Wilmington Morning News - July 2, 1980
Lerch’s emotion, Rose hit lifts Phils
By Hal Bodley, Sports Editor
MONTREAL – In the midst of the emotion of an 11th-inning Phillies' rally last night, Randy Lerch turned to Pete Rose and blurted: "I'll promise you you're going to get a hit. You can book it."
"It's not very often a guy guarantees you a hit," Rose dead-panned 15 minutes later. "So, I went up there and got a hit."
Rose's screaming 11th-inning single to left, his fourth hit of the night, opened the gates for two runs and the Phillies held on for an exciting 5-4 conquest of Montreal at Olympic Stadium.
The key hit snapped a 3-3 tie and paved the way for Lerch's first victory since he defeated Chicago 5-2 on June 7. The struggling young left-hander, who is now 3-10. had lost three in a row and been involved in one no decision.
But against the National League East-leading Expos, Lerch was superb. He gave Manager Dallas Green's aching pitching staff 10 solid innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits. When he departed for pinch-hitter Bod Boone in the 11th, he had visions of another 10-inning effort going down the drain as it did in his 10 no-decision innings at Los Angeles on June 16.
The Phillies, however, scored two runs with two out off loser Woodie Fryman (1-3) in the 11th, then reliever Lerrin LaGrow survived an outburst in the bottom of the inning, but held on to gain his third save despite Warren Cromartie's leadoff home run and a walk to Chris Speier.
The victory was the third in a row for the Phillies and second in as many nights against the Expos. By winning, they reduced Montreal's lead in the East to just one game.
They have a chance to move into a virtual first-place tie tonight when they send 13-game winner Steve Carlton against Steve Rogers (9-6).
"Randy Lerch has pitched well in three of his last four starts," said Green. "You have to be pleased the way he's going right now. Tonight, he had good command of his pitches. He fastball was outstanding and he threw some excellent change-ups. I have seen a big change in Randy the last month. He's more aggressive. He's taking charge more; he's yelling in the dugout more."
"That's the difference in him," agreed Rose, whose costly throwing error in the third helped the Expos take a 2-0 lead. "When he came up to me in the 11th, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was so confident."
"I didn't have anything when I came out of the bullpen," said Lerch, who struck out three and walked just one. "But once I got going in the first inning, everything came together. I was a little depressed when they went ahead 2-0 because they had only gotten three hits. I felt all along if we got Scott Sanderson out of there we would win the game and that's just what we did."
Andre Dawson's 10th homer of the Sear with two out in the first put Montreal up 1-0. In the third, Ron LeFlore singled with one out and when Lerch trapped the speedster between first and second, Rose's throw to shortstop Ramon Aviles skidded into left field and LeFlore stopped at second. Rodney Scott's sacrifice fly easily scored the run.
Singles by Lerch, Rose, Manny Trillo, Mike Schmidt and Garry Maddox pulled the Phils even and sent Sanderson, who was 2-0 against Philadelphia this year, to the showers. Actually, the Phils could have taken the lead had LeFlore not thrown Rose out at the plate when Pete attempted to score from second on Schmidt's bases-loaded single.
The score remained tied until Keith Moreland, whose grand-slam homer on Monday night sparked a 7-5 victory, blasted reliever Elias Sosa's 1-0 pitch to left field giving the Phils a 3-2 lead in the eighth.
In the bottom of the inning, however, Dawson singled with one out, went to third on Gary Carter's double and scored on Warren Cromartie's sacrifice fly to center. Lerch got Larry Parrish to fly out to right to end the inning, but walked off the mound knowing that since he was due to leadoff the ninth that Green would pinch hit for him.
"Dallas told me to get a bat and hit," said Lerch. "I was really shocked. I knew the bullpen was tired and over-worked, but I thought he would have somebody bat for me. Getting to stay in the game made me even more determined."
Fryman one-two-threed the Phils in the ninth and Lerch wiggled out of trouble in the bottom of the inning when Bob Pate opened with a single, but died on second.
