27th and Jefferson

– Matt Albertson, May 2023

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Statistics:

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(2025) WHEELER’S DEALERS – Zach Wheeler

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(2024) NOLA’S GONDOLAS – Aaron Nola

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(2024) STUBBS CLUB – Garrett Stubbs

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(2024) RANGER’S RANGERS – Ranger Suarez

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(2023) STOTT’S TOTS – Bryson Stott

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(2023) HARPER’S HOUNDS – Bryce Harper

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(2023) MARSH’S MANIACS- Brandon Marsh

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(2023) MARSH’S MARSHMALLOWS – Brandon Marsh (Twitter: @Marshs_Mallows)

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(2023) MARSH’S MARSHANS – Brandon Marsh

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(2022-23) JEAN’S JEANS – Jean Segura (Twitter: @JeansJeans302)

The Story

Come up with an idea, promote it, get people and businesses involved and have a party. Be sure to read the full details here.

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(2022-23) HARPER’S HEROES – Bryce Harper

The Story

Randy Farrow, David Wardwell, Logan Yanucci and others dress up as superheroes as part of Harper’s Heroes. What makes this really interesting is that Farrow, Wardwell, and Yanucci were part of Howard’s Homers back in 2006. The group was interviewed by Philly Voice journalist Nick Tricome on Opening Day 2022.

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(2021) THE KNAPP SACKS – Andrew Knapp

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(2020-Present) THE PHANDEMIC KREW – Phillies (Twitter: @PhandemicKrew)

The Story

The Phandemic Krew organized during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and is arguably the best organized fan group I’ve come across. I won’t go over the group’s entire story here since it’s been covered so well. Check out this Philly Voice piece for the full dope.

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(2016-2018) RUPPIES PUPPIES – Cameron Rupp (Twitter: @RuppiesPuppies)

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(2011) CLIFF HANGERS – Cliff Lee

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(2011) VANCE WORLEY’S GREEK WARRIORS – Vance Worley

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(2011) FRANCISCO’S BENNY FRANKS – Ben Francisco

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(2011) CHOOCH’S CONDUCTORS – Carlos Ruiz

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(2011) ORR’S OARS – Pete Orr

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(2011) STUTES FRUITS – Michael Stutes

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(2010) DOC’S PATIENTS – Roy Halladay

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(2010) POLANCO HEADS – Placido Polanco

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(2009) BAKO’S TACOS – Paul Bako

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(2009) RODRIGO’S AMIGOS – Rodrigo Lopez

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(2009) WERTH’S SMURFS – Jayson Werth

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(2009) KENDRICK’S HENDRIX – Kyle Kendrick

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(2007) PHLYIN HAWAIIAN’S – Shane Victorino

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(2007) RED ARMY – Phillies

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(ca. 2006) CHASE’S CHICKS – Chase Utley

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(2006) THE COSTE GUARD – Chris Coste

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(2006) FLASH’S FOLLOWERS – Tom Gordon

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(2006) SAL’S PALS – Sal Fasano

The Story

Matt Walker, Tom Dudzic and a few friends from Cinnaminson, NJ showed up to the April 9, 2006 Phillies game and caught the attention of backup catcher Sal Fasano thanks to their excessive hair and fu manchus. Fasano told reporters that it pumped him up. “I was in awe of the whole thing because I thought only superstars have stuff like this.” Sal’s Pals number grew by the time he made his next start. On Friday April 21, Fasano sent 20 pizzas up to his fan club in the right field nose bleeds.

Dudzic explained “Why Sal Fasano” in an email to the bygone 700 Level:

“We created Sal’s Pals because we feel something needs to bring life to this Phillies team, and not to mention getting the fans fired up. Fasano is a character with his appearence and his personality and what better person to have a fan group for.  Look back and people can see that the catcher is one of the true leaders of any good team in real life and in the movies as well.  Jason Varitek of the 2004 Red Sox, Thurman Munson of the 1976 Yankees (also had a fu-manchu, coincidence? I think not), Jake Taylor from Major League, Crash Davis from Bull Durham, all leaders.  Lieberthal has had a great run with the Phillies but his laid back, California cool style is different than what Philadelphians are used to.  Even Daulton was great for us the last time we made the playoffs, but as we all know he’s now predicting the end of the world.”

