Rank Week: Top 25 Philadelphia games

The beauty in assembling a list of the 25 best games in Philadelphia sports since 1980 is there’s no shortage of choices, and the exercise provides the type of nostalgia and highlights that help make Philadelphia special. The challenge is deciding which 25 should make the final list — and how to even rank those 25. Some might prioritize the significance of the game. Others might emphasize the spectacle of the moment.

The creators from PHLY joined together to rank the best games of the past four-plus decades for the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers. We narrowed the list to 25. Let the debate begin…

1. Super Bowl LII; February 4, 2018

Where were you on February 4, 2018? Who were you with? How did you feel when the Tom Brady’s pass hit the turf? How did you celebrate when Sunday became Monday?

These are questions that any Philadelphia fan can answer without hesitation.

The biggest win in Eagles history is also one of the best games in Eagles history — a come-from-behind, 41-33 victory against the NFL’s Goliath, complete with a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter and Brandon Graham’s game-clinching strip sacking of Tom Brady. Add in the Philly Special, Doug Pederson’s gutsy fourth-down decisions, and Nick Foles playing the game of his life on the sport’s grandest stage, and there’s little doubt this is the top spot. It’s rare for a sports moment to exceed one’s wildest dreams, but that was what Super Bowl LII offered Philadelphia. (You can add the parade into this, too.)

“Eagles fans everywhere, this is for you!” Merrill Reese said when the Patriots’ Hail Mary hit the ground.

It still is. It always will be. — Zach Berman

2. 2008 World Series clinching game; October 27, 2008 and October 29, 2008

1980 may have ended the World Series drought for the Phillies, but by 2008 Philadelphia sports teams as a whole were deep in a new championship drought. A Philly team had not captured its sport’s biggest prize since the Sixers won the 1983 NBA Finals. Those of us born after the late 1970s had never truly experienced a Philadelphia championship. We knew they happened. We heard the stories. But those stories weren’t ours.

The 2008 Phillies, however… They were ours. Some people claim fans shouldn’t use “we” when talking about pro sports teams, and it makes a certain amount of sense. But on October 29, 2008, when Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske and fell to his knees? It sure as hell felt like WE did it. If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, ran up and down the urine-soaked ramps of the Vet, watched some of the worst teams to ever grace Astroturf, had your heart shattered into pieces in 1993, then waited 15 more years to have it put back together… then you know exactly what I mean. It’s ours, and it’s forever. — John Foley

3. 1980 NFC Championship Game; January 11, 1981

Clinching the franchise’s first Super Bowl bid against the hated Cowboys? You bet that’s memorable. On the second play from scrimmage, Wilbert Montgomery sprinted past the Cowboys defense for a 42-yard touchdown. Montgomery’s 194 rushing yards remain a postseason franchise record in the Super Bowl era. The Eagles never trailed on the road to a 20-7 victory. One little-known fact about this day? The Eagles, who usually wore green at home, elected to wear white for the game for gamesmanship purposes. It was well documented that the Cowboys prefer their white jerseys to blue jerseys, and the Eagles left Cowboys feeling blue. — Zach Berman

4. 1980 World Series clinching game, October 21, 1980

The Phillies franchise dates back to 1883. In fact, the franchise pre-dates the World Series itself by 20 years. The United States witnessed the invention of automobiles and airplanes, fought in multiple World Wars, and put a man on the moon before the Phillies won it all.

But at Veterans Stadium on October 21, 1980, it finally happened.

After a grueling NLCS with the Astros, the Phils faced the Kansas City Royals for baseball’s ultimate prize. And the Royals were ready for the fight. Each of the first five games of the series was decided by just one or two runs, and the Phillies emerged from the dogfight with a 3-2 series lead. In Game Six, however, the Phillies controlled the game throughout. Mike Schmidt drove in two runs in the third inning. By the sixth, the Phils led 4-0. Steve Carlton was charged with just one run over seven innings. And Tug McGraw recorded the final six outs.

