"The Great Wallenda" (71-year-old Karl Wallenda) walks across Veterans Stadium on a high wire between games of a May 31 doubleheader 50 years ago (1976). He also did it four years earlier (August 13, 1972).
Phillies Alumni
A peek at the past
Phillies Phlashback
A historical look at the dates of June 8-14.
June 8, 1925
Wall of Fame outfielder Del Ennis is born in Philadelphia, Pa.
June 8, 1971
Future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt is selected by the Phillies in the second round of the MLB Draft out of Ohio University.
June 8, 1968
A fifth-inning sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Howie Bedell ends Los Angeles RHP Don Drysdale’s major league record of 58.2 scoreless innings. The Dodgers win, 5-3, at home vs the Phillies.
June 8, 1989
SS Steve Jeltz becomes the first Phillie to homer from both sides of the plate in a game during a 15-11 win over Pittsburgh, one of the wildest games in Vet history. The Pirates score 10 runs in the first inning, but the Phillies battle back to win on a five-run eighth inning. Pittsburgh broadcaster Jim Rooker boasts early in the game, “If the Pirates lose this game, I’ll walk back to Pittsburgh.” Rooker keeps his word, walking from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in the fall and raising money for charity.
June 8, 2024
Playing their first ever game outside of North America, the Phillies open the two-game London Series with a 7-2 win over the New York Mets. Ranger Suárez becomes the first major league pitcher to 10 wins and Bryce Harper hits the club’s first home run across the pond.
June 9, 1955
University of Delaware RHP Dallas Green is signed by the Phillies.
June 9, 1982
Steve Carlton sets a club record for most strikeouts by a LHP in a nine-inning game, fanning 16 Cubs in a 4-2 win at the Vet. Lefty strikes out Ryne Sandberg four times.
June 9, 2003
The Phillies visit Anaheim for their first ever game against the Angels, a 3-0 win.
June 9, 2016
High school outfielder Mickey Moniak becomes the first player selected by the Phillies with the first overall pick in the MLB draft since Pat Burrell in 1998.
June 9, 2021
INF/OF Luke Williams becomes the first player in franchise history to hit a walk-off home run in his first career start, a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth that gives the Phillies a 2-1 win over Atlanta.
June 10, 1940
Wall of Fame executive Ruly Carpenter is born in Wilmington, Del.
June 10, 1974
3B Mike Schmidt hits a ball off a public address speaker hanging from the Astrodome roof, 117 feet up and 300 feet from home plate. He settles for a first-inning single off LHP Claude Osteen in the Phillies’ 12-0 win.
June 10, 1981
Needing two hits to surpass Stan Musial as the all-time NL hits leader, 1B Pete Rose singles in his first at-bat against Houston RHP Nolan Ryan, who then strikes out Rose the next three at-bats. After trailing, 4-0, the Phils come back to win, 5-4, before 57,386 at the Vet. Two days later, the players go on strike until August, eliminating 55 games.
June 10, 2002
The Phillies play their first-ever game against Cleveland, a 3-1 win at what was then called Jacobs Field.
June 11, 1985
The Phillies turn in their greatest offensive game ever. A 26-7 win over New York begins with a nine-run first inning, highlighted by LF Von Hayes’ two home runs, a leadoff shot and a grand slam. No other Phillies player ever hit two homers in the first inning.
June 11, 2022
Rob Thomson becomes the third MLB manager since at least 1900 to win each of his first eight career games. He is the second Phillies skipper to do so, matching Pat Moran, who won his first eight in 1915.
June 12, 1939
Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938, RHP Grover Cleveland Alexander joins the other 10 living Hall of Famers for the first official induction ceremony.
June 12, 2023
J.T. Realmuto becomes just the eighth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle and the first Phillies catcher to accomplish the feat in a 9-8 loss to Arizona at Chase Field.
June 13, 1997
A revolutionary idea in Major League Baseball comes to fruition, as interleague play makes its debut. The Phillies face the Toronto Blue Jays in their first Interleague game. RHP Wayne Gomes makes his ML debut and wins in relief, 4-3.
June 14, 1949
1B Eddie Waitkus, in his first year with the Phillies, is shot by 19-year-old Ruth Steinhagen in a Chicago hotel room. Critically injured, Waitkus misses the rest of the season, but recovers in time to help the Whiz Kids in 1950.
June 14, 1998
With a 4-2 win over the Cubs at Veterans Stadium, RHP Carlton Loewer becomes the first Phillies pitcher to toss a complete game in his major league debut since Larry Christenson in 1973.
June 14, 2004
1B Jim Thome homers off RHP José Acevedo in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park for his historic 400th career HR. Following a lengthy rain delay, the Phillies win, 10-7, over Cincinnati.
June 14, 2014
SS Jimmy Rollins laces a single to right field off Cubs reliever Carlos Villanueva for his 2,235th career hit, moving him past Mike Schmidt for first place on the Phillies’ all-time hits list.
June 14, 2024
Reliever Matt Strahm gives up his first earned run in 27 games, ending his franchise-record streak, but the Phils win a wild one in Baltimore, 5-3, in 11 innings. LF Nick Castellanos plays his 414th consecutive errorless game, a NL record for by a position player. The streak ends the next day.