Source Notes

The databases used to build each day’s page include information on most of the players who have appeared in the majors for the Phillies. There are still gaps in the data, especially regarding events before the 1950s, but the players who are represented should be familiar to knowledgeable fans. Each database includes information from several sources for verification. In addition to contemporary press reports from the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, the main sources for the included information are listed below.

Online Sources:

• Retrosheet.org: Retrosheet’s site provided the base data for a number of items: player info, transactions, game results, and box scores. For example, to determine Phillies debut dates, the record for each player who joined the team in 1950 or later was examined to find the player’s first appearance in a Retrosheet box score. To the extent data from Retrosheet were used, the following notice applies:
  • The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at 20 Sunset Rd. Newark, DE 19711.
• Resources available to members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), were also used extensively, including electronic copies of SABR publications from the Biography Committee.
• Historical Newspapers: Dates and details of events were confirmed by reviewing contemporary news reports in sources including early 20th century newspapers (including the Philadelphia Inquirer) at sources including: Newspapers.com, the New York Times archive, the Sporting News archive at Paper of Record.com, and other similar sources.
• Baseball Reference.com provided individual player information for verification.
• ESPN.com provided verification of player information and individual game data, mostly for years after 2001.
• I also used press releases and other information provided by the Phillies at the team’s official web site, mostly for recent years.

Printed Sources:

• Various editions of the Phillies’ Media Guides (post-1967).
• Various editions of the Spink/TSN Baseball Guide and Baseball Register (mostly post-1966).
• Various editions of the Baseball America Almanac.
• This Date in Phillies History, by Allen Lewis and Larry Shenk, 1979 edition.
• The Phillies Encyclopedia, by Rich Westcott and Frank Bilovsky, 2nd and 3rd editions.