Royals outfielder Willie Wilson was the final batter of the game. McGraw put him in a 1-2 count. “The crowd will tell you what happens,” said broadcaster Joe Garagiola before quieting himself. And at 11:29 p.m., McGraw threw the final pitch of the series. Wilson swung and missed. The long, torturous wait for a Phillies championship was finally over. — John Foley

5. 2010 NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 7; May 14, 2010

The Flyers had already overcome a 3 to 0 games deficit in their second round series against the Bruins — why not a 3-0 goal margin in Game 7 as well? The deciding game in Boston proved to be a microcosm of the series, with the Flyers falling behind to extinguish nearly all hope for a storybook ending to their legendary comeback, before a perfectly-timed timeout from head coach Peter Laviolette and a clutch end-of-first-period goal by James van Riemsdyk breathed life back into their chances.

It turned Game 7 into the series in miniature, with the Flyers storming back against a stunned Bruins club that — especially after losing David Krejci to a wrist injury in Game 3 — never quite figured out how to handle an opponent that simply wouldn’t quit, no matter the odds. The memorable moments were plentiful — Danny Briere’s “how did that go in???” wraparound goal to tie it, Claude Giroux’s relentless forechecking shift late in the third to kill 21 seconds singlehandedly, the constant TV shots of the raucous watch party at the Wells Fargo Center as the comeback gained momentum. And then, of course, there was the gamewinner, a late-third period power play snipe by Simon Gagne that both cemented his Philadelphia legacy and finished off the Bruins. — Charlie O’Connor

6. 1982 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 7; May 23, 1982

This is, sadly, the only road Game 7 the Sixers have won in their history. But it is an important piece of Sixers lore for reasons beyond that. Andrew Toney helped cement that awesome “Boston Strangler” nickname with a 34-point outing to close out the Celtics, and more notably, this game was the origin of the “Beat L.A.!” chant that has lived on in the years since. Sixers and Celtics fans don’t often find themselves on the same side of any sports argument, and the chant from Boston locals was so unexpected that Bob Ryan got one of the great postgame quotes in NBA history from Darryl Dawkins: “When I heard that, my dick got stiff.” Sometimes you just have to flip the bird to your rivals on that other coast. — Kyle Neubeck

7. 1980 National League Championship Series, Game 5; October 12, 1980

The Phillies’ 1980 best-of-five NLCS series against the Astros is widely regarded as one of the best postseason series in sports history, and with good reason. All five games were decided by three or fewer runs, four of the games were decided by two or fewer runs, and two of the games were decided by a single run. With the exception of the Phillies’ 3-1 win in Game One, every game went to extra innings. The Phils trailed the series two games to one after a 1-0, eleven-inning loss in Game Three, but evened it up with a 5-3, ten-inning victory in Game Four.

That brings us to Game Five, played in Houston. One final game to determine whether the 1980 Phillies’ run toward the franchise’s first championship would continue.

Houston scored a run in the first, but Bob Boone drove in two runs for the Phils with a single in the second. Houston runners were thrown out at the plate in the second and fifth innings, but a Greg Luzinski error in the sixth led to the Astros’ second run. By the end of the seventh, the Phillies trailed the game 5-2. And none other than Nolan Ryan was pitching for the home team.

In the top of the eighth, however, the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs on three consecutive singles. A walk to Pete Rose brought in one run, and a Keith Moreland groundout scored another. Del Unser hit an RBI single to tie the game at five. Finally, Manny Trillo hit a two-run triple to give the Phillies a 7-5 lead.

Fittingly, the Astros tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, and the series-deciding match went to extras after a scoreless ninth. Unser and Garry Maddox hit doubles in the tenth to give the Phillies an 8-7 lead. Pitcher Dick Ruthven retired the Astros in order to end the game, and the Phillies moved on to the 1980 World Series. — John Foley

