Don Money was primarily a third baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies for five seasons in the late 1960s and early 1970s and hit the first home run at Veterans Stadium.
But the Phillies had a promising third baseman named Mike Schmidt in mind at the time and sent Money to Milwaukee in a seven-player trade after the 1972 season.
On Sunday, Money, now 77, received a call from his grandson.
“I told him we had another Phillie in the family, and he said, ‘No way,’ I’m not allowed to say that word,” said Buddy Kennedy, who was recalled by the Phillies on Monday as part of a series of roster changes.
With Weston Wilson placed on the paternity list, the Phillies needed someone to replace him. And while the transaction sheet doesn’t directly indicate the trade was made — the Phillies brought back relief pitcher Max Lazar for Wilson and Kennedy was brought in to replace Kolby Allard, who started as a reliever and got the win at Kansas City on Sunday — Kennedy is here for a few days and his family couldn’t be happier.
“They were all screaming,” said Kennedy, a native of Millville, New Jersey, who, like Mike Trout, attended Millville High School. “My mother was practically blowing my ear out on the phone. My grandmother was crying. Today is a special day.”
The Phillies acquired Kennedy in an all-cash trade with the Detroit Tigers in June. Originally a 2017 fifth-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks, Kennedy had a few stints in the major leagues with Arizona in 2022 and 2023 before being released last September. He was signed by Oakland, released, signed by St. Louis and released again before being signed by Detroit. He appeared in six games for the Tigers earlier this season before being traded to the Phillies.
BUDDY KENNEDY GOES! pic.twitter.com/eZnSKHhfld
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) July 3, 2024
Now he gets to wear the uniform of the team he cheered for as a kid – just like Tyler Phillips did earlier this season.
“It’s a real dream for me,” Kennedy said. “In the sports world, you never get to play for your hometown team – it’s very rare,” Kennedy said. “I became a kid again inside because I came to the games. I came to the 2008 World Series. I came last year when they played the Diamondbacks in the LCS. Now we’re here and it’s a bit of a whirlwind, but hey, I’m going to enjoy every moment.”
Kennedy, 25, lived at his girlfriend’s house in West Berlin, New Jersey, and commuted an hour and 40 minutes to Lehigh Valley every day when the Iron Pigs played at home.
“Sometimes it’s a lot, but I can sleep in my bed, so it’s peaceful,” Kennedy said.
Since arriving in Lehigh Valley, Kennedy has been one of the IronPigs’ best hitters, hitting .313/.415/.543 for a .958 OPS with nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 56 games.
When he was at Toledo, the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate team, his numbers weren’t quite as good. He said he made some changes after arriving in Lehigh Valley and that things “clicked” for him.
Buddy Kennedy: good at baseball pic.twitter.com/oJJm1v7y9j
— Lehigh Valley IronPigs (@IronPigs) June 16, 2024
Kennedy personally has 20 family members coming to the game Monday night just to see him in uniform and in the hopes that he even comes to the game. But he knows many more people will come to see him.
“When the news was announced, I got a lot of texts saying, ‘Oh, dude, we’re going to be there tonight.’ So it’s pretty cool. It’s just an honor.”
Kennedy received an NLCS championship ring from the Diamondbacks last season despite being released in September. If he plays in just one game this week, he’ll be eligible for bling with the Phillies if things work out.
“I would LOVE to win a World Series ring with these guys,” Kennedy said.
The Taijuan Walker Mystery
There is no doubt that Taijuan Walker’s place on the Phillies roster is in a precarious position. There was speculation that he may have pitched his last game for the Phillies when he came under fire in Kansas City on Friday.
There has been much speculation that he could be taken out of circulation or released as early as Monday.
And there was an announcement about Walker, but one that no one expected.
“We traded Taijuan and (Cristopher) Sanchez, so Sanchez gets an extra day,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Taijuan will play against Houston on Wednesday and Sanchez will play against Atlanta on Thursday.”
I’m sorry, what?
“You can always change things, but I’m confident he’s going to bounce back now,” Thomson said. “Maybe that’s not everyone, but that’s me, and that’s the way I am.”
Well, then everything is clear.
Spencer Arrighetti vs. Taijuan Walker.
Spaghetti vs. Meatballs https://t.co/3sYJzJeC1a
– Robert Orr (@NotTheBobbyOrr) 26 August 2024
At this point, the Phillies are doing Walker no favors. They’re feeding him to the wolves. That he has to pitch in front of a sold-out crowd on Wednesday against a red-hot Houston team is baffling.
Walker would have to make not just a start that would keep us in the game, but a truly sensational one to keep Wolves at bay. That’s a lot to ask.
And if there is a reason for this, the only one that even remotely makes sense is that their options are limited.
Kolby Allard has kept them in the game in a few games, but if we’re being honest, he was more lucky than skilled. He also couldn’t pitch again until Friday, and the Phillies want to give Sanchez an extra day of rest and didn’t want to move Ranger Suarez up a day after he was out for more than a month with back spasms. So Allard wasn’t the answer. Tyler Phillips was exhausted and was sent back to the minors last week. He’s not yet eligible to play again. Michael Mercado was moved back to a bullpen role.
Seth Johnson, just acquired from the Orioles in the Gregory Soto trade at the deadline, is an interesting addition on the 40-man roster. He is Lehigh Valley’s pitcher who throws on the same day as Walker. However, while he has been impressive, he has only made two starts at the Triple-A level.
The only other starters on the 40-man roster are Kyle Tyler, who hasn’t performed well since being claimed off waivers by Miami, and Mick Abel, whose struggles in 2024 are well documented.
Maybe the Phillies believe there really is no better option than another Walker start, but if that’s the case, they have no one to blame but themselves for letting it get to this point.
Ultimately, this won’t matter in October since there’s no way he’s going to pitch in the postseason, but right now it seems like the Phillies are completely messing up the fifth starter situation.
