1964 Philadelphia Phillies season
Number Name Position
8 Tony Taylor Second base
6 Johnny Callison Right field
15 Richie Allen Third base
5 Roy Sievers First base
25 Tony González Center field
10 Danny Cater Left field
11 Clay Dalrymple Catcher
7 Bobby Wine Shortstop
23 Dennis Bennett Pitcher
The team
From 1919 through 1947 , the Phillies finished last a total of 17 times and next to last seven times . A 1962 cartoon in a baseball magazine depicted a ballplayer arriving at a French Foreign Legion outpost , explaining , `` I was released by the Phillies ! `` [ citation needed ] Things began to change slowly beginning in 1960 when Gene Mauch was hired as manager to replace Eddie Sawyer , who had resigned after the club 's opening game of the regular season . Although the Phillies slumped to 47–107 in 1961 ( including a 23-game losing streak ) , they began to climb back to respectability in 1962 and 1963 . The front office , headed by John Quinn as General Manager , had replaced most of the players of the 1950s with new , young talent . [ citation needed ]
The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 82nd season for the franchise in Philadelphia. The Phillies finished in a second-place tie with the Cincinnati Reds. Both posted a record of 92-70, finishing one game behind the National League (NL) and World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, and just two games ahead of fourth-place San Francisco. Gene Mauch managed the Phillies, who played their home games at Connie Mack Stadium. The team is notable for being in first place in the National League since the opening day, and then suffering a drastic collapse during the final two weeks of the season. The Phold of '64, as it became known, is one of the most infamous collapses in baseball history.