April 03, 2023
April is the dawn of a trifecta in the Philadelphia sports scene. The tail end of the Flyers' and Sixers' seasons combined with the beginning of a new Phillies season give the city a chance for a "hat trick" with wins in all three sports on the same day. Sunday was that first opportunity for picking up three wins in 2023. All three teams came up short.
The Phillies were swept during their season-opening series against the Rangers, losing 2-1 in the Sunday night finale. The Sixers had a double-digit loss in Milwaukee. The Flyers, in the midst of a horrible year, fell to their bitter rivals in Pittsburgh.
Some in-depth research from walking Philly sports encyclopedia Bob Vetrone showcases the history of the local squads' chances of picking up this hat trick and when they've both swept the competition and gone o-fer:
Sunday night -- and three more times in the next week -- the Phillies, Sixers and Flyers will all be playing on the same day . . .
— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) April 2, 2023
They will be trying to pull off that winning hat trick for just the second time in the 10 years -- pic.twitter.com/9duIoI1B3j
Per Vetrone's notes, this is the 16th time these three teams have all lost on the same day.
The last time all three teams lost was last fall on Nov. 2. With Joel Embiid sidelined, the Sixers suffered a 10-point loss to the Wizards. The Flyers, in a sign of things to come this season, lost 5-2 to the Maple Leafs. In by far the most crushing defeat of the night, the Astros no-hit the Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series. The Fightins would then lose the next two games as Houston became World Champions. Rough.
Hope, however, is on the horizon. The Flyers, Sixers and Phillies will all play on the same day three more times this week:
| Date | Phillies | Sixers | Flyers |
| Tues., 4/4 | at Yankees | vs. Celtics | at Blues |
| Thurs., 4/6 | vs. Reds | vs. Heat | at Stars |
| Sun., 4/9 | vs. Reds | at Nets | vs. Bruins |
In order of importance, I'd say the Phillies getting out of 0-3 is the most pressing need, followed by a Sixers team that's going to end up as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and then a Flyers team that could probably benefit from a couple of losses to help their lottery odds in a irrelevant season.
Seeing the city's teams lose three times in one day is tough, but could you imagine three teams all losing the championship in a 99-day span? I can't fathom that despair in Philly that would come with that!
Follow Shamus & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @shamus_clancy | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Shamus' RSS feed to your feed reader
