Categories: Posts

Lieby Gets His Place In The Sun

I let this one go yesterday, but it’s definitely worthy of a post.

Mike Lieberthal retired as a member of the Phillies yesterday. He signed a one-day contract worth $4 (How do they come to that figure?) and threw out the first pitch before the Phils-Marlins tilt. Said Lieby:

“To put everything I had into the Phillies for 13 years, it’s pretty special. You don’t see too many players who stay with one team in any sport for that long of a period. It’s definitely an honor to come here and finish with the Phillies.”

Lieby caught 1,139 games for the Phils, the most ever for a red-pinned catcher. He hit .276 with 150 home runs and 609 RBI with the Phils. His best season was probably 1999, when he hit 31 homers and drove in 96, batting a cool .300. He hit .313 in 2003.

Most Phillie fans would place Lieby behind at least Bob Boone and Darren Daulton on all-time franchise lists. But statistically, Lieby trumps Dutch in major categories. Where would you put Lieby all-time?

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.