He played here?!: 10 notable athletes who had late stops in Philadelphia

Fernando Valenzuela’s first start with the Phillies may have been the night the magic of 1993 finally ran out. Most of the Phillies knew their incredible run to the World Series was something that could not be repeated. But if they had any belief left, it was likely extinguished when Darren Daulton left Valenzuela’s first start with the Phillies with a broken clavicle. The Phillies were .500, Lenny Dykstra was injured, so was Curt Schilling, and the rotation was so thin that they had to sign Valenzuela, who was much closer to pitching in the Mexican League than his days of Fernandomania with the Dodgers.

The 1993 season was perfect until the final pitch. A year later, it felt like ancient history as the Phillies limped through the season before the strike ended the misery.

So you’re forgiven if you don’t remember Valenzuela, who died Wednesday at age 63, spending two months with the Phillies. He broke into the big leagues more than a decade earlier as a superstar pitcher for the Dodgers, matching his iconic windup with a masterful screwball to be one of the best pitchers in the 1980s.

» READ MORE: Who should return to the Phillies and who should move on? See our picks and make your own.

He joined the Phillies in 1994 after spending the previous season with the Orioles, who signed Valenzuela after he pitched a year in Mexico. He pitched in eight games for the Phils and was reunited with Doug Jones, who pitched with him in winter ball just before Valenzuela’s career skyrocketed.

“The winter of ‘81,” said Jones, who died in 2021. “We were in the playoffs. They brought Fernando in for a start. He was on a table in the trainer’s room, doing interviews for Mexican TV, and he had a six-pack he was working his way through, and I remember thinking ‘What a novel way to get ready for a start.’ He threw six shutout innings and sat down.’”

Valenzuela wasn’t the first star to quietly pass through Philadelphia. And he wasn’t the last. Here’s 10 more who did the same. One rule: they had to play in the regular season and not just the preseason or spring training. Sorry, Dontrelle Willis, Tim Tebow, and Jamal Mashburn.

The Flyers traded a first-, second- and third-round pick plus their No. 1 goalie prospect at the 2002 trade deadline for Oates, who they allowed to leave via free agency after just 14 games. A Hall of Famer, Oates’ time in Philly was less than memorable. The Flyers paid a premium, thinking Oates was the missing piece for a Stanley Cup team. Instead, they lost in the first round to Ottawa amid a locker room in turmoil as players ripped head coach Bill Barber.

In between trading future Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins and Ryne Sandberg, the Phillies dealt Uecker in 1967 to Atlanta, where he soon began his Hall-of-Fame broadcasting career. Uecker has been Milwaukee’s broadcaster since 1971, moonlighted as backstage announcer at WrestleMania, starred as Harry Doyle in Major League, and sat in the front row with his Miller Lite. Uecker’s time with the Phillies was short. A backup catcher, he hit just .202 in 96 games over two seasons. He was best friends in Philly with Dick Allen, who he nicknamed “Crash” for the batting helmet Allen wore in the field at Connie Mack Stadium.

A star receiver with the Packers, Freeman reunited with Andy Reid for one season in Philly along with former Green Bay running back Dorsey Levens. Freeman caught 46 passes for 600 yards, pacing him behind the electric duo of Todd Pinkston and James Thrash. An All-Pro in 1998, Freeman led the Eagles in receiving yards in the brutal NFC Championship Game loss to Tampa Bay. He returned to Green Bay for his final season in 2003.

Monk was the NFL’s all-time leading pass catcher when he signed with the Eagles in November 1995. He won three Super Bowls in Washington and the Eagles saw him as a late-season addition for a playoff team. Ray Rhodes called the 38-year-old Monk a “cold-weather receiver.” But Monk caught just six passes for 114 yards over three games before missing both playoff games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 and his month in Philadelphia was hardly a footnote.

A Hall of Famer, Hawerchuk ended his career as a 33-year-old second and third liner on the 1997 Eastern Conference champions. The Flyers acquired him the previous season for Craig MacTavish, one of the last no-helmet skaters. Hawerchuk was solid in 1997 behind the Legion of Doom before a hip injury slowed him in the second half. The condition forced him to retire that summer.

Veterans Stadium was like the Statue of Liberty for aging stars in the 1990s as the Phillies welcomed the likes of Mark Whiten and Danny Tartabull past their primes. They even flirted with Bobby Bonilla. Van Slyke, a five-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star in Pittsburgh, ended his career in 1995 with the Phils after being acquired from Baltimore in June. The 34-year-old hit .243 with a .684 OPS in 63 games. The Phillies finished in second place, which meant they were just 21 games behind the division champion Braves.

One of baseball’s all-time great managers, Anderson’s lone big-league time as a player came with the Phillies in 1959. Anderson said his time with the Phillies — the second baseman hit .218 in 152 games — was enough to tell him his future was as a manager. He guided the Reds to back-to-back World Series titles, pulling the levers of the Big Red Machine as they swept the Phillies for the 1976 pennant.

The success he found coming off the bench for the Showtime Lakers didn’t really materialize with the Sixers, who signed McAdoo halfway through the 1985-1986 season. The Hall of Famer won three scoring titles early in his career before finding a second act as an impact reserve for the Lakers. The Sixers tried to do the same. McAdoo averaged 10 points and 21 minutes per game in 29 games. They lost in the first round to Milwaukee in seven games and McAdoo spent the next seven seasons in Italy.

A three-time Pro Bowler with Seattle, Warren was signed off waivers from Dallas in December of 2000 as depth for a rushing unit relying largely on Darnell Autry and Stanley Pritchett after Duce Staley was lost for the season. Warren fumbled twice in his Christmas Eve debut against the Bengals but rumbled for 85 yards against the Buccaneers to help Andy Reid capture his first playoff win. The Eagles lost the next week at Giants Stadium and that was it for Warren, who had four 1,000-yard seasons with Seattle.

The Super Bowl Shuffle was well in the past when McMahon replaced the injured Randall Cunningham after a brutal injury in the 1991 season opener. McMahon guided the Birds to a 3-1 start before he missed a month with an injury. The Eagles used three quarterbacks — Jeff Kemp, Brad Goebel, and Pat Ryan — before McMahon returned in November. They won six straight, McMahon was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and the Eagles celebrated at the House of Pain. But McMahon was injured again and the Eagles missed the playoffs. One of the NFL’s all-time great defenses didn’t get a crack at the postseason.