Latest / Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History / 1980 - Baseball Clip - The Phantastic Phillies Harry Kalas - Highlights

Transcript

1980 - Baseball Clip - The Phantastic Phillies Harry Kalas - Highlights · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

0:01
This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons
0:04
.com for more sports history. This is the story
0:13
of the fantastic Phillies. A team whose roots
0:16
date back to the distant year of 1883. A team
0:19
whose heritage is as rich as any team in Major
0:22
League Baseball. But a team that had suffered
0:24
through the longest period of barrenness in Major
0:26
League Sports. That is until 1980. pitch on the
0:31
way to Booney he drops a bunt it's fielded by
0:33
the pitcher throw to the plate throw is wild
0:36
till he's winning the game check swing ground
0:38
ball third base Schmidt plays to second there's
0:40
one back to first double play here's Tug to the
0:44
wind up in the 2 -2 pitch called third strike
0:46
he struck him out with a fastball right across
0:49
the middle he caught him looking and Tug McGraw
0:51
strikes out the side in the eighth inning long
0:54
drive to left field he buried it he buried it
0:58
way back To be a Phillies fan in 1980 was something
1:07
special, something that will live with the millions
1:09
of loyal fans for many years to come. Over the
1:13
years, generation after generation has followed
1:15
the fortunes of this team. There were many memorable
1:18
moments and many great players to be recalled.
1:21
However, that ultimate moment of glory had always
1:24
eluded them. Then in 1980, when no one expected
1:28
it, it happened. In retracing the Phillies' rise
1:47
to glory, you have to go back to the date of
1:49
August 31, 1979, when Dallas Green was appointed
1:52
manager. It was not a job he desired. It was
1:55
not a job he intended to keep. His future lies
1:58
in the Phillies' front office. However, Dallas
2:01
Green was the right man for the task at hand.
2:05
He had heard the stories of how the Phillies
2:06
were a team of talent, but a team that lacked
2:08
desire, a team that lacked heart. With job security
2:12
the furthest thing from his mind, Dallas Green
2:15
responded to the challenge. He made no outrageous
2:18
promises. All he said was, if I keep yelling
2:22
and screaming, they'll eventually be listening.
2:25
And listen, they did. When the 1980 season began,
2:28
it was felt that Pittsburgh was the team to beat
2:30
in the National League East, with the Montreal
2:32
Expos offering a serious threat. The Phillies?
2:36
Well, they're good, but you know that Philadelphia
2:38
syndrome. Over the first couple of months, the
2:41
experts appeared right on target. as Pittsburgh
2:44
ruled the roost with Montreal in close pursuit.
2:47
But by mid -June, the National League East race
2:49
took on a new look as the Phillies made their
2:52
move. On June 18th, they found themselves just
2:55
one half game from the top when they snapped
2:57
a ninth inning one -to -one tie against San Diego
3:00
en route to a five -to -one victory. Pinch hitter
3:03
Keith Morland led the way with a clutch double.
3:19
on a big pinch hit double by Keith Morland. Lefty
3:24
Steve Carlton, a two -time Cy Young Award winner,
3:26
appeared headed to another one of those years
3:28
as he was rolling along at a blistering pace.
3:31
On June 22nd, he picked up his eighth straight
3:34
win to improve his overall record to 13 -2. The
3:39
Fills broke the game open in the seventh with
3:40
Lonnie Smith, Mike Schmidt, and Greg Luzinski
3:43
leading the way. Blue stretches. Here's the pitch
3:46
to Schmidt. Swing and a fly ball right field.
3:49
Deep. Jack Clark going away back. Can't get it.
3:52
Fair ball off the fence. Lonnie Smith rounding
3:55
third. He'll score. Schmidt to third base with
3:58
a triple. And it's a tie ball game. Pitch to
4:01
Gregg. Swing. Line drive right field. It's caught
4:04
by Clark. Schmidt tags. Clark's throw to the
4:07
plate. Off line. Mike scores and the Phillies
4:10
lead it four to three. And Mike Schmidt is with
4:12
us now, and Mike, big blow there in a good ball
4:15
game. Thank you. It was a good ball game. I'm
4:17
very happy about this game. Not only for Steve,
4:20
just getting his 13th win, but the last game
4:23
of the road trip gives us a little momentum to
4:24
go home with. We got some hitting out of the
4:27
middle of our order, the guys that haven't been
4:28
swinging too well lately. Mike, the triple that
4:32
you hit off the right field fence, did you feel
4:34
like it was going to carry that far? Definitely.
4:36
You called it a fly ball here. I'm not too appreciative
4:38
of that. The Phils were hanging tough, trailing
4:42
the Expos by a couple of games. On June 30th,
4:45
the Phils journeyed to Olympic Stadium to take
4:47
on those Expos in a three game series. In the
4:50
opener, the Phillies hit Montreal with a seven
4:52
run fourth inning that resulted in a seven to
4:55
five victory. Keith Morland and Pete Rose provided
4:58
the bulk of the heroics in that big inning. Slam
5:10
home run for Keith Marlin and the Phillies take
5:13
a 4 -0 lead. 2 -1 pitch to Rose as a drive deep
5:17
to right field. Office way, way back. That ball
5:20
is out of here. Pete Rose has his first home
5:24
run of the year. A two -run homer for Pete Rose
5:27
and the Phillies lead at 7 -0. The following
5:30
night, the Phillies again defeated the Expos.
