Rookies lift Phils over Mets

By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – One of the more significant differences between Dallas Green and Danny Ozark, Phillies managers present and past, lies in their attitude toward youth.

Rookies were rare under the regime of Ozark, who made it policy to use them as merely dugout window dressing. Ozark would've preferred debating William F. Buckley before the Philadelphia press to putting a rookie in his lineup. Unless, of course, it was the home opener of the 1979 season and the rookie was a nervous kid named Lonnie Smith.

Green, on the other hand, departed sharply from Ozark's veteran philosophy by keeping such youngsters as Scott Munninghoff, Luis Aguayo and George Vukovich. Together with Smith, Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles and Kevin Saucier – all of whom played at least some time last year because of injuries to veterans – they form the nucleus of the Phillies' future.

THE FUTURE, however, was now last night. Green's garden of youth contributed in a large part to the club's come-from-behind 14-8 victory over the New York Mets before 21,341 stunned fans in Veterans Stadium.

Moreland, a catcher who cost Dave Rader his job as Bob Boone's backup, provided the decisive blow with a pinch-hit two-run double off the left field wall with one out in the eighth inning. Vukovich rapped a pinch triple to center field for his first major league hit, scoring the Phils' third run on a Pete Rose sacrifice fly.

That wasn't all. Munninghoff kept the club within striking distance after the Mets took a 6-2 advantage in the second. The righthanded reliever also tripled in his first major league at-bat, scoring on a Bake McBride single to cut the Mets' lead to 8-5 in the fifth. Saucier picked up the victory with three shutout innings of relief and Aguayo, playing second in place of the injured Manny Trillo, teamed with shortstop Larry Bowa to turn in some dazzling defensive play.

"DON’T," GREEN sighed when it was over, "ask me what happened because I don't know what happened. Saucier did a helluva job tonight. And Luis... Luis was in that big inning all the way, got a hit, scored from first, got that double play..."

Saucier relieved Munninghoff in the sixth after the Phils had already returned from an 8-3 deficit to tie the score in the fifth. The lefthander gave up a leadoff single to Lee Mazzilli, then walked Joel Youngblood. And, after both runners advanced on Steve Henderson's ground ball, Saucier intentionally walked Jerry Morales in hopes of inducing Elliott Maddox, a righthander, into hitting a double play grounder.

Instead, Maddox ripped a line drive that Aguayo snared before outrunning Youngblood to second, completing a watershed unassisted double play. Saucier cruised the rest of the way before Noles took over in the ninth.

"WE'VE BEEN putting some runs on the board," said left fielder Greg Luzinski, whose three-run homer in the fifth tied the game. "We felt we were going to hit the guy (Mets starter Tom Hausman), and we did. But the big play in the game was the line drive double play. That turned it around."

The play saved at least three runs and gave the Phils a chance to produce a six-run eighth and beat the Mets by the margin of a touchdown. Bowa, who made three superb plays behind second base one of them a diving stop to turn hits into outs, started the rally with a one-out single to center off reliever Kevin Kobel. Aguayo followed with a base bit to left and both runners scored on Moreland's decisive double, which came in his second at-bat of the season.

More, however, was to come. John Pacella, a righthander whose fastball is like lightning – no one has any idea where it's going to strike – replaced Kobel and promptly walked Pete Rose. McBride fanned, but Garry Maddox walked to load the bases.

MIKE SCHMIDT, who had already rapped a two-run homer in the first, followed by sending a 2-1 pitch into the executive boxes of the upper deck in left field for his fourth career grand slam.

Schmidt's grand slam not only put the finishing touches on an important win, it served to demonstrate that youth and experience can, indeed, be successfully blended.

PHIL UPS - Dick Ruthven started and gave up six runs in 1 innings... "I feel sorry for Dick. I can't get him started and he just didn't throw well today," said Green. "We've looked at films as far back as 1977 and we don't see anything mechanically wrong with him. He just is not throwing the ball. He claims that there's no arm problems, no stiffness, no back problems, nothing that we can pinpoint as being a problem."

Bats of Schmidt, Luzinski booming

By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post

PHILADELPHIA – They are about as different as two athletes can be. There is Mike Schmidt, the thinking man's player, the cool, dispassionate professional. .Schmidt is naturally gifted, one of those rare individuals who seems perfectly suited to his sport.

And there is Greg Luzinski, the Bull, a linebacker disguised as a baseball player. Luzinski's success has come as much "from dedication as any physical gifts nature may have bestowed upon him.

Together they give the Phillies one of the most devastating one-two power punches in the game.

Last night the two put on a truly awesome long-ball display, turning Veterans Stadium into their own private shooting gallery. Schmidt blasted two towering home runs – one of them a grand slam – to the upper deck in left field. Luzinski orbited a satellite that could have passed for a tardy piece of Skylab when it finally came to rest over the center field fence.

Certainly, others contributed to the "Phillies' storybook 14-8 victory over the New York Mets. But it was Schmidt who provided the punctuation, opening the script with a two-run shot in the first ginning and emphatically closing it with, his fourth career grand slam in the eighth. And, it was Luzinski who gave it high drama, capping a comeback with a three-run shot that tied the score, 8-8, in the fifth.

“Greg's hit was the big one," said Schmidt "That's the one that put the game under control for us."

The Phillies had been behind by scores of 6-2 and 8-3 before Luzinski began the difficult climb back into contention with a one-out single in the fourth. The slimmed-down Bull took third on Bob Boone's double to left and scored on a sacrifice fly by Larry Bowa.

