Allentown Morning Call - June 30, 1980
Phils prevent a Mets sweep
By Jack McCallum, Call Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA – Well, the Phillies grabbed one of four from the Mets this weekend, and Dallas Green looked somewhat like the cat who swallowed the canary. And a few minutes later, Mets' manager Joe Torre looked like someone who wanted to swallow Dallas Green.
“All I can say is that we played like the Phillies and they played like the Mets." said Green after the Phils' