The History of the Philadelphia City Series | Phillies vs. Athletics

Philadelphia City Series

The Philadelphia City Series was an annual contest held between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies. The contests were exhibitions, but bragging rights were on the line. Especially during seasons where both clubs struggled, the City Series gave Philadelphia baseball fans something to look forward to. 

This page will house recaps for every Philadelphia City Series game. 

Note: Games with "*" are not considered official City Series contests. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer on 4/11/1930: "Dixie battles are not figures in the city series." 

1954 (Phillies win series, 2-1)
April 10, 1954: Athletics 7, Phillies 6 (Connie Mack Stadium) 
Vic Power launched a two-run homer into the upper deck in the ninth inning to lift the A's to the win. The A's had a three-run lead, but the Phillies answered with a five-run sixth. Lou Limmer finished 4-for-5 in the win with two runs scored. The two teams combined for 25 hits on the day. 

April 11, 1954: Phillies 1, Athletics 0 (Connie Mack Stadium) 
Paul Penson, Bob Miller, and Steve Ridzik each tossed three innings to combine for the shutout. Ted Kazanski scored the lone run on the afternoon, leading off with a double in the sixth before crossing the plate on a Del Ennis single up the middle. 

June 28, 1954: Phillies 3, Athletics 2 (Connie Mack Stadium) 
Tommy Qualters secured the victory and the series win for the Phils. The game was cut short to seven innings due to rain. Ed Burthschy whiffed seven for the Athletics. Vic Power was hit in the head with a pitch and was carted off the field. He eventually regained consciousness in the clubhouse but was taken to Presbyterian Hospital and was admitted for observation. Richie Ashburn scored a pair of runs while Stan Lopata finished 3-for-4 on the day.

1953 (Series finished tied, 1-1)
* March 18, 1953: Phillies 10, Athletics 5 (West Palm Beach, Fla.) 
A Granny Hamner grand-slam capped off an eventful ninth inning to give the Phils the win. Smokey Burgess finished the day with three hits for the Phils. The two clubs combined for 26 hits in the contest, including eight doubles, a triple, and two homers.

* March 19, 1953: Athletics 8, Phillies 5 (West Palm Beach, Fla.) 10 inn.
Al Clark slammed a two-out walk-off grand-slam for the Athletics. Steve Ridzik took the loss, surrendering three walks to load the bases before Clark's blast. Eddie Waitkus collected three of the Phils' eight hits on the day. 

* March 29, 1953: Phillies 10, Athletics 6 (Clearwater, Fla.) 
Both clubs scored four runs in the opening frame. Harry Byrd tossed a complete game for the Athletics, surrendering 10 runs on 10 hits. Steve Ridzik picked up the win. Richie Ashburn led the Phils at the plate, collecting three hits while driving in a pair. Elmer Valo hit a pair of solo shots for the A's in the loss.

* April 9, 1953: Phillies 4, Athletics 0 (Portsmouth, Va.)
Robin Roberts tossed a gem, surrendering just five hits on the afternoon over 94 pitches in a complete game effort to lead the Phillies. Bobby Shantz pitched well for the Athletics, chalking up seven strikeouts while surrendering just two hits over five innings of work. 

April 11, 1953: Athletics 5, Phillies 1 (Connie Mack Stadium)
Harry Byrd tossed a gem for the Athletics, surrendering just five hits. The two teams combined for seven errors on the day and all six runs were unearned. Karl Drews took the loss for the Phils. 

June 29, 1953: Phillies 8, Athletics 6 (Connie Mack Stadium)
The Athletics jumped out to a six-run lead but the Phillies put up eight unanswered runs, including four runs in the eighth to secure the win. Kip Kipper limited the Athletics to three hits over the final six frames to earn the victory. Five different hitters for the Phillies collected two hits. 

1952 (Phillies win series, 2-1)
* March 16, 1952: Phillies 8, Athletics 0 (Clearwater, Fla.) 
Homers by Ed Waitkus, Dick Young, and Del Ennis paved the way for the Phils. Karl Drews and Ken Heintzelman combined for the shutout. The Athletics committed six errors on the afternoon.

April 12, 1952: Phillies 6, Athletics 0 (Shibe Park)
Willie Jones and Del Ennis paced the Phillies with two hits each. Howie Fox added a homer and tossed six innings surrendering just four hits. Elmer Valo collected three hits in the loss. 

April 13, 1952: Phillies 14, Athletics 5 (Shibe Park)
Del Ennis delivered a three-run homer and Smokey Burgess collected three singles to lead the Phillies at the plate. The offense combined for 15 hits on the day. Elmer Valo and Gus Zernial collected two hits each for the Athletics in the loss. 

June 26, 1952: Athletics 4, Phillies 2 (Shibe Park)
Gus Zernial and Ray Murray homered for the Athletics while Richie Ashburn collected four hits for the Phillies. Ferris Fain drove in a pair of runs for the Athletics with a single in the third inning. 

1951 (Series finished tied, 2-2)
April 13, 1951: Athletics 7, Phillies 2 (Shibe Park)
A Sam Chapman homer highlighted a four-run fifth inning to lift the Athletics to the victory. Hank Wyse and Bobby Shantz led the Athletics on the mound, combining to allow eight hits on the day. Del Ennis homered in the loss for the Phillies.

April 14, 1951: Athletics 7, Phillies 6 (Shibe Park)
Sam Chapman again carried the Athletics, connecting for a homer while finishing with two hits. Alex Kellner secured the win, tossing 6 1/3 innings while surrendering four runs. Richie Ashburn collected three hits on the day for the Phillies.

April 15, 1951: Phillies 8, Athletics 3 (Shibe Park)
The Phillies walloped on Carl Scheib, scoring eight runs on nine hits over just five frames. Ken Heintzelman tossed a complete game for the Phillies to collect the win. Andy Seminick homered to highlight a five-run fifth for the Phillies. 

June 25, 1951: Phillies 5, Athletics 1 (Shibe Park)
Ken Johnson tossed seven innings for the Phillies in the victory. The Athletics collected just two hits on the day. The contest was scoreless until the Phillies pushed across a pair of runs in the sixth on a throwing error by Lou Klein. 

1950 (Phillies win series, 2-1)
April 15, 1950: Athletics 7, Phillies 4 (Shibe Park)
Bobby Shantz picked up the win for the Athletics despite surrendering four runs on six hits over five frames. Eddie Joost and Sam Chapman each homered in the win. Robin Roberts took the loss, giving up three runs over four innings. Mike Goliat hit a three-run homer for the Phillies in the loss. 

April 16, 1950: Phillies 11, Athletics 2 (Shibe Park)
Curt Simmons threw seven innings and the Phillies erupted for 12 hits to knock off the Athletics. Alex Kellner took the loss for the Athletics. Del Ennis homered and drove in four in the victory. Simmons also chipped in at the plate, collecting two hits while driving in a run. The Athletics left 13 runners on base. 

June 26, 1950: Phillies 8, Athletics 5 (Shibe Park)
Trailing with two outs in the eighth, the Phillies battled back to defeat the Athletics and win the City Series title. Jimmy Bloodworth homered for the Phillies in the seventh and drove in the tying run in the eighth with a double, setting the table for Stan Hollmig to deliver a single up the middle to give the Phillies a ninth inning lead. Alex Kellner took the loss for the Athletics. Bloodworth was awarded a television set for his performance. 

1949 (Phillies win series, 2-1)
April 15, 1949: Athletics 4, Phillies 3 (Shibe Park)
Sam Chapman hit a walk-off single to left in the final frame to lift the Athletics to victory. Joe Coleman collected the win, surrendering three runs on seven hits. He struck out 10. Hank Majeski finished with three hits in the win. 

April 16, 1949: Phillies 4, Athletics 2 (Shibe Park)
Eddie Waitkus broke a tie in the seventh with a two-run homer while Robin Roberts tossed a gem to lead the Phillies. Waitkus finished with three RBIs. The Phillies collected just three hits on the day.

June 27, 1949: Phillies 19, Athletics 2 (Shibe Park)
Connie Mack didn't play his regulars and started Zeb Eaton - a journeyman who hadn't pitched in the majors in nearly four years - and the Phillies made him pay. Eaton surrendered 10 hits and eight runs over four innings. Granny Hamner, Del Ennis, Stan Lopata, and Willie Jones collected three hits each in the win. 

1948 (Athletics win series, 3-2)
March 21, 1948: Athletics 5, Phillies 3 (West Palm, Fla.)
The Athletics were trailing 3-0 until erupting for four runs in the sixth inning. The offense hit around in the frame with Sam Chapman and Pete Suder each driving in runs to lead the charge. Both finished with two hits on the afternoon. Lou Brissie picked up the win, tossing four hitless innings in relief. 

