Players who played for the Phillies and Blue Jays | Immaculate Grid Answers Jul 25, 2023

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Phillies and Blue Jays. There were 96 players who played with both Toronto and Philadelphia. Here are some examples:

Mickey Morandini

Mickey Morandini was the All-Star SS in the 1987 Intercontinental Cup, the lone American named to that All-Star team. He hit .404/~.433/.684, with a tourney-high 8 doubles. He led the Americans with 16 runs and 13 RBI, well shy of Omar Linares on both fronts, as the U.S. won silver. He was just 1 for 13 with 3 walks for Team USA in the 1988 Baseball World Cup, playing primarily DH with Ty Griffin at second base and Dave Silvestri at short. He was signed as a 5th round pick in the 1988 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies and scout Tony Lucadello.

He turned an unassisted triple play on September 20, 1992 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jeff King was the batter.

Scott Rolen

Scott Rolen was a second round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 amateur draft and was a seven-time Rawlings Gold Glove award winner. He was the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year. He only became eligible for that award through a freak occurence. In a game on September 7, 1996, he collected his 130th at-bat early in the game – the limit to still be considered as a rookie the following season – then was hit by a pitch in his following time at the plate. That counts as a plate appearance, but not as an at-bat, and because the injury he sustained ended his season, he was eligible for the award the next year. Ironically, Todd Hollandsworth became the Rookie of the Year in 1996 under very similar circumstances.

Besides Rolen’s defensive skills, he was also a very good offensive player. From 1997 to 2002 Rolen was the main offensive threat for the Phillies. He only earned his first All-Star nod in 2002, but once the ice was broken, he returned regularly, amassing seven All-Star nods for his career.

José Bautista

José Bautista was a journeyman swingman/reliever who saw action in nine seasons between 1988 and 1997. His finest season came upon his return from a year in minor league exile, crafting a 10-3, 2.82 record in 58 games (7 starts) and 111 2/3 innings with the 1993 Chicago Cubs. He holds the record for fewest pitches in a complete game (8 innings or more) when he unleashed 70 pitches against the Seattle Mariners in a 1-0 loss as a member of the Baltimore Orioles on September 30, 1988.

Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and later played for the Philadelphia Phillies. He set the Blue Jays’ season record for wins in 2003.

As a child, he played American Legion, Babe Ruth and Little League baseball. He graduated from Arvada West High School in Arvada, Colorado in 1995 where he played baseball and basketball. He was a first team All-Conference and All-State selection for three years and named League and State MVP two years. He also was also a member of the second All-State team in basketball. The Blue Jays selected him in the first round of the 1995 amateur draft, 17th overall. The scout was Chris Bourjos.

Halladay made his debut in 1995 with the GCL Blue Jays, going 3-5 (.375) with a 3.40 ERA in 10 games and 50 1/3 innings pitched. In 1996 with Dunedin in the Florida State League, he went 15-7 (.682) over 27 games and 164 2/3 innings. His ERA was 2.73. Doc split 1997 between Knoxville in the Southern League and Syracuse in the International League. In his 7 games in Knoxville, he was 2-3 (.400) with a 5.40 ERA over 36 2/3 innings. In Syracuse, he appeared in 22 games with 125 2/3 innings, with a 7-10 record (.412) and a 4.58 ERA.

A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett spent parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues. He tossed a no-hitter and made his lone All-Star appearance in his final season.

Burnett was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1995 draft. Fellow major leaguer Craig Monroe was also taken in this round, several spots higher than Burnett. He was traded to the Florida Marlins for Al Leiter in 1998, one of several very good young players the Marlins acquired when they dismantled their 1997 Championship team. He made his big league debut on August 17, 1999, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers and allowing just one hit (a solo home run to Todd Hollandsworth) in 5 1/3 innings to earn a 6-1 victory. He saw limited action his first two seasons, 20 starts between 1999 and 2000. His first brush with fame came May 12, 2001, when he pitched a 3-0 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. His second start of the season, the base paths were still busy for the Friars as A.J. walked 9 while striking out 7. He ended the season with a solid 11-12 record and a 4.05 ERA for the young Marlins, giving a hint of future stardom. His five shutouts in 2002 led the National League and established a Marlins single-season record that was later tied by Dontrelle Willis. He was also first on the club’s career shutout list, with 6, until 2002, and ended his Florida career with 8 (since passed by Willis as well). He improved to 12-9, 3.30 that season and seemed ready to form a tremendous duo with Josh Beckett.

All 96 Players

You can see all 96 players who played with both Toronto and Philadelphia on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

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