Merry Christmas!
Welcome to the Christmas Day installment of This Date in Phillies History. Obviously, there are no Phillies trades, signings, or firings (how horrible would that be) for This Date in Phillies History. Team executives are spending time with their families with the cell phone turned off. Maybe we should all do that.
While there aren’t any events for Christmas Day, there are actually a number of Phillies born on December 25th and we have them below. Also, our Deeper Dive looks into the history of my favorite Christmas movie, A Christmas Story. A scene from that movie takes the place of our events for the day.
Phillies Birthdays on December 25
- Enyel De Los Santos (born December 25, 1995)
A right-handed reliever originally signed by the Padres, De Los Santos spent parts of the 2018–2021 seasons with the Phillies. He was acquired from San Diego for Freddy Galvis and worked mostly out of the bullpen. He pitched in 38 games – three starts – with the Phillies and left town with a 6.21 ERA. - Steve Montgomery (born December 25, 1947)
A left-handed pitcher who appeared in 59 games out of the bullpen with the Phillies in 1999 with a 3.34 ERA. Montgomery also pitched in the majors with Oakland and San Diego and finished his career with a 4.98 ERA in 72 relief appearances. - Manny Trillo (born December 25, 1950)
One of the most accomplished players on this list, Trillo was a key part of the Phillies’ infield from 1979 through 1982. A four-time all-star, three-time Gold Glove winner at second base, and a two-time Silver Slugger, he played a major role on the 1980 World Series championship team and was the MVP of the NLCS. Best known for his smooth defense and steady bat. See our Deeper Dive section of This Date in Phillies History: December 1 for more on Trillo’s career. - Jack Hamilton (born December 25, 1938)
A right-handed pitcher who pitched for the Phillies in 1962 and 1963, he also pitched for Detroit, the Mets, the Angels, Cleveland, and the Chicago White Sox over an eight-year career. - Alta Cohen (born December 25, 1920)
Cohen was an outfielder who played three seasons in the majors, his last with the Phillies in 1933. Cohen played 19 of his 29 MLB games with Philadelphia and was a career .194 hitter. - Ben Chapman (born December 25, 1908)
A former Phillies player-manager, Chapman is one of the more complex figures in team history. He played for and later managed the Phillies in the 1940s. He was the team’s manager during the infamous 1947 season involving Jackie Robinson. His on-field success was often overshadowed by his controversial behavior and role in one of baseball’s most difficult chapters. - Lloyd Brown (born December 25, 1949)
Brown was a left-handed pitcher who spent 12 seasons in the majors, pitching for the Phillies in 1940, which would be his final season. He made 223 relief appearances and 181 starts in his career with a 91-105 record and a 4.20 career ERA. - Walter Holke (born December 25, 1892)
A switch-hitting first baseman who played for the Phillies in 1923, 1924, and part of the 1925 season before being put on waivers and joining the Cincinnati Reds. Holke’s career began with the New York Giants and then moved on to the Boston Braves prior to playing in Philadelphia. - Alex Jones (born December 25, 1904)
A left-handed pitcher whose career covered from 1889-1903, but he only played in the majors in four of those seasons (1889, 1892, 1894, 1903). The rest of his time was spent playing in the minors. He made one start for the Phillies in 1894, threw a four-hit, two-run complete game and was sent to St. Paul in the Western League. Prior to joining the Phillies, he pitched for Reading in the Pennsylvania State League. - George Haddock (born December 25, 1929)
A right-handed pitcher/outfielder who played 10 games with the Phillies at the start of the 1894 season, posting a 5.79 ERA and a .172 batting average. He was then released and later played with the Washington Senators.
A DEEPER DIVE… A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 holiday film directed by Bob Clark and based on the semi-autobiographical writings of humorist Jean Shepherd. Set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, during the 1940s, the movie follows nine-year-old Ralphie Parker and his single-minded quest to receive a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, despite repeated warnings that he’ll “shoot his eye out.”
Although it’s now considered a holiday classic, the film had a modest theatrical run when it was first released. Its popularity grew steadily through repeated television airings, particularly after Turner Broadcasting began running the movie for 24 hours straight on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the late 1980s. That annual marathon turned the film into a generational tradition.
Many of the movie’s most iconic moments were inspired by Jean Shepherd’s real childhood experiences, including the infamous leg lamp, the frozen tongue on the flagpole, and the triple-dog dare. The house used for exterior shots still exists in Cleveland, Ohio, and has since been restored as a museum that fans can tour year-round.
Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie, largely stepped away from acting as he grew older but later became a producer and occasional collaborator with filmmakers like Jon Favreau. The movie’s distinctive narration, delivered by Shepherd himself, helped shape its nostalgic tone and set it apart from more sentimental holiday films.
Today, A Christmas Story remains one of the most recognizable and frequently quoted Christmas movies in American pop culture, beloved for its humor, honesty, and warm depiction of childhood obsession and family life.
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