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(2006) HOWARD’S HOMERS – Ryan Howard

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(2006) J-ROLLS BAKERY- Jimmy Rollins

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(2006) RYAN’S HAWAIIANS – Ryan Madsen

Note: This is almost surely a fan group for Ryan Madsen. This sign shows two backwards k’s, suggesting the Ryan in question is a pitcher. Some of the people in this image are wearing coats, sweatshirts, or long sleeves, suggesting this is a cooler month. Ryan Franklin was traded to the Reds in August 2006, so he did not pitch in cooler September games. He did not achieve two strikeouts looking in a day game at home during the cooler spring months. Ryan Madsen did so on April 9, 2006.

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(2006) CHASE’S ACES – Chase Utley

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(2006) THE COLE MINERS – Cole Hamels

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(2006) ROWAND’S ROMANS – Aaron Rowand

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(2006) RYAN’S LIONS – Ryan Howard, Ryan Franklin, or Ryan Madsen

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(2006) HOWARD’S HOOLIGAN’S – Ryan Howard

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(2006) HOWARD’S HITMEN – Ryan Howard

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(2005) ABREU’S AMIGOS – Bobby Abreu

(2003) THE PRATT PACK – Todd Pratt

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(2003) MILLWOOD’S MILITIA – Kevin Millwood

The Story

I don’t have any confirmed background but from what I’ve gathered, this early popular Millwood fan group showed up to the Vet dressed in camouflage and fatigues and at some point(s), a member would rip his shirt off Hulk Hogan style, exposing a painted or taped “K” on his chest. The group also incorporated a “Millometer”, where they tracked Millwood’s strikeouts by hanging “K’s” in the area. A lot of their antics can be seen on this YouTube video.

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(2003) TURK’S TURKEYS – Turk Wendell

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(2003) BYRD’S NEST – Marlon Byrd

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(2003) THE GENERIC FAN GROUP – Phillies

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(2003) THOME’S HOMIES – Jim Thome

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(2003) THOME-NATORS – Jim Thome

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(2003) BOWA’S BOYS – Phillies

The Story

Again, I don’t have concrete backstory from any members on this one. But this group got a lot of attention from the broadcast team during the August 13, 2003 Brewers-Phillies game. The members created a diamond out of rope in the 700 level. Each member had a player’s name and number on their back. When the Phillies were in the field, the members aligned accordingly. When the Phillies were batting, they did whatever their Phillie did on the field. This included “running the bases” – IE running up the stairs, across, and down the seats. Whoever was Jim Thome got a workout that night.

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(2003) CORMIER’S CRAZY CREW – Rheal Cormier

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(2003) PLACIDO’S AMIGOS – Placido Polanco

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(2003) David Bell’s Belle’s – David Bell

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(2003) KRUK’S KREW – John Kruk

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(2003) UTLEY’S UGLIES – Chase Utley

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(2002) LIEBY’S LEGION – Mike Lieberthal

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(2002) LEDEE’S LEGION – Ricky Ledee

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(2002) MYERS MANIACS – Brett Myers

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(2002) THE WHEEL HOUSE – Chris Wheeler

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(2002) KALAS’S KREW (WE’RE WAY OUT OF HERE) – Harry Kalas

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(2002) KALAS’S KREW – Harry Kalas

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(2002) PAT’S BAT-MEN – Pat Burrell

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(2002) BURRELL’S BOMB SQUAD – Pat Burrell

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(2002) BURRELL OF MONKEYS – Pat Burrell

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(2002) THE DUCK POND – Brandon Duckworth

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(2002) DUCKWORTH’S QUACK PACK – Brandon Duckworth

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(2002) PADILLA’S FLOTILLA – Vicente Padilla

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(2002) GIAMBI’S ZOMBIES – Jeremy Giambi

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(2002) BURRELL’S SQUIRRELS – Pat Burrell

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(2002) BURRELL’S GIRLS – Pat Burrell

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(2002) J-RO’S BROS – Jimmy Rollins

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(2002) BOBBY’S BOBBIES – Bobby Abreu

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(2002) MESA’S FACES – Jose Mesa

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(2002) MARLON’S MAGICIAN – Marlon Anderson

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(2002) PEREZ’S FEZES – Tomas Perez

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(2002) THE ADAMS FAMILY – Terry Adams

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(2002) LIEBERTHAL’S LITTLE PHAN GROUP – Mike Lieberthal

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(2002) DOLLA DOG POUND – Dollar Dogs(?)

