ANNIVERSARY: 75 Years Ago - Joe DiMaggio Hitting streak reaches 45 Games

This card showed up in 2015 Stadium Club. It's a great image and I just had to find out more information.

2015 Topps Stadium Club #279 Joe DiMaggio

On July 2nd 1941 during a Yankees 8-4 Victory over the Red Sox Joe DiMaggio's Hitting Streak reached 45 games which broke Wee Willie Keeler's 1897 record of 44 games.  The record breaking hit was a 5th inning Home Run off starting pitcher Dick Newsone. It should be noted that Keeler's record was set at the beginning of the season and he had also hit safely in the final game of 1896, so his cross season Hit Streak was a total of 45 games.

I had originally thought the photo on the above card was taken to note the consecutive hit streak record. However, I found the matching Getty Image and their information dates the photo a few years earlier (1937), when DiMaggio hit 46 Home Runs.

However there is a similar image which is Dated 1941, albeit July 1st.

I am inclined the date on the latter photo is closer to the truth. There are a couple of reasons for this 1) DiMaggio hit HR #45 on the road in DC in 1937, The Photo above shows him in The Yankee Home Pinstripes.
2) 45 Home Runs while a big number and a somewhat round number, it is not as significant as the Record Breaking 45 of the Hit Streak. Also DiMaggio reached game 45 in the hit streak at Yankee Stadium. 

2015 Topps Stadium Club #279 Joe DiMaggio (b-side)

The back of the 2015 TSC card features a color photo and career numbers for the Hall of Fame centerfielder.

Joe DiMaggio HoF Index
2012 Topps Golden Greats #GG-22 (1936 06 24: 2 HR Inning 80th Anniversary)
2012 Topps Archives #138 (1980T Retro/Paul Simon Birthday)

Sources and Links
Baseball-Ref
Getty Images
Baseball Almanac

2016 Topps Perspectives #P20 Ryan Howard: Catch or No Catch?

It has been out for what 3+ Months now and we are returning to our look at 2016 Topps.

One of the more favorably received inserts in 2016T is the Perspectives set. A 25 card insert with a photography focus. It sort of gives flagship collectors a glimpse into the Stadium Club brand.

2016 Topps #P-20 Perspectives Ryan Howard

The only Phillies card in the set is of Ryan Howard. While a nice picture, the shot selection is a bit perplexing. Why do you take a player known for one thing and one thing only - Hitting Home Runs and show him fielding?

While I admire the man's effort, Howard was mediocre at First Base even at his best.

Safe or Out? 
So did Ryan Howard make the catch next to the tarp? We will let you know later in the posting. 

Flip

2016 Topps #P-20 Perspectives Ryan Howard (b-side)

I think part of the Perspectives theme is the players off the field Philanthropic efforts, although I saw no such mention on the Ryan Braun Perspectives entry. Of course, it appears the Big Piece Foundation's website (mentioned on the Topps card) appears to be defunct, so who knows where the $200,000+ they raised went.

I do like how the text on Perspectives is laid out over a shot of the field from the Perspective of the batters box. 

Getty Got It
We were able to find the original image in the Getty library and we have the verdict on the play....

no catch.

I know your shocked, The play was from a Reds 11-2 victory over the Phillies on June 29, 2015. The foul ball was off the bat of Zach Cozart - Not sure which AB. However we do know it was not during Cozart's first plate appearance when he hit a Grand Slam, according to B-Ref that Home Run occurred on a 0-0 count so no foul ball.

The photo was taken by sports photographer Jamie Sabau.

Sources and Links
2016 Topps Index
Game Dated Cards (Phungo Game Cards) 
2016 Topps Phillies
Philly Inquirer
Getty Images
Jamie Sabau
Cardboard Connection
Baseball-ref 

2016 Topps Scouting Report #SRA-AN Aaron Nola (rc - auto)

The Phillies Home Opener versus the San Diego Padres is today and 2nd year pitcher Aaron Nola will be the starting for the home squad.

Both the Aaron Nola Base and Autograph cards were part of the promotional material published by Cardboard Connection. I saw each card several times over the last couple of months but didn't really examine them until I took part in the Nachos Grande group break.

2016 Topps Scouting Report Autograph #SRA-AN Aaron Nola

I am not sure how many collectors would consider Aaron Nola a good pull in a Hobby Box break of 2016 Topps, but if you have the Phillies in a Grouper it is a great pick.

When the cards from the group break arrived I quickly realized that the Nola Auto card has a different image than the base card

2016 Topps #133 Aaron Nola
2016 Topps Scouting Report Autograph #SRA-AN Aaron Nola

Similar but definitely different. Notice on the base card Nola's head is angled more toward home. It also appears the index finger on his pitching hand is below the seam on the base card while it covers the seam on the auto. The angle of the non-pitching hand is different in the two shots.

