by Jim Montgomery | May 4, 2026 | This Day in Philly Sports History
Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
Another action-packed day in Philly sports. After winning Game 7 the Sixers open their second round series in MSG against the Knicks. The Flyers are looking to bounce back in Game 2 against the Hurricanes while the Phillies look to stay hot. May 4 provided a lot Flyers highlights including a marathon finish. Today we look at key moments in Flyers postseason and a Phillies who had a marathon themselves.
Marathon Part 1
Denny Doyle tripled to open the bottom of the 20th inning and scored on Jose Pagan’s sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 5-4 win over the Braves on this day in 1973. It was the second longest game in Phillies history. The longest being twenty-one innings against the Cubs in 1918. The Phillies have played a few twenty inning games since then.
He Shoots; He Scores…Again
Four different Flyers scored including Reggie Leach as the Flyers went up 3 games to 1 on the Bruins in the 1976 Stanley Cup Semi-finals thanks to the 4-2 victory. For Leach it was his eighth straight postseason game with a goal tying Maurice “Rocket” Richard for the all-time record. Leach would eventually extend the streak to ten games which is still the all-time record today. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be enough as the Flyers lost their bid to win three straight Stanley Cups, getting swept by the Canadiens.
Bill Barber has a Night
Bill Barber had himself a night scoring four of the Flyers five goals in their 5-3 win over the Minnesota North Stars. The Flyers went up 2 games to 1 in the 1980 Stanley Cup Semi-finals and would finish them off in five games. The Flyers run would end against the Islanders in Cup Finals.
Trivia – Who holds the Flyers single game playoff scoring record for goals? (Answer Below)
Marathon Part 2
They Flyers evened their 2000 Eastern Conference Semi-Final series against the Penguins at two games apiece in dramatic fashion. John Leclair tied the game at 1 with a power play goal in the third period and sent it to overtime. Then overtime. Then overtime. Then another overtime followed by another. When Keith Primeau scored the game winner 12:01 into the fifth overtime the clock read 2:35 a.m. The teams played a total of 152:01 minutes on the ice – almost seven hours of real time. It was the third longest game in NHL history and longest in the expansion era. Primeau’s goal came on the game’s 130th shot. The teams played an overtime game in Game 3 as well. The win propelled the Flyers to an Eastern conference Finals run that ultimately ended with Game 7 to the Devils.
JR Saves the Day
The had the Maple Leafs on the Brink this day in 2004. Jeremy Roenick scored twice including the overtime game winner to give the Flyers a 3-2 win. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals coming up short in an epic seven game series against the Lightning.
Trivia Answer – Reggie Leach scored 5 goals against the Bruins in 1976.
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by Jim Montgomery | May 1, 2026 | This Day in Philly Sports History
Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Sixers are alive! Game 7 tomorrow in Boston. Let’s go! The Flyers also kick off their second round series tomorrow in Carolina and the Phillies are hot? Two walk-offs in a doubleheader. May 1 saw the Phillies first ever game and Flyers and Sixers playoff excitement. We look today at key moments in Phillies, Flyers, and Sixers history.
The First of Over 11,000
Back in 1883 the Phillies lost to the Providence Grays 4-3 in their first ever game as a franchise. The game was played at Recreation Park located at 24th and Columbia (now Cecil B. Moore), which was the Phillies home for their first three years until the opening of the Baker Bowl.
Five in a row for Phillies Pitching
In 1972 the Phillies traveled to LA and beat the Dodgers 2-1 when Willie Montanez hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 8th. Dick Selma went the distance scattering three hits as the Phillies improved to 10-5 on the year and tied for first place. For the Phillies it was their starters fifth consecutive complete game. Selma joined Bill Champion, Barry Lersch, Steve Carlton, and Woodie Fryman. The Phils went 4-1 during the span. It was all downhill from there as the Phillies finished 59-97.
Flyers Bounce Back
The Flyers bounced back for a 6-5 loss in Game 1 to beat the Minnesota North Stars 7-0 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals at the Spectrum. Seven different Flyers scored goals including Bob Dailey who added four assists. Phil Myre recorded his first playoff shoutout saving all twenty-seven shots he faced. The Game 1 loss was the wake up call they needed as they finished off the North Stars en route to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The First Fo is Completed
Moses Malone predicted the Sixers would sweep through the 1983 playoffs in Fo, Fo, Fo. After defeating the Knicks 105-102 the first leg of the Fo, Fo, Fo was complete. Moses scored twenty-nine and grabbed fourteen rebounds as the Sixers moved on to take on the Bucks. Unfortunately the Fo, Fo, Fo would be thwarted by the Bucks in Game 4. Still Fo, Fi, Fo isn’t too bad.
Trivia – Who holds the Sixers playoff single game scoring record? (Answer Below)
The James Harden Show
The Sixers opened up their second round series with the Celtics missing Joel Embiid who was out with a knee sprain. It didn’t matter as James Harden put the team on his back, scoring forty-five including 7 for 14 from 3-point range. Tyrese Maxey added 26 and Tobias Harris added 19 as the Sixers steal Game 1 up in Boston in what would be an epic series.
