August 15 is a pretty awesome day in Phillies history

Tonight, the Phillies start a two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays and, if history is any guide, we could be in for something special.

August 15 is a special date in Phils history. Two of the most memorable moments in franchise history both took place on this date — Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter and Bryce Harper’s walk-off grand slam against the Cubs in 2019.

Terry’s No-No

Mulholland arrived in Philadelphia in June of 1989, along with reliever Dennis Cook and third baseman Charlie Hayes for former Cy Young Award winning closer Steve Bedrosian and boy did the Phils end up on the winning side of this deal. In his second full season with the Phillies, the left-hander with the funky delivery became one of the better left-handed pitchers in baseball, making 26 starts and going 9-10 with a 3.34 ERA in 180.2 innings. He would go on to become a major part of the team’s rotation for the next three seasons, leading the league in complete games (12) in 1992 and earning his one and only All-Star berth in ‘93, when he was the All Star Game starter for the National League.

But Mulholland etched his name into Phils’ lore with an absolute masterpiece against his former team at Veterans Stadium. He faced the minimum 27 batters in the game, the only blemish on his record that night an error charged to Hayes leading off the top of the 7th, which Mulholland erased with a double play grounder to the very next hitter, Dave Anderson.

He needed a mere 105 pitches to complete the no-no, striking out eight and walking no one en route to tossing the first no-hitter ever at Veterans Stadium.

This was a seminal moment for me. I started watching the Phillies in 1985 and, to that point, had never seen my favorite baseball celebrate anything on the field. Mike Schmidt was still two years away from hitting his 500th homer and no Phils pitcher had tossed a no-no since Rick Rise’s against the Reds in 1971 in which Wise also hit two home runs in the game.

While Mulholland didn’t hit any dingers, he did pitch the first no-hitter ever thrown in Philadelphia in the modern era. Mulholland even reportedly took a phone call from then-President George H.W. Bush following the game.

The fact he was a Hayes error away from throwing a perfect game is tough, but at the end of the day, Mulholland’s gem is still memorable.

Harper’s Slam

At 63-57 coming into the game, the Phillies were battling the 64-56 Cubs for their playoff lives and had won the first two games of this key three-game series, but the chances for a sweep were looking dim when Chicago took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the 9th.

Of course, we’re talking about the Harper walk-off grand slam game game, so you know how this turned out.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th and one out against Chicago closer Derek Holland, Harper launched a cloud-scraping rocket deep into the seats in right, finishing off an impressive sweep of the Cubs and giving Harper his first true, signature moment in a Phillies uniform.

Harper has since had more than a few others, including the obligatory biggest home run he’ll probably ever hit.

Here’s hoping for more magic tonight.