This epic masterpiece may look familiar. For the past two years it has been showcased on-site at Citizens Bank Park, and the litho print version is a best-seller on Major League Baseball's website. Our bidders may also recall that Kuyper's mesmerizing 2011 Cardinals championship scene sold in our November 2015 auction. But this 2-foot-by-3-foot Phillies original, above all, reigns supreme and holds the greatest significance to Kuyper and his collectors. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Mike still lives just outside the City of Brotherly Love, and he poured his heart and soul into the offered tribute to his beloved hometown team.

      "When the Phils won the World Series," Kuyper remembers, "I felt inspired to capture that thrilling moment when Brad Lidge was on his knees with his hands to the sky, Carlos Ruiz was running to greet him, and the stadium was erupting in pandemonium. I spent five months on the painting and enjoyed every brushstroke. As a Philly sports fan, there's nothing more exciting than watching the team you root for win a championship. I actually DVRed the final out and the postgame show so I could use the footage as a reference, pausing the recording at each frame to document what every player was doing at that exact instant."

      A realist and a perfectionist, Kuyper here exemplifies his trademark meticulous attention to detail, from the jersey-wearing superfans in the foreground, to the dramatic field action, to the intricate ballpark architecture, to the extraordinarily rendered fireworks in the night sky. For good measure, he has even embellished by adding the Phanatic to the first-base side, a Harry Kalas memorial logo at bottom center, and—in a secret Where's Waldo touch—a few portraits of Mike's own family members in the stands and on the jumbotron. With "Phinally!", Kuyper has truly immortalized the ultimate glory of the Phils' 2008 championship, bringing the magic moment back to life as only Mike Kuyper can. Housed in a hand-crafted, custom-made, Phillies-motif frame to overall dimensions of 30 x 42 inches.

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