Trivia Answer – Allen Iverson scored 55 points in Game 1 of the first round in 2003 against the Hornets.
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by Jim Montgomery | Apr 30, 2026 | This Day in Philly Sports History
Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
What a win by the Flyers! That was about an exciting 1-0 game as you can get. They are set to take on the Hurricanes in the next round who are coached by our old friend Rod Brind’Amour. The Sixers are at home looking to force Game 7 in Boston. Good news for the Phillies, they were rained out and couldn’t lose. They’ll play two today. April 30 feature more Sixers and Flyers playoff moments and some quirky Phillies games.
Mauch Goes to the Bench for a Spark
In 1961 the Phillies lost 107 games. On April 30 they were in St. Louis and were losing to the Cardinals 6-0 heading into the eighth inning. Manager Gene Mauch figured since the starters weren’t doing much, why not go to the bench? Mauch used five pinch-hitters in the inning and the Phils responded with seven runs to give them the lead. After surrendering a run in the bottom of the ninth they tacked on four runs in the top of the 10th and held on for an 11-7 win. The five pinch-hitters were a team record for an inning.
Trivia – Greg Gross is the Phillies all-time leader in pinch-hits. Who is their leader for pinch-hit homeruns? (Answer Below)
Flyers One Win Away from the Stanley Cup Finals
In the 1974 Stanley Cup Semi-Finals, the Flyers and Rangers traded wins on home ice. After losing two straight in Madison Square Garden, they returned to the friendly confines of the Spectrum and quickly fell behind the Rangers 1-0 in the first period of Game 5. They came storming back to score four consecutive goals including two by Rick Macliesh. Bernie Parent saved twenty-seven shots as the Flyers got within one win of making their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
More Flyers Dominance
After losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Canadiens the Flyers won four straight including a 4-2 win in Game 4 on this day in 2008. RJ Umberger scored two goals. Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere also scored as the Flyers took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. They’d finish the job in Game 5 setting up yet another Flyers/Penguins postseason matchup, this time to see who would go to the Stanley Cup Finals
Maxey Breaks Out
The Sixers need someone other than Joel Embiid to step up tonight. Tyrese Maxey is more than capable of being that guy. Against the Knicks in Game 5 of the 2024 First Round, he showed what he can do. Facing elimination Tyrese went off and scored seven points in the final 26 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime where the Sixers pulled away and won 112-106 sending the series back to Philly. Maxey scored a playoff career-high 46 including 7-for-12 from 3-point range. Tyrese added nine assists to his coming out party. Joel Embiid to his credit messed around and had a triple-double (19 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists). Unfortunately the Sixers would lose Game 6 but is tonight the night they force Game 7?
Record Setting Day for the Phils
On the same night that Tyrese Maxey was setting records, the Phillies set a couple of their own. Out in LA to take on the Angels they pulled out a 7-5 win. Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Johan Rojas each hit homers. Alec Bohm went 2-5 with an RBI, giving him twenty-eight for the month of April, breaking Ryan Howard’s team record for RBI in April. The Phillies won their 19th game in April which was also a team record.
Trivia Answer – Greg Dobbs and Rickey Ledee each had 7 pinch-hit homers for the Phillies in their careers.
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by Jim Montgomery | Apr 29, 2026 | This Day in Philly Sports History
Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
The Sixers stayed alive with a vintage Joel Embiid performance. Don Mattingly is undefeated and the bats come alive. The Flyers look to eliminate the Penguins. April 29 in Philly Sports History features backup goalie heroics, April Phillies records, and the NFL Draft in Philly. Today we look at some key moments from the Flyers, Sixers, Phillies, and Eagles.
Welcome to the Club Lefty
Heading into a 1981 game against the Expos Steve Carlton needed three strikeouts to reach 3000 for his career. In the top of the first he struck out Tim Raines, Jerry Manuel, and Tim Wallach to join the 3K club. Lefty became the sixth overall pitcher to achieve the feat and the first left-hander. Del Unser hit a 3-run double as the Phillies beat the Expos 6-2. Carlton added to his total pitching a complete game and adding in 9 strikeouts. Carlton would finish third in the Cy Young voting that year behind Fernando Valenzuela and Tom Seaver.
Trivia – Since Steve Carlton in 1981, 14 other pitchers have joined the 3000-strikeout club. Name them.
Rallying Around the Backup
Moments before the Flyers’ Patrick Division Final matchup against the Penguins they found out that starting goalie Ron Hextall was not able to go. Enter Ken Wregett (future Penguin Ken Wregett). Four different Flyers scored goals and Mark Howe added 2 assists. Wregett had a monster game saving 39 of the 40 shots he took helping the Flyers cruise to a 4-1 win. Down 3 games to 2 the Flyers completed the comeback and moved on to the Wales Conference Finals to take on the Canadiens. It was a memorable run for the Flyers who finished the regular season 36-36-8.