5:33
this time in 11 innings. With the score tied
5:35
at three, Pete Rose played it one run and the
5:38
Montreal era would prove to be their undoing
5:40
in this five to four Philadelphia win. Pitch
5:43
on the way to him, ground ball, base hit to left
5:45
field. Rose is being waved around. Here's LaFleur's
5:48
throw, it is off line. Philly's score, throw
5:50
to third, the ball gets away. Picking up and
5:53
coming on in is gonna be Booney and he scores.
5:58
Philly's got two runs. At the All -Star break,
6:01
the Phillies found themselves just one game from
6:03
the top. One of the reasons for the Phillies'
6:06
newfound success was the job turned in by rookie
6:08
right -hander Bob Walk. One of those free spirits,
6:12
Walk won his sixth straight on July 16th when
6:15
he turned back the Houston Astros on three hits.
6:18
Then the next night, the old master himself,
6:21
Steve Carlton, did the rookie one better, allowing
6:24
the Astros a mere two hits in winning his 15th
6:27
game of the season. However, there were storm
6:40
clouds on the horizon. The Phils started to slip.
6:43
On August 10th, they dropped a doubleheader to
6:45
Pittsburgh. They were now in third place, six
6:48
games off the pace. But Dallas Green kept screaming
6:51
and the Phils kept listening. On August 21st,
6:55
they had crawled back to within a game and a
6:57
half of the top. and they defeated the San Diego
6:59
Padres in 17 innings. The game was finally resolved
7:03
when fake McBride tripled home Mike Schmidt.
7:24
The Fills eventually reached the top of the division
7:27
on September 4th when home runs by Mike Schmidt
7:29
and Greg Luzinski powered them to a 3 -2 victory.
7:34
Very high fly ball, deep to right field, way
7:36
back, out of here, home run. Mike Schmidt has
7:40
just hit his seventh career home run off Jerry
7:43
Royce and the Phillies lead it 2 -0. Here's the
7:46
2 -2 pitch. Swing and a line drive left field,
7:50
deep it is, out of here, home run. a line over
7:56
into the bullpen and left. And the Phillies lead
7:59
at three to nothing for the bull, his 17. It
8:02
was becoming evident that this race was going
8:04
right down to the finish. On September 8th, the
8:07
Pittsburgh Pirates struggling to stay in the
8:09
race were in Philadelphia for a two -game series.
8:12
In the opener, the Phillies down the Pirates
8:14
62. Then the following night, they completed
8:17
the sweep with a 14 -inning 5 -4 victory. The
8:26
next night, the Phils were at Shea Stadium to
8:42
take on the lowly New York Mets. Dallas Green
8:45
took a gamble and sent rookie Marty Beistrom
8:47
to the mound. and came up a winner as the youngster
8:50
hurled a five to nothing shutout in his first
8:53
major league start. Here's Elliott Maddox sending
8:56
a fly ball center field. This ought to do it.
8:58
Gary Maddox camping. He waits. He takes it. Marty
9:02
Bystrom has pitched a five hit shutout. And the
9:05
Phillies have won the ball game five to nothing
9:07
to remain a half game behind the Montreal Expos.
9:11
Marty, congratulations on just a super job in
9:14
your first hour. You have to be very, very happy.
9:17
Were you nervous at all at the beginning? Well,
9:20
just a little bit there, but not really. After
9:22
throwing that one inning in L .A., I took all
9:24
the nervousness away there and I just felt comfortable
9:26
and relaxed. Went out there and threw strikes
9:28
tonight. You appear to have command of all your
9:31
pitches. Yeah, well, that's what helps me get
9:36
these guys out up here. Everything worked out
9:39
good. Then the following evening, veteran Dick
9:41
Ruthman notched victory number 15 as he downed
9:44
the Mets 5 -1. Pitch to McBride, playing fly
10:05
ball center of field, Mookie Wilson there. Makes
10:09
the catch. That ball is carrying well. That ball
10:31
is not going to be caught. It bounces out over
10:33
the fence. It'll be a ground rule double. And
10:36
Gary Maddox will score the insurance run the
10:38
Phillies were looking for. Three to one Phillies
10:41
on the ground rule double by Dell Unser. The
10:45
set by Beringer. Here's the 2 -1 pitch to Rose.
10:48
Here's a hard hit ball. Prove for a base hit
10:50
and two more runs are going to score. The Phillies
10:59
lead it five to one. The Phillies were hanging
11:02
tough, but a mini slump found them two and one
11:04
half games behind after losing to Chicago on
11:07
September 19th. However, the Expos were going
11:10
into a mini slump of their own, and within two
11:13
days, the Phillies would be again just one half
11:15
game behind. On September 22nd, the Phillies
11:20
pulled out a three to two victory over the St.