April 8, 1948: Phillies 4, Athletics 3 (Clearwater, Fla.)
Rookie Johnny Blatnik singled home Ralph Caballero in the final frame to give the Phils a walk-off win. Trailing 3-1 entering the ninth, the Athletics scored a pair via a two-run blast by Hank Majeski. Lou Brissie tossed a complete game but took the loss. Andy Seminick finished 4-for-4 to pace the Phillies at the plate. 

April 17, 1948: Phillies 7, Athletics 3 (Shibe Park)
Curt Simmons recorded the win, surrendering three runs on four hits over seven innings. He also helped himself out at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 at the dish with a run scored. Richie Ashburn drove in three runs in the win while Harry Walker chipped in with three hits.

April 18, 1948: Athletics 3, Phillies 2 (Shibe Park)
Rudy York singled in the ninth to score Pete Suder from second to lift the Athletics to a walk-off win, the second of the series. Bill McCahan tossed eight solid innings for the Athletics, surrendering two runs on seven hits. 

June 28, 1948: Athletics 10, Phillies 7 (Shibe Park)
Unlike future seasons, the two spring training contests were included in the City Series tabulations. The Athletics scored four runs in the eighth to win the contest. Ferris Fain delivered a two-run double while Don White delivered a two-run homer to the bleachers in left. Bill McCahan picked up the win, tossing 8 1/3 innings for the Athletics. Ralph Caballero finished with three hits in the losing effort for the Phils.

1947 (Series finished tied, 2-2)
March 22, 1947: Phillies 2, Athletics 1 (West Palm, Fla.)
Skeeter Newsome opened the ninth with a double for the Phillies before moving to third and eventually scoring on a squeeze bunt by Jim Tabor. Barney McCoskey finished with three hits for the Athletics in the loss. Schoolboy Rowe recorded the win for the Phils. 

March 23, 1947: Phillies 3, Athletics 0 (West Palm, Fla.)
Tommy Hughes tossed five hitless innings for the Phillies while Jim Tabor and Charley Gilbert each finished with a stolen base and three hits on the afternoon. 

April 12, 1947: Athletics 12, Phillies 2 (Shibe Park)
Phil Marchildon recorded the win for the Athletics while Sam Chapman and Eddie Joost homered to lead the offense. Jim Tabor collected two hits for the Phils.

April 13, 1947: Athletics 2, Phillies 0 (Shibe Park)
Bob Savage, Dick Fowler, and Joe Coleman led the Athletics on the mound, limiting the Phillies to two hits in the contest. Barney McCoskey paced the Athletics at the plate with two hits. 

1946 (Athletics win series, 2-0)
* March 14, 1946: Phillies 1, Athletics 0 (Miami Beach, Fla.)
Andy Seminick scored the lone run of the contest in the third inning. He also led the Phils at the plate with two hits. Rookie Al Hodkey recorded the win, tossing three scoreless innings for the Phillies. 

* March 17, 1946: Athletics 4, Phillies 0 (West Palm, Fla.)
Bobo Newsome and Luther Knerr combined to toss a scoreless two-hit affair for the Athletics. Frank McCormick picked up the Phils two hits on the afternoon. Jack Wallaesa clubbed an RBI-triple in the fourth to open the scoring. 

* March 22, 1946: Athletics 9, Phillies 2 (West Palm, Fla.)
Bill James led the Elephants at the plate, collecting four hits - including a pair of doubles - while driving in a pair of runs in the win. Bobo Newsome surrendered two runs over five innings to record the win. He whiffed five.

* March 24, 1946: Phillies 3, Athletics 2 (Miami Beach, Fla.)
Lou Novikoff singled up the middle in the eighth inning, scoring Johnny Wyrostek from second base to give the Phillies the victory. Right-hander Al Jurisich recorded the win, tossing four scoreless frames. 

April 13, 1946: Athletics 9, Phillies 0 (Shibe Park)
The Athletics jumped on hurler Tommy Hughes for eight runs over the first three frames. Jack Wallaesa finished with two hits for the A's while Sam Chapman homered and collected three hits in the win. Luther Knerr earned the win, tossing five solid innings. 

April 14, 1946: Athletics 7, Phillies 4 (Shibe Park)
The Athletics got to Schoolboy Rowe early, scoring three runs in the opening frame to set the tone for the afternoon. The Phillies committed five errors in the contest. Ford Garrison collected two hits for the Athletics in the win.

