This Day in Philly Sports History – May 13

Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

Zack Wheeler was dealing last night as the Phillies won a tight one over the Red Sox to remain hot. Darryl Morey is out as the Sixers president, what that means moving forward remains to be seen. May 13 has provided big playoff moments for the Sixers and Flyers, a record setting day for the Phillies and the birth of a curse.

Almost Perfect

Robin Roberts gave up a lead-off homerun in the Phillies 1954 game against the Reds. From there he was perfect, getting the next 27 batters out. He also had an RBI as the Phillies beat the Reds 8-1 at Connie Mack Stadium. As far as my research could tell this was the only time in MLB history that a pitcher gave up a lead-off homer then pitched the rest of the game perfectly. A year earlier Curt Simmons gave up a lead-off single then retired 27 in a row.

A Sigh of Relief

After winning the first three games then losing the next three of the 1975 Stanley Cup Semifinals, the Flyers returned to the friendly confines of the Spectrum for a pivotal Game 7. Gary Dornhoeffer scored in the first period and Rick MacLeish scored his third and final career playoff hattrick as Flyers fans everywhere breathed a sigh of relief. The Flyers would go to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final.

The Beginning of the Curse

Philly sports teams were flying high in the early eighties as all four teams had success. By 1985 the Flyers were still successful, but the others were in a downward trajectory. Then construction began on One Liberty Place. For years there was a gentleman’s agreement that no structure would be built in Philly higher than William Penn on the top of City Hall. When construction ended Liberty Place in 1987 it towered over City Hall starting the Curse of Billy Penn. All the sports teams suffered – some in dramatic fashion. The curse continued until iron workers placed a small statue of William Penn on the Comcast Center. The Phillies immediately got hot, chased down the Mets, and won the NL East. They’d bring the city its first championship a year later. Who doesn’t believe in curses?

AI Steals It

In 1999 the Sixers were playing their first home playoff game since 1991 when they took on the 3-seed Magic in Game 3 of their best of five series. The Sixers won it 97-85 to take a 2 games to 1 lead in front of a fired-up home crowd. Allen Iverson had 33 and an NBA playoff record 10 steals for the Sixers. The record still stands today. The Sixers would finish off the Magic in four games, and the AI era was in full swing.

Papelbon Sets the Record

It was almost a foregone conclusion that the Phillies would trade Cole Hamels at the 2015 trade deadline. On this day against the Pirates Cole did his part to increase his value. He pitched 7 solid innings giving up two earned runs on five hits, striking out seven while walking one. Jonathon Papelbon saved it for Hamels, giving him 113 in his Phillies career breaking Jose Mesa’s team record. Papelbon is also the Red Sox all-time leader making him the only player in Major League Baseball history to be the career leader for two different teams.

Trivia – Which Phillies have 100 or more career saves with the team? (Answer Below)

Trivia Answer – Jonathon Papelbon 123, Jose Mesa 112, Steve Bedrosian 103, Mitch Williams 102, and Brad Lidge 100.

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