11:22
Louis Cardinals in 10 innings. With rookie Keith
11:24
Morland providing the offensive heroics as Steve
11:27
Carlton garnered win number 23. And Tug McGraw
11:31
notched save number 18. Seeming ready with a
11:36
2 -2 pitch. Fly ball right field. Dropping quickly.
11:40
Is it fair ball or fair ball? Extra bases. Bull
11:43
was rounding third, he's going to score and Moreland's
11:47
in the second with a double. And the Phillies
11:49
lead it three to two on Keith Moreland's pinch
11:52
hit double down the right field line. The Phillies
11:56
return home on September 24th for their final
11:59
home stand of the season. In the opener of the
12:01
home stand, the Phillies and Mets were at a nothing
12:03
nothing standoff after the regulation nine innings.
12:07
Then on the 10th, Pete Rose snapped an 0 for
12:09
15 slump and the Phillies had a one to nothing
12:12
victory. Neil Allen getting his sign. Checks
12:16
the runner at second. Loviglia with a long lead.
12:20
The pitch. Grounded up the middle. Pete, was
12:35
that the good curveball you hit there? No, sir.
12:38
The first pitch was a curveball, and I guess
12:40
he thought I'd be looking for a curveball. I
12:41
don't know what they're going to do in that situation,
12:43
Rich. I don't know if they're going to try to
12:43
get me to go for a bad pitch or what, but the
12:46
first one just ripped right off the table for
12:47
a strike, and he came back with the fastball.
12:49
And so the beat went on. The next night, the
12:52
Phillies moved into first place by a half game
12:54
when they again beat the Mets 2 to 1. The game
12:57
was scoreless in the fifth. When the combined
12:59
bats of Manny Trio, Gary Maddox, Larry Boa and
13:03
Lonnie Smith provided the two runs that it took
13:05
to win. Hit to the right field corner giving
13:07
chase is Washington. He can't get that ball.
13:11
It's in play off the wall. Manny Trio round second.
13:14
He's heading for third and Manny will have a
13:17
stand up triple. Right left field and a base
13:20
hit. Run scores. Phillies lead it one to nothing.
13:23
Gary Maddox lines Jackson's first pitch to left
13:27
field and Gary has a seventy first run batted
13:29
in and the Phillies have a lead. Jackson has
13:32
his sign. And here's the pitch to him. Bouncing
13:35
ball back the middle. It's through for a base
13:37
hit. Larry Bowe is going to score. Bystrom holds
13:40
it second. Phillies lead the ball game two to
13:43
nothing on a RBI single by Lonnie Smith. Now
13:46
the Montreal Expos were in town for a big three
13:49
game series. In the first game a score was tied
13:52
at 1 1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning.
13:54
When Baker McBride caught hold of a Dave Palmer
13:57
pitch in the Phillies led the division by a game
14:00
and a half. Palmer's pitch to it. However, the
14:34
Expos came back to win the final two games of
14:36
the series, and the Phillies were now down a
14:39
half game. The issue would be resolved in the
14:41
final week of the season. On September 29th,
14:44
the Chicago Cubs were in town. They had a chance
14:47
to play the spoilers, and they were doing a good
14:49
job of it. The game was tied at 3 -3 when the
14:52
Cubs scored two runs in the top of the 15th inning
14:54
to take the lead. A loss could well have cost
14:57
the Phillies the division championship. But Gary
15:00
Maddox and Manny Trio would not let that happen.
15:04
1 -1 pitch. Swing and a base hit. Center field
15:07
tie game. Gary Maddox, a two -out line drive
15:12
single to center. And the Pills are still alive.
15:17
It's 5 -5 in the 15th. The 1 -1 pitch. Swing
15:22
and a ground ball. Base hit. Five and fifteen
15:37
innings. The key blows. Game time. Two outs.
15:41
Single by Maddox. And the game winning. Two outs.
15:46
Single by Manny Trejo. That win was the turning
15:50
point for the Phillies. The Phillies wouldn't
15:52
lose again until the National League East had
15:54
been resolved. The Phillies followed up that
15:57
game with a 14 to 2 pounding of the Cubs. In
16:00
the third game of the series, Steve Carlton recorded
16:02
his 24th win of the season with a 5 -0 blanking
16:06
of Chicago. In the final regular season home
16:09
game, the Phillies were to claw their way to
16:11
a share of first place with the Expos. The set
16:34
by Caudill, pitch on the way. Line drive, center
16:37
field base hit. Unser being waved around. Here
16:41
comes Martin's throw back in. Not in time. And
16:44
the Phillies lead the ball game 2 -1. Here's
16:47
the one strike pitch to Bittner. Check swing,
16:49
ground ball, third base. Schmidt plays to second.
16:51
There's one, back to first. Double play! Phillies
16:54
got the twin killing. They're out of trouble
16:56
in the eighth inning. So it was on to Montreal.