1945 (Phillies win series, 2-1)
April 15, 1945: Athletics 8, Phillies 5 (Shibe Park)
Dick Siebert drove in four runs and led the Athletics at the plate in the victory. Jimmy Wasdell and Vance Dinges collected three hits each for the Phillies. Former A's great Jimmy Foxx hit a solo-homer in the eighth for the Phillies, drawing a standing ovation. Don Black recorded the win for the Athletics.

June 11, 1945: Phillies 3, Athletics 1 (7 Inn.) (Shibe Park)
Scheduled for seven frames and played as part of a War Bond Sports Show, the Phillies knocked off the Athletics behind a strong performance by hurler Dick Mauney who surrendered one run on six hits. He also drove in a run in the winning effort. 

July 10, 1945: Phillies 7, Athletics 6 (Shibe Park)
Vance Dinges hit a two-run single in the top of the ninth to give the Phillies a one run lead and ultimately the win. The Phillies had a 5-0 lead at one point, but the Athletics jumped on starter Jimmie Foxx in the fourth en-route to a six-run inning. Joe Berry recorded the win, surrendering six hits over five scoreless frames. The contest was played to benefit the National War Relief Fund. 

1944 (Series not contested)
* April 9, 1944: Phillies 7, Athletics 5 (Wilmington, Del.)
Both teams used split-squads in the contest. The Phillies scored seven runs in the second inning and never looked back. Ted Cleslak and Wally Jackowicz each finished with two hits in the win. Julius Homokay tossed five frames and surrendered one run to earn the victory. 

1943 (Series finished tied, 2-2)
April 4, 1943: Athletics 5, Phillies 3 (Wilmington, Del.)
The Athletics scored five runs off Si Johnson to erase a one-run deficit en-route to the win. Francis Skaff homered for the Athletics and drove in a pair of runs while Eddie Mayo chipped in with three hits. Roger Wolff worked three innings and earned the win. 

April 10, 1943: Athletics 5, Phillies 2 (Shibe Park)
Eddie Mayo and Jo Jo White led the A's offense, combining for four hits out of the top two spots in the lineup. Jesse Flores recorded the win and whiffed four over five innings. 

April 11 1943: Phillies 2, Athletics 0 (Shibe Park)
Merrill May drove in both runs for the Phillies while Charley Fuchs tossed five solid innings, surrendering just one hit in the win. Danny Litwhiler led all hitters with two hits on the day for the Athletics. 

April 18 1943: Phillies 4, Athletics 1 (Shibe Park)
Earl Naylor hit a two-run homer in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie and push the Phillies to victory. Schoolboy Rowe earned the win, tossing four hitless innings in relief. 

1942 (No Series Held)
No games played.

1941 (No Series Held)
No games played.

1931 (Phillies win series, 3-2)
April 3, 1931: Phillies 7, Athletics 5 (Shibe Park) 
The Athletics collected 15 hits but left 13 men on base. Virgil Davis hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth for Phillies that proved to be the difference. The A's were without Al Simmons and George Earnshaw as both remained in Hot Springs, Arkansas, for Spring Training.

April 4, 1931: Phillies 3, Athletics 2 (13 Inn.) (Shibe Park) 
Hal Lee hit a solo blast off Max Butcher in the top of the 13th to lift the Phillies to the win. Roy Mahaffey went nine innings for the A's, surrendering one run on five hits. The two clubs traded runs in the tenth before Lee's homer in the 13th. 

April 6, 1931: Athletics 3, Phillies 2 (Baker Bowl) 
Jimmie Foxx collected three hits in the win, including a triple, and drove in a pair of runs. 

April 8, 1931: Phillies 6, Athletics 2 (Shibe Park) 
Hal Lee hit a game-tying solo homer in the seventh that highlighted a four-run frame. Lefty Grove was saddled with the loss, surrendering five runs over seven innings in the loss. 

April 11, 1931: Athletics 8, Phillies 1 (Baker Bowl) 
Al Simmons collected three hits while Jimmie Foxx hit a homer and drove in a pair in the win. George Earnshaw collected the win, surrendering one run over five innings while whiffing three. 

1930  (Phillies win series, 3-2)
* March 26, 1930: Phillies 5, Athletics 2 (Winter Haven, Fla.) 
Tommy Thevenow collected three hits to pace the Phillies while Lefty O'Doul chipped in with a pair of doubles. The game took just an hour and thirty-three minutes to complete. 

