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In honor of the Philadelphia Phillies playing host to the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, we here at The Good Phight are launching a yearlong series that focuses on the history of the Phillies and the All-Star Game. Check back regularly for posts about the Phillies participation (or lack thereof) in the Midsummer Classic over its history.

Last time in this series, we learned about the three players from the 1930s Phillies era that appeared in one career All-Star game. Today, we’ll move on to the 1940s. To be completely transparent, there were a lot of them in this decade, as the Phillies were not a particularly good ballclub then (shocker I know), so we’re going to break them up into two posts.

Merrill May, 1940

A 5’11 third baseman from Indiana, Merrill “Pinky” May signed with the New York Yankees upon graduating Indiana University in 1932. May was a star centerfielder at his alma mater and served as c0-captain of a Big 10 Championship team his senior year. College was also where he was bestowed the nickname of “Pinky” due to his face often turning bright red when he was angry. The Yankees sent May to the minor leagues to begin his professional career, and unfortunately for May, that is where he would remain throughout his Yankees tenure. May advanced as high as Double-A Newark by 1935, but he was trapped there through the 1938 season.

That was when May was drafted by the Phillies out of the Yankees farm system. He would go on to make his MLB debut with Philadelphia in 1939 at the fresh young age of 28. May appeared in 135 games with the Phillies his rookie year, hitting .287 with 32 extra-base hits, despite suffering a late spring training injury on March 30th when he twisted his spinal column chasing a pop-up.

May got off to a strong start in 1940, as he was hitting .330 with 24 RBIs through the end of June. Despite the Phillies having the worst record in baseball at 23-44 at the time of the All-Star game, the Phillies sent four representatives to the game, and May’s performance was good enough to be one of them. He was joined by pitchers Hugh Mulcahy (more on him later) and Kirby Higbe as well as manager Doc Prothro at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis.

None of the Phillies player representatives started, but May did find his way into the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning for the Dodgers’ Cookie Lavagetto with the National League leading 3-0. May came to the plate in the bottom half of the inning to face the Tigers’ Bobo Newsom and flew out to center in a full count. The Phillies third baseman got another chance to hit in the bottom of the eighth with a runner on third and two outs. But the first pitch from Cleveland’s Bob Feller hit May, putting runners at the corners for the Cardinals’ own Terry Moore, but Feller erased the threat with a strikeout. Nevertheless, despite the Phillies’ rather small impact, the NL went on to beat the AL by a final score of 4-0.

May went on to finish the 1940 season hitting .293 with a .954 fielding percentage at third. He would play three more years for the Phillies, hitting a very pedestrian .264 with a .667 OPS. Then in 1944, the 33-year-old May enlisted in the Navy where he played for the Great Lakes Naval Station team before being deployed to the Pacific theater of World War II. While there, May played for baseball teams that entertained soldiers fighting on the front lines. He was eventually stationed on the island of Tinian, where his makeshift home was less than 100 yards from an airstrip where he watched American B-29 bombers take off for bombing runs over Japan. One such plane he witnessed take off in 1945 was the Enola Gay leaving on its mission on August 6th to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

After the war, May returned to the Phillies but never again appeared in a Major League game. He was released by Philadelphia on May 7th, 1946, and rather than sign with the Pirates as a third baseman, May decided to pursue a managerial career. He first served as a player-manager for the Pirates Single-A affiliate in Albany before moving to the Cleveland organization through 1962. He then had his final stops in the systems of the Yankees and Reds, during the latter of which May became the last person to manage Satchel Paige in 1966 with the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League. May then made his way back to the Cleveland organization where he managed his son Milt before finally retiring in 1972.

Hugh Mulcahy, 1940

Like his teammate May, Hugh Mulcahy was also a representative of the Phillies at the 1940 All-Star game. Nicknamed “losing pitcher”, Mulcahy led all of baseball in losses twice in six seasons with the Phillies. At the time of the All-Star break in 1940, Mulcahy had a 7-10 record but that was despite a solid 3.44 ERA. That was even after Mulcahy allowed eight runs in just 1.1 IP against the Giants a mere four days before the All-Star game. Luckily for Mulcahy, his numbers were still good enough to get him named to the NL’s team. Unluckily for him however, he did not see the field in the game.

