10,391 wins, 11,466 losses, eight pennants, and two World Series titles later, here we are.
The Philadelphia Phillies were founded as Philadelphia Ball Club Limited on this day, November 1, 144 years ago today, in 1882. Today, they remain the oldest one-name, one-city team in American professional sports.
The team replaced the former Worcester Ruby Legs, a Massachusetts-based club with a delightfully old-timey-sounding name. Though some claim an ancestry between the two clubs, no link existed between players or owners.
Early in its history, the team was occasionally called the Quakers, reflecting the religious group’s rich history in the region and their involvement in founding the city, but they were officially referred to as the Philadelphias. That was eventually shortened to Phils or Phillies, which became the official name in 1886.
In its inaugural 1883 season, the soon-to-be Phillies were among the worst Major League teams ever; they finished 17-81-1 following a 0-8 start to the franchise. It would portend things to come.
Baseball in that era would have been mostly unrecognizable to modern fans. The Phillies hit three home runs, and their pitching staff struck out 253 batters all year. The mound had yet to be moved back from 50 feet to 60 feet, 6 inches. Overhand pitching deliveries had only just been permitted. Gloves had yet to become widely adopted by fielders, and bats could be flat on one side, much like cricket.
The sport had not yet evolved far beyond the pastoral Civil War-era pastime it grew out of, and players were shunned in high society. Professional baseball was a new concept, and it was not a well-regarded career choice.
Nevertheless, early iterations of the Phillies after their first two seasons featured several future scions of the game, as well as some fantastic and forgotten baseball names.
In the latter category, you can find players like Woody Wagenhorst, Sparrow Morton, The Only Nolan (yes, that was his official name), Piggy Ward, and Phenomenal Smith.
In the former category, the Phillies employed players like Sam Thompson, Ed Delahanty, and Billy Hamilton. In 1894, that trio became the only outfield in baseball history in which all three starters hit over .400. Yet that year Philadelphia’s pitching was so pitiful that the team finished as far back as fourth place, 18 games behind the 89-39 Baltimore Orioles (no connection to the modern team of the same name).
As the years passed and the league grew from its infancy to the country’s national game, the Phillies faded and were relegated to the second division of the National League before reemerging in the 1970s.
It’s hard not to wonder what the men who founded the Phillies would think if they could see the team now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google