Moreland opened the 11th against Fryman with a single to right. Greg Gross attempted to sacrifice the runner to second, but fouled off two bunt attempts and finally forced Moreland's pinch-runner, Lonnie Smith, at second. After Aviles flied out to deep left, Green sent Bob Boone up to bat for Lerch with two out.
Boone, who had just six hits in his previous 44 at-bats and who had been benched in favor of Moreland because of the slump, singled to left.
With Boone on first and Gross on second, Rose blasted Fryman's 1-0 delivery to left. LeFlore got a good jump on the ball and rifled it home. Gross scored ahead of the throw, but when catcher Carter's throw to third in an attempt to cut Boone down got past Parrish, the second run scored.
In the bottom of the 11th, Cromartie homered, but LeGrow got Parrish to ground out and had pinch-hitter Rowland Office looking at a third strike before Speier walked. Tommy Hutton grounded out to third to end the game.
EXTRA POINTS - The Phils reactivated pitcher Nino Espinosa before last night's game and placed reliever Tug McGraw on the 21-day disabled list effective June 26.. McGraw is suffering from tendonitis in his left shoulder, an injury suffered two weeks ago in San Francisco when he was attempting to throw sidearm while warming up... Espinosa, who has not pitched since last September because of an aching shoulder, may start Friday's game in St. Louis if he is not needed in relief before that... Trillo has a seven-game hitting streak... The Phils were 14-14 in June... Luzinski hit only.177... Steve Carlton (13-3) goes against Steve Rogers (9-6) tonight after which the Phils jet to St. Louis for a five-game series in four days.
NL stars have Dodger blue tint
NEW YORK (AP) – Dodger fans will have plenty of chances to root for the home team at baseball's All-Star Game in Los Angeles next Tuesday night. Four Dodgers – second baseman Dave Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell, first baseman Steve Garvey and outfielder Reggie Smith – have been named to the National League's starting lineup.
Third baseman Mike Schmidt was the lone Phillies starter.
"Obviously, we have some outstanding players on this team and the fans have shown it by the way they have backed their club," said Tommy Lasorda, who manages the Dodgers but will surrender the dugout helm to Pittsburgh's Chuck Tanner for the 51st All-Star contest.
The rest of the National League starters, elected in fan balloting announced yesterday by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn: Catcher Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds, and outfielders Dave Parker of Pittsburgh and Dave Kingman of the Chicago Cubs.
The Boston Red Sox have the most starters (three) on the American League team, one that hopes to break the NL's eight-game winning streak. Outfielders Fred Lynn and Jim Rice join catcher Carlton Fisk as elected starters for the AL, though Fisk continues to suffer elbow miseries and Rice is on the disabled list with an broken wrist.
Rice isn't the only disabled AL star. Second baseman Paul Molitor of the Milwaukee Brewers and third baseman George Brett of the Kansas City Royals also are injured. Molitor has a pulled muscle in his ribcage and Brett has an injured ankle and has announced he won't be playing.
Also on the AL squad: first baseman Rod Carew of the California Angels, shortstop Bucky Dent of New York and Yankee teammate Mike Schmidt Reggie Jackson, who won the other outfield starting spot.
The league office will name replacements for the injured players. Tanner and Earl Weaver (of the AL) will name their alternate players and their pitching staffs later this week.
It isn't likely, though, that Tanner will name St. Louis shortstop Garry Templeton to the squad. Templeton, who last year said, "If I ain't star-tin', I ain't departin'," for the game, said yesterday he would decline the invitation if Tanner offers it.
Templeton finished 500,000 votes behind Russell in the voting for shortstop, labelled the balloting "a joke" and said "I just want the days off." Tanner said he would take Templeton's views into consideration but added he would do all he could to convince Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons to become part of the NL squad.
"I demand that he be on the team," said the manager. Simmons, who started last year but finished third this year, replied he would decide yesterday whether he would accept.