That bad luck seemed to foreshadow much of his next calendar year. Mulcahy returned to the Phillies after the break and won his first five starts, all of which were complete games, to bring his season record above .500 for the first time since June 27th. But the reality of playing on the 1940 Phillies came crashing back down on Mulcahy, as he then embarked on a twelve-game losing streak that started on August 4th and didn’t end until Mulcahy’s last start of the season on September 27th. He didn’t pitch as bad as one might think over such a streak though, as he averaged over 7 innings pitched per start, including two starts where he pitched past the ninth inning, but nevertheless Mulcahy still sported a 4.90 ERA over that span and allowed five or more runs in five of those starts.

The hits kept coming (literally and metaphorically) for Mulcahy. He finished the 1940 season with a respectable 3.60 ERA but led all of baseball in losses with 22 and surrendered the most hits of any pitcher with 283. That season would be Mulcahy’s last until 1945, as his bad luck was capped off by being drafted into the Army on March 8th, 1941, notably becoming the first MLB player drafted into the military. The date of which Mulcahy was drafted had the added touch of bad luck by occurring nine months before the United States’ entry into World War II. It was also right on the eve of Mulcahy possibly being bought by the Brooklyn Dodgers, who finished second in the NL in 1940, for the price of $75,000. The timing ended up costing Mulcahy five full seasons in the Majors, having left for the Army at age 26 and returning at age 31.

Ultimately, Mulcahy would pitch in only 23 more MLB games after being honorably discharged by the Army on August 5th, 1945. He played in Philadelphia until asking for and being granted a release following the 1946 season. Mulcahy then signed with the Pirates who ultimately released him on May 11th after appearing in only two games. He then bounced around the minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox before retiring in 1951 and embarking on a career as a pitching coach.

Danny Litwhiler, 1942

Not many people may have ever heard of Danny Litwhiler, but he continues to impact the game today in ways you wouldn’t expect. A Ringtown, Pennsylvania native and Bloomsburg University graduate, Litwhiler originally signed with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1936. He suffered a pair of major injuries to his ankle and knee over the next few years, resulting in Litwhiler being released by the Tigers in 1939. He joined his brother at a tryout for the Baltimore Orioles, and after waiting for a promised call that never came, finally discovered that the scout that wanted to sign him was John Ogden, who in the meantime had been hired as general manager of the Phillies and wanted to sign him to play in Philadelphia instead.

The Pennsylvania Dutch outfielder made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1940 after recovering from knee surgery stemming from his injury with the Tigers. He appeared in just 36 games but hit .345 with 5 home runs. Littwhiler got down ballot MVP votes in his first full season in 1941 when he finished the year hitting .305/.350/.466. He wasn’t as impressive in 1942, as he was hitting just .265 by the end of June, but Litwhiler had not yet committed an error in the outfield after having a Major League leading 14 errors the previous year.

That defensive improvement was good enough to earn Litwhiler a spot at the All-Star game as the 21-54 Phillies lone representative at the Polo Grounds. The National League was defeated 3-1 thanks in large part to a two-run homer in the first inning from Rudy York of the Tigers, but Litwhiler was actually able to see some action. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth and hit the first pitch he saw from Detroit’s Al Benton into right for a single. His effort was quickly erased though, as the Cardinals’ Jimmy Brown grounded into a double play.

Litwhiler returned to the Phillies and finished the season hitting a very pedestrian .271/.310/.389. However, he became the first player in MLB history to play a full season without recording an error, a remarkable accomplishment considering his previous history of poor defense. Perhaps part of that success could be due to his fielding glove’s fingers being tied together by rawhide, the first time any player had done that to a glove in the Majors.

The following year, Litwhiler and fellow outfielder Earl Naylor were traded to the Cardinals in exchange for Herman Coaker Triplett, Dain Clay, and Elvin “Buster” Adams, all of which were also outfielders. The surprise trade of Litwhiler angered the Phillies fanbase who were given a “frothing-at-the-mouth argument that will enable them to take their minds off war worries for a few minutes” according to Stan Baumgartner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Baumgartner wrote in the paper that fan reaction was very “bitter” and even talked to one man with a Texas accent who remarked “I saw that Clay play in the Texas League- and if he’s a big leaguer, I’m a storm trooper.”

