Phillies Vault: Rollins' streak hits 32 games

February 24th, 2022

MLB.com is digging back into its massive video vault to uncover classic plays that you have loved, forgotten about or, perhaps, are discovering for the very first time. Watch these moments and many, many more on the MLB Vault YouTube page.

Sept. 27, 2005: Rollins streaks to franchise record
With his single off Mets right-hander Juan Padilla in the seventh inning, Jimmy Rollins surpassed Ed Delahanty's franchise-record 31-game hitting streak. Rollins finished the stretch at 38 games, which included the first two contests of 2006. "I wasn't feeling good that night,” Rollins said. “I went to the cage with Tomas Perez [and said], 'Just give me some flips real quick,' because I needed to change my stance just to make an adjustment for that night, because I was a little bit off. And I did exactly what I did in the cage in the game. I was able to take it right in and single up the middle. After that, I knew I was good. I was like, 'All right, just keep hitting until they get me out.' That was the only night I felt that I might not have a shot, because I just did not feel good at all [at the plate]."

Oct. 6, 1993: Batiste shakes off error, wins NLCS Game 1
Baseball is a sport filled with second chances, and it didn't take long for Kim Batiste to turn himself around from goat to hero in the eyes of Phillies fans. The underdog Phils clung to a 3-2 lead over the Braves in the top of the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 1993 National League Championship Series when Batiste, who had just entered as a defensive replacement, botched a throw that should have resulted in a double play and instead enabled Atlanta to tie the game.

The contest stretched into the bottom of the 10th, and that's when Batiste redeemed himself with a double that bounced past Terry Pendelton down the third-base line and brought in John Kruk. The Phillies walked off as the winners -- with Batiste lifted on their shoulders.

May 4, 2001: Rollins hits first career leadoff homer
Jimmy Rollins hit a franchise-record 46 leadoff home runs in the regular season. He hit two in the postseason. But here is his first regular-season leadoff blast, coming against the Giants and Livan Hernandez at Veterans Stadium. Harry Kalas is on the call.

April 1, 2011: Mayberry Jr. walks it off on Opening Day
Roy Halladay had allowed one run in six innings when the Phillies went to the bullpen in the seventh inning on Opening Day 2011. The Astros scored three runs against J.C. Romero and David Herndon to take a 4-0 lead, but the Phillies scored twice against Brett Myers in the seventh to make it 4-2. Philadelphia rallied for three runs in the ninth against Houston closer Brandon Lyon for a walk-off win, capped by Wilson Valdez’s game-tying single and pinch-hitter John Mayberry Jr.’s game-winning hit.

July 8, 2004: Abreu's walk-off homer beats Mets
Phillies right fielder Bobby Abreu made his first of two NL All-Star teams in 2004, which is surprising given that he put up such remarkable career numbers and received at least 5 percent of the vote in his first three years of Hall of Fame eligibility. Abreu's walk-off homer off the Mets' John Franco was the fourth of his nine career walk-off hits.

June 10, 1981: Rose ties Musial's NL hits record
One of the Phillies' biggest selling points in getting Pete Rose to sign with them after the 1978 season was that if he stayed in the National League, he could pass Stan Musial and become the league's all-time hits leader. Rose tied Musial's mark in the first inning on June 10, 1981, with a single off Houston's Nolan Ryan. Rose finished the game with three consecutive strikeouts. All MLB players went on strike two days later, meaning Rose had to wait until Aug. 10 to set the record.

July 11, 1967: Allen crushes homer in Midsummer Classic
Many believe that Dick Allen should be in the Hall of Fame. But Allen has fallen short by just one vote in each of the last two elections by the Golden Days Era Committee. This highlight from the 1967 All-Star Game shows just how dangerous and revered Allen was while he played. He smacked a towering shot to center field against the Twins' Dean Chance, who won the Cy Young award in 1964. The best part of the clip is that the broadcasters were in the middle of remarking how Allen was considered the strongest man in baseball. He proved it once again with that shot.

April 8, 1988: Jeltz's hidden ball trick
This was one of the few highlights from Philadelphia's 1988 season. Steve Jeltz, playing in the penultimate season of his seven-year Phillies career, ended a game against the Mets by deploying the old hidden ball trick on Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter. 

"I started to throw the ball to [Bruce] Ruffin, but he wasn't ready," Jeltz told reporters. "Then I noticed Carter off the bag, so I tagged him." Carter only shook his head afterward. He could not believe what happened: “I was switching my feet," he said. The Phillies finished 60-92-1 that season.

April 28, 1991: Ready for this triple play?
If only Randy Ready had tagged Tony Fernandez, instead of throwing the ball to first base. He would have become only the ninth player in MLB history at the time to complete an unassisted triple play. But a triple play is a triple play, and Ready can say that he helped turn one by snagging a line drive off the bat of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

Sept. 26, 1998: Schilling's 300th K of 1998
Curt Schilling needed seven strikeouts in his final start of the 1998 season to achieve back-to-back 300-strikeout seasons. He secured his seventh in the seventh inning, when he struck out Kevin Orie swinging.