TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

The Phillies Finally Win It All (Game 6, 1980 World Series)

The Phillies joined the National League in 1883, and 97 years later they still didn’t have a World Series title. They lost the Series in 1915 and 1950. They won the NL East three years in a row from 1976 to 1978 and lost the NLCS every time. Of the 16 original modern-era clubs, they were the only one that had never won it all.

1980 was different. Mike Schmidt clinched the division with an extra-inning homer on the next-to-last day of the season. The Phillies beat Houston in an NLCS that ended with two straight extra-inning wins in the Astrodome. Then they took three of the first five games from the Royals. Game 6 was October 21 at the Vet, and they were one win away.

Steve Carlton got the ball. Lefty won 24 games that year to lead the league. He’d thrown 159 pitches in Game 2, so Dallas Green held him out of Game 5, and with the off day he got extra rest. Kansas City went with Rich Gale, a 13-game winner who hadn’t made it out of the fifth in Game 3. Jim Frey wanted a righty against that lineup, so Splittorff started the game in the pen.

There were 65,838 people in the stands. Carlton was sharp early, with four strikeouts in three innings. He got out of a two-walk jam in the second on a John Wathan double play.

In the third the Phillies broke through, and the Royals helped them do it. Bob Boone walked on four pitches. Lonnie Smith bounced one to Frank White, whose throw pulled U.L. Washington off the bag, and both runners were safe. Pete Rose bunted down the third-base line, and Gale and Brett both let it go. “I screwed up,” Gale said after the game. “It’s that simple.”

That loaded the bases for Schmidt, who’d hit 48 homers that year. He lined a single to right-center. Boone scored easily. Smith stumbled rounding third but got up and made it home. The Phillies led 2-0, and Gale was done.

In the fifth, Smith doubled, moved to third on a Rose fly ball, and scored when Bake McBride hit a slow roller off Splittorff. That made it 3-0. In the sixth, Larry Bowa doubled and Boone singled him in for a 4-0 lead. Bowa was the oldest homegrown player on the team. The Phillies signed him for $2,000 back in 1965, and he hit .375 in the Series.

Carlton took the shutout into the eighth, but a walk and a Jose Cardenal single brought in Tug McGraw. Tug walked Willie Wilson to load the bases. Washington hit a sac fly, and then Brett beat out an infield hit to load them again. McRae went to 3-0, worked it full, fouled off a couple, and grounded to Trillo to end the inning.

The ninth was more of the same. Tug said later his arm was gone and he just hoped they’d hit it at somebody. Otis struck out on the screwball. Then Aikens walked and Wathan and Cardenal both singled, so the bases were loaded with one out. Frank White popped one up in front of the Phillies dugout. Boone and Rose both went for it. The ball bounced out of Boone’s mitt and Rose grabbed it before it hit the ground. Rose joked that they’d practiced that one.

That brought up Wilson. He took strike one, fouled off strike two, took a ball, and swung through strike three. After 97 years, the Phillies were world champions. Schmidt was the Series MVP.

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This day in baseball has a deeper dive into every event from October 21

October 21, 1957 — The New York Giants, who are moving to San Francisco in 1958, purchase the Class-A San Francisco Seals team and will convince the Pacific Coast League to accept Phoenix as a location for the Seals.

Their new farm team will be known as the Phoenix Giants.

October 21, 1964 — After just 11 years in Milwaukee, the Braves’ Board of Directors votes to ask the National League for permission to move to Atlanta. Milwaukee County officials sue to block the move.

October 21, 1973, the Oakland A’s win their second consecutive World Championship. Reggie Jackson and Campy Campaneris hit two-run homers to lead the A’s to a 5-2 win over the New York Mets in Game Seven of the World Series. The game marks the final appearance in an A’s uniform for manager Dick Williams, who announces his resignation

October 21, 1968 — The newly-created Montreal Expos purchase third baseman Bob Bailey from the Dodgers.

October 21, 1975, At Fenway Park, on Cincinnati Red’s Pat Darcy’s second pitch to Carlton Fisk of the Boston Red Sox hits on of the most memorable homeruns in World Series History. He powers a dramatic 12th- inning home off the foul pole at Fenway Park, giving the Red Sox a 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The Red Sox had trailed in the eighth inning, when Bernie Carbo hit a dramic three-run, pinch-hit homer to tie the game at 6. Fisk’s home run ties the series at 3 games each.

October 21, 1976 — At Yankee Stadium for the second straight year Will McEnaney is on the mound when the Red’s clinch the world series title with a 7 – 2 victory. The Cincinnati Reds completing a four-game sweep of the Yankees. The Red’s had the advantage 3-2 entering the 9th but the Red’s erupted for 4 runs to put the game out of reach 7-2. Bench hit a 3-run homer and César Gerónimo and Dave Concepción followed with consecutive doubles. McEnaney will pitch 2 1/3 scoreless to close out the win.

October 21, 1981, the St. Louis Cardinals make one of their best trades ever when they acquire outfielder 22 year old Willie McGee from the New York Yankees for pitcher Bob Sykes. McGee will play 18 years in the major leagues, mostly with St. Louis. McGee was their 1977 first-round (15th overall).

Mcgee we will the 1985 MVP award, become a 4 time all star, won multiple gold gloves, and play in 3 World Series for the Cardinals, including the 1982 Series where he was a key figure in the World Championship win over the Brewers he will also capturing two batting crowns (1985, 1990), and earning three Gold Gloves (1983, 1985, 1986).

October 21, 1993 – At Veterans Stadium, the night after Toronto wins a 15 – 14 slugfest, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling outduels Juan Guzman, 2 – 0, in Game 5 to send the World Series back to Toronto. Schilling fires a 5 hitter and becomes the first Phillies pitcher to throw a shutout in the World Series.

The Philadelphia Philles had played in 19 previous World Series games in 1915, 1950, 1980, and 1983.

October 21, 1998 — Ruben Rivera, in his only major league appearance against cousin Mariano, legs out an infield single. The ninth-inning hit will be quickly be erased when the future Hall of Fame closer gets the next batter to ground into a double play before retiring Mark Sweeney for the final out of the Qualcomm Stadium contest, saving Game 4 to complete the Yankees’ World Series sweep of the Padres.

October 21, 2007 — Game 7 of the ALCS, at Fenway Park the Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland, 11 – 2, behind five RBI from Dustin Pedroia. and advance to their second World Series in four years where they will face the Colorado Rockies.

They had trailed Cleveland 3 games to 1 before mounting a comeback. Josh Beckett is the ALCS MVP after winning Games 1 and 5 of the Series.

October 21, 2017 — The Astros in just their 4th year in the American League win Game 7 of the ALCS, 4 – 0, over the Yankees to clinch their-first ever American League pennant with a thrilling 4-0 Game Seven shutout over the Yankees advancing to the World Series for just the second time in franchise history. Having also won one in the National League in 2005, they become the first team to have done so in both major leagues.

In the game, the Astros get a great combined pitching performance by Charlie Morton, who goes the first five innings, and Lance McCullers, who pitches the last four, limiting the Yankees to just three hits. Evan Gattis and Jose Altuve hit solo homers and Brian McCann drives in two runs, as CC Sabathia is charged with the loss.

 ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA

TRIVIA ANSWER: ROY HALLADAY

Gaylord Perry........ AL 1972, NL 1978;

Roger Clemens..... AL 1986, ‘87, ‘91, ‘97, ‘98, 2001, NL 2004;

Randy Johnson..... AL 1995, NL 1999, 2000, ‘01, ’02;

Pedro Martinez...... AL 1999, 2000, NL 1997;

Halladay................ AL 2003, NL 2010;

Max Scherzer........ AL 2013, NL 2016, ’17; &

Blake Snell............ AL 2018, NL 2023.

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Thank you Horsehide Trivia

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