Things worked out pretty good for Litwhiler at least, as he was a member of the 1944 World Series champion Cardinals while the Phillies continued to wallow in loathing and self-pity. Litwhiler, who was previously ineligible for military service due to his knee injury, was accepted for limited service in the Army in 1945 and rose to be recreation director for the 10,000 soldiers stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state. He returned to the Cardinals in 1946 but was traded to the Boston Braves whom he started for on Opening Day 1947. That day was rather significant, as it was the day Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team Litwhiler’s Braves were playing against that day.

Litwhiler played for four more seasons in the Majors, having been traded to the Reds in 1948 and playing his last game with Cincinnati in 1951. He then embarked on a coaching career that started in the minor leagues but soon moved to college ball. During his time coaching is when Litwhiler created numerous inventions that are still in use today, such as the JUGGS radar gun and Diamond Grit, the drying agent that grounds crews use during rain delays. His prototype radar gun and his tied rawhide glove are both enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com

Alan Cohen, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography for Pinky May

Evansville Press, June 1st, 1932

The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 2nd, 1940

James C. Isaminger, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 7th, 1940

C. Paul Rogers III, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography for Hugh Mulcahy

The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 25th, 1940

John M. Cummings, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 2nd, 1941

Glen Vasey, Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography for Danny Litwhiler

Pottsville Republican, June 26th, 1942

Stan Baumgartner, The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 3rd, 1943

The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2nd, 1943

For nearly 20 years, the Yankees had an ace in the hole who gave them an advantage over every other team in the league, boasting the nearest the game has ever known to a true shutdown closer. Of paramount importance, therefore, was establishing a bridge between the team’s starters and Mariano Rivera, who lay in wait should the team hold an advantage entering the ninth inning. That role was filled by an endless stream of arms over the years, including All-Stars, phenoms, and journeymen. And, for one glorious month, Dámaso Marte served as a key plank in the bridge as the Yankees captured their 27th championship.

Dámaso Marte Saviñón
Born: February 14, 1975 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
Yankees Tenure: 2008-10

Dámaso Marte was born on Valentine’s Day in 1975 in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo. He signed with the Mariners for $2,500 as a 17-year-old, rising through the ranks of their minor-league system until debuting with Seattle during a five-appearance stint in 1999. But, after a left elbow strain cost him most of the following season, the Mariners cut the southpaw.

It was here that the left-hander would first intersect with the Yankees. “They released me after elbow surgery, and the only team interested was the Yankees,” Marte would later say of his exit from Seattle. “I signed a contract with a clause that [said] I would stay in the big leagues if I could make the team, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t do it and was sent to the minors.”

Assigned to Double-A Norwich, Marte fared well enough in his first extended action after surgery that he drew the attention of the Pirates, who consummated a swap for the reliever that netted the Yankees utilityman Enrique Wilson. In parts of four seasons in New York, Wilson didn’t exactly light up the stat sheet. But he became a fan favorite for one bewildering — and exceedingly valuable — trait. Wilson was the Pedro whisperer, hitting .440 against the Red Sox ace over the course of his career.

After spending the rest of the 2001 season in Pittsburgh’s bullpen, Marte was moved once again, this time to the White Sox. In his late 20s, the reliever finally hit his stride, making 279 appearances with a 2.78 ERA over four seasons. This included a pivotal outing in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series in which he tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless ball during a 14-inning marathon in Houston, taking home the victory as the White Sox pulled ahead to a 3-0 series lead en route to a sweep.

Ever the nomad, Marte was traded again before the 2006 campaign, this time back to Pittsburgh. After two-and-a-half seasons in their bullpen, the Yankees pulled the trigger midway through the 2008 season on a move that would bring him back to their organization. GM Brian Cashman parted with prospects José Tábata, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen to bring back Marte and outfielder Xavier Nady. “It was hard to give up the players we did. I like those players,” Cashman said at the time. “[But] the players we got back – Marte and Nady – both will hopefully contribute to the 2008 season, and we have them for ’09.”

