As the 2025 Opening Day draws nearer for the Philadelphia Phillies, let’s look at some fascinating numbers ahead of the start of the newest MLB campaign. With a franchise that dates back over a century, the Phillies’ history books are full of fascinating facts and figures. Here are 10 fresh digits as the Phillies begin their quest to defend their hard-earned NL East Division title from last year.
6 – The number of seasons the Phillies were called Quakers by Philadelphia area newspapers in the 1880s. So, what’s the deal? According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the Phillies “played their inaugural season in the National League in 1883, but according to the site (Baseball Reference), they were known as the Quakers through ‘89.” In a bit of a confusing narrative, Owner Al Reach named the team the Phillies from the outset because “it tells you who we are and where we are from.” However, various Philly dailies used the old Quakers nickname to refer to the baseball team from Philadelphia until the end of the 1889 season.
8 – World Series appearances by the Philadelphia Phillies, a 6% appearance rate in baseball’s most high-profile series. Philly lost their first two trips to the championship series behind 31-game winner Grover Cleveland Alexander (1915) and The Whiz Kids (1950). Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt helped the Phillies claim their first World Series in 1980.
Three years later, the Phillies returned to the 1983 World Series but lost to the Dodgers in five games. Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in the 9th inning of Game 6 of the 1993 World Series scarred an entire generation of Phillies fans. Brad Lidge famously closed out Game 6 of the 2008 World Series after a 48-hour rain delay held up the party on Broad Street. Philly returned to the big series the following season but was overwhelmed by the power of Hideki Matsui and the New York Yankees. Finally, Philly was left dancing on their own after a crushing six-game series loss to the Houston Astros in 2022.
12 – The Phillies have won 12 NL East Titles since division play was introduced in 1969. The Mets claimed the inaugural NL East banner, followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates for three straight seasons between 1970 and 1972. The Phillies claimed their first NL East division title in 1977 and began a string of four NL East titles over five seasons between 1977 and 1980, culminating in the Phillies’ first World Championship. Philadelphia’s most successful run of division crowns occurred between 2007 and 2011 when Philly claimed five straight NL East titles and that 2008 World Series we just chatted about.
32 – Bryson Stott led the Phillies last season with 32 stolen bases. Johan Rojas swiped 25 bags for second-best on the squad, while Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh were tied for third place with 19 steals. Philly’s 148 stolen bases were fourth-best in the NL last season behind Washington (223), Milwaukee (217), and Cincinnati (207).
49 – With a 233-238 road record against the Washington/Montreal franchise, the Phillies have a 49% win rate in trips to opponent territory. Philly leads the all-time series with a 495-453-2 record, a 52% winning percentage against their NL East foes. This is the second-worst all-time mark in the NL East against Philadelphia – Miami (46%), Washington (48%), the New York Mets (49%) and Atlanta (52%).
131 – Kyle Schwarber has hit 131 home runs as a member of the Phillies, the most the slugger has smacked for any franchise. Over 10 seasons in the National League, Schwaber has bashed 277 home runs and 634 RBIs. Schwarber debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and spent six seasons in the Windy City, including a monumental, curse-breaking World Series Championship in 2016. The 5-foot-11 power hitter cracked 121 home runs during his Cubs career before signing a free-agent deal with Washington in Jan. 2021. A 25 HR campaign led to a trade deadline deal from the Nationals to the Boston Red Sox, where Schwarber added seven home runs and 17 RBIs. He joined Philadelphia the following summer.
144 – The Phillies are set to embark on their 144th baseball season in franchise history as the regular season begins in Washington on Thursday. Philadelphia has a 10,207-11,326 record, including two World Series championships and eight NL pennants. Since the arrival of Bryce Harper in 2020, the Phillies have a 54% win rate and a 382-326 record, including last season’s NL East Title.
455 – Harper’s total number of RBIs over his six-year career with the team. His initial season with Philadelphia in 2019 was his best, with a career-high 114 RBIs. Excluding his injury-hampered season of 2020 with 33 RBIs, Harper has averaged 84 RBIs a season during his extended stay in the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies 32-year-old superstar is currently signed through 2031.
497 – Number of all-time wins for the Phillies against the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos franchise. Montreal was added to Major League Baseball in 1969 and claimed the first meeting between the franchises, a 7-0 win at Connie Mack Stadium in April 1969. Philly owns a 497-456-2 record in the all-time meetings between the teams, but the Nationals own the only postseason series win between the franchises. Montreal defeated the defending World Champion Phillies in the 1981 NLDS with a 3-0 shutout win at Veteran Stadium to claim the series in five games.
899 – Phillies ace Zach Wheeler has struck out 899 batters and averaged 180 punchouts per season over his five years in Philadelphia. The free-agent acquisition has worked out tremendously for Philly as Wheeler has posted a 59-32 record with a 2.94 ERA in 829.1 innings pitched in red pinstripes. The Georgia native is 4-3 in the playoffs with a 2.18 ERA in 70.1 innings pitched and limiting batters to a .151 batting average in the postseason as the go-to guy for Rob Thompson’s baseball club.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