17:00
The mission was now clear cut. win two out of
17:02
three and become National League Eastern Division
17:05
champs. The Phillies' destiny was in their own
17:08
hands. In the first game, the Phillies went up
17:11
by one. to the wind up in the two two pitch called
17:37
third strike he struck him out with a fastball
17:39
right across the middle he caught him looking
17:41
and Tug McGraw strikes out the side in the eighth
17:44
inning. Olympic Stadium in Montreal Harry Callis
17:47
with you where the Phillies have down the Expos
17:49
by a score of two one brilliant pitching tonight
17:52
by Dick Ruthven Starkey line especially Tug McGraw.
17:56
Tug going the last two innings striking out five
17:58
of the six men he faced so the Phillies have
18:01
a game lead on Montreal. 20th save of the year,
18:06
you looked like you had outstanding stuff tonight.
18:09
Harry, it's strange. It really is. This game
18:11
of baseball is weird. Warming up tonight, I felt
18:14
a little bit stiff, maybe because of the coolness
18:17
of the weather up here. I was extremely nervous.
18:20
Once I got out on the field, everything seemed
18:23
to be real calm, and the pitches just seemed
18:26
to come from nowhere. I really didn't feel as
18:29
though I had really great stuff tonight. I think
18:31
when you feel that way, Harry, it makes you concentrate
18:34
all that much more, and it makes you work on
18:38
your mechanics and make sure you do everything
18:40
right. Doug, it looked to me like you caught
18:42
a couple of hitters looking for the Scrooge and
18:44
zipped that fastball. Well, you know, Harry,
18:46
like I said earlier, I just really didn't feel
18:50
as though I had overpowering stuff. And so what
18:52
Booney and I did was try to mix up the pitches
18:54
a lot. I shook off a whole bunch of signs. I
18:57
kept shaking my head. Sometimes he'd give me
18:59
the pitch I wanted and I'd shake my head and
19:02
until he come back to it Just just to try to
19:04
use everything we could to try to keep the hitters
19:06
from sitting on any one particular pitch and
19:09
and I think I think they they were really aware
19:12
of the screwball tonight and actually I The eighth
19:16
inning I did I did make some real good pitches
19:18
with the screwball as it turned out in the ninth
19:20
They were all sitting on the screwball and I
19:22
was able to get them with the fastball in the
19:24
slider So tonight was one of those nights where
19:26
fortunately everything worked out real well Then
19:28
in game two, after an eternal rain delay, the
19:31
Phillies said to themselves, let's get this thing
19:34
over. The pitch to Boone. Back through the middle.
19:38
Base hit. Here's Blake McBride being waved around.
19:41
Here's the throw. It's going to be way off target.
19:44
Boone goes into second. Phillies have tied the
19:47
game. The pitch to Schmidt. Long drive to left
19:50
field. in the ninth inning of the game never
20:22
would have gone over time and when he. It's been
20:25
a scuffling year for you. This has to make you
20:28
feel pretty good. It feels great, Rich. I already
20:30
came up here feeling very confident in this series.
20:33
I just feel like with Tug out there, we just
20:35
got the magic. And with all the converse and
20:37
all the frustrations that we've experienced,
20:39
this is just a super. It's still the first stopping
20:43
point for us. And we've had a goal all year to
20:46
get to the playoffs, but to go on past them.
20:49
So we're ready. And we've got the big guy going
20:52
with us. two extra days rest is going to be really
20:54
important to us. I'm just excited about it. We
20:56
want to get in that series. Michael Jack, you
21:01
just drove Harry Kelly's car with that whole
21:05
month. Buddy, this has been quite a year. Nice
21:07
going, buddy. Thank you, Rich. How do you feel?
21:11
Without a doubt, I feel as good as I've ever
21:13
felt in my life. Booney got the biggest hit of
21:17
his career. Gary against the Cubs, I think, initiated
21:21
this whole week for us with that hit that he
21:24
got with two outs. Well, here's the guy, Doug
21:27
McGraw and Doug day after day. I have never seen
21:32
a release pitcher pitch the way you have, buddy.
21:36
Beautiful. Richie, I'll tell you, this is a ball.
21:41
I didn't know that last inning whether I was
21:43
ever going to be able to get it to the catcher
21:44
or not. Today was an eighth title all day. That
21:48
rainy leg got up this morning, took three, took
21:51
three more when the game finally started, and
21:53
then going out for the last inning, had to pump
21:55
down a couple more, and we got it up there. I
21:58
believe you're going to get a day off tomorrow,
22:00
Doug, and I believe we can safely tell the fans
22:03
they can stay out tonight. They don't have to
22:04
get through. get your rest tonight but I'll tell
22:07
you what Phyllis and Grandma Dad Uncle Hank and
22:11
Mark and Carrie save some champagne for when
22:14
we get home we'll have a party together. Paul
22:17
Owens now is here folks God love you Vice President
22:21
General Manager of the Phillies this is your
22:23
fourth division crown how does this one feel
22:25
compared to the other? I don't know. The other
22:31
years I kind of felt we might do it and this
22:33
year we had her ups and downs early with her
22:36
pitching. I don't know, I just got a pressure
22:38
one out of this and our guys have fought like
22:39
hell. I think it's September and we won all our
22:42
games in a row. They can talk about having a
22:45
little trouble down at clubhouse, but these guys
22:47
all want to win. I guarantee you that. It's pretty
22:50
evident right now. Dick Ruppert is here. Ruppert's
22:54
winning the big game last night. How does this
22:56
one feel? This feels great. I mean, all the adversity
23:01
and everything for six months in to come in and
23:03
do it. And I'll tell you what, we can't say enough
23:06
for Tug and Marty in the month of September as
23:09
far as the feds and staff. That made it for us.
