Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. Since 2004, the team's home has been Citizens Bank Park in the South Philadelphia section of the city. The Phillies have won two World Series championships and seven National League pennants, the first of which came in 1915. The franchise has also experienced long periods of struggle. It took the Phillies 77 years to win their first World Series. (The World Series began in 1903) The 77 years of drought is the fourth longest World Series drought in Major League Baseball history. The age of the team and its history of adversity have earned it the dubious distinction of having lost the most games of any team in the history of American professional sports. Notwithstanding the collectively poor performance over the years, the Phillies have performed much better in recent seasons, winning their division five times in a row since 2007. The franchise was founded in Philadelphia in 1883, replacing the team from Worcester, Massachusetts. The team has played at several stadiums in the city, beginning with Recreation Park and continuing at Baker Bowl; Shibe Park, which was later renamed Connie Mack Stadium in honor of the longtime Philadelphia Athletics manager; Veterans Stadium; and now Citizens Bank Park. The team's spring training facilities are located in Clearwater, Florida, where its Class-A minor league affiliate Clearwater Threshers play at Bright House Field. Its Double-A affiliate is the Reading Phillies, which plays in Reading, Pennsylvania, and its Triple-A affiliate is the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, which plays in Allentown, Pennsylvania.