​When I set out to write this list, I braced myself for a long haul. The Phillies have produced no shortage of sluggers in their All-Star history, from Chuck Klein to Kyle Schwarber. Surely, then, they must have racked up plenty of round-trippers across the 95 All-Star games that have been played. But there are actually only five of them. That number feels low to me. Then again, the pitchers are All-Stars too. The Dodgers have 12 All-Star homers in their history, the Yankees 13. So the Phillies trail behind their storied peers, yet their total is still lower than you might expect. At any rate, here are the famous five— and let’s see if Bryce, Kyle, and Brandon can add a few to the tally.
1964: Johnny Callison and the Senior Circuit Say Sayonara at Shea
It took more than three decades for the first Phillie to homer in an All-Star Game, but Johnny Callison made it worth the wait. The score was tied at four in the bottom of the ninth after Orlando Cepeda singled to bring Willie Mays home (with a fielding error by the Junior Circuit). Ken Boyer popped out, and Johnny Edwards was intentionally walked to bring up Ron Hunt. Unfortunately for the American League, the Senior Circuit called in a pinch-hit that resembled bringing in Albert Einstein as a substitute teacher. Henry Aaron came up to bat, but he struck out, leaving the AL one out away from escaping the inning with a chance for victory intact. Callison stepped to the plate and ended it with a homer to right, perhaps the only moment fans at Shea Stadium thrilled to witness a Phillie launch a go-ahead homer.
1967: Allen in Anaheim
After waiting three decades for their first All-Star Game homer, the Phillies only had to wait three years for their next, though the moment wasn’t as dramatic as Callison’s. Beneath the enormous A that loomed over Anaheim Stadium, Dick Allen lined a solo shot off Dean Chance to lead off the second inning. It was the only run the National Leaguers would score in regulation. They wouldn’t tally again until the top of the 15th— an occurrence unimaginable in today’s game thanks to the new extra-inning rules that shorten prolonged bouts.
1977: The Bull Bashes a Baseball in the Bronx
Jim Palmer was elite, to put it generously, but he had a rough day in the 1977 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. By the time Greg Luzinski stepped to the plate in the top of the first, Palmer had already yielded two runs, the first of which came on a leadoff homer to Joe Morgan. The Bull amplified Palmer’s misery by stroking a rainbow shot to right for a four-run lead. The American Leaguers would rally, but their efforts fell short in the end.
1981: Schmidt versus Stache
If Mike Schmidt hadn’t hit an All-Star Game homer, I would have been stunned. And given his slugging prowess and twelve appearances in mid-summer classics, it’s hard to believe he had just one such homer. His lone All-Star Game homer still stands out, a reminder of his impact when he represented Philadelphia on baseball’s biggest midseason stage. Schmidt’s enduring legacy in the All-Star landscape is a testament to a career marked by power, consistency, and the occasional perfectly timed moment that turned a high-profile showcase into a lasting memory.