23:13
Pete Rose has just joined us. Pete's been talking
23:16
to a million and one writers. And Pete, you've
23:19
been through it before, but what a ballgame.
23:21
What a win. What a division championship. Well,
23:24
I think it was more like a three -ring circus
23:25
today, Harry, than it was a ballgame. But they
23:28
bowed us tough. And Booney got a keen hit for
23:30
us. And of course, Smitty hit his 48th home run.
23:33
And he's been hot this week. And our pitching
23:36
was excellent again. And we could stand here
23:37
all day and talk about Tugger. As far as I'm
23:41
concerned, he's the best reliever in the league
23:42
right now. So what do you think? Petey, I don't
23:44
think there's any question about it. Let me tell
23:45
you, you're a walking encyclopedia of every game
23:49
that's ever been played and every game you've
23:51
ever been involved in. I want to see you replay
23:53
this one one time in 10 years. I know who made
23:55
the errors, I know that. But you know, we were
23:59
trying to be too aggressive on the bases, Dan.
24:01
I think some of us forgot that the turf was wet.
24:04
And it's like when Schminnie hit the base at
24:05
the left field and we held me up, they thought
24:08
I was going. So the Phillies were East Division
24:25
champions, but they had been in the same position
24:27
in 1976, 77, and 78. Could they overcome that
24:33
worn out jinx of not being able to win in postseason
24:36
play? They were ready. The fantastic Phillies
24:50
were in the playoffs. Could they lick that terrible
24:53
curse that had seemingly been cast upon them?
24:55
Before game one, much was made of the fact that
24:57
the Phillies had won only one postseason game
25:00
in Philadelphia in their history. That was on
25:02
October 8, 1915, when Grover Cleveland Alexander
25:06
beat the Boston Red Sox 3 -1 in the opener of
25:09
the World Series. Now it was October 7, 1980,
25:13
almost 65 years to the day. It was time to end
25:17
that famine. Their opponent was the scrapping
25:20
Houston Astros who had won the National League
25:22
West some 24 hours earlier in a divisional playoff
25:25
game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After an all
25:28
-night flight from Los Angeles, the Astros figured
25:31
to be a little weary for game one. However, it
25:34
surely didn't appear that way. The pitching matchups
25:37
pitted Ken Forch against Steve Carlton. Lefty
25:40
a 24 -game winner during the regular season was
25:42
shaky as he struggled to find his rhythm. The
25:45
Astros nicked him for a run in the third. But
25:47
it could have been more. But Carlton, being the
25:50
competitor that he is, battled his way out of
25:53
jam after jam. For that matter, all the Phillies
25:56
were battling. History was not on their side.
26:00
Finally in the sixth, their efforts were rewarded.
26:08
For the moment, it appeared as though the monkey
26:14
was off their back. And in the seventh, the Phillies
26:17
made it a 3 -1 game. Out of the bullpen came
26:33
Tug McGraw for the final two innings. And he
26:36
simply shut the door on Houston. And the Phillies
26:38
had a 3 -1 victory in the first game of this
26:41
best of five series. However, the Astros bounced
26:46
back the next night to even the series at a game
26:48
of peace with a 7 -4 victory in 10 innings. Now
26:52
the scene shifted to the spacious Astrodome in
26:54
Houston, Texas. In game three, the Astros eked
26:57
out a 1 -0 victory in extra innings to take a
27:00
2 -1 lead in the series. Suddenly, history was
27:04
staring in the Phillies' faces again. Would they
27:07
fail once more in postseason play? Game four
27:11
of the series was one that will live in baseball
27:13
history. Just about everything imaginable occurred
27:17
in this game. In the fourth, with the game scoreless,
27:20
the Astros pulled off what they thought was a
27:22
triple play, but turned out to be a double play.
27:48
That was not. Bern rule even doesn't think that
27:51
he that he caught the ball. That was a short
27:54
hop. Maddox is out at first. Everybody else is
27:57
safe. But all that craziness aside, the Phillies
28:18
were fighting for their lives. With the hourglass
28:21
dwindling, the Phillies came to bat in the eighth
28:23
and trailing two to nothing. Pitch on the way
28:26
to Rose. Bouncing ball right side. It has eyes.
28:28
It goes through. Being waved around is the lead
28:31
man, Gross. He's going to score. Play to third.
28:34
Not in time. Play to second. Not in time. Runners
28:36
second and third. Phillies trail the game two
28:39
to one. Here's the three -two pitch. Swing and
28:42
a bouncing ball back to middle. It's curved by
28:44
Morgan. No throw. Everybody safe. Tie ball game.