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(2002) AMIGOS DE ABREU Y PEREZ – Bobby Abreu and Tomas Perez

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(2002) COGGIN’S CORNER – Dave Coggin

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(2002) LIEBERTHAL’S NEANDERTHALS – Mike Lieberthal

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(2002) POLANCO’S POSSE – Placido Polanco

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(2002) THE CASEY’S KALAS KRAZIES – Harry Kalas

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(2002) MYER’S SUPPLIERS – Brett Myers

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(2002) ROA BOAT – Joe Roa

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(2002) HARRY’S HOODLUMS – Harry Kalas

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(2002) BURRELL’S BUNCH – Pat Burrell

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(2001) THE DAVE KAVE – Dave Coggin

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(2002) DAAL HOUSE – Omar Daal

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(2000) CHEN PEN – Bruce Chen

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(1999) THE WOLF PACK – Randy Wolf

The Story

The Wolf Pack is the group that immediately comes to mind when people think about Phillies fan groups. They weren’t the first fan group in team history nor the first to appear at the Vet, but they quickly became the most popular thanks to their wolf masks and antics. You could argue their popularity became the launching pad for the groups that followed.

Randy Wolf debuted at the Vet against the Blue Jays on June 11, 1999 and pitched 5.2 innings and surrendered one run on six hits. (Roy Halladay pitched 1.1 innings in relief for Toronto that night, too.) Kevin and Randy Wood were playing a game of pool when they concocted the idea to that became the Wolf Pack. Evidently it was supposed to be a one-time thing but their other broths and a few other friends wanted in. They set up shop in Section 739 and howled and pumped their fists when Wolf struck out a batter. Their rules were no swearing, no drinking, and their wolf masks had to be worn at all times when Wolf was in the game. The group continued to balloon and was a sight to see during the Vet’s twilight years.

In 2016, the group returned to the ballpark one more time and were on the field when Randy Wolf threw out the first pitch. He was officially retiring as a Phillie. More details can be found in this New York Times piece.

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(1999) PERSON’S PEOPLE – Robert Person

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(1999) OGEA’S ORANGEMEN – Chad Ogea

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(1999) BYRD’S NEST – Paul Byrd

The Story

Paul Byrd made 56 starts for the Phillies between 1998 and 2001. In his lone All-Star season (1999), he was 15-11 with a 4.60 ERA and led the majors in hit by pitch. Regardless, a few high schoolers deemed him interesting enough to be the focus of their fan group in 1999. The Byrd’s Nest, which predated the Wolf Pack, was founded by Richie Ashburn’s grandson and the group attended more than six games together. On one occasion, one of the group members skipped an SAT prep class to attend a game. They were invited down to the clubhouse later to meet Byrd (you can see this yourself on the 1999 Phillies video yearbook on YouTube).

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(1999) GOMZEES HOMEEZ – Wayne Gomes

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(1999) ABREU’S ARMY – Bobby Abreu

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(1999) GLANVILLE – Doug Glanville

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(1999) THE SCOTT SQUAD – Scott Rolen

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(1999) GANT’S GANG – Ron Gant

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(1999) THE BYRD CAGE – Paul Byrd

The Story

Co-Founder Jared Shelly explained that The Byrd Cage group was the first to be “somebody’s something.” Their first appeared during an early June Phillies-Yankees interleague game.

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(1998) DUTCH WONDER-LAND – Darren Daulton

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(1997) THE SCHILL-O-METER – Curt Schilling

The Story

Two friends attended a Schilling start at the Vet one day decided to hang “K’s” on the wall when Schilling recorded a strikeout. They knew 300+ strikeouts in a season was a big deal and co-member Chris (no last name) said that he worked in a copy shop and printed all the K’s for free. They appeared on Sports Center and the Phillies eventually sent the two a care package. They decided to turn it up a notch and created the Schill-O-Meter.

Over the course of the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Chris explained that they’d been cursed at, nearly kicked out of the Vet, were interviewed by numerous networks, called an inning from the booth and hung out in the video production booth at the Vet.

