Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
This Day in Phillies History: December 12
To start off this day in Philadelphia Phillies history, we'll have to go back to 2008 when the Phillies welcomed free agent Raul Ibanez.
Ibanez, then 37-year-old, came to Philadelphia after his second stint with the Seattle Mariners, and produced big numbers in his first season. Ibanez hit .272, with a slugging percentage of .552 thanks to the 34 home runs that he belted that year.
Besides making it to the World Series for the first time that year, Ibanez also made it to his first All-Star game that season.
Ibanez would stay with the Phillies for two more seasons where he still produced for the team but wasn't resigned at the end of his contract.
For the next event in Phillies history, we'll have to fast forward to 2019 when the Phillies signed Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen's time with the Phillies will go down as one that had so much potential.
In his first season, McCutchen was on a tear providing consistent offense for the club hitting .282, with a slugging percentage of .485 in the month before McCutchen suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
The following season was shortened due to the ongoing pandemic, but McCutchen still produced for the club, hitting .253 with 10 home runs. However, the injuries still stayed as McCutchen landed on the 10-day injured list which was impactful due to the shortened season.
McCutchen's last season in Philadelphia saw him play the way everyone thought he'd play when he was first picked up in 2019. McCutchen hit for .222, a career-low for him while slugging for .444 due to his 27 home runs. At the end of the season, the Phillies front office decided to not keep him for the following season.
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