28:48
Ready to go. Half the belt. The 1 -2 pitch to
28:53
trio. Punch shot right field being charged. And
28:56
that ball is caught. The runners are tagging.
28:58
Here's the throw to the plate. Rose scores. But
29:01
the Astros tied it up in the ninth, and this
29:03
one was headed for extra innings. In the tenth,
29:06
Pete Rose started things with a single. Then
29:08
with pinch hitter Greg Luzinski at bat Astros
29:11
catcher Bruce Bochy was about to find out what
29:13
it's like to play against Pete Rose The one nothing
29:17
pitch driven to left field hard hit ball down
29:19
into the corner that ball one hops against the
29:22
fence Here comes Pete Rose digging around third.
29:24
He's gonna keep right on gone. Here's the play
29:27
at the plate He knocked Bochy over the throw
29:32
was there, but he knocked him over both. He didn't
29:35
hold the ball and the Phillies lead the game.
29:38
Manny Trio followed with another key hit that
29:40
scored Luzinski, and the Phillies were on their
29:42
way to tying up this series with a 5 -3 victory.
29:48
In game five, the Phillies again found themselves
29:51
on the short end of the score, entering the eighth
29:53
inning trailing 5 -2. But as they had done the
29:56
day before, they put together an eighth inning
29:58
rally, this time tallying five times. The one
30:02
strike to Trio, line drive, left field, safe
30:05
hit! The Astros refused to quit, and they tied
30:24
it up in the bottom of the eighth. After a scoreless
30:26
ninth inning, this one would have to be resolved
30:28
in extra innings for the fourth game in a row.
30:31
In the tenth. Pinch hitter Dell Unser and center
30:34
fielder Gary Maddox parlayed a pair of doubles
30:36
into a run, and the Phillies were on top to stay.
30:39
Pinch on the way to Maddox. Line drive, center
30:41
field, sinking, face hit. That ball's in play.
30:45
Phillies lead. The ball gets guy pool. Maddox
30:48
goes to second. In the bottom of the tenth, Dick
30:50
Ruthven, working out of the bullpen on this night,
30:53
put down the Astros 1 -2 -3. And the Philadelphia
30:57
Phillies were the National League champions.
30:59
The winds up by Ruthven. The 3 -2 pitch. Here
31:02
is a punch shot to center field. Maddox racing
31:05
over. He catches the ball! Phillies win the parents!
31:09
The Phillies have won the parents! The Phillies
31:11
win the ball game 8 -7. They go to the World
31:14
Series for the first time in 30 years. We came
31:17
a long way as a team this year Richie. You know
31:19
that as well as anybody. It took every ounce
31:21
of everything we had to win this playoff and
31:23
actually to win our division as well. I think
31:27
we're so happy about this, going into the World
31:30
Series for the first time in so many years. It's
31:33
the biggest problem we're going to have is getting
31:35
over these hangovers we're going to have tonight.
31:37
I'm very excited. This is the biggest three of
31:39
my life. And like I said, I just want to thank
31:42
my teammates, the Philadelphia organization for
31:45
making it possible for me to make my dream come
31:48
true, getting a house for me and my family. I'm
31:51
so excited. I don't know. I think I'm going to
31:53
have a hard time. I was going to worry when they
31:55
went in. You know, when they went ahead three
31:58
to two, you know, I thought we could still come
32:01
back. And then when they scored on the wow pitch,
32:03
you know, I went in and told Larry, you're really
32:04
better now because one run down, we still got
32:06
two at bat. Then they come up with Hal, got another
32:08
base hit. Trimple was driving another run. And
32:11
you know, three down at that time is difficult.
32:14
One's not that quite difficult. You've got some
32:15
guys get to follow the ballpark. But we came
32:17
back with five. And I just couldn't believe they
32:19
tied up into that. But you know, Cruz, a tremendous
32:22
hitter. And they got the base runners. The pool
32:24
had a great night. And we just didn't get the
32:26
key guys out in the right situations except the
32:28
ninth inning. I did a lot of praying on that
32:30
field yesterday and today, and all of my prayers
32:32
were answered, Harry. And I watched most of that
32:35
game today. I was a lot of dead weight out there
32:37
myself. And Manny Trio reached back and played
32:39
the best game I've ever seen a second baseman
32:41
play. The best game bar none I've ever seen a
32:44
second baseman play. It took everything else
32:46
and everything this team had. They said we couldn't
32:49
beat them down here two games, got down three
32:51
runs, just 2 -5 right at them. 13 years in the
32:54
big leagues. I loved every one of them, but not
32:56
as much as this year. I feel so happy for these
32:59
guys. I think these guys have buried some ghosts
33:04
that have been following me around a long time.
33:06
They've been following the 64 team a long time.
33:10
The John Tightpant's tightest team in 1915, I
33:13
think we laid them to rest. So the Phillies were
33:16
in the World Series for the first time since
33:18
1950, and only the third time in their history.
33:21
They would lock horns with the American League
33:23
champion, Kansas City Royals, and attempt to
33:26
win their first championship ever. Game one of
33:28
the World Series was played at Veterans Stadium
33:30
on Tuesday, October 14th. Because of having to
33:33
go the full route in the playoffs, the Phillies'
33:36
pitching situation was not in the best of shape.
33:39
As a result, rookie Bob Walk would have to do
33:41
the hurling against Kansas City's 20 -game winner,
33:44
Dennis Leonard. It's unusual to start a rookie
33:46
in a World Series. It's so unusual that it had
33:49
been 28 years since it had happened, when Joe
33:52
Black towed the rubber for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
33:55
But then again, this had been an unusual season
33:57
for the Phillies. At the outset, things looked
34:01
bleak for the Phillies, as Amos Otis and then
34:03
Willie Akins cracked two run homers to give the
34:05
Royals a four to nothing lead. But in the third,
34:08
the Phillies came roaring back. It started with
34:10
the bats of Larry Boa, Bob Boon, Lonnie Smith,
34:14
and a fielding mix -up by the Royals, George
34:16
Bratt. Leonard rides in the 2 -2 pitch to Boa.
34:19
Swing base hit center field. Boa has the Phillies'
34:23
first hit of the World Series. Look at that point.
34:25
Dennis Leonard had retired seven pills in a row.
34:29
There goes Boa. The pitch to Boon. A called strike.
34:31
Throw to second. Not in time. Stolen base Larry
34:34
Boa. The pitch to Boon. Swing. That made the
35:08
score four to two, but it also cleared the bases.
35:11
However, the Phillies were far from through.
35:14
First Pete Rose was hit by a pitch, and then
35:16
Mike Schmidt walked, bringing to the plate, Bate
35:19
McBride. In the fourth, the Phils made it a 6
35:36
-4 ball game. With a runner on third in two outs,
35:39
Bob Boone, who already had one RBI for the night,
35:42
played it another. Meanwhile Bob walk had settled
36:00
down since being touched for the two home runs.
36:02
It was pitching good baseball Walk finally weakened
36:17
in the eighth when Willie Akins hit his second
36:19
to run home run in the game to make it a seven
36:22
to six game Out of the bullpen came the ubiquitous
36:25
tug McGraw to shut the door and the Phillies
36:28
had captured the first game of the 1980 World
36:31
Series to pitch to Willie Wilson Game 2 figured
36:48
to be the pitching masterpiece of the series,
36:50
pitting the Phil's 24 -game winner Steve Carlton
36:53
against the Royals' outstanding left -hander
36:55
Larry Gura. The game was scoreless through the
36:58
first four innings, but Lefty was struggling.
37:00
However, when he needed it, he had it, and the
37:03
Phillies' defense took it from there. And the
37:13
pitch to Amos Otis. Curve ball, ground ball,
37:16
shortstop might be two. Oh, and a 3 -0 -1, the
37:19
relay. Yes, double play. And the Phillies get
37:22
out of the inning. It's still a nothing -nothing
37:24
ball game. Meanwhile, Gura was outstanding, retiring
37:28
the first 13 batters to face him. In the fifth,
37:31
he suddenly lost it, and the Phillies capitalize.
37:34
A pitch to Moreland. Ground ball in. Phillies
38:11
lead at one to nothing. Swing and a line drive.
38:14
It's a hit to the left. Gary Maddox scores and
38:17
the Phillies lead at two to nothing. The Royals
38:20
finally got to Carlton in the sixth for a run.
38:23
It could have been more except for that Phillies
38:24
combo of Boa to Trio to Rose as they reeled off
38:28
their third double play of the night. Here's
38:31
a stretch by Carlton. The pitch to White. Swing
38:34
a hard ground ball right at Boa. Might be two
38:37
to Trio. The Royals were too good a team to be
38:46
repelled too many times. In the seventh, Lefty
38:49
lost his control, walking three batters, and
38:51
the end result was three runs that gave Kansas
38:54
City a 4 -2 lead. But there was no panic with
38:58
the Phillies. They had been in this situation
39:00
before and had survived. In the eighth, with
39:02
the Royals ace reliever Dan Quisenberry on the
39:05
mound, they opened up with a four -run assault
39:07
that gave them a 6 -4 lead to send the city of
39:10
Philadelphia into a state of unknown euphoria.
39:14
first base with a walk and nobody out. Dale Unser
39:17
facing the side wheeling Dan Quisenberry. Here's
39:21
the pitch to Unser. Playing in a drive in the
39:23
gap in left center field. Otis chasing. Can't
39:26
get it. Going all the way back to the fence.
39:29
Here's Boone rounding third. He's being weighed
39:32
home. Boone scores. Unser at second with a clutch
39:35
pitch double. Quisenberry's pitch to McBride.
40:19
In the ninth, Big Ron Reed rambled out of the
40:21
bullpen, and as McGraw had done the night before,
40:24
he blew the Royals away, and the Phillies were
40:26
up two games in this World Series. Ron Reed trying
40:30
to lock up game two of the World Series. Here's
40:34
a stretch by Big Ron. The 2 -2 pitch. Swing and
40:37
a miss! He struck, game out! John Wathen goes
40:41
down, swinging, and the Phillies win 6 -4. Now
40:48
it was on to Kansas City for the next three games.
