Wilmington Morning News - August 14, 1980

Phils fall 2-1 as Ruthven fades in 9th

By Ray Finocchiaro, Staff Correspondent

CHICAGO – Dick Ruthven worked out of one jam after another here yesterday, battling rain and extra-base hits. But his luck ran out in the last inning at Wrigley Field.

Jerry Martin's bases-loaded sacrifice fly scored Ivan DeJesus as the Cubs won a dramatic 2-1 game to avert a Phillies' sweep.

The Cubs had loaded the bases against Ruthven, though Martin's game-winning fly came off reliever Ron Reed.

The Phils had tied the game 1-1 in the top of the ninth on Mike Schmidt's 30th homer – and 28th lifetime at Wrigley – off winner Dick Tidrow.

But Schmidt wasn't interested in his Wrigley magic after the loss.

“I’m tired of hearing all the 'Schmidt and Wrigley Field' garbage," he said. "The truth of the matter is that I do well here because I just get the feeling everything is a little bit closer. That helps me control my adrenalin. I don't overswing to hit 'em out."

But yesterday it just wasn't enough.

"Ruthven pitched a helluva game," said Manager Dallas Green. "It's a shame he had to lose this one."

After rain delays totaling 108 minutes, the Cubs put Ruthven in a soggy hole when Bill Buckner tripled to right with one out in the seventh.

But Ruthven got Dave Kingman on a fly to shallow left and caught Martin looking at a third strike to end the inning and maintain the scoreless tie.

The Phils loaded the bases in the eighth against reliever Bill Caudill on three walks with two out, but Bake McBride flied to Martin in center.

The Cubs finally got a run in their half of the eighth. Lenny Randle doubled over Lonnie Smith's head in left, hitting the ivy on the fly, then moved to third on Tim Blackwell's bunt.

Catcher Bob Boone slipped trying to field the bunt, turning a sacrifice into a base hit and putting Cubs at the corners with nobody out. Pinch-hitter Larry Biittner doubled over Garry Maddox' head to the center field wall, scoring Randle, but Black well was nailed at the plate on a relay from Manny Trillo.

While the club brass was abstaining in the designated-hitter vote in Detroit, the Phillies were abstaining from scoring any runs – or stealing any bases – against starter Rick Reuschel.

The Phils bad five singles over the first seven innings and bad three of their baserunners, including Ruthven, out trying to steal second.

Lonnie Smith, who hit Reuschel’s first pitch to left for a single, was thrown out in the first, then McBride was caught stealing in the fourth.

Both Smith and McBride are bonafide base stealers. Ruthven, who singled in the sixth, isn't. But Rufus was easily tossed out as Smith struck out on a 3-2 pitch for an inning-ending double play.

With ominous rainclouds on the horizon, the Phillies went after, Reuschel in the seventh with a pop-gun offense that produced everything but a run.

Pete Rose reached base on shortstop DeJesus' error on a routine bouncer. Rose was forced at second on McBride's grounder, but Schmidt kept things going with a single to center.

Trillo, who silently crept back atop the National League in hitting, struck out. Then Garry Maddox gave the 13,215 Wrigley partisans a scare when he sent Kingman to the warning track to haul down Maddox' high fly.

Kingman had given the fans a few laughs in the fourth when he fell down chasing Schmidt's high fly near the left field line. Kingman hit the turf, then stretched his 6-foot-6 frame to its utmost to make the catch.

As soon as the Phillies were retired in the seventh, the ground crew rolled out the tarps and, within minutes, the field was engulfed by torrential rains.

Despite their sweep of Tuesday's' pair, the Phillies knew they had their hands full yesterday against Reuschel, who was 13-8 against them lifetime.

The massive right-hander was 4-1 since the All-Star Game, with complete games in four of his last six victories to go with a 1.44 ERA in his last six starts.

At Wrigley, Reuschel is 7-1 with three straight victories. But he didn't survive the two rain delays, with Caudill relieving in the eighth.

"Reuschel's tough against everybody, but especially against us,” said Green.  

Ruthven wasn't any slouch, either.

The Cubs got just three singles against Ruthven in six inninga and had two of their baserunners thrown out stealing. In the fourth, however, Chicago got DeJesus to third with one out. The Cubs' shortstop singled to left, stole second and went to third when Boone's throw sailed over Trillo's head into center field.

Ruthven walked Buckner, then got Kingman to hit into a double play to escape any damage.

The Wrigley fans, who've been hostile toward Kingman since his return from a 33-day exile on the disabled list Tuesday, booed. Naturally.

They didn't boo Martin for his game-winning fly. But Martin was underwhelmed by his heroics.

"I was just trying to put the ball in play and somewhere in the middle," Martin said.

"I really hit the ball off the end of the bat. I think it was a cut fastball that ran away. I cracked the bat hitting it," said Martin, who took the club lead in game-winning RBI with seven. "It seems like they shut me down. I think it is just the second or third RBI against them this year."

EXTRA INNINGS – McBride has hit in six straight games and 15 of 17... Ex-Phil Tim Blackwell has hit in the last 15 games he's started , for the Cubs... Phils-Mets pitching matchups: Nino Espinosa vs. Pat Zachry (6-5) tonight, Larry Christenson vs. Mark Bomback (9-3, 2-0 vs. Phils) tomorrow night, Bob Walk vs. Craig Swan (5-8) Saturday, Steve Carlton and Randy Lerch vs. Ray Burris (6-5) and Roy Lee Jackson (1-3) Sunday.

DH rule strikes out in National League

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – A move to incorporate the designated hitter rule into the National League was defeated yesterday at baseball's summer meeting.

Five senior circuit clubs voted against with four in favor. Three clubs (including the Phillies) abstained.

The American League since 1973 has allowed clubs to include a batter designated to hit for the pitcher.

However, National League President Chub Feeney said the DH would be considered again at baseball's winter meetings in Dallas in December.

John Claiborne, general manager of St. Louis and a former executive in the AL with Boston and Oakland, said the clubs voting for the DH were Atlanta, New York, St. Louis and San Diego.

Claiborne, who placed the DH on the agenda, said Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Montreal and Cincinnati voted nay, and Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Houston abstained.

Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn said he had supported the DH because he is "eager to see the two leagues together... I think it's been good for the American League and I think the fan sentiment has been good."

In other business, Lee MacPhail, president of the American League, said the majority of owners in the AL clearly favored a major reordering of the playoffs where three division winners plus a wild card entrant would meet prior to the league championship.

MacPhail also said there was no support for expansion in the AL. The NL has 12 teams, the AL, 14.

Other business during the joint session dealt with the new basic agreement between the clubs and the Major League Players Association.

The leagues agreed to one new addition to the basic agreement, which has been used several times since the agreement was made May 22, allowing disabled players to be sent to a minor league club for up to 20 days for rehabilitation.