New Jersey Newspapers - July 29, 1980
Camden Courier-Post
Typical Astros nip Phils, 3-2
By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post
PHILADELPHIA – The Houston Astros are a team tailored to close games. They don't scare anybody with their lineup, but they pitch, run and, on most nights, play solid defense.
"The critics are always on our hitting," said lefthander Joe Sambito after he relieved Gordon Pladson and got credit for a 10-inning 3-2 victory over the Phillies in what can only be termed a typically Astro game. "It's not that we're hitting so bad. We're built to play in the Astrodome."
"They are," observed Phillies Manager Dallas Green, "a contact offense. They put the bat on the ball. It's tough to strike them out. They do what they have to do to win in the Dome."
HOUSTON WON an interesting, if imperfect, game outside the confines of the cavernous Astrodome before 30,181 Veterans Stadium fans last night primarily on only one of its strengths – pitching. Pladson, who went into the game with an 0-2 record after being called up from Triple-A July 14, kept the Phillies honest for eight innings. And Sambito, who hardly needs introduction, did the rest with a three-strikeout, one-hit performance.
The game was one that turned on two, nearly identical, 2-2 pitches that brought radically different results.
The first belonged to Sambito, who faced Mike Schmidt with two out and the game tied in the bottom of the ninth. It was a nasty slider that broke hard on the outside corner of the plate. Schmidt thought it was a ball. Home plate umpire Doug Harvey disagreed. Sambito had his first strikeout.
"IT WAS A slider that just got the outside corner," said Sambito. "It was a 2-2 pitch and I felt I didn't want to get anything over the plate. I wanted to just nip the corner. I thought it was a good call by Harvey."
The second belonged to Phillies reliever Ron Reed, who had pitched a perfect ninth and had two out in the 10th when he worked his 2-2 count on Jose Cruz. The pitch was a good one, close enough to be a strike. Cruz thought it was a ball, Harvey agreed, and Reed eventually walked Cruz. Three pitches later, Cesar Cedeno tripled into the right-field corner to win the game.
"You don't want to walk this team, but he (Cruz) was struck out, if you really want to know about it," groused Green. "But we didn't get the call... again. The pitch to Cruz was as good as the pitch to Schmitty. I didn't think it was much of a strike, but it was called a strike and the other one wasn't."
Actually, the Astros went out of their way to make sure their pitchers didn't have it too easy.
THE TWO RUNS the Phillies got tonight were just mistakes," said Sambito, who now has figured in 16 (six wins, 10 saves) of the Astros' 56 victories. "Both could've been avoided."
Pladson, who zipped through the Phillies order, allowing only a two-out triple by Manny Trillo in the first three innings, made the intitial error by walking Pete Rose to open the fourth. Bake McBride followed by lifting an eminently catchable ball to right center. Rightfielder Dave Bergman and Cedeno forgot to talk to each other and the ball dropped on the warning track for a double.
Garry Maddox, who must fill the RBI void left by the absence of Greg Luzinski, who underwent knee surgery yesterday, followed an out later with a ground ball to shortstop. It wasn't a pretty RBI, but it served the valuable purpose of tying the score, 1-1.
Larry Bowa got the Phils a 2-1 lead in the fifth by singling, stealing second, tagging and going to third on a fly ball and scoring on a botched suicide squeeze play.
PITCHER NINO Espinosa, who kept it close for 6⅓ innings, fouled off a suicide bunt attempt on Pladson's first pitch. The Astros pitched out the second time with Bowa holding. Pladson's third pitch to Espinosa, this time with Bowa charging toward the plate, was inside. Espinosa missed it and Bowa was caught in a rundown.
Bowa managed to stay alive, retreating once toward third, then going to the plate and sliding around Pladson's inert tag. Bowa missed the plate on his first pass, but alertly flopped on it for the Phils first steal of home this season.
"I knew I missed him," said Pladson. "But I didn't think Harvey knew it."