40:50
In game three, the Phillies again came from behind
40:53
to tie the contest. But this was not to be their
40:56
night, as the Royals would win the game in ten
40:58
innings. The next afternoon, the Royals tied
41:01
up the series at two games apiece with a 5 -3
41:04
victory. However, something very meaningful occurred
41:07
in this game as far as the Phillies were concerned.
41:10
It was in the fourth inning, and the Royals'
41:12
George Brett was at bat against the Phillies'
41:14
Dicky Knowles. No two pitch to Brett. George
41:18
Brett has to hit the dirt on a high inside fastball
41:23
and Brett goes down in a hurry at home plate.
41:26
Here comes Jim Fry Kansas City Major out of the
41:29
dugout. To many across North America and throughout
42:02
the baseball world, Knowles was cast as a villain.
42:05
But the ballplayers knew what was happening.
42:17
To that point the momentum or as the players
42:20
might say the Big Mo had been in the Royals favor.
42:23
Someone had to stem the tide, halt it. Knoll's
42:26
purpose pitch did the job. From that moment on
42:29
the Royals would be as docile as lamb, scoring
42:31
only four runs in the final 22 innings of the
42:34
series. In game five the Phillies sent their
42:40
September sensation Marty Beistrom to the mound
42:43
to be opposed by the Wiley veteran Larry Gura.
42:45
For three innings, they matched each other. Then
42:48
in the fourth, the Phillies took the lead. Here's
42:51
the pitch to Schmidt. Fastballs. Playing at a
42:54
high, towering drive to deep right center. Otis
42:58
going way back. This ball is out of here. Home
43:02
run Mike Schmidt. And the Phillies lead it two
43:05
to nothing. The Royals finally got on the scoreboard
43:08
in the fifth. And in the sixth they came up with
43:10
two more to take a three to two lead. It could
43:13
have been more except for a perfect relay throw
43:15
by Manny Trio from Bank McBride to cut down Darryl
43:19
Porter at home plate. Fastball swaying in a long
43:22
drive to deep right field. Bank McBride going
43:25
away back. He'll never get it. Off the fence.
43:29
Here's Darryl Porter being waved around. It remained
43:46
a one -run ball game as the innings wound down
43:49
and both teams went to their aces out of the
43:51
bullpen. Quisenberry for the Royals. McGraw for
43:53
the Phils. Finally it was the top of the ninth.
43:56
Last call for the Phillies. Mike Schmidt got
43:59
things started with an infield hit. Now Del Unser
44:02
was at the plate. Unser had already had one big
44:05
hit in the series off Quisenberry. Could he do
44:07
it again? Schmitt is heading for third base,
44:17
being waved around third. Here is the relay throw
44:20
to the plate, and Schmitt is safe at home plate.
44:23
Phillies have tied the game here in the ninth,
44:25
3 -3. Del Unser, another clutch, pinched double.
44:30
Unser eventually moved to third, and with two
44:32
outs and Manny Trio at the plate, he would score.
44:35
Here's the pitch to Trio. In the bottom of the
44:48
ninth McGraw seemed to be struggling as he loaded
44:50
the bases on walks. But when he needed it most,
44:53
it was there. Bases loaded with Royals, two down,
44:57
bottom half of the ninth inning, Phillies lead
44:59
by a run. It all boils down to Tug McGraw and
45:03
ex -teammate Jose Cardinal. Tug is ready. A one
45:09
-two pitch. So now it was back to Philadelphia
45:27
and history. In game six, the Phillies sent Steve
45:30
Carlton to the mound while the Royals countered
45:32
with right -hander Rich Gale. The game was scoreless
45:35
through two innings. When in the third with the
45:37
bases loaded, Mike Schmidt, who would be the
45:39
series MVP, put Philadelphia on the board. In
45:56
the fifth, the Phillies made it a three -to -nothing
45:57
ball game. And in the sixth, they upped the count
45:59
to four -to -nothing. Here's the pitch by Squidor,
46:03
playing in a line drive left field. It's a fair
46:05
ball going to the corner. Larry Bowe, rounding
46:08
first, on his way to second. He's there with
46:11
a stand -up double. The 0 -1 pitch to Boo. Carlton
46:30
was back in midseason form as he whistled through
46:33
the Royals batting order. But in the eighth Carlton,
46:36
who was now up to 331 innings pitch for the season,
46:40
tired. And the Royals got to him for a run. Once
46:43
more out of the bullpen came the Tugger. The
47:03
Royals were fighting for their baseball lives.
47:06
In the night, they again loaded the bases with
47:08
one out. But there would be no call from the
47:10
governor. Their execution was about to be completed.
48:30
Less than 24 hours later, the Philadelphia Phillies
48:33
and more than one million of their faithful convened
48:36
in a parade and celebration unmatched in sports
48:39
history. It was truly a loving between a city
48:42
and its team. Philadelphia Phillies, world champions
48:48
of baseball. The man who guided this band of
49:00
world first game and now 97 years five months
51:04
and 21 days later they have finally reached the
51:08
summit. They are the world champions of baseball.