Rural Pennsylvania Newspapers - April 24, 1980
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal
Phillies Fall, 3-2, To Mets
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — One night can make a difference, and New York Mets pitcher Jeff Reardon found this out Wednesday night.
Just 24 hours earlier, he had been the victim when Philadelphia Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski slammed a three-run homer off him in the midst of a Phillies comeback that netted a 14-8 win.
On Wednesday night, it was different. Reardon came out of the bullpen in the ninth inning with two runners on base and his Mets ahead by a run.
This time, Reardon worked Luzinski a little different, wound up walking him, then struck out pinch-hitter Randy Lerch, and saved the Mets' 3-2 victory.
“I tried to forget last (Tuesday) night," Reardon said. "but it wasn't easy to forget. I tried to blank it out."
Manager Joe Torre was aware his right-handed reliever was doing just that and he came out and talked to him with Garry Maddox at second and Mike Schmidt at first.
"He told me not to give him anything too good." Reardon said. "We knew they had to come out with a pitcher (Lerch) for a pinch-hitter because they used all their other players. He told me, 'Don't worry about walking him.'
Reardon got a called strike, then Luzinski fouled one off. The count went to 3-2, with a foul tip included in there, and finally Luzinski walked.
When Reardon got Lerch to a 2-2 count, then struck him out, the Mets had taken the series two games to one.
Later, Phillies Manager Dallas Green manipulated his manpower to try to take advantage of many scoring opportunities. In most cases, the moves didn't produce.
"But I wouldn't do anything different." Green said. "We had Lerch and Steve (Carlton) warming up (their swings) and I went with Randy because he has a better possibility of beating one out."
With 13 men left on base, the Phillies shouldn't have had to come down to using a pitcher to bat in such a crucial situation. However, the seven innings of good work by rookie righthander Mark Bomback, making only his second major league start, held off numerous threats.
Joel Youngblood, meanwhile, backed the Mets clutch pitching with two runs batted in and also delivered one with a grounder which brought in an unearned run.
An error by Phils rookie second baseman Luis Aguayo paved the way for Mets' run in the sixth. With one out, Lee Mazzilli doubled off Lerrin LaGrow and stole third. Youngblood hit a bouncer to Aguayo, who bobbled the ball, allowing Mazzilli to score.
Bomback survived a leadoff triple in the seventh by Greg Gross. Pete Rose lined 3-0 pitch at second baseman Doug Flynn, and Bake McBride and Garry Maddox grounded out.
John Stearns' double, a wild pitch and Youngblood's groundout scored a first inning run for New York. Philadelphia tied it in the fifth. Aguayo tripled and scored on pinch-hitter George Vukovich's single.
Larry Christenson, the Phils starter, was able to pitch only the first inning. He suffered a groin pull and was expected to miss at least his next scheduled start.
Neil Allen relieved Bomback in the eighth, but southpaw Ed Glynn had to come on later in that inning after the Phils scored.
Reading Eagle
Jeff Reardon Stops Phillies
PHILADELPHIA – Jeff Reardon had thrown in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth innings. He hadn’t actually pitched, he merely warmed up in the New York Mets bullpen.
“I was ready when they called me,” he said. “Maybe even a little tired.”
If Reardon had hesitated about finding his way to the mound, he could be excused. The Philadelphia Phillies, trailing by a run, had runners on first and second, two outs and Greg Luzinski at bat in the ninth inning Wednesday night.
And only the night before, Luzinski had hit what Mets Manager Joe Torre had described as an “earthquake” off Reardon, a three-run homer to deep center field.
This time, the outcome was different. Luzinski walked on a 3-2, Reardon got the next batter and the Mets beat Philadelphia, 3-2, to take the series, 2-1.
“I had a quick thought about intentionally walking Luzinski,” said Torre, a move that would have sent Garry Maddox to third base and Mike Schmidt to second. “But there’s something about putting that tying run 90 feet from home plate.”
So Reardon, a 24-year-old right-hander with a 5.40 earned run average this season, pitched Luzinski to an 0-2 count, refrained from giving him anything decent to hit thereafter and walked him, loading the bases.
Now, Phillies’ Manager Dallas Green , who had used all his able-bodied replacements except a few pitchers, called on southpaw hurler Randy Lerch to bat for pitcher Dickie Noles. Lerch, a pretty good hitter, dueled Reardon to a 2-2 count, then went down swinging.
“We knew he didn’t have any pinch-hitters left,” Reardon said, “so he (Torre) told me not to worry about walking Luzinski.”
The save, Reardon’s first of the season, climaxed a night of Mets’ pitching that stranded 13 Phillies, including Greg Gross who opened the seventh with a triple and stayed there as starter Mark Bomback got Pete Rose, Bake McBride and Garry Maddox.
Bomback was making only his second major league start.
Green, in his first full season since replacing Danny Ozark last August 31, said, “This one hurt. We had so many chances. Our bullpen held up and we did some things I like. But we didn’t get the big hit.”
Other than the loss and the messed-up scoring chances, there was another disturbing note for Green. Starting pitcher Larry Christenson, who missed much of the 1979 season because of a broken ankle and a groin injury, worked one inning, then had to leave because of a groin strain which will sideline him for at least his next scheduled start.