Reading Eagle - August 16, 1980

Pleased!

Green Praises Offense, Christenson’s Effort

NEW YORK (AP) – Manager Dallas Green of the Philadelphia Phillies had watched right-hander Larry Christenson rehabilitating his arm in the bullpen, but he hadn’t put it to the test of an actual game since May 21.

“For a guy coming off surgery he did real well,” said Green, talking in the Phillies dressing room after an 8-0 victory over the New York Mets Friday night. “But I was just as pleased with our offense as I was with Christenson.”

Christenson, 4-0, went six innings, before giving way to Tug McGraw who finished up with three strong innings for the shutout.

“I felt I had enough,” said Christenson, a 6-4, 213-pound right-hander with a history of arm trouble. “We were going to go as far as I could either in number of pitches (66) or innings.”

Philadelphia got four runs in the second inning off Mark Bomback, 9-4, on four hits, one walk and a throwing error by Elliot Maddox, the Mets third baseman.

“Getting four runs off Bomback is tough,” said Green. “He is tough on us and has been tough on the rest of the league. Four runs is a night’s work off him.”

Joe Torre, the Mets manager, observed, “they didn’t hit the ball very hard in getting those four runs, but we didn’t hit the ball hard all night. And we didn’t pitch very well, and when we don’t pitch well, we don’t have a chance.”

McGraw racked up his 12^th save – and the Phillies first baseman Pete Rose slammed his 3,500^th career hit in the seventh inning.

“It’s not a big deal,” said Rose. “I didn’t know I was that close. Bomback kidded me before the game and I told him I was two hits away.”