Amazing Phillies Feats: The Greatest Player Performances in Philadelphia Phillies History

Product Description The Philadelphia Phillies enjoy one of baseball’s longest and richest team histories, now in their 138th year of existence. And while championships have been few, there has been no shortage of great players and great achievements for the Phils―from their late 19th century sluggers, to the Cinderella 1950 Whiz Kids, to the superstars of the 1960s and 1970s, to the heroes of their two World Series titles.Legendary Philadelphia sportswriter, Rich Westcott, is uniquely qualified to write Amazing Phillies Feats. Westcott draws from his encyclopedic knowledge of the team to select 33 of the most thrilling, unforgettable, and amazing accomplishments in team history. Each chapter is filled with background on the featured player, funny and insightful quotations―many taken from the author’s own interviews―and stats that go beyond what can be found in mainstream references.Read about • Billy Hamilton, the Rickey Henderson of the 1890s, who set the now 126-year-old single-season record for runs scored • Eddie Waitkus, who was shot in a hotel room by a crazed fan―the inspiration for Bernard Malamud’s The Natural • Richie Ashburn’s throw home in 195 0 to cut off a Brooklyn run that would have given them the pennant • Jimmy Rollins’ team-record 38-game hitting streak • Chase Utley becoming the second player ever to blast 5 home runs in a World Series • Roy Halladay’s 2 no-hit games in one seasonWestcott uses his storytelling gift to weave together informative, entertaining, and affection-filled jaunts through the greatest highlights from Phillies history that Phanatics will love and other fans will appreciate and learn from. About the Author Rich Westcott is the author of 26 previous books. A newspaper and magazine writer and editor for more than 40 years, he has written for publications throughout the country, and has appeared in 10 film documentaries about baseball, including six produced by Major League Baseball. A former player and high school coach, he was the founding publisher of Phillies Report, a newspaper that covered the team for 14 years. Considered the area’s leading authority on Phillies history, he is a past president of the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association and a long-time board member.Rich has been inducted into four Halls of Fame. A native Philadelphian, he has a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University and a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University.