8. 1983 NBA Finals clinching game; May 31, 1983

Celtics legend Bill Russell was one of the color commentators on this game and spent pre-game marveling at Philadelphia’s defensive greatness on an individual and team level. Talk about an expert on the subject! But for as dominant as they were all season and in the playoffs, the Sixers were actually down 11 points heading into the final quarter. To put the cherry on top of a dream season, they outscored L.A. 33-15 in a fourth quarter that showcased their defensive might and offensive firepower equally. That final 12 minutes had everything: Moses Malone hitting the o-glass, Bobby Jones creating fast breaks, and Andrew Toney holding the team together on offense for much of the quarter. But when it was time to finish the job, it was Julius Erving — the guy who couldn’t get over the hump before Moses’ arrival — landing the killing blow with several huge buckets down the stretch. They were as great of a team as there has been in Philly sports history. — Kyle Neubeck

9. 2017 NFC Championship Game; January 21, 2018

Chris Long once saw a video of the Eagles dancing to “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill from the minutes before the NFC Championship Game, energizing a crowd already in a frenzy, and he wrote: “Anyone could’ve gotten it that night.” Long hit Case Keenum during a pass attempt on Minnesota’s second drive, Patrick Robinson intercepted the ball and returned it for a touchdown, and Minnesota never stood a chance thereafter. The Vikings never scored again. Nick Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, including a Flea Flicker to Torrey Smith. The party started early in a 38-7 defeat, spoiling the Vikings’ chance of a hometown Super Bowl and punching the Eagles’ ticket to their first Lombardi Trophy. It’s hard to think Lincoln Financial Field could be any louder than it was that night. — Zach Berman

10. “Body Bag Game”; November 12, 1990

“You need any more body bags?” Eagles safety William Frizzell asked Washington’s sideline while players kept leaving the field with injuries.  In the record books, the score was Eagles 28, Washington 14. But the number that resonates the most three decades later? Six players on Washington were knocked out of the game, including two quarterbacks. Running back Brian Mitchell needed to finish the game behind center. The fearsome Eagles defense included Reggie White, who had two sacks that night. — Zach Berman

11. 2001 NBA Finals, Game 1; June 6, 2001

A performance so iconic that it has (mostly) overshadowed the fact that the Lakers rolled to a 4-1 series victory. Allen Iverson took a well-rested Lakers team by surprise with 30 first-half points, changing the calculus of the game and the series. Of course, everyone remembers Iverson’s iconic stepover of Tyronn Lue, the final highlight in a game that featured a flurry of Iverson’s greatest hits from all areas of the floor. The forgotten hero of this game? Eric Snow, who hit a one-footed runner in overtime and played excellent defense on Kobe Bryant down the stretch. — Kyle Neubeck

12. 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, Game 6; May 28, 1987

Up against one of the greatest teams in hockey history — the Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers, in the heart of their 1980s dynasty — it would have been very easy for the Flyers to simply have accepted their inevitable defeat after falling behind 2-0 after one period of play in Game 6. After all, they had already put in a good showing, sending the series back to Philadelphia with a hard-fought win in Edmonton while facing elimination. And the Oilers were absolutely flying to start the game, peppering Ron Hextall with shots and fully intent upon securing their third Cup in four years. Few would have buried the Flyers for simply not having the horses in the end to keep up with Gretzky and Co.

But fueled by a legendarily loud crowd at the Spectrum, the underdog Flyers pushed back, as they had all season long. Lindsay Carson kept the Flyers within striking distance in the second, cutting the lead to one, and setting up the true heroics in the third period — a Brian Propp PP goal to tie it, and then, just a little over a minute later, a J.J. Daigneault gamewinner that came the closest since that famous 1968 winter storm to actually blowing the roof off the Spectrum. The Flyers would ultimately fall in Game 7, but in their final home game of the 1986-87 season, they truly did their city proud. — Charlie O’Connor

13. 2008 National League Championship Series, Game 4; October 13, 2008

The Phillies jumped out to a 2-0 series lead against the Dodgers in the 2008 NLCS, winning a pair of home games to start the series. But the Dodgers won Game Three in Los Angeles, and the Phils trailed LA 5-3 through the first seven innings of Game Four. Familiar fears crept into the hearts of even the most optimistic Phillies fans. Were they really going to blow this series? “Typical,” thought those of us who had grown accustomed to disappointment.

But something interesting happened in the top of the eighth. With Ryan Howard on first base and one out, Shane Victorino hit a two-run home run off Dodgers pitcher Cory Wade to tie the game. After Pedro Feliz lined out for the second out of the inning, Carlos Ruiz singled to left. The Dodgers brought in Jonathan Broxton to face pinch-hitter Matt Stairs.

