Philadelphia Inquirer - July 4, 1980

A full Fourth for sports fan

There's something to entertain just about everyone on this 204th anniversary of our nation's independence, be it baseball, tennis, horse racing, or even – yes – football.

To start with, the Phillies continue their road swing against the St. Louis Cardinals today (TV-Ch.17, 2:15 p.m.), in their ongoing chase of the Montreal Expos for first place in the National League East.

Tennis fans may prefer the Wimbledon women's singles final (TV-Ch. 3, 2:30). Football fans who can't wait for training camp can watch the Pennsylvania high school Coaches' All-Star Game (Ch. 48,7:30 p.m.).

Horse enthusiasts who can't make it to Atlantic City Race Course for this evening's Matchmaker Stakes can watch it at 9:30 p.m. on Ch. 10.

If none of the above interests you, there's always the fireworks.

BASEBALL

PHILLIES at St. Louis (TV-Ch. 17; Radlo-KYW-1060, 2:15 p.m.)

Phils sweep Cards in doubleheader

Win, 2-1, in opener, 8-1 in 2d

By Jayson Stark, Inquirer Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS – The last time Dick Ruthven met the St. Louis Cardinals, he handled them about the same way McGovern handled Nixon.

Ruthven faced 16 Cardinals that April Sunday at the Vet. Eight got hits. One walked. Four scored. It was hard to tell the game from batting practice.

Ruthven was gone before the bottom of the third. And a lot of people wondered that day whether he would ever really come back.

He has. The measure of just how well he has was his 2-1, four-hit shutdown of the Cardinals in the first game of a twi-nighter last night. It was, said Dallas Green, "one of the better games we've had pitched all year – from anybody."

The Phillies came back to sweep the doubleheader with an 8-1 victory that, coupled with Montreal's loss to New York, moved the Phils to within half a game of the Expos. ''

Walk had to go some to match the show Ruthven put on. Facing a lineup that featured eight guys hitting .296 or better, Ruthven just mowed them down. He blitzed through six 1-2-3 innings, walked nobody, fanned five, had his best fastball of the year.

"I still don't have the fastball I had in 78 or the first part of last year," Ruthven said. "But I never really know how good my fastball is. The hitters tell me."

What the hitters told him last night is that he is back and he is strong again. The scars from his surgery are gone from his arm and gone from his mind. He is Dick Ruthven again, and he can pitch.

"He certainly looks like he's a helluva lot stronger," Green said. "It takes a little longer to come back from surgery than a lot of people think. I don't think there's any doubt of that.

"You may not see Dick Ruthven have an outstanding year this year. By outstanding, I'm talking 18-8 or so. But I think he'll have a good year."

As well as Ruthven (7-5) pitched, though, he almost didn't win. Because the Cardinals' Bob Forsch (5-6) was almost as good. Forsch rolled into the seventh with a two-hitter and a 1-0 lead.

But Manny Trillo beat out a chopper to third to lead it off. Bake McBride followed that with a hit-and-run bouncer to second. But Ken Oberkfell got distracted by Trillo steaming past and fumbled it for his second error of the year. First and second.

Del Unser thumped a high-hopper wide of first. Keith Hernandez got to it OK. But Hernandez, a veritable fielding machine, had to almost shot-put his throw to get it to Forsch, who was covering first. He rolled it behind him, letting Trillo score and McBride go to third. Garry Maddox then bounced into a double play. But that made it 2-1. And Ruthven kept it 2-1.

The Cardinals didn't have a whole lot of shots at him. But they had one last chance in the ninth. Garry Templeton (3-for-4, and 18-for-his-last-35) ripped a leadoff single to center. And Leon Durham bunted him to second.

The batter was Hernandez, who started the evening hitting a mere .328. But Ruthven got him for the third straight time with a man in scoring position. Hernandez hit a hard one-hopper to the mound. Ruthven turned, found Templeton caught halfway, and hung him up in a rundown. Then Ted Simmons flied softly to center, and it was over.

Ruthven started by breezing through three hitless innings. And, at one point, he fanned George Hendrick, Terry Kennedy and Ken Reitz (.188 since June 6) in a row.

But he ran into the Garry Templeton Base Hit Corp. in the fourth, and Templeton roped a leadoff single to center. There wasn't much doubt Templeton was going. He came in with only 21 stolen bases, but he tries a lot (21-for-34 going into last night).

So Ruthven threw Durham a change-up on the first pitch, which didn't help. And Templeton romped into second for the easy steal. Durham then crushed the next pitch to deep center. All Maddox could do was watch as it hopped over the 414 sign on one bounce. Ground-rule double. 1-0.

But Ruthven pitched as well as he can pitch to get out of it at that. He struck out Hernandez with his quasi-screwball backup pitch. That was one out. Simmons ripped a shot at Trillo. But Trillo slurped it up, did a full Luis Tiant 360-degree pivot and gunned him out. Two out.

Next was Hendrick, who has only 14 fewer RBIs now than he had all last year (61, vs. 75 last season). But he chopped the first pitch up the middle, and Larry Bowa threw him out.

Ruthven had only one other crisis through eight. Templeton lined hit No. 109 with one out in the sixth and pumped to second on Durham's grounder to Pete Rose.

So Ruthven had to get Hernandez in a tough spot again. And did. He bounced to Bowa, whose low throw was scooped out of the dirt by Rose and they were out of it.

Ruthven has come back since his shoulder injury to go nine twice. He felt he was "on the right track" even before then, he said. After last night, he knows it.

NOTES: Mike Schmidt repulled his left hamstring again, might not play at all this weekend and might not even go to the All-Star game.... Nino Espinosa (0-0) vs. Bob Sykes (2-6, 5.37) this afternoon.

Rose named to NL squad

By the Associated Press

NEW YORK – Pete Rose of the Phillies, making his 14th All-Star appearance, heads a dozen reserves named to the National League squad yesterday to complete the team that will face the American League at Los Angeles Tuesday night.

Rose, who holds a record for playing at five different positions in All-Star games, is the veteran of the NL bench, which will include three first-time choices – outfielders Jose Cruz of Houston and Dale Murphy of Atlanta and third baseman Ken Reitz of St. Louis.

Also named to the club were catchers Gary Carter of Montreal and John Stearns of the New York Mets; infielders Dave Concepcion of Cincinnati, Phil Garner of Pittsburgh and Keith Hernandez of St. Louis; and outfielders Ken Griffey of Cincinnati, George Hendrick of St. Louis and Dave Winfield of San Diego.

Still to be named is a replacement for San Francisco pitcher Vida Blue, who was chosen for the team but is injured and was placed on the disabled list. Blue had been his team's lone representative, so his spot must go to a Giant because every team must have at least one player on the All-Star squad.

Earlier in the day, the 14 American League reserves were selected, headed by Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ben Oglivie. Oglivie joins Al Bumbry of the Baltimore Orioles, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A's, Ken Landreaux of the Minnesota Twins, Al Oliver of the Texas Rangers and Jorge Orta of the Cleveland Indians. Infielders include Bobby Grich of the California Angels and Willie Randolph, Bucky Dent and Graig Nettles of the Yankees, Buddy Bell of the Rangers, Robin Yount of the Brewers and Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers. Cecil Cooper of the Brewers also was chosen at first base.

At catcher will be Lance Parrish of Detroit and Darrell Porter of Kansas City.