Phillies History on December 18

  • December 18, 1889 – Members of the Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players who had signed National League contracts were expelled. Among them were future Phillies players Kid Gleason and Ed Delahanty. An early moment of labor strife in baseball and the emergence of the short-lived Players’ League.
  • December 18, 1992 – The Phillies signed veteran relief pitcher Larry Andersen as a free agent, marking Andersen’s return to Philadelphia after pitching for them from 1983 into the 1986 season.
  • December 18, 2012 – Left-handed pitcher John Lannan signed a one-year contract with the Phillies after starting his career and pitching six seasons with the Washington Nationals.
  • December 18, 2013 – Pitcher Roberto Hernández (formerly Fausto Carmona) completed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Phillies. The team designated catcher Sebastian Valle for assignment to clear a roster spot.

Phillies personnel born on December 18

  • Joe Buskey (born 1902) – An infielder who played in five games for the Phillies in 1926 and went 0-for-8 and was sold to Augusta in the South Atlantic League. Buskey never returned to the majors, so his 1926 season was his only MLB experience.
  • Dick Coffman (born 1906) – Played for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and New York Giants from 1927 through 1939 before signing with the Boston Bees for the 1940 season. He was released by the Bees in September of 1940 and retired. With a player shortage due to World War II, Coffman signed with the Phillies in March of 1945 at the age of 38. Three months later, the Phillies released him, ending his MLB career.
  • Brandon Marsh (born 1997) – Acquired by the Phillies in a trade with the LA Angels for catcher Logan O’Hoppe in August of 2022 and has played in both center field and left field for the Phillies.

A DEEPER DIVE… Larry Andersen

Larry Andersen has quite the big-league story. It’s one of longevity, steady relief work and a clubhouse personality that kept teammates laughing as much as he kept hitters honest. A right-handed reliever born in 1953 in Portland, Oregon, Andersen broke into the majors in the mid-1970s and carved out a 17-season career that saw him pitch for several teams, including two meaningful stints with the Phillies, and eventually transition into a long, beloved run as a Phillies broadcaster.

Andersen’s path through baseball was not a straight line. He bounced between the majors and Triple-A early on, then established himself as a reliable bullpen arm in the 1980s. He first joined the Phillies in 1983 after his contract was purchased from Portland, which was the Phillies Triple-A affiliate at the time, and he quickly became a fixture in Philadelphia’s pen. Andersen pitched for the Phillies from 1983 through part of 1986, appearing in the 1983 World Series and becoming known for his effectiveness against right-handed hitters. After being released in 1986 he signed with the Houston Astros, where he arguably had some of his best seasons, including a sparkling 1.54 ERA season in 1989.

THE trade

The moment that ties Andersen forever to baseball lore came on August 30, 1990, when the Houston Astros traded him to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a Double-A prospect named Jeff Bagwell. Andersen was a veteran reliever brought in to help a Red Sox playoff push and he produced well in his short time in Boston. What made the transaction famous, of course, was that Bagwell went on to become an MVP, a franchise cornerstone for the Astros, and ultimately a Hall of Famer, making the deal one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. Andersen has always handled that association with good humor, and Bagwell himself has joked about being “that kid” who was traded for Larry.

After Boston

After the brief Red Sox stint, Andersen signed with the San Diego Padres and then returned to the Phillies as a free agent in December 1992. That second Phillies stint landed him in the 1993 postseason, giving him the rare distinction of appearing for Philadelphia in both the 1983 and 1993 World Series. He wound down his playing career after the 1994 season, finishing with a career ERA of 3.15 and 699 MLB appearances — a reflection of steady, long-term value as a middle reliever and setup man.

Off the field Andersen became equally well known for his personality. He earned a reputation as a prankster from his earliest days in pro baseball. Stories about jello in toilets, elaborate practical jokes on teammates and convincing gullible players they’d been traded are part of his legend. Those antics made him a clubhouse favorite wherever he went and they also translated into a folksy, entertaining presence once he moved into broadcasting.

When his playing days ended, Andersen moved into the broadcast booth and became a mainstay of the Phillies’ radio team. He joined the Phillies’ broadcast lineup in 1998 and over the years became one of the long-running, recognizable voices of the franchise. Andersen’s on-air style mixes straightforward baseball insight, quick wit, and the same mischievous sense of humor teammates remember from the clubhouse. He has scaled back his work schedule to doing primarily home games over the past couple of seasons, but remains a beloved figure to Phillies fans and a link between generations of the club.

Andersen’s legacy is an odd but charming mix: a dependable reliever who was the other player in one of baseball’s most famous trades, a clubhouse entertainer who kept baseball fun during a long season, and a broadcaster who has helped narrate Phillies baseball for decades. Fans remember him for the stories as much as the statistics — for the laughter he brought to the clubhouse and the clear baseball mind he brings to the booth.

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