But Marte’s transition back to the AL would not be a smooth one. He posted a 5.40 ERA down the stretch in ‘08 as the Yankees stumbled and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993. After losing the lion’s share of the ‘09 season to injury — and allowing more than a run per inning while healthy — Marte hardly figured to be a key element of the team’s postseason plans. But he did crack the playoff roster, pairing with Phil Coke as the team’s top left-handed options out of the bullpen. His role as a lefty specialist got off to a rough start in the ALDS, when he allowed singles to Minnesota’s top two lefties — Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel — in his sole appearance and was pulled by manager Joe Girardi before recording an out.

Fortunately for Marte, he would get a second chance to help form the bridge to Mariano in the next round. And, fortunately for the Yankees, he would take full advantage of that opportunity. In Game 2 of the ALCS, with the Yankees up a game and Coke already burned in the seventh, Marte entered in extras to face Kendrys Morales, a switch-hitter who’d hit 30 of his 34 homers that season against righties. Marte induced a groundout from the Angels first baseman before giving way to David Robertson, who would record the victory when Melky Cabrera walked the game off. He was back in Game 3 and, while it was the Angels who would walk that game off, Marte came on to retire another switch-hitter who struggled against lefties, Chone Figgins, and strand a runner in scoring position. Likewise in Game 5, when he retired Figgins and the left-handed Bobby Abreu.

But it was after the Yankees advanced to the World Series that Marte would truly distinguish himself as a lefty specialist par excellence. He appeared in four games, facing eight batters and retiring all eight. He gave particular fits to the left-handed heart of the Phillies’ order, with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard going a combined 0-for-6 with four punchouts.

Marte’s ability to neutralize Utley — who hit five home runs that series, four of which came against his fellow lefties — was a major factor in the Yankees’ ability to prevail. Marte’s heroics garnered him high praise from his manager.

“When we think about the 2009 World Series, we think of Hideki Matsui, who was the MVP,” said Girardi. “But, to me, the MVP in that World Series was Dámaso Marte. The Phillies [had] really good left-handed hitters. In the top of the eighth inning of Game One, the first two batters get on and I bring in Dámaso and he strikes out Utley and I go, ‘Uh, oh!’ Then Game Three in Philly, he strikes out Howard, he strikes out Jayson Werth. … I’ve got a super weapon here. Then Game Six. There’s two on in the top of the seventh, [and he strikes out Utley]. Dámaso Marte was the unsung hero of that World Series, and I’ll never forget it.”

Marte never reached those heights again. He pitched to a 4.08 ERA while limited to 17.2 innings with the Yankees in 2010 and spent all of the following season recovering from shoulder labrum surgery. At the age of 36, the injuries which had plagued him throughout his career led him to walk away from the game of baseball. He’s now a pastor at the Ministerio Refugio de Fe y Esperanza in Santo Domingo. But, for one incredible run, he was an irreplaceable cog in the Yankees’ bullpen and, in the eyes of his manager, the most valuable player on a championship squad.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Here’s to hearts, roses, chocolates and Atlanta Braves baseball.

Well, one out of four ain’t bad.

The first week of Spring Training is almost in the books, and there’s already been the notable addition of catcher Jonah Heim and the loss of starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach.

Projecting the Opening Day roster before Spring Training games begin is a fool’s errand, but luckily for you, that’s what we’re going to do.

This projection is based on who is on the Braves’ 40-man roster or in camp with the team and assumes that everyone is “healthy” six weeks from now. All the usual caveats apply related to injuries, acquisitions and the like.

Position Players

Catchers: Drake Baldwin

First base: Matt Olson

Second base: Ozzie Albies

Shortstop: Mauricio Dubón

Third base: Austin Riley

Right field: Ronald Acuña, Jr.

Center field: Micheal Harris II

Left field: Mike Yastrzemski

Designated hitter: Jurickson Profar

Bench: Jonah Heim, Sandy León, Eli White, Jorge Mateo

The only slight surprise here is León. Although Atlanta’s schedule to start the season isn’t menacing as the start to the 2025 campaign, the Braves do play 13 games in-a-row to open the season, including an eight-game west coast road trip, meaning that Atlanta could opt to give León a start or at least have him as an emergency option on the bench.

Heim’s ability to switch-hit and All-Star pedigree means Atlanta could carry three catchers on the 26-man roster once Sean Murphy returns from injury.With Baldwin likely to see a good-bit of time at DH, León gives the team the third catcher to open the season and allow the team to test-run their possible future position player roster breakdown.

