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The Top Five Philadelphia Sports Moments of 2025
By Nick Piccone
Published:
As 2025 comes to an end, so does one of the more memorable years in Philly sports history. There were high expectations for a few of our teams, but only one reached the mountaintop and it remains to be seen if they can deliver again in 2026. At the end of each year, I like to look back at some of the biggest sports moments of the year, so let’s hit ’em:
5. Kyle Schwarber’s four-homer game
The best thing about baseball is we have a chance to witness something historic every single night. And we witnessed history on the night of August 28th:
SCHWARBOMB #4
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) August 29, 2025
"And everybody looking for history from Kyle Schwarber, the 1-2 on the way… SWUNG ON, HIT DEEP RIGHT FIELD! AND THERE'S HISTORY FOR SCHWARBER!" pic.twitter.com/4gdTIKhG9m
That was cool, Stock.
What’s even better is that the cast of Abbott Elementary was in the house to film an episode that guest starred… you guessed it… Kyle Schwarber:
4. Zack Wheeler’s one-hitter against the Reds
“A pitch away from perfect.” Zack Wheeler’s dominance as a Phillie has been special to witness. He was on track for another incredible season before venous thoracic outlet syndrome derailed it in August. Wheeler had successful surgery, thankfully, and the original prognosis for recovery was between six to eight months.
3. Union win Supporters’ Shield
WHAT AN END OF GAME CALL BY DAVE LENO!
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) October 5, 2025
UNION WIN! pic.twitter.com/gINaXJl9Ic
With expectations far below promising, the Philadelphia Union defied the haters all season long en route to the best record in MLS. Unfortunately, they lost in the Eastern Conference Semis, but it was a trophy-winning season for a team with zero expectations. Dave Leno’s excitement will never get old.
2. Saquon Barkley.
Saquon started 2025 the same way he ended 2024 – like a freight train. Not only did Barkley flirt with the all-time rushing record, he had maybe the most impactful first season for a Philly team – ever.
3. SAQUON BARKLEY! 62-YARD TOUCHDOWN! pic.twitter.com/NYw6r0ia1e
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) January 20, 2025
10. SAQUON BARKLEY AGAIN! 78 YARDS! pic.twitter.com/NzyQG7rbmj
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) January 20, 2025
Eagles vs Commanders: NFC Championship
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) January 27, 2025
1. SAQUON BARKLEY!
HE'S GONNA GO! pic.twitter.com/2nkO80aMVW
1. Eagles win Super Bowl LIX / Championship Parade
13. WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) February 10, 2025
pic.twitter.com/Riu9zR2ak4
I can’t even describe what watching Super Bowl LIX felt like for me. Since I’ve streamlined the process for producing the radio clips synced to video, I generally like watching every Eagles game alone as it lets me focus better. Some have asked me if it’s taken away the enjoyable experience, but I have to say, it really hasn’t. In some ways, it enhances it. And after Cooper DeJean’s pick-six, all the butterflies I had heading into the game went away for the rest of the night.
The parade was fun, too.
Note: Maybe this could have been a Top 6 list, because the Phillies winning back-to-back division titles for the first time since 2011 is a great team accomplishment. This baseball season was also a lot of fun, and deserves to be in the top six. But the expectations were much higher for the Phillies than the Union, so the season in general doesn’t usurp these moments to me.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 14 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice and Philly Influencer. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Wrestling Podcast. He's also a producer for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com