Throwback Thursday


From my collection: the 1994 Phillies Media Guide.

With GM Lee Thomas, manager Jim Fregosi and principal owner Bill Giles on the cover, it celebrates a club that was a surprise pennant winner, fought past the Braves in six games and battled the Blue Jays in the World Series until tripped up when closer Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams lost his effectiveness.

A fun club, an underdog bunch that became just the Phils fifth pennant winner.

But 1994 was not destined to be a rerun. The team was already seven games under .500 when the season halted by the player's strike. And it would be another 13 years -- until 2007 before Philadelphia was back in the post-season.

So, in a sense, this is a celebration of a one hit wonder. The last NL club that needed to win just one playoff round to reach the World Series. When the game resumed in 1995, the Division Series (and Wild Cards) had been added. And in so many ways, baseball would never be the same again.



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