That set the stage for his homer in the fifth. The inning began with New York starter Tom Hausman, a survivor to that point, allowing pinch-hitter George Vukovich a triple to dead center. It was Vukovich's first major league hit and, ironically, followed a triple in the third by reliever Scott Munninghoff in his first major league at-bat.

A walk to Pete Rose and an RBI single by Bake McBride finished Hausman, New York Manager Joe Torre bringing righthander Jeff Reardon in from the bullpen. Reardon got Garry Maddox on a fly ball to center and popped up Schmidt. He threw three pitches without incident to Luzinski. The fourth was launched to center field, landing some 430 feet away as Luzinski's fourth home run of the season.

"It was a fast ball, down and in," the Bull recalled. "I saw it good and I attacked it. The ball was carrying pretty decent, but when I hit it there was no doubt in my mind.

"I crushed that ball."

Such statements are rare for Luzinski, who has never enjoyed talking about his own accomplishments. Schmidt, however, was more than willing to discuss the merits of Luzinski's hitting.

"It looks like he's going to be the key to the ballclub as far as I'm concerned," Schmidt said. "A guy who can get the big hit like he does tonight, with two outs to straight-away center, well, that's disciplined hitting. You got to be a ballplayer to realize how good that hitting was. I got the same pitch and popped it up."

Nevertheless, Schmidt seems on the verge of settling into one of his grooves. After going hitless in his three previous games, he added a single to his two homers to raise his average from .270 to .309. His four home runs this month match his April totals of 1978 and 1979, and the six runs he drove in gave him 12 RBIs in 10 games.

"I'm not on the breaking ball the way I'd like to be," said Schmidt. "When I'm hitting good, I hit the breaking ball good. I don't want to dwell on the negatives in the ballgame, but I left some men on base tonight (when he popped up prior to Luzinski's homer)."

Luzinski, too, is blazing. Traditionally a hot weather hitter, the Bull is hitting a sizzling .325 with 13 hits, four home runs and 10 RBIs. That compares more than favorably to his .290, 18, four and 16 totals of last April, the beginning of his summer of anguish.

Schmidt was asked if, perhaps, the difference between the two teams last night was that the Phillies have two players capable of driving in nine runs and the Mets do not.

"Well, if you want to call that the difference," he shrugged. "I guess tonight it might have wound up being the difference."

And, there's a good chance it will wind up being the difference on more than a few nights to come.

Moreland’s Pinch Hit Sparks Phils

Phila. 14, N.Y. 8

By Howard Gottlieb, Press Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA —  Keith Moreland learned the virtues of baseball Tuesday night. With one swing of the bat, he upped a .000 batting average to .500. With the same flick of his wrist, he lifted the Philadelphia Phillies to a 14-8 come-from-behind win over the New York Mets.

Philadelphia manager Dallas Green sent Moreland to the plate with Larry Bowa on second and Luis Aguayo on first in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

“I just tried to make some contact with the ball," said Moreland, who slammed the slider for a two run double to break an 8-8 deadlock. 

"His (Met pitcher John Pacella) first few pitches were really effective. So I choked up a little. After I hit it, I just took off." 

Pete Rose and Garry Maddox both walked to load the bases. Then Mike Schmidt blasted his second home run of the night, an arcing bullet that landed in the left field bleachers. 

"Every ball we hit tonight was crushed," said Green. "There would have had to be an awfully strong wind to hold up the balls that Bull and Schmitty hit out of here." 

The wind was gusting strongly toward home plate, but it was the Mets who nearly blew the Phillies away. 

 The New Yorkers exploded for six runs in the top of the second. Steve Henderson singled to lead off the rally. Jerry Morales walked, then Elliott Maddox smashed a long double to center field, which knocked in two runs. 

Doug Flynn singled, and Mets starter Tom Hausman grounded into a double play. But the Mets kept flying. 

Frank Tavaras doubled to left, and four consecutive singles put the Mets in front 6-2. 

Schmidt put the Phils on top with a two-run homer to left field after Maddox doubled in the first inning.

"There are times when you can't wake sleeping dogs in this game," said Green. "But tonight was a little different than last night (when the Mets blanked the Phils 3-0). I just hope no one asks any tough questions. Because I don't know what happened." 

The Phils picked away at the Met lead, scoring a run in the third inning when Pete Rose hit a sacrifice fly to knock in pitcher Scott Munninghoff, who tripled in his first major league at bat. 

George Vukovich also stepped up to the plate for the first time this season last night and he also smashed a three-bagger. 

His triple led off a four-run fifth inning. Rose walked. Bake McBride singled home Vukovich, then Greg Luzinski fired the ball over the center field wall to tie the score, 8-8. 

"I crushed that ball," said Luzinski. "When I hit it, there was no doubt in my mind it was going. It was a fast ball, and I just attacked it." 

After picking up 13 hits in his first six innings, the Mets went cold, settling for only one more single. 

"Everyone did their job tonight," said Green. "Moreland, (Dickey) Noles, and Vukovich all pitched in. And Schmitty pitched in a hell of a lot. I'd say it was a total team effort. Wouldn't you?"

Leading 6-3 after three full innings, the Mets scored two more runs on two hits. Lee Mazzilli walked, and went to third on a Joel Youngblood double down the third baseline. Henderson smashed a deep sacrifice fly ball to center field and Mazzilli scored from third. Morales followed with a line drive single to right field, Youngblood charged home from third for the Mets eighth run.

The Phillies answered back in the bottom of the fourth, with one run. Luzinski singled deep left field. Catcher Bob Boone doubled, and Luzinski advanced to third base. Then Bowa hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Luzinski and moving Boone to third. But Aguayo flew out to left to end the inning.

"It was a very good game to win." said Luzinski. "After last night, this should give us a little lift."