New York Daily News - August 15, 1980
Phils ruin Mets’ bid for .500 mark 8-1
By Bill Madden
Once again last night the Mets were stymied in their bid to reach .500, this time by ex-mate Nino Espinosa who checked them on five hits in an 8-1 win for the Phillies at Shea.
In squaring his record at 3-3 and enabling the Phillies to strengthen their hold on third place in the NL East just a bit, Espinosa got considerable offensive support from Mike Schmidt, who drove in four runs with four hits, including his 31st homer in the ninth inning. Bob Boone also homered for the Phillies off loser Pat Zachry (6 6) in the fourth. All told, the Phillies rapped out 14 hits against a trio of Met hurlers. It was Espinosa's first complete game of the season.
The Phillies broke on top with a pair of runs in the third that had Dyar Miller loosening up early in the Mets' bullpen. Zachry struck out Bob Boone to start the inning, but Espinosa surprised him by beating out a bunt for a base hit. Lonnie Smith then drew a walk and the bases became full when, on the first pitch to Pete Rose (which was fouled off), Alex Trevino was guilty of tipping the bat for a catcher's interference.
MIKE SCHMIDT, WHO had singled in the first for the Phillies' first hit, knocked in Espinosa and Smith with a lined single to left. A sharp hopper to first by Bake McBride moved both the runners up a base, but Zachry succeeded in stranding them with a strikeout of Manny Trillo.
An inning later, however, the Phillies' lead became 3-0 when, with two out, Boone belted Zachry's first pitch over the left-field fence for his ninth homer.
Then in the fifth, Rose went into his “Charlie Hustle" act to give the Phillies yet another run. Zachry again started off the inning with a strikeout this one on Smith, but Rose followed with a single to center. On a hit-and-run play, Rose was able to make it into second easily on Schmidt's groundout to short and he promptly scored from there on McBride's single up the middle. The RBI was McBride's 67th, which is six more than he has had in his best season as a major leaguer.
BY THE SIXTH, Zachry had been removed for a pinch-hitter and Miller was in the game.
The Mets, meanwhile, had some early opportunities against Espinosa but could not take advantage of them. In the first two innings they could not stay out of the double play, while in the fourth, they left the bases loaded.
With one out in the first, Elliott Maddox reached when Smith muffed his sinking liner to left for an error. Lee Mazzilli, who was playing with four stitches in his right heel as a result of being spiked the night before, ended that possibility by grounding into a 4-6-3 DP. Similarly a leadoff single by Claudell Washington went for naught when Joel Youngblood grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and Mike Jorgensen struck out.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE were two out when the Mets loaded the bases on Espinosa in the fourth. Singles by Mazzilli and Washington and a walk to Youngblood had the crowd on its feet for the first time in the game, but the fans were quickly subdued again when Jorgensen flied to left to end the inning.
Three more hits off Miller in the seventh then enabled the Phillies to increase their lead to 6-0. Smith led off the inning with a single to center and got himself over to third via his 25th and 26th stolen bases. A hard shot along the third base line by Schmidt glanced off (Elliot) Maddox' glove into left for a double that scored Smith, and McBride was walked intentionally. After Trillo flied to center, Garry Maddox singled to left to score Schmidt. McBride, however, was thrown out trying to make it into third on the throw to the plate.
Espinosa finally began to lose some of his effectiveness in the seventh. He also lost his shutout as Washington clubbed his first pitch of the inning over the right-centerfield fence for his homer No. 7.
•
Islanders Dave Langevin and Clark Gillies took batting practice before the pitchers hit last night. They were tuning up for the softball game at Shea tomorrow against the Flyers Tonight is Fireworks II night.