Stairs, 40, was acquired by the Phillies on August 30 specifically to provide some power off the bench. And on that warm, October night in LA, that’s exactly what he did. Stairs ripped a 3-1 pitch from Broxton “deep into the night.” The Phillies took a 7-5 lead in the game, led the NLCS 3-1 shortly thereafter, and never looked back. — John Foley

14. Eagles-Cowboys post-strike, run-up-the-score game; October 25, 1987

There’s nothing we love more than when the rivalries are real, and boy did the Eagles make their distaste for the Cowboys known in the waning seconds of the game. Two weeks prior, a Cowboys team featuring a slew of picket-crossing stars were unrelenting in their 41-24 win over an Eagles roster of replacement players while the real team was on strike. So when Randall Cunningham fake-knelt the ball to instead loft a would-be salt-rubbing touchdown pass, leading to a Keith Byars touchdown after pass interference, it was a chest-puffing victory for the city and labor alike. — Bo Wulf

15. 2000 NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals; May 4, 2000

A case where the legend of the standalone game makes it easy to forget the stakes involved — the Flyers entered Game 4 down 2-1 in the series, after losing both games at home to the underdog Penguins and needing overtime in Game 3 just to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. A victory in Game 4 would tie the series and give the Flyers back the home-ice advantage that they had squandered days earlier; a loss would put them just one game away from an ignominious elimination. It was a huge game.

But that’s not what May 4 is remembered for in Flyers circles. Instead, it’s for the game that wouldn’t end, still the third-longest in NHL history and longest of the modern era: 152 minutes and one second worth of game time. That’s two-and-a-half hockey games, a marathon that turned a pivotal content into an essential one; there was no chance the loser of such an epic game was going to win the series. And Keith Primeau made sure that the Flyers wouldn’t be the losers, scoring on a beautiful wrister midway through the fifth overtime to end a game that is still remembered across North American as a shining example of all that is uniquely great about NHL playoff hockey. — Charlie O’Connor

16. “Fog Bowl”; December 31, 1988

The only Eagles loss you’ll find on this list came on New Year’s Eve in 1988 in the divisional round of the playoffs. Despite Randall Cunningham throwing for over 400 yards and the Eagles outgaining the Bears by a significant margin in Buddy Ryan’s grudge match against his former boss Mike Ditka, red-zone woes plagued the visitors in a losing effort. But of course, what we all remember is what we couldn’t see through the blanketing Soldier Field fog.  — Bo Wulf

17. 1993 World Series, Game 6 (a.k.a — “Joe Carter Game”); October 23, 1993

It’s completely understandable if you don’t want to hear about this one. Millions of Phillies fans still bear the emotional scars inflicted by Joe Carter’s walk-off home run to end the 1993 Phillies’ wild ride. Over thirty years later, on any given day at Citizens Bank Park, you’re likely to spot someone with a “Joe Carter ruined my childhood” t-shirt.

But Game Six of the 1993 World Series, objectively, was simply an incredible game. Carter’s shot off Mitch Williams represented just the second home run in history that ended a World Series (the first being Bill Mazeroski’s Game Seven homer to give the Pirates a victory over the Yankees in 1960).

“Touch ’em all Joe, you’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!” was the call from Blue Jays radio announcer Tom Cheek. It’s the last thing many of us heard before collapsing in despair.

Some say that the bad times make the good times more special. If that’s the case, the heartbreak of 1993, more than anything else, made 2008 so incredible. — John Foley

18. 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Finals (a.k.a. — “Triple Doink”); May 12, 2019

I was in the building for this one in Toronto, and what a roller coaster ride it was. The Sixers arguably deserved better from a series where they almost completely eliminated Toronto’s shooters, and Jimmy Butler’s barnstorming push in the final 10 seconds looked like it would be enough to force a climactic overtime. But Kawhi Leonard — who had already dragged the Raptors within inches of victory basically by himself — saved one last agonizing jumper to end their season. This Sixers team has been slightly overrated as time went on, but it’s interesting to think how the years ahead would have unfolded if they just managed to steal this one. — Kyle Neubeck

19. 2008 National League Division Series, Game 2; October 2, 2008

The 2008 Phillies season is filled with epic moments. The World Series victory over the Rays or the NLCS victory over the Dodgers, however, would never have taken place, however, unless the Phils first took care of business against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS. And the key to winning that first 2008 postseason series was Game Two.

