impact with the club.