Hot Start for the Phillies
Everyone talks about the 4-Aces the Phillies had in 2011, but the offense wasn’t too shabby either. On this day they took on the Mets and Ryan Howard hit 2 homers and had 6 RBIs, giving him 27 for the month – setting a team record for April. Placido Polanco had 2 hits giving him 39 for the month breaking the team record set in 2008 by Chase Utley. Vance Worley pitched six solid innings and struck out 5 to get the 10-3 win over the Mutts.
Best Draft Ever?
In 2017 the NFL Draft was held April 27-29 in Philly. The NFL converted the Art Museum steps into a stage for the future NFL stars. Over 250,000 fans attended over the course of three days setting a draft attendance record. This was the first time since 1961 that the draft was held in Philly and set the bar high for future on location drafts. In the first round the Eagles selected Derrick Barnett who would have the huge fumble recovery of Brandon Graham’s strip sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LVII. Unfortunately for the Eagles he was really the only pick in that draft that had extended success. Myle Garrett went #1 but the draft in general featured many future NFL stars including: Christian McCaffery, Patrick Mahomes, Temple’s Haason Reddick, TJ Watt, Alvin Kamara, Cooper Kupp, Trey Hendrickson, George Kittle, and current Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Maybe the draft should be in Philly every year as the Eagles were the center of the NFL Universe from Draft Day till the Super Bowl Parade in February…
Jimmy Buckets
The Sixers bounced back in Game 2 of their playoff series against the Raptors. After losing Game 1 by 13 they responded by beating the Raptors 94-89, shifting the series back to Philly tied at a game apiece. Jimmy Butler led the Sixers with 30 points, adding 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Joel struggling with knee tendinitis and an upper respiratory infection only scored 12 and had 10 rebounds. This series would go the full seven games and only ended after Kawhi Leonard’s game winner bounced off the rim four times before falling in.
Trivia Answer – Ferguson Jenkins, Don Sutton, Phil Niekro, Bert Blyleven, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw.
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by Jim Montgomery | Apr 28, 2026 | This Day in Philly Sports History
Presented by the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame
It’s going to be an interesting week in Philly Sports. Rob Thomson is out as manager, the Flyers have dropped two straight, and the Sixers look to avoid being eliminated tonight. April 28has been a mixed bag for our teams with the Flyers moving on, the Sixers getting a break, and the birth of Howie Season. We look at key moments from the Sixers, Flyers, Phillies, and Eagles today.
Moving On
In 1985 the Flyers made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers. On this day though they eliminated the Islanders in Game 5 of the Patrick Division Finals. Illka Sinisalo scored the only goal with assists from Doug Crossman and Peter Zezel as the Flyers won it 1-0 and took the series 4 games to 1. Pelle Lindburgh in the midst of a Vezina Trophy season saved all 25 shots he faced as the Flyers moved to the Wales Conference Finals to take on the Nordiques.
History Made at the Vet
The Phillies took on the Padres in 1991 at the Vet. They exploded for 5 runs in the first inning thanks in part to a 3-Run Homer by Charle Hayes. Dickie Thon also homered in the game and Jason Grimsley allowed 3 hits over 7 innings while striking out 7 as the Phillies won 9-2. History was made when Tony Gwynn stepped up to the plate in the first inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd Gwynn hit a liner to Randy Ready who caught it, stepped on 2nd then thew to Ricky Jordan to complete the inning ending triple play. It was the first triple play in the history of the Vet and the Phillies first as a team since 1968.
Trivia – How many total triple plays (by either team) happened in the history of the Vet? (Answer Below)
Win by Losing?
The 8-seed Sixers took on the 1-seed Bulls in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs on this day in 2012 The Sixers lost 103-91 led by Elton Brand’s 19 points. The big story coming out of this game was reigning MVP Derrick Rose. Rose tore his ACL late in the game and was out for the rest of the series. Rose’s injury coupled with a bang Joakim Noah opened the door for the Sixers to an improbable upset of the Bulls.
Birth of Howie SZN
The 2016 NFL Draft marked the coming out party of Howie Roseman. Prior to the draft Howie was able to trade Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonzo (both Chip Kelly acquisitions) and the 13th overall pick to the Dolphins for the #8 pick. This freed up some salary cap space but also put the Eagles into a position to make some noise on draft day. Then just over a week before the draft he was able to trade the #8 pick, a 2016 3rd and 4th round pick, a 2017 1st round pick and a 2018 2nd round pick to the Browns in exchange for #2 overall in 2016. A pick that was used on North Dakota St. quarterback Carson Wentz. The legend of Howie was born, and the Eagles ultimately won a Super Bowl in part to Carson’s play in 2017.
Like Father Like Son
The Phillies lost to the Dodgers on April 28, 2017, 5-3 in L.A. Freddy Galvis had 2 RBI for the Phils. Mark Leiter Jr. pitched a scoreless inning in relief joining his dad, Mark Sr. on the Phillies all-time roster. It marked the first time a father and son both pitched for the Phillies. The Leiters also joined the Amaros as father son duos to play for the Phillies. They were later joined by the Bedrosians (Steve and Cam) as father-son duos to pitch for the team.
Trivia Answer – 2. There were only two triple plays in the history of the Vet. The one in 1991 and another by the Phillies in 1999.
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