It’s particularly special because the outcome may have been affected by the Philadelphia crowd.

Let’s set the scene: The Phils led the series one game to none, but they trailed Game Two early, 1-0. Brewers starting pitcher CC Sabathia had won the AL Cy Young award in 2007 and performed exceptionally for the Brewers after a mid-season trade in 2008, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Back-to-back doubles by Jayson Werth and Pedro Feliz off Sabathia in the second, however, tied the game at one. With two outs, the Phillies had Feliz on third and hoped to take a lead. Unfortunately, light-hitting pitcher Brett Myers was at the plate.

Sabathia quickly put Myers in an 0-2 count with two swinging strikes. The third pitch was a ball. Myers fouled off Sabathia’s fourth pitch, and fans applauded his effort. Then Sabathia threw another ball.

Things were starting to get interesting, and the crowd took notice. On a 2-2 count, Myers fouled off another pitch. Phillies fans roared and started waving their rally towels. The seventh pitch of the at-bat was another ball, and the fans really started to let Sabathia hear it. Myers fouled off Sabathia’s 3-2 pitch and the crowd reached a fever pitch. With the entire ballpark on their feet, Myers took ball four and jogged to first.

A visibly rattled Sabathia walked the next hitter, Jimmy Rollins, on four pitches. The bases were loaded with Phillies.

Finally, and in retrospect, inevitably, Shane Victorino brought everyone home with a grand slam and the Phils led, 5-1. The series would technically last another two games, but that was the moment it ended. — John Foley

20. “Monday Night Massacre”; November 15, 2010

100 bucks if you can name the person who scored the Eagles’ final touchdown of this beatdown off the top of your head (Zach’s good for it, I promise). Dimitri Patterson, of course! That came on a 40-yard interception return late in the third quarter, which was a long way after the Eagles’ insane 28-point first-quarter outburst on Monday Night Football. Two plays in particular stand out from Michael Vick’s six-touchdown performance (four passing, two running). The first was, well, the first play of the game, when Vick faked a handoff to LeSean McCoy, bounced up in the pocket and unfurled an inch-perfect bomb down the middle of the field to DeSean Jackson for an 88-yard touchdown. The second was Vick standing in the pocket while Albert Haynesworth basically took a nap on the FedEx Field turf. Ah, the memories. — Bo Wulf

21. 1993 National League Championship Series, Game 6; October 13, 1993

A number of factors make the 1993 Phillies one of the most beloved teams in Philadelphia sports history. It’s partly the worst-to-first storyline, as the ‘93 Phils added 27 wins to their ‘92 total. It’s also the hot start: the squad won eight of their first nine and never trailed in the division, making the summer a rare season-long party. And it’s the pure entertainment value of a team scoring more runs than any Phillies team since 1930.

But most of all, it was the cast of characters. The movie Major League was released just a few years prior, and the character-based comedy might as well have been about this group. Lenny Dykstra was a hard-charging, tobacco-spewing menace. John Kruk looked like he was plucked out of the stands. Mitch Williams was a real-life Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn. And, at the center of it all, was Darren Daulton. He was the team’s undisputed leader—respected, gritty, and sporting movie-star looks.

The ’93 Phils would fall short in the World Series, but not before they dispatched a heavily favored, 104-win Atlanta Braves team in the National League Championship Series. They took the Bravos down in six games, the last of which was played on October 13 at Veterans Stadium. Phillies starting pitcher Tommy Greene allowed three runs over seven innings. Daulton gave the Phils a 2-0 lead with a third-inning double off of NL Cy Young winner (and future Hall of Famer) Greg Maddux. Third baseman Dave Hollins hit a two-run home run in the fifth. In the sixth inning, second baseman Mickey Morandini drove in two runs with a triple.

