Reading Eagle - August 22, 1980
Luzinski Decision is Due Today
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia Phillies’ outfielder Greg Luzinski has recovered from a knee injury that has kept him on the disabled list since July.
Dr. Philip Marone, Phillies’ team physician, has pronounced Luzinski fit to play and the Phillies were expected to decide today how to reinstate Luzinski.
Manager Dallas Green’s problem is not restoring Luzinski to the roster, but who to drop to make room for him.
The Phillies could send utility outfielder George Vukovich to their minor league system, but it would mean he wouldn’t be eligible for post-season competition should the Phillies reach that stage.
They also could return Nino Espinosa to the disabled list since his arm apparently still suffers from a season-long attack of tendonitis.
The Phillies also could return one of their younger relief pitchers, or even starter Bob Walk, to the minors on (until) Sept. 1, when every team is allowed to expand its squad to 40 players.
Another problem facing Green is what to do with Luzinski once he gets him back.
Luzinski, one of the National League’s power hitters, was replaced by rookie Lonnie Smith, a speedster who has been hitting over .300.
Luzinski was in a horrible slump at the time of his knee injury, and it is not known whether Green wants to make a change at a time when the club is going strong and challenging for the NL East championship.
Phils Win in 17th
McBride Triples His Pleasure
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – There are a lot of arguments that athletes are overpaid, but there should be none that Bake McBride is one of baseball’s unsung heroes.
The 31-year-old McBride has been beating a consistent tattoo on National League pitching. He’s been fielding on the spectacular side, running the bases with abandon.
But somehow McBride’s work has been hidden under the proverbial bushel. Someone else always manages to make the key play, knock in the winning run.
The kicker is that were it not for McBride’s daily holding action there wouldn’t be any key play of winning run.
On Thursday, however, McBride supplied the kicker as the Philadelphia Phillies outlasted the San Diego Padres 9-8 in 17 innings.
McBride tripled in the right-centerfield gap in the 17th inning scoring Mike Schmidt, who had singled.
If you look at the statistics, McBride is hitting .315, scored 52 runs, laced 129 hits, including 26 doubles, 10 triples and seven home runs. His doubles and 74 RBI are a personal high for the outfielder.
That someone had to win and someone had to lose this game was a shame, because Kinney pitched 9-1/3 innings of two-run relief and came up empty handed. He had only his fifth loss in nine decisions to show for it.
The Padres took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a walk, fielder’s choice, a two-run single by Jerry Mumphrey, and Gene Tennace’s triple.
The Phillies came back with two on a double by Lonnie Smith, who took third on an outfield fly and scored on an error, and Mike Schmidt’s first of two home runs, his 33rd and 34th of the season.
San Diego in the third boosted its lead to 5-2, one run scoring on a wild pitch and the other on a double play. Dave Winfield contributed a single and Willie Montanez a double in the inning.
Back came the Phillies with two, on another double by Smith and Schmidt’s second home run. The Padres, however, used a triple by Gene Richards and Luis Salazar’s single to make it 6-4 in the fourth.
In the sixth, Larry Bowa hit a routine line drive to center, but it got between the two charging outfielders for an inside-the-park home run, his second homer of the season, neither leaving the stadium.
The Phillies went ahead 7-6 in the seventh on Smith’s single, advance to third on a pickoff error, Schmidt’s walk and McBride’s two-run double.
In the eighth Bob Boone’s double chased home Bowa, who had singled, to make it 8-6.
It seemed like a superfluous run until Dave Winfield slammed a two-run homer in the ninth tying the score and sending the game into extra innings.
Hitting streaks extended were 11 for Smith, Trillo’s eighth and Bowa’s seventh. Mumphrey had a string of 27 consecutive bases stolen since June 2, broken when Boone caught him in the fifth. Mumphrey’s been caught only twice this season in 35 attempts.
McBride’s 11th game winning RBI is tops on the club, while his 10 triples give him a tie for the league lead with Montreal’s Rodney Scott.
Kevin Saucier, who came on in the 13th, pitched two-hit, shutout ball to earn his sixth win in nine decisions. The game was three innings short of the longest of the season – 20 twice.