Phillies All-Time Nemesis Lineup
This isn’t a Phillies killer lineup. This is the ultimate Phillies nemesis or villains lineup, in my opinion.
It’s hard for the Phillies teams, who weren’t competitive, to have real villains that evoke a sense of competitive hatred. For example, the majority of Phillies fans hate Larry “Chipper” Jones. I understand that hate. However, for a large portion of Larry’s career, the Phillies were irrelevant. The Phillies finished second to the Braves for a few years, but when they really made their move towards the postseason the Mets were more of the enemy—especially with their stinkin’ fans who routinely invaded Citizens Bank Park.
For me, at third base, no one evokes the same baseball hate as Ron “The Penguin” Cey. That’s a guy who I have greater hate-the-face feelings for than any other opposing third basemen. Just looking at his stubby, thick, little body in that Dodgers uniform evoke a strong sense of hate when I was a young kid.
This isn’t a perfect list. It’s my list. Some of the players were average against the Phillies, but most happened to have a decent amount of success. If you have players that you consider more of a Phillies villain, please send me a shout @ViolationsGreg on twitter. I’d love to hear the suggestions and discuss with my buddies over a couple of pints.
ALL-TIME PHILLIES NEMISIS LINEUP:
Catcher – GARY CARTER: he was so damn good and he made it look too easy. That ease seemed like arrogance.
1B – KEITH HERNANDEZ: Always good and always a big timer. When he went to the Mets he felt like one of those New Yorkers that looks at every other city as a second-class city. He was a career .301 hitter against the Phillies.
2B – PHIL GARNER: This guy was an annoying gnat with a moustache that drove me crazy with the Astros and the Pirates. Even his nickname is annoying, “Scrap Iron.”
SS – My heart wants to say Dave Concepcion, but JOSE REYES edges him out with quotes like “We don’t worry about Philly” and “I’m not the only one pimpin’ when I hit a home run.”
3B – RON “THE PENGUIN” CEY: See above.
Outfielder –DAVE “THE COBRA” PARKER: This guy was a Phillies killer with a .299 career average, 117 RBIs, 27HRs and a ton of swagger!
Outfielder – TERRY PUHL: Hate the face and a .332 career average against Phillies
Outfielder – JOE CARTER: See 1993.
Pinch Hitter – JEFF CONINE: Another hate the face. Only hit .287 vs. the Phillies.
RHP – Greg Maddux is an obvious one, but he was a nemesis to all. However, the battles between STEVE ROGERS of the Expos and Steve Carlton stand out in my memory.
LHP – FERNANDO VALENZUELA: Hated the hype and hated the eye rolls in his wind-up. He held Phillies to .225 batting average over his career, 16-7 2.76 ERA.
Closer – BRUCE SUTTER: felt like he was always lights out. Against the Phillies he had 29 Saves, 1.70 ERA and held them to an average of .194 in 94 games