April 5, 1930: Athletics 13, Phillies 1 (Shibe Park) 
Jimmie Foxx hit a pair of homers while Homer Summa and Bing Miller each finished the afternoon with three hits. The Athletics collected 18 hits in the contest. George Earnshaw surrendered two hits over five innings in the win. 

April 9, 1930: Phillies 4, Athletics 3 (Shibe Park) 
Don Hurst singled in the eighth, scoring Lefty O'Doul to ultimately give the Phillies the win. O'Doul finished the day with three hits, a pair of stolen bases, and two runs scored. Lou Koupal recorded the win for the Phils.

April 10, 1930: Athletics 10, Phillies 0 (Shibe Park) 
John Milligan failed to record an out in the second inning before being lifted. The Athletics scored all of their runs over the first three frames. Doc Cramer and Bing Miller drove in three runs each. Roy Mahaffey tossed a complete game, surrendering eight hits while fanning three.

April 11, 1930: Phillies 3, Athletics 2 (Baker Bowl) 
Denny Southern hit a walk-off three-run homer to left to lead the Phillies to a win. Jimmie Foxx homered twice in the loss for the Athletics. Claude Willoughby pitched well for the Phillies, surrendering just four hits over eight frames. By Speece recorded the win, tossing a perfect ninth inning.

April 12, 1930: Phillies 5, Athletics 1 (Baker Bowl) 
Grover Alexander, at the age of 44, surrendered one run over five strong innings for the Phillies to collect the win. Don Hurst homered for the Phillies while Denny Southern collected three hits. Max Bishop collected three hits in the losing effort for the Athletics. 

1929 (Series finished tied, 2-2)
April 6, 1929: Athletics 6, Phillies 3 (Shibe Park)
The Athletics collected just five hits on the afternoon with Mickey Cochrane and hurler Rube Walberg accounting for them all. The Athletics scored three runs in the seventh on a pair of costly errors by Terry Lyons and Fresco Thompson. 

April 8, 1929: Phillies 11, Athletics 8 (Baker Bowl)
Don Hurst hit an RBI-single to push the winning run across in the eighth for the Phillies. Bernie Friberg followed with a single to center scoring two more runs for insurance. Homer Summa picked up a pair of hits for the Athletics, including a homer in the fourth.

April 11, 1929: Phillies 3, Athletics 1 (Shibe Park)
Claude Willoughby tossed a complete game for the Phillies, surrendering one run on seven hits. Jimmie Foxx collected the lone RBI for the Athletics. Spud Davis led the Phillies at the plate, finishing with three hits, including a double.

April 13, 1929: Athletics 11, Phillies 6 (Baker Bowl)
A seven-run fifth put the game away for the Athletics. Mule Haas, Max Bishop, and Bing Miller collected three hits each. Every player in the starting lineup collected at least a hit for Mack's Elephants. Lefty Grove tossed three scoreless innings and whiffed three. 

1909 (Phillies win series, 5-1)
April 2, 1909: Phillies 2, Athletics 1 (Baker Bowl)
Sherry Magee reached base with a hit in the eighth and scored later in the frame on a Kitty Bransfield double to give the Phillies a victory. George McQuillan recorded the win with seven strikeouts while scattering just three hits. Magee finished 3-for-4 and scored both runs for the Phils. 

April 5, 1909: Phillies 4, Athletics 3 (Baker Bowl)
A three-run first inning gave the Phillies an early lead they never relinquished. Lew Moren tossed a complete game for the Phils, scattering seven hits. Eddie Plank took the loss, but helped himself at the plate with three hits.

April 6, 1909: Athletics 2, Phillies 1 (Baker Bowl)
Jack Coombs limited the Phillies to one run on five hits and also delivered the deciding hit with a two-run single in the seventh. 

April 7, 1909: Phillies 6, Athletics 4 (Baker Bowl)
Sherry Magee again delivered a game-winning hit with a single in the eighth to break a 4-4 tie. Otto Knabe finished with two hits, including a double.

April 9, 1909: Phillies 4, Athletics 3 (Baker Bowl)
Charles Dooin made a key throw from behind the plate to pickoff the potential tying run in the ninth to ensure a win for the Phillies. Otto Knabe finished with two hits and two runs for the Phils. Chief Bender finished 2-for-3 for the Athletics in the loss. 

April 10, 1909: Phillies 8, Athletics 2 (Baker Bowl)
Otto Deininger finished with three hits to lead the Phils offense. Lew Moren secured the win, scattering two runs on eight hits. He whiffed four.