162-0: Imagine a Phillies Perfect Season: A Game-by-Game Anaylsis of the Greatest Wins in Phillies History

by Paul Kurtz

Imagining a year in which the Phillies never lose a single game, this idealistic resource identifies the most memorable victory in the team's history on every single day of the baseball calendar season, from late March to late October. Ranging from games with incredible historical significance and individual achievement to those with high drama and high stakes, the book envisions the a blemish-free Phillies season. Evocative photos, original quotes, thorough research, and engaging prose and analysis add another dimension.

Genres: Nonfiction, Baseball

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Paul Kurtz is a reporter and anchor for KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia.

Reviews

[jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

it may well be an understatement to say that in the nearly 130 years that the philadelphia phillies have been playing professional baseball there have been far fewer moments of joy and triumph than there have been ones of frustration, heartbreak, mediocrity, and lousy ballplay. the phils, after all, became the first professional sports team on all of the north american continent to lose 10,000 games (the braves have since become the second team to reach this dubious milestone- with another four or five teams on deck to perhaps do so some time this decade). with only two world series titles (the first not coming until nearly a century after the club was founded), the phillies still do, indeed, have a storied history- it's just that so many of these stories have ended so poorly.

paul kurtz's book, 162-0: a phillies perfect season collects a season's worth of the finest, most important, and/or statistically noteworthy wins throughout the phillies' history. with a game for each day of the season (beginning, of course, in april and carrying on through the early days of october), kurtz recounts the events that made that particular day's game of great consequence for the team and its fans alike. though many of the obvious choices are included, there are some that cannot but make one wonder how a more exciting or significant game failed to be played on that particular date anytime in the previous 128 seasons. nonetheless, some amazing team feats and individual accomplishments have occurred well worth boasting about, including:

*mike schmidt's 4-home run game (1976)
*gene mahaffey's 17 strikeouts in a 9-inning game (1961)
*the phils and cubs combining for 45 runs & 50 hits in 10 innings (1979)
*roy halladay's perfect game & postseason no-hitter (both in 2010)
*steve carlton striking out 16 cubs (1982)
*trouncing the mets by some nineteen runs, 26-7 (1985)
*jim bunning's perfect game on father's day (1964)
*rick wise becoming the only pitcher in mlb history to throw a no-hitter and hit 2 home runs in the same game (1971)
*a doubleheader against the padres not ending until 4:45 a.m. (1993)
*grover cleveland alexander pitching two complete games on the same day- winning both after giving up only a combined three runs (1917)

while many of the summaries leave a little to be desired as far as details, style, and flair (many simply seem reworked from box scores or newspaper clippings), kurtz does present a broad selection of phillies' victories to round out his fictional undefeated season. included are a cast of characters from all eras of club history: all-stars and hall-of-famers to those long since faded into baseball obscurity. pennant-clinching games, september winning streaks, multi-home run sprees, and stunning come-from-behind wins highlight the more sensational moments of phillies history. 162-0: a phillies perfect season will obviously appeal most of all to already ardent fans of the fightin' phils- but fans of other teams also have something to look forward to as it appears triumph books is aiming to publish individual 162-0 editions for as many different mlb clubs as they can.
go phils!

[Bill Biegalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining and beautifully written. Can't wait to read more from Mr. Kurtz.

[Diana Osgood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give half stars. It's not quite a four but more than a three. I got to relive some wonderful moments in Phillies history and learn some new ones from years past. There were some moments that I feel should have made a particular day instead but every Phillies fan should read this book. It's also no surprise that a lot of these wins came against the Cubs.