It proved to be plenty of offense for the Phillies’ pitchers. After Greene exited the game, David West threw a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Williams followed that up with a rare 1-2-3 ninth. A crowd of 62,502 at the Vet erupted in celebration as Williams struck out Bill Pecota to end the series.

The game proved to be the pinnacle of an unforgettable Phillies season. — John Foley

22. Miracle at the New Meadowlands; December 19, 2010

Matt Dodge, avert your eyes.

The game that proved the instant explosiveness of a Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson-led offense and made the Eagles look like Super Bowl contenders for the last real time of the Andy Reid era. Trailing 24-3 at halftime against the Giants in a matchup of 9-4 teams, the Eagles stormed back to tie the game at 31 with just over one minute remaining thanks to a 21-point fourth-quarter outburst that spanned just over six minutes of game time. One final defensive stand and you know the rest. Does DeSean Jackson score if he doesn’t bobble the initial catch, slowing up the punt coverage and setting up blocks like the ones from Omar Gaither and Jason Avant? Sorry, Matt, we’ll never know. — Bo Wulf

23. Roy Halladay’s No-Hitter; October 6, 2010

Roy Halladay played in the major leagues for 13 years before getting an opportunity to pitch in the postseason. On October 6, 2010, he finally got his chance, taking the mound for Game One of the Phillies’ National League Division Series against the Reds. Halladay put on a performance for the ages, throwing the second no-hitter in major league postseason history.

Halladay had an incredible regular season in 2010, winning the NL Cy Young award and leading the majors in wins (21), complete games (9), shutouts (4), and innings pitched (250.2). He also led the NL in walks per nine innings (1.1) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.30). Halladay struck out 219 batters, posted a 2.44 ERA, logged a 1.04 WHIP, and finished sixth in NL MVP voting. On May 29 against the Marlins, Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in MLB history.

But it all served as just a prelude to Doc’s legendary outing against the Reds. He finished off the ninth inning on ten pitches. On the tenth and final pitch, 46,411 fans in Citizens Bank Park watched Reds infielder Brandon Phillips hit a dribbler in front of Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz. Chooch pounced on the ball and made a tough, panicked throw to first from his knees. Ryan Howard caught it with his glove arm raised high and raced to embrace Halladay and Ruiz at the mound.

Pure magic. — John Foley

24. 2001 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 7; May 20, 2001

The Sixers’ series with Toronto featured a handful of brilliant individual performances, but in typical Game 7 fashion, the stars came crashing down to Earth to end the series. Iverson managed to score just 21 points on 27 shots, and the Sixers held Vince Carter to 6/18 from the field, which includes that heart-stopping miss in the final moments of the game. With the stars struggling, it was up to the role players to push Philadelphia back to the Conference Finals — Aaron McKie led Philadelphia with 22 points, Eric Snow was a +13 in a big role off of the bench, and 21-year-old Jumaine Jones had (quite literally) the game of his life, with a playoff career-high 16 points on 6/9 from the field. Depth matters! — Kyle Neubeck

25. 2004 NHL Eastern Conference Finals, Game 7; May 20, 2004

Sometimes, a hockey game isn’t memorable because it decided a series, or because it led to a championship. It’s remembered simply because it was great, a back-and-forth heavyweight bout between two high-end clubs operating at peak powers, filled with constant action and drama. That was Game 6 of the Flyers’ conference final battle with the Lightning; facing elimination, it was a must-win for Philadelphia, and they would have the home crowd at the (then) Wachovia Center for support. They’d need every last bit of it. At no point did either team hold more than a one-goal edge, as the Flyers and Lightning exchanged body blows over the course of the first two periods. But it was the final two goals which pushed the contest to legendary status in Philadelphia — a herculean effort from playoff hero Keith Primeau on the game-tying goal with less than two periods remaining in the third, and then Simon Gagne’s dramatic OT gamewinner. “We’ve got a Game 7!” ESPN play-by-play commentator Gary Thorne roared after Gagne’s goal, and a generation of Flyers fans will never forget it. — Charlie O’Connor