Getty the Game
Both pictures were shot from the same angle and in fact were taken during the same game by the same photographer.  We discussed the base card last week and noted that the photo was this one taken by Miles Kennedy. The shot on the Auto card was also taken by Kennedy but it was taken an inning later than the base card.

During the 2nd inning of the game on July 21 2015 Aaron Nola faced four hitters yielding only one hit a single to Jake Elmore. Also during that same inning Nola recorded a strikeout of Rene Rivera.

2016 Topps Scouting Report Autograph #SRA-AN Aaron Nola (b-side)

The back of Nola's card mentions his best game of the season, a 2-0 combined shutout of the Marlins in which he got through 8 innings yielding just three hits while striking out six. The game is discussed on Nola's base card as well.

Phungo Game Cards
The picture is from a game attended by Team Phungo and will join the list of Phungo Game Cards.

Sources and Links
2016 Topps Index
2016 Topps Phillies
Getty Images
Baseball-ref

2016 Topps #133 Aaron Nola (rc)

Aaron Nola didn't earn the Opening Day start for the rebuilding 2016 Philadelphia Phillies. That honor rightfully went to veteran Jeremy Hellickson.

Nola did earn the #2 spot in the rotation.

2016 Topps #133 Aaron Nola

The nice thing about getting the b-slot is that if the weather cooperates Nola will get the opportunity start the Phillies Home Opener on Monday.

The #133 card is Nola's first flagship card, and will likely be considered his rookie card - Note the mandatory RC flair in the bottom right. This likely will end up being the image my memory will permanently attach to 2016 Topps.

Flip

2016 Topps #133 Aaron Nola (b-side)

Nice blurb on the back of the card, the Text mentions that the Phillies sold 8,500 tix in the days leading up to Aaron Nola's debut - One of those tickets went to Team Phungo. The Phillies may have lost the game 1-0 but it still felt like a W, a symbolic turning of the page to a new generation of players.

Getty the Game
Now we get to the reason I love this card. The text on the back ties to the image on the front. I quickly perused the pictures on Getty Images and found this photo which was taken July 21 2015 during Nola's debut. The Getty Details are even good enough to mention that the picture was taken during the first inning, There were four batters in that inning the most prominent of which was Evan Longoria.

The Photo is credited to Miles Kennedy who has a few sports related images in the Getty library and appears to be a staff photographer with the Phillies.

Finally since this card features both a Photo on the front and text on the back that refers to a game team Phungo attended the card gets added to our favorite subset, the Phungo Games Collection.

2016 WAR
Hoping for a good sophomore year from Aaron Nola, +2.1. 

Sources and Links
Phungo Game Cards Index
2016 Topps Index
2016 Topps Phillies
Getty Images

2016 Topps first Phillies Card: #237 Carlos Ruiz

There are two Phillies on the current roster that were on the 2008 World Series Championship team Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz.

2016 Topps #237 Carlos Ruiz

The first Phillies Card we pulled from 2016T was this nice looking one of Carlos Ruiz. The emphasis on action shots has been great for catchers. In a run of pitching and batting photos the pictures of catchers often stand out - and this one is not an exception.

In fact this may end up being the best catcher card in 2016T S1. There are bigger catchers like Buster Posey but I will take this shot over any I have seen. 

Guess What Day it Is
One issue I have with the tight shots in recent Topps is it makes it hard to play “Guess the Game”. Many of the pictures give so few clues as to the location that they could be anywhere, a ballgame, a studio, or on Mars.

However, we now have access to Getty Images!

For me scouring Getty for the matching picture isn’t as much fun as identifying an opposing player in the background and cross-referencing their game dates to figure out the exact moment a photo was snapped. Regardless after a little searching we were able to find the matching image on Getty. The Photo of Ruiz was taken during a Phillies Yankees contest on June 24, 2015. It was a 10-2 Phillies loss which was typical of last years squad. Ruiz caught Cole Hamels that day and went 0-4.

The photo may have been taken in the 2nd inning of the game on an attempted sacrifice by Didi Gregorious. Unfortunately for Carlos Ruiz and the Phillies Gregorious did better than a sacrifice as he reached first on the bunt and was credited with a single. Ruiz only had one assist in the game and it was later in that 2nd inning as part of a 5-2-5-1 rundown which put out a runner from third base (who happened to be Gregorious). Judging from the angle of the shot and Ruiz’s posture, I am guessing this is not during the run down.

Those are the two possibilities I see in the Play by Play. Outside of the recorded PxP a third possibility is that Ruiz is fielding a ball that was ruled foul. 

According to Getty the Photo was shot by Jim McIsaac, a busy sports photographer who appears to specialize in Hockey and be an avid bobblehead collector.

Sources and Links
2016 Topps Index
2016 Topps Phillies
Getty Images
Baseball-ref
Instagram @FourStanleyCups (Jim McIsaac)
Zoominfo Jim McIsaac