In the age of Immaculate Grid and "Remembering Some Guys," it's never been more en vogue to discuss those random athletes of yesteryear who, against all odds, have carved a space in fans' hearts.
CBS Philadelphia Reporter Pat Gallen, host of "Gallen of Questions" on Philly 57 on Saturday nights, has made this aspect of Phillies fandom his calling card on Twitter/X over the last couple of years.
Gallen tracks the Phillies jerseys (or "shirseys") he either sees at the ballpark or fans send pictures of, totaling a list of 222 different looks fans have sported this season.
Don't believe me? Here's the full list that Gallen keeps on his computer (it was at 219 before Sunday's game), which features everything from the obvious (Roy Halladay) to the rare (Ranger Suárez Venezuela World Baseball Classic jersey) to the utterly strange ("Schwarbellanos" No. 128).
Del Unser jersey was not on the list. What a find.
219 different Phillies jerseys on the list this season. https://t.co/lJXxwbXAJV pic.twitter.com/NQwDBkSj68— Pat Gallen (@PatGallenCBS3) October 6, 2024
"I think it started on Opening Day [2023] when I was just walking around and seeing all these different jerseys and it clicked to me," Gallen said. "'Hey, let's make a list and see how many we can find.' Then I did it this year again and it took off. Some of the names are incredible."
Forgot to share this earlier. This man. This man is a legend for this. #Schwarbellanos pic.twitter.com/KoaMwuMSsi
— broken coconuts ⚾️ (@brokencoconuts) October 7, 2024
The rarest jersey Gallen's seen? It may have just come from the instant classic NLDS Game 2 Phillies win over the Mets. One fan sent Gallen a Spring Training jersey of Matt Szczur:
Matt Szczur had 1 spring training at bat for the Phillies.
This might be the rarest actual jersey I've ever seen. https://t.co/u1ilk25MmP— Pat Gallen (@PatGallenCBS3) October 6, 2024
One Spring Training at-bat for Szczur? He's basically the Phillies' Moonlight Graham then.
"I'm sure people may know his story, but he was a Villanova star who won a World Series with the Cubs and then back, signed with the Phillies on a deal to play with them in Spring Training," Gallen said.
"And he only played in one game and only had that one at-bat," Gallen continued. "And that's the actual jersey he wore in that game. I actually reached out to him about it and he gave the jersey to a friend of his and that's the guy who was wearing it at the game."
That's dedication and the power of friendship, certainly channeling the vibes of this Phillies team.
In a city like Philadelphia, sure, superstars like Mike Schmidt and Bryce Harper are beloved and adored, but where else would you find fans rocking jerseys of Erik Kratz, Del Unser and Ken Giles? Philly is such an insular place, the "only we can say bad things about us" capital of the world. That Philly pride extends to the wackiest, most random player you can support. There's an unmatched flair at Citizens Bank Park during Red October and that extends right down to the names on the back of jerseys.
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