The baseball franchise the Philadelphia Phillies, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the oldest franchise in all of the American sports. It was formed in the year 1883 by Al Reach, a professional baseball player, who named it The Phillies. Let us look at the franchise’s ups and downs, through the years.
The 1800s
The first game was played on May 1, 1883 at Recreation Park. The inaugural season wasn’t that much of a success as they only won 17 games out of 98. Harry Wright joined the team in 1884, as manager. In his first season, they came in sixth place. In the year 1885, they had their first win with a record of 56-54, with third place. By the year 1889, the Quakers had won four seasons in a row. However, that year was a defeat for them with a 63-64.
1893 was Harry Wright’s last season being manager. The Phillies secured a 72-57 this season. In the year 1898, after two losses in a row, the Phillies came in sixth with a record of 78-71. 1899 was their peak, when they came in third with a record of 94-58; this has been their best season to date.
The 1900s
The Phillies kicked off the start of the 20th century by finishing in third place. 1901 was the first time that they came in second, with an 83-57 record. 1903, following the collapse of a balcony at Philadelphia Park, partners Al Reach and John Rogers sold the team.
In the year 1904, the Phillies had lost 100 games. And in 1924, they had come to be known as one of the worst baseball teams. After 17 years, in the year 1949, the Phillies came in third again with a record of 81-73. In 1960, the manager, Eddie Sawyer quit abruptly.
The 1970s however were a Golden Era for the team. They had the most number of successes. The team won 3 division titles during the decade. In 1980, the team won their first world championship. The 1990s however, were again quite a hard time for them.
The 2000s
In 2001, the team gained a new manager, Larry Bowa. In the year 2008, the Phillies won their second World Championship. By 2009, the team was beginning to gain the respect that they had been seeking for years. They were team that everyone wanted to beat in the National League.
In the year 2010, the Phillies had the best baseball record in the franchise. However, in the year 2015, the team went on to set the worst record. In 2016, after so many losses, the team had nowhere to go but ahead. Who would have thought that a 130 years ago, when the team was formed, they’d come so far?