Cursed at? Chris explained that tickets were easy to come by in ’97. Eventually, the club started leaving them tickets at Will Call. The seats were good but their preferred location was way up in Section 738. But they got a few neighbors during the July 4th games when the Vet was more crowded. Their normal spot in 738 was now filled with families. So, they had to bob and weave through the people to do their bit. The kids in the section enjoyed it. The parents? Not so much. They called an usher over to complain. They nearly started taking the K’s down when Video Dan Stephenson arrived to get some Schill-O-Meter footage and saw what was happening. Schilling was superstitious and appreciated what Chris and his friend were doing. Stephenson talked to the usher, who moved the families to another section.

The second picture above shows the Schill-O-Meter guys in Miami, not the Vet. They attended Schilling’s last Vet start and he reached 293 strikeouts. The Phillies reach out to the guys and said that Schilling wanted to meet with them and gave them Diamond Club seats for the next game (Fan Appreciation Day). They were able to be on the field during pregame and Schilling came up to them and asked what they were doing next weekend. Schilling offered to fly the guys down to Miami. So, they fly down to see Schilling’s final start of the year just before Hurricane Hugo hit Florida. They had to bribe a security guard $20 to allow them to hang the Schill-O-Meter sign. When Schilling recorded his 300th strikeout, they held up the “300” sign and Schilling tipped his hat towards the guys in the nosebleeds.

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(1997) WONDERDOG’S KENNEL – Rex Hudler

The Story

Rex “Wonderdog” Hudler finished his 13 year MLB career with the Phillies in 1998. Over two seasons with the club, Hudler slashed .196/.247/.319 in 175 plate appearances. Timothy McCracken and a friend appreciated the way Hudler played the game. “[He] was just one of those guys we watched that made the game look so fun. And he had a great nickname for it. We were also trying to get into the fan club thing casue the schill-o-meter was at its peak that summer.” Evidently, Hudler really appreciated the duo. On one occasion, he came over to the guys in the stands and gave them hats, signed balls and autographed their sign. “He just kept saying thank you over and over again.”

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(1989) JELTZ FAN CLUB (JFC) – Steve Jeltz (Twitter: @JFC_2023)

The Story

Everyone needs fans, even if that someone is a light-hitting shortstop and the whole thing is tongue-in-cheek. I discovered the JFC when searching for Phillies fan groups. In 1989, a few Strath-Haven students formed the Steve Jeltz Fan Club. They printed newsletters, handed them out to fans in the 700 level at the Vet, and even had newsletter excerpts printed in the Inquirer. The JFC’s membership peaked at roughly 34 members and included Glenn Macnow and future New York Times baseball writer Tyler Kepner.

Eventually, co-founder Matt Robinson found the Phillies fan group thread I was doing. I tracked down Chris Otto, another co-founder. Matt told me Chris was basically the lead guy and Chis and I have corresponded on a few occasions since. He eventually sent me the above pictured copies of all JFC newsletters, known as “The Jeltz MVP Express”. The wry wit that filled the newsletter was too good to pass up and I have since created a Jeltz Fan Club account on Twitter. Feel free to give it a follow.

(I plan to do a more thorough write up on the JFC at another time).

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(ca. 1972-77) TOMMY HUTTON FAN CLUB – Tommy Hutton

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(1966) ALLEN’S ALLEY – Dick Allen

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(ca. 1895) MORRIS GUARDS and KELLY’S ROOTERS – Phillies

The Story

These two fan groups first appear in print in 1895, but I believe they predate these mentions. The newspaper reporting is rather matter-of-fact and gives the impression that these groups were a known commodity in 1895. Nevertheless, both groups were made up of impassioned Phillies fans. They gifted a watch to catcher Jack Clements and flowers to Sam Thompson before the 1895 home opener. In a column prior to the home opener, Inquirer sports writer Harry H. Diddlebock briefly described the Phillies’ new ballpark. The new ballpark would include seating under the main pavilion at field level. “An easy, comfortable chair has been placed in the stand, and the same kind of chair is placed under the stand where the Morris Guards and Kelly’s “Rooters” are expected to be heard, but not seen.” The groups also occasionally traveled with the club and made a strong showing on Opening Day 1895 in Baltimore.

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(ca. 1895) DONAGHY’S ROOTERS – Phillies