1896 Philadelphia Phillies season

Preseason

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "Harry Wright came to this city in the zenith of his powers as a base ball manager, and what he did for the development of the local end of the national game of base ball is a matter of history. It was here that he passed the evening of his life, beloved by all whose good fortune it was to know him. Here it was that he had his little home staked, and here in the impressive silence of beautiful West Laurel Hill his mortal remains lie buried. His work was an honor to Philadelphians, who will doubtless turn and give substantial evidence of their appreciation of that honor."

The Inquirer rallied the city's amateur baseball organizations to attend the game in numbers. Four thousand fans attended the Phillies exhibition game at Philadelphia Ball Park against the Atlantic League Philadelphia Athletics, raising $1,400 for the Wright memorial.

Regular season

On July 13, 1896, Phillies outfielder and firstbaseman Ed Delahanty hit four home runs at Chicago's West Side Park, only the second player to do so. In contrast to Bobby Lowe's feat two years earlier, which was aided by a short foul line, two of Delahanty's were inside-the-park. After Delahanty's third, center fielder Bill Lange drew a laugh by calling "time", stationing himself in deep-deep center, near the clubhouse, seemingly a mile away, and then waving the pitcher to continue. Delahanty then got the laugh on Lange by knocking it between the clubhouse and the fence, again circling the bases while Lange scurried for the ball. The normally partisan home fans cheered Delahanty's effort. Chicago would win the game, 9–8.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

References

• 1896 Philadelphia Phillies season at Baseball Reference
• 1896 Philadelphia Phillies roster at Baseball Almanac

References

1. . (April 2, 1896). "Current Sporting Chat: Arrangements Completed for the Proper Observance of the Harry Wright Memorial". *Philadelphia Inquirer*.
2. . (April 3, 1896). "Harry Wright Memorial; Enthusiastic Meeting of Amateur Base Ball Representatives at Inquirer Offices". *Philadelphia Inquirer*.
3. . (April 14, 1896). "Wright Day Celebrated". *Philadelphia Inquirer*.
4. Casway, Jerrold. "July 13, 1896: Ed Delahanty's four-home run game". SABR.