Phillies 1980!: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, and Philadelphia's First World Series Championship

by Lew Freedman

Overview

How the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies Won the First World Series Championship in Franchise History

The road was rocky and the suspense intense as a make-or-break 1980 baseball season unfolded for the Philadelphia Phillies under a new, often-unpopular manager who sought to shape a collection of All-Star talent into champions.
 
In the end, Dallas Green’s gruffness, Pete Rose’s clubhouse leadership, Mike Schmidt’s Most Valuable Player performance, Steve Carlton’s almost unbeatable pitching, Tug McGraw’s irrepressible personality—plus contributions from young, unheralded players and savvy veterans—led the club to the franchise’s first World Series in history.
 
Although the Phillies had risen to prominence and relevance in the late 1970s, they could not get past the National League Championship Series. Management was tempted to blow up the team. Wooing Rose as a free agent to add spirit, as well as a clutch bat, and the promotion of the reluctant Green from the farm system in place of well-liked Danny Ozark, helped change the dynamics of the team.
 
The risky strategy led to some internal discord and relentless challenges from Green, but after months of seeming slow to emerge as a team prepared to grab a championship, the Phillies clutch ballplaying through the end of September to qualify for the playoffs, and then played inspired baseball when most needed in October.
 
Some forty years later, that Phillies group is especially prized for the breakthrough in a near-century-long wait for a title for a club that began play in 1883. Only once since then have the Phillies claimed another crown.
 
The mix of superstars, with the major influence of such players as Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Lonnie Smith, Manny Trillo, Garry Maddox, and Bake McBride helped take the Phillies on a months-long-ride, culminating in the glory they and their fans both hungered for for so long.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683583103
Publisher:	Sports Publishing LLC
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	444,486
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Lew Freedman is the author of nearly sixty books on sports, including Clouds over the Goalpost, The Original Six, and A Summer to Remember, and is the winner of more than 250 journalism awards. A veteran sportswriter, Freedman was formerly a staff writer for the Chicago Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as other papers, and lives in Columbus, Indiana.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 Glory 1

Chapter 2 Spring Training 11

Chapter 3 When Hope Springs Eternal 22

Chapter 4 Steve Carlton and the Pitching Staff 35

Chapter 5 Pete Rose 44

Chapter 6 Dallas Green 55

Chapter 7 Mike Schmidt 68

Chapter 8 Larry Bowa and Manny Trillo 81

Chapter 9 The Outfield 92

Chapter 10 Del and Greg 106

Chapter 11 Baseball Lifers 116

Chapter 12 Pennant Race 127

Chapter 13 The Rest of Baseball 140

Chapter 14 National League Championship Series: Vamp Till Ready 156

Chapter 15 National League Championship Series: Games One and Two in Philadelphia 167

Chapter 16 National League Championship Series: Games Three and Four in Houston 179

Chapter 17 The Clincher 192

Chapter 18 The World Series 203

Chapter 19 World Series: Games One and Two in Philadelphia 212

Chapter 20 World Series: Games Three, Four, and Five in Kansas City 225

Chapter 21 World Series: Game Six in Philadelphia 239

Chapter 22 Long Night into Morning 251

Epilogue 262

About the Author 277

Endnotes 278