The Philadelphia Phillies have lost more games and finished in last place more times than any other major league club. The lost seasons have established their reputation as one of the most unsuccessful teams ever to take the field--but even so the Phillies have had some unforgettable players and notable triumphs throughout their history. This work is a history of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball club from its inception in 1883, when the Worcester (Massachusetts) Brown Stockings moved to Philadelphia, through the 2000 season, 118 years later. It covers the team's finer seasons, moments, and players, including the great outfield of the 1890s, which was perhaps one of the best in big league history, Grover Cleveland Alexander and the 1915 pennant winner, Chuck Klein's slugging feats, Roberts, Ennis, and Ashburn, the era of Gene Mauch, Jim Bunning and the heartbreak of the lost pennant in 1964, Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton and the 1980 World Series championship, and the surprise pennant win in 1993. The book also covers the less than memorable times that are all too familiar to the fans. The team's relationship with the city of Philadelphia is also discussed at length.