This Day in Phillies History: Rollins is Crowned Hits Leader

On this day in Phillies history, Jimmy Rollins became Philadelphia's all-time hits leader.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Today's date in Philadelphia Phillies history is full of career milestones. 

But first, lets travel back to 1987 when Mike Schmidt showed off his slugging skills. In a game against the Montreal Expos, Schmidt cracked three home runs, which helped the Phillies win 11-6. 

Just as a reminder, this wouldn't be Schmidt's all-time career-high; that would come in 1976, when Schmidt hit four home runs in a game.

Now to transition from single-game spectacles to career milestones, we'll have to fast forward three decades. In 2004, Jim Thome cracked a home run which would be the 400th in his lengthy career.

Following that game, Thome would go on to hit 212 more home runs over the following eight seasons. This seismic amount was enough to see Thome finish eighth all-time in home runs in MLB history, beating out Sammy Sosa by three home runs. 

For the last milestone, we'll have to fast forward a decade. In 2014, Jimmy Rollins took Schmidt's title as Philadelphia's all-time hit leader, with career hit 2,235.

Nine days later, Rollins would be honored before the Phillies' game against the Miami Marlins, with a framed photo, along with a speech from Rollins.

By the end of his time in Philadelphia, Rollins would bring that number up to 2,306, which seems to be a pretty high bar for any current player trying to reach it.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

1. How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
2. Andrew Painter is Off to a Historic Start
3. Could The Phillies Soon Be Playing in Wawa Park?
4. 18-Year-Old Phillies Prospect is Making History
5. How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
6. How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
7. This Unlikely Draft Pick Could be the Final Piece in the Phillies Next Blockbuster Trade
8. "The Family Was More Nervous Than Him," Stott’s Relatives on Debut
9. Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
10. Drawing Comparisons to Harper, Phillies Prospect Wilson is Heating Up

---

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!