September 17, 2026
September 17, 2026
1950 Philadelphia Phillies: Whiz Kids
For much of their history in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies were mostly known as that “other team” in the City of Brotherly Love. The team that had the hearts of Philadelphia baseball fans was the Athletics of the American League, while the Phillies had shown comparative futility. At the start of the 1950s, however, optimism filled the Phillies organization thanks to a few simple moves. In 1948, Eddie Sawyer had been named the team’s new manager, and he helped turn around a roster that had plenty of talent — young talent, to be exact.
In 1950 the Philadelphia Phillies, who also went by the nickname “Blue Jays” (which never caught on) and the “Whiz Kids” (which did, thanks to their exciting young players), went 91-63. They finished just two games ahead of the Brooklyn Dodgers to win the National League pennant, going 11-11-1 against the Dodgers in head-to-head play. The Phillies went 48-29 at Shibe Park, their beautiful home field, and 43-34 on the road. With the exception of September, every month of the regular season went well for the Phillies, as they went 6-6 in April, 17-9 in May, 14-11 in June, 21-13 in July, and 20-8 in August.
Left fielder Del Ennis batted .311 with 31 home runs and 126 RBIs off 185 hits, 34 doubles and 8 triples. Center fielder Richie Ashburn batted .303 with 180 hits, 25 doubles, 14 triples and 14 stolen bases. First baseman and outfielder Richard Allan “Dick” Sisler batted .296 with 13 home runs and 83 RBIs off 155 hits, 29 doubles and 4 triples. Catcher Andy Seminick batted .288 with 24 home runs and 68 RBIs off 113 hits and 15 doubles.
First baseman Eddie Waitkus batted .284 with 182 hits, 32 doubles and 5 triples. Shortstop Granville “Granny” Hamner batted .270 with 11 home runs and 82 RBIs off 172 hits, 27 doubles and 5 triples. Third baseman Willie Jones had 25 home runs and 88 RBIs off 163 hits, 28 doubles and 6 triples. Second baseman Mike Goliat had 13 home runs and 64 RBIs off 113 hits, 13 doubles and 6 triples.
The Phillies were carried by solid pitching on the mound — the kind of staff that would leave an impression on baseball fans for years to come.
Starting pitcher Robin Roberts went 20-11 with 146 strikeouts and a 3.02 ERA, recording 21 complete games, 5 shutouts and 1 save. Curt Simmons went 17-8 with 146 strikeouts and a 3.40 ERA, recording 11 complete games, 2 shutouts and 1 save. Bob Miller went 11-6 with a 3.57 ERA, recording 7 complete games, 2 shutouts and 1 save. Russ Meyer had 74 strikeouts, 3 complete games and 1 save despite going 9-11. Emory Nicholas “Bubba” Church went 8-6 with a 2.73 ERA, recording 8 complete games, 2 shutouts and 1 save.
Closer Jim Konstanty set a record for most wins by a relief pitcher in a single season, going 16-7 with 22 saves and a 2.66 ERA. Relief pitcher Ken Johnson went 4-1 with 3 complete games and 1 shutout in 9 starts. Milo Candini went 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA.
The average age of the Philadelphia Phillies in 1950 was 26.4 years, meaning their youth could be considered a factor in their success. Their six-game winning streak early in the season proved that youth actually had its benefits. The streak started with an 11-7 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 6 and ended with a 7-1 victory over the New York Giants on May 13.
Another good example of the 1950 Phillies Whiz Kids making some noise in baseball was their convincing 10-0 shutout victory over their Keystone State rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, on July 30 at Shibe Park. Robin Roberts pitched a complete game, giving up 4 hits and 3 walks while recording 1 strikeout. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Del Ennis started the scoring with an RBI double, and Granville Hamner followed with a 2-run single. In the bottom of the 3rd, Willie Jones hit a solo home run, and in the bottom of the 4th, Richie Ashburn added an RBI single. In the bottom of the 6th, Mike Goliat hit a solo home run, and finally, in the bottom of the 8th, Ennis capped the rout with his own solo home run.
The Phillies were not able to capitalize on the momentum their young roster had created, as they were swept four games to none by the New York Yankees in the 1950 World Series. The Yankees won the second of five straight World Series championships at the expense of the 1950 Phillies Whiz Kids. Despite the result, the Phillies had made the rest of the baseball world take notice.
Jim Konstanty was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year and the National League Most Valuable Player. Eddie Waitkus was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year. Eddie Sawyer was rewarded for guiding the Phillies in the right direction, earning AP Manager of the Year honors. Robin Roberts started for the National League in the 1950 MLB All-Star Game, while Willie Jones was the National League’s starting third baseman.
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