Espinosa, after Craig Reynolds tripled and Cruz singled to give Houston a 1-0 edge in the second, retired 11 in succession before walking catcher Alan Ashby to open the seventh. An out later, Bergman singled off the right field wall and Green brought Tug McGraw in to pitch to pinchhitter Art Howe.
Howe singled on McGraw's second pitch, tying the game and setting the stage for what would end as the Phils' ninth loss in their last 15 games.
PHIL UPS - Triple was Trillo's sixth of the season, a career high... Houston is 21-17 in one-run games, Phillies 16-20... Bake McBride, who had two of the Phils' five hits, has hit in 17 of last 18 games... Catcher Bob Boone threw out two of three Houston base stealers, the last coming in the 10th just before Cruz' walk... Randy Lerch goes against Joaquin Andujar tonight.
Nino Espinosa meets challenge on the hill
By Ray W. Kelly of the Courier-Post
PHILADELPHIA – It was still an hour to game time when Nino Espinosa draped his arm around his Phillies' teammate Ramon Aviles and wished both he and his wife a happy ninth wedding anniversary.
"I'll pitch a good game tonight. And, that will be my gift to you," said the bushy-haired righthander.
Aviles did not go home with the promised victory. But, he did not feel the slightest bit cheated. For, when Nino walked off the mound after 6⅓ innings, the Phils were beating the Houston Astros, 2-1, the result of a performance that had more courage and pitching savvy than anyone had a right to expect.
"He's a battler... a gamer... a guy who knows how to pitch and not beat himself," said Phils manager Dallas Green.
It was true. And, it was also ironic. Because 1980 will be the season that Espinosa will always remember as the time his intestinal fortitude was questioned, a time when no one really came out and said he lacked the guts to pitch with pain. Yet, you could almost smell the accusation in the air.
A man of immense pride and constant good will, the native of the Dominican Republic had bristled the day he saw the bold, ugly letters in the newspaper headline. It's message – "Pitch or Quit."
Second baseman Manny Trillo could only shake his head in sadness when he thought of the day those words and the inference they carried with them hit Espinosa like a runaway truck.
"You must understand," said Trillo. "Things are sometimes different for a player in the major leagues who comes from Latin America. It is difficult because there is always a feeling..."
He didn't finish the sentence. There was no need. Traditionally, only the most talented of Latin athletes were able to break into the big leagues. To falter was to be replaced. When it came down to a tossup between some homespun bonus baby and a guy from a foreign country, it was no contest at all.
In fact, a famous manager once went so far as to publically infer that Latin players were lazy and prone to hypochondria. He kept right on managing. Small wonder some people are sensitive to the way they are viewed and treated.
"Such things may not be true about certain teams" said Manny. "I don't believe it is the case with the Phillies. Still, it is something all Latin players live with. They are very sensitive about losing their place here in the majors."
There was a suspicion among several Spanish speaking players a few years ago that Danny Ozark had a tendency to stereotype them. Which might explain some of the doubletakes that occurred when Green talked about Nino's arm problems.
"At the time, all I was talking about was making a roster change while he got his arm back in shape," recalled Dallas. "That whole other thing... that pitch or quit business... was the product of a headline in a newspaper that has hurt more guys on this team with headlines than you can imagine. Not stories, headlines.
"Nino asked me about it. I told him what I said. I told him how I respected him. I've seen him do too much on the mound for me to feel any other way."
The reason Espinosa's arm began to ache in the first place is because he put the Phillies ahead of himself in 1979 and worked too hard too often. Too many people forget that.
Now, even though he's still working to regain his old form, Nino sees each trip to the mound as a chance to prove to anyone and everyone how much heart he has.
"The man came back this season, not against a team like Atlanta, but against the St. Louis Cardinals," said Trillo. "That is pride and guts. He is out there showing people what kind of pitcher he is... and, what kind of a man."
Aviles agreed. "There are some guys on this team who are a lot healthier and don't pitch as well as Nino does," he said. "He wants to win so bad. That is why I was hollering my brains out for him tonight. I prayed that I would get a chance to pinch hit and win the game for him."
