Allentown Morning Call - June 26, 1980

This may have been the win that made a pitcher of Walk

By Jack McCallum, Call Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA – With none out, the bases loaded, and the defense playing one of the top RBI man in baseball like he was Mike Douglas instead of Mike Schmidt, even the 1960 Phillies (the worst in modern history) couldn't have blown it. 

And it was in that situation last night before 31 ,416 at Veterans Stadium that Schmidt lofted an easy flyball to centerfield in the 10th inning that earned the Phillies a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos. 

The win was significant not only because it left them only 1½ games behind the Expos instead of 3½; it was significant because it may have made a major league pitcher out of Bob Walk. 

"I suppose if I really stopped and thought about my situation before the game, I might've realized it was an important one for me," said Walk who pitched eight outstanding innings, giving up only four hits and one unearned run. "But I decided that I had been thinking TOO much. I just went out there nice and relaxed." 

Walk was right. If he had thought about his situation he would've been uptight. 

"It was make or break for Walk tonight," said manager Dallas Green. "The boy needed a game like that to stay up here. What did he do differently? He got the ball over the plate. He made pitches he hadn't made before." 

All that and it was still a no-decision for Walk (2-0) whose ERA dropped from 7.96 to 6.07. But most importantly, he has kept his spot in the Phillie rotation, at least for now. 

The 23-year-old righthander really came of age in the seventh and eighth innings. With the score tied 1-1 and runners on first and second in the seventh, he got Ron LeFlore to ground into an inning-ending force. But that was nothing compared to the eighth.

Rodney Scott led off with a long triple to right-center. Surely, no rookie was going to get by Andre Dawson and Gary Carter without letting the run in. But Walk got Dawson to ground to Schmidt at third (Scott couldn't advance) and induced Carter to hit a flyball to short right. McBride started back, then charged the ball, caught it and threw the speedy Scott out at the plate. 

"It was a perfect astro-turf throw," said Pete Rose who watched it sail over his head. "I couldn't have done better myself." 

Walk sort of appreciated it. He threw his glove down in triumph, stalked over and pounded McBride on the back when he ran off the field. 

"I guess I was a little excited," said Walk. 

Unfortunately for Walk, circumstances dictated that he be lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the inning. But the Phillies couldn't score and Walk was no longer the pitcher of record.

Ron Reed was and he did an excellent job, shrugging off the nightmare of Tuesday night when Phillie relievers allowed the Expos to untie the score three different times in a 7-6 Montreal victory. Reed pitched to only six batters in the ninth and tenth to raise his record to 6-1. 

The Phils won the game for Reed in the bottom of the 10th which is where they lost it on Tuesday. 

Greg Gross led off with a walk and, with Rose at bat. Green put on the "bastard play" isn't baseball charming? which calls for Rose to lake a bunt, then blast a basehit over, or perhaps, THROUGH someone if the pitch is a good one. Rose faked the bunt and took the first pitch from reliever Stan Bahnsen, then, without faking, blasted the second into the rightfield corner for a double. Gross could probably have scored but third base coach Lee Elia prudently held him with none out. 

"I missed the sign to tell you the truth," said Rose. "The bastard play was supposed to be on again but I missed it. We got lucky there, I guess. But that's as hard as I've hit a ball all year." 

With runners on second and third, the Expos had no alternative but to go with the book and walk Bake McBride to load the bases. McBride had homered off starter Bill Gullickson in the sixth to account for the Phils' only run to that point. 

"That's the way the game's played," said Schmidt. "They have to hope they can get me to strike out or pop up in the infield. It doesn't matter that I've been hitting well lately.

"I'm just trying to make contact. I'm not looking for a pitch to drive. I hit it in the air and the game's over. I don't, then the guy behind me does (which in this case was Lonnie Smith)." 

The Expos moved their outfield in to within about 220 feet of home plate. Schmidt can probably hit a shot put that far. Bahnsen did get two strikes on him after a ball, but Schmidt hit a ball to medium center which Dawson backed up on but couldn 't quite get to. It would've scored the run easily had he caught it. 

The game-winning RBI was Schmidt's sixth this season, a club high. He led the National League with 20 game-winning hits last season. 

NOTES: Randy Lerch (2-9) starts tonight's series finale. He is undoubtedly aware of the fact that the Expos have won 13 in a row against lefthanders.