Wild Cards: Kyle Farmer, Luke Williams, Chadwick Tromp, Nacho Alvarez, Jr.

Farmer was a late addition to Braves camp, and has played all-over the infield in his career with 300 career games at shortstop, 200+ games at second base, more than 160 appearances at third base and 19 games behind the plate. Yes, Farmer caught 15 games for the Reds in 2019 (although that was also the last time he appeared behind the dish).

Farmer could take the place of León or Mateo but Mateo’s speed and defense at shortstop could make him the more valuable of the two until shortstop Ha-Seong Kim returns from injury.

That note about Atlanta playing 13 consecutive games? Well, chances are at least one of those games will be a blow-out and that’s where Williams shines. Williams can play in the infield and outfield and is an excellent baserunner, but offers nothing with the bat. But as a position-player pitcher, he adds marginal value and being the 13th position player and 14th pitcher with the Braves is a roll he knows well.

Tromp could be an option as a third catcher to start the season over León after returning to the organization in the off-season. It would be a familiar role for the well-liked Tromp, who could get the call should the organization want the respected León to work with the next player on this list at Triple-A.

Nacho Alvarez, Jr. spent time with the catchers in the early days of Spring Training and that’s an interesting development for his long-term future with the Braves. If Atlanta is committed to see if he is capable of picking-up the position with an eye toward a hyper-valuable back-up infielder/third-catcher role at the big league level in the future, he seems almost certain to be ticketed to Gwinnett.

Pitchers

Starting pitchers: Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz

Bullpen: Raisel Iglesias, Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee, Tyler Kinley, Aaron Bummer, Dylan Dodd, Joel Payamps

Again with that whole 13 games-in-a-row thing. With Holmes, Elder, Wentz and Dodd all out of options, they all make the team out of Spring Training with the Braves starting the year with a six-man rotation and Dodd who could cover multiple innings in the bullpen. Payamps, who’d been a been a highly-effective reliever until struggling for much of last season, gets the nod as the fourth right-hander in the bullpen.

Wild Cards: Hurston Waldrep, Jose Suaréz, James Karinchak, Martín Peréz, Hayden Harris, Daysbel Hernández

Karinchak’s addition to the Opening Day roster was tempting but may be more sentimental than practical given the team brought back Payamps on a $2.25M deal after a brief audition late in the 2025 regular season. Karinchak, who was a standout reliever with the Cleveland Guardians, has had his career derailed by injuries and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2023.

Suaréz, who was DFA’d by Atlanta but was re-claimed by the team prior to Spring Training, and Dodd could be in a battle for the third lefty in the bullpen or six starter with Wentz.

Waldrep and Peréz are two players on opposite sides of their careers who face similar challenges to the Opening Day roster. With Holmes, Elder and Wentz all out of options, Waldrep could find himself starting the year at Triple-A just because he has options left. If he shines in Spring Training or if an injury to any of the other starters arises, he could find himself with the big league team to start the season. Based on last season, he’s may be one of the team’s five best starting pitchers, but future roster flexibility may be more important than a few weeks of big league starts.

A late-in-the-off-season signing, Peréz was solid last year in 11 games with the White Sox. He has been an average back-end starter for most of his career outside of his stand-out All-Star season in 2022. Now 34, he’s made 20-or-more starts eight times in his 14-year big league career, and if healthy, could be an alternative to Wentz as a left-handed starter.

Harris offers another third-lefty option with his unique pitch mix, but barring a bombastic performance this spring, he seems likely to be an option for later in the season. Hernández has a big arm and bigger control issues and seems to be on the outside of the Opening Day roster bubble.

Will the Opening Day roster shake out like this? Not of the team finds that mysterious post-season quality starting pitcher or if a few injury bugs bite.

It’s Valentine’s Day today, so I hope you will all spend your Saturday thinking about Bobby Valentine, who played for the Dodgers from 1969-72, or maybe 2005 third baseman and shortstop José Valentín, or perhaps Tom Lovett, a pitcher for Brooklyn in the 19th century.

Or maybe Sandy Amorós can get you in the mood after watching his incredible catch from Game 7 of the 1955 World Series.

Today’s question is a simple one: Who or what made you fall in love with baseball?