Around the clubhouse, Nino Espinosa doesn't smile or talk much these days. At least not when the press is around. All he does is endure the pain and count the days until he gets yet another opportunity to walk onto the field and prove that courage isn't something you will ever find on a map.
Surgery on right knee idles Bull
By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post
PHILADELPHIA – Phillies left fielder Greg Luzinski yesterday underwent surgery on his right knee at Methodist Hospital. Team physician Dr. Phillip Marone performed the two-hour operation to remove multiple loose cartilagenous bodies and a small portion of cartilage from the knee.
Luzinski, who was to have been discharged from the hospital by today, will be lost to the Phillies for approximately three to four more weeks. He will be on crutches, although the knee was not put in a cast.
Luzinski injured the knee while sliding into second base during a July 5 game in St. Louis. He has been on the disabled list since July 8, when Marone first drained fluid from Luzinski's knee.
Marone examined the knee Friday after Luzinski went through a workout and found it swollen. After again examining the knee on Saturday, Marone decided to have an arthroscope examination and surgery yesterday morning.
The Press of Atlantic City
Tough Astro Pitching Halts Phils 3-2 in 10
Houston 3, Philadelphia 2
By Harry Hoffman, Press Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA - Even with Houston ace J.R. Richards away somewhere lying on a psychiatrist's couch, there is a distinct difference between the pitching staffs of the Astros and Atlanta Braves.
Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies played fun ball with the Braves' pitchers while pounding out a Vet Stadium record 21 hits. Monday night a pair of Astros' hurler led them back to reality while combining for a 10-inning, 3-2 victory.
Rookie right hander Gordy Pladson, one of the few natives of British Columbia playing in the Major Leagues, went the first eight innings and with better luck might have pitched a shutout. However he wound up turning a 2-2 game over to southpaw Joe Sambito, and one of baseball's top relievers surrendered only a two-out, pinch-hit single to Keith Moreland in the ninth inning whle gaining his sixth victory in seven decisions. He struck out three, including Bob Boone to end the game with pinch-runner George Vukovich on first base.
Cesar Cedeno, who has been frustrating National League pitchers for 10 years, came through with the big hit in the 10th inning off loser Ron Reed, 6-4, to decide the tense duel.
Joe Morgan tried to ignite the rally when he beat out a one-out single that shortstop Larry Bowa fielded behind second base. However second baseman Manny Trillo made a nice scoop and tag after taking catcher Boone's low throw to wipe Morgan •out on a steal attempt.
Reed then committed a major sin for a relief pitcher. He handed Jose Cruz a two-out, bases-empty walk. Cedeno did not let the right hander get away with the mistake. He slashed an outside pitch down the right field line. The ball bounced past right fielder Bake McBride into the corner for a triple allowing Cruz to score the decisive run.
Sambito, who also has 10 saves, fanned Garry Maddox to start the bottom of the 10th. Then he got Trillo on a fly ball to right. Moreland hit for Bowa and stroked a single off third baseman Enos Cabell's glove. But then Boone went down swinging and the Phils' two game winning streak was over.
Nino Espinosa, still trying to make it back all the way from the disabled list, went six fairly competent innings for the losers.
He gave up a run in the third on a triple by Craig Reynolds and single by Cruz. But managed to pitch his way out of a bases loaded, one out situation to escape further damage in the inning.
The Phils tied the game in the fourth with some help from right fielder Dave Bergman who was filling in for the injured Terry Puhl. Pete Rose drew a walk from Pladson. McBride lofted a high fly toward right. Bergman should have caught the ball near the wall. But he backed off the last second and let it drop for a double sending Rose to third.
Rose scored as Maddox grounded out to shortstop after Mike Schmidt had failed to move the runners while popping out foul to first baseman Dan Heep.
Bowa's quick wits and adroit slide helped push the home team in front in the fifth. He singled and stole second. Larry then made it to third when Boone skied out deep to centerfield.
With the squeeze bunt on Espinosa missed the pitch and Bowa was caught in a rundown. However he evaded the tag by Pladson at home with a nice slide to make it a 2-1 game.
Bake McBride Thinks Being Needled Is A Giant Pain
Tales of Hoffman by Harry Hoffman
PHILADELPHIA – Bake McBride doesn't like needles. Fact is, he hates them. He'd even prefer going the dentist to having team doctor Philip to, Marone stick a needle in his aching knees and draw fluid out to help relieve the pain.
But if the right fielder of the Philadelphia Phillies wants to stay in action on a regular basis, he needs help from Marone every now and then to keep him running and swinging.
Most of the time Bake just grits his teeth, picks up his glove and lopes out to right field prepared to play through the pain.
This may surprise a lot of people who have a mental picture of McBride as being a brittle kind of athlete who seeks the security of the bench when an ankle or a knee or an arm develops the least bit of ache.
"Anyone who thinks that way, doesn't know the man at all," Phillies' Manager Dallas Green said. "He has gone out there a lot of times this season when it might have felt a lot better to him to sit on the bench and rest the knees. But Bake is a winner. He wants to help us win and he has been giving us 100 percent effort and desire all season."
Despite his physical problems, McBride has been one of the most consistent Phillies from day one of the season. Going into Monday night's game with Houston, Bake was hitting a steady .299 with seven triples and five homers. Most important, he is on the way to his best runs batted in season ever with 58, which makes him number two on the team behind the 69 of cleanup hitter Mike Schmidt.
McBride bats anywhere from first to third in the lineup and has been taking advantage of most of his opportunities to drive home runs. His previous high total of RBI was 60 last year, his sixth big league campaign.
Before last night, McBride had hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games. He has 15 RBI during July.
Bake must keep the hot RBI bat going to help compensate for the lethal wood of Greg Luzinski, which will be absent for at least three more weeks. Luzinski underwent a two hour operation Monday during which Marone removed loose cartilaginous bodies and a small portion of knee cartilage.
"We'll all have to give it a little extra effort offensively to make up for Greg's being out," "McBride said. "But this team has a lot more pride than some people seem to think. We are not the type guys who fold easily. Maybe now when most people are picking Pittsburgh or Montreal to win division, we'll surprise all of them."
McBride says he doesn't worry about his image from the standpoint of the media or the fans.
"Maybe not too many of them have really taken the time to find out what I'm all about. It may not look like it, but I think I work as hard as anyone on the team to help us win and that's realy all that counts. The knees have been a problem for several years with me. But they're my knees and I have to live with them. I'll keep playing as long as the manager thinks I can help the team."
Right now no one is helping the team anymore than Bake McBride and he's doing it in his own quiet, competent way.
There are many approaches to being a winning athlete. Green is satisfied with Bake's approach even though it might look a little too cool and casual from the stands.
Bull In Pasture 3 Weeks
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Greg Luzinski underwent knee surgery today and is expected to be out approximately three more weeks, according to Dr. Phillip Marone, who performed the two-hour operation.
The National League club said Marone removed multiple loose cartilagenous bodies and a small portion of the knee cartilage during the surgery at Methodist Hospital.
Luzinski, who injured his right knee sliding into second base during a July 5 game in St. Louis, was expected to be discharged from the hospital either tonight or Tuesday morning. He'll be on crutches for a while, although the knee was not placed in a cast, the Phillies said.
Luzinski has been on the disabled list since July 8. Through exercise and treatment, he showed progress until last Friday when the knee swelled again. After further examination and X-rays on Saturday, Marone decided to operate.
In 1974, Luzinski had surgery on the same knee for a ligament injury.
Luzinski, who had surgery on the same knee in 1974 as result of a ligament injury, has been on the disabled list since July 8. He had shown improvement, but then last Friday the knee swelled again and after re-examination and X-rays on Saturday, Marone decided to operate.
Luzinski, who missed the Phillies' recent 10-game road trip, has a .245 batting average with 15 home runs and 42 RBI.
In his absence, Phillies manager Dallas Green has turned to rookie Lonnie Smith. Smith had seven hi hits in 15 at bats, including his first two major league homers in the weekend series against the Atlanta Braves.