Wilmington Morning News - July 30, 1980

Bake cooks as Phillies rally to dump Astros 9-6

By Ray Finocchiaro, Staff Correspondent

PHILADELPHIA – Bake McBride capped a five-hit night – and a rousing Phillies' comeback – with a two-run single in the eighth inning last night, helping the Phils to a 9-6 victory over the Houston Astros.

McBride's five hits upped his batting average to .312 and his RBI count to 61, tying his career high.

And the victory, which went to Kevin Saucier, came after Manager Dallas Green was ejected for arguing with first base umpire Andy Olsen on Jeff Leonard's sixth-inning triple.

It was the second ejection for Green, both against the same crew of umpires. And both times the Phillies rallied to win. Last night they overcame Houston leads of 4-0 and 6-3.

"I didn't fire up anybody but the umpires," said Green, who claimed that Leonard's ball hit the foul pole on the hop and should've been a ground-rule double.

"The ball hit the pole but Olsen said he didn't see it. I asked him to consult with another umpire but he said it was his call and he called it the way he saw it.

"I said he didn't care if he got the play right. I don't know why I was ejected, though. I didn't cuss him."

But the Phils, buoyed by Mike Schmidt's 27th homer in the seventh which tied the game 6-6, caught fire anyway.

Larry Bowa ignited the eighth-inning rally against loser Frank LaCorte with an infield hit, then stole second. After Del Unser was intentionally walked, Lonnie Smith, who had two hits and was on base four times, singled Bowa home with the eventual game-winner.

Pete Rose's infield hit loaded the bases for McBride, who singled to right for the two insurance runs.

"Lonnie and Bake really contributed tonight," said Green. "Bake's playing with a lot of pain and he's doing a helluva job (with 9 hits in 12 at-bats). Both knees are bothering him, plus a hip problem. He's playing with a LOT of pain."

And, attending to that pain, McBride wasn't around for interviews or a post-victory toast.

But the Phils' eighth – or the sixth, with its Green-Olsen debate – wasn't the only unusual inning last night. The third also was a doozy, with 17 batters coming to the plate, six runners scoring and all manner of miscues by both sides.

Phils' starter Randy Lerch sealed his own fate when he walked his opposing number, Joacquin Andujar. Since Andujar was merely trying to make an out – and sacrifice Luis Pujols, who had singled, to second – Lerch's mistake was a back-breaker.

Rafael Landestoy got a sacrifice bunt down and Enos Cabell's chopper over Schmidt at third scored Pujols. Lerch got Jose Cruz looking at a third strike for the second out but Cesar Cedeno, who tripled home the winning run Monday night, singled to center to make it 3-0.

Art Howe, who'd homered in the second, hit a blooper over shortstop Larry Bowa for the Astros' fourth run.

After Lerch walked Joe Morgan to load the bases. Green came out to get his struggling left-hander and the crowd of 30,252 serenaded Lerch's long walk to the dugout with a lusty chorus of boos.

Reliever Dickie Noles needed only one pitch to pop up Jeff Leonard and end the inning.

Down 4-0, the Phils went after Andnjar m their half of the third and, thanks to left fielder Cruz's cannon arm, got three runs back.

It started innocently enough when Lonnie Smith singled to right with one oat, stole second and stopped at third on Rose's single to left.

But Cruz decided to throw home, anyway. Not only did Jose overthrow the cutoff man, but he overthrew the catcher AND Andujar, who was backing up the plate.

Smith scored the Phils' first run as Rose took second.

Since the game wasn't on television, Cruz provided his own instant replay.

McBride followed with a single to left and, again, Rose held at third as Cruz rifled the throw home – and overthrew everybody again. So Rose came home with the second run.

Cruz tied the NL record, held by many, for two errors by an outfielder in one inning.

But the inning wasn't over yet. Schmidt took a weak cut at a 3-2 pitch and, according to Olsen, checked his swing for a walk. The replays indicated otherwise, but then it didn't seem to be Olsen's night.

If Andujar was upset at Olsen's call – and he obviously was – the right-hander was further annoyed when Keith Moreland singled to center, scoring McBride with the third run.

The Astros added a run in the fifth when Cruz – he of the errant arm – walked, stole second, went to third on Moreland's throw into center field and scored on Howe's sacrifice fly.

The Green-Olsen dispute highlighted the Houston sixth as the Astros added another run off Noles, who again had to pitch out of a bases-loaded situation when he got Cedeno on a liner to left.

The Phils tied the game against Bert Roberge in the seventh. Smith was hit by a pitch, stole second for the third time, raced to third on Rose's fly to right and scored on McBride's fourth single to left field.

Schmidt's 27th homer, a high drive to left, tied the game.

Dallas Green, wherever he was, loved it.

"Everybody contributed tonight," said Green. "I was thrilled to death that Schmitty got his homer, but we can't depend on a Schmidt home-run ball all the time. We have to keep pressing, to play aggressive baseball. We've got the guys who can do it. I keep telling them that."

EXTRA INNINGS - Andujar, who almost became a Phillie at the trading deadline before a three-club deal fell apart, broke a seven-game losing streak, dating back to last August, when he beat Montreal on July 19... Enos Cabell has hit in 10 consecutive games... McBride has 103 hits and has hit in 18 of 19 games... Dick Ruthven faces Houston's million-dollar man, Nolan Ryan, tonight at 7:35... Cincinnati is here for a three-game weekend set starting Friday.