Reading Eagle - August 26, 1980

Dodgers Irate

L.A. Beats Phillies As Both Benches Empty

By the Associated Press

Relief pitcher Tug McGraw’s intentional walk to pinch hitter Joe Ferguson turned into a two-run single. His walk to Bill Russell turned into a free-for-all.

Los Angeles snapped a 4-4 tie in the ninth inning when Dusty Baker singled home a run and the Dodgers added three more to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4.

After Baker’s run-scoring hit, McGraw tied to intentionally walk Ferguson to load the bases and set up a potential double play.

On the second pitch, Ferguson leaned across the plate and drove the ball into right field, scoring two runs.

That brought shortstop Bill Russell to the plate.

McGraw’s first three pitches to Russell were well inside and had Russell leaning over backward. The fourth one hit him.

Russell rushed the mound but never reached McGraw as both benches emptied. The umpires tossed Russell out of the game, which brought Los Angeles Manager Tom Lasorda screaming onto the field. Lasorda also was ejected.

McGraw, however, only drew a warning.

Davey Lopes, the veteran Dodgers’ second baseman, was especially insensed.

“There will be a day when McGraw hits (bats) and he’ll be dead, and you can put that in the newspapers,” said Lopes. “That was bush. He’s got his day coming. I don’t care if it’s eight years from now.”

“I thought he had a little more class. I guess he doesn’t.”

Lasorda charged that McGraw should have been ejected from the game.

“It was as plain as the nose on your face that McGraw was trying to hit him. He should have been thrown out and heavily fined.

“What gives him the right to throw four balls at a guy who had nothing to do with it (the pitch that Ferguson hit),” Lasorda said.

Ferguson said he wasn’t surprised that he was able to hit the intentional-walk pitch.

“I had a hunch he wouldn’t get the ball where he wanted to because he got close on the first pitch,” Ferguson said. “Every time you go to the plate (in that situation), you have in mind that you might get a pitch you can drive. It doesn’t happen very often.”

Russell said: “It was obvious he was throwing at me. The third pitch was at my head. He was taking out on me what Ferguson did.”

Umpire-in-chief John McSherry said that in his report to the league he would say that McGraw definitely tried to hit the batter on the fourth pitch.

McCarver Called

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Phillies announced Monday they will activate Tim McCarver Sept. 1 so that the retired catcher can become the 11^th player in modern major league baseball history to play in four decades.

McCarver would be the first catcher ever to accomplish the feat. He retired after last season with the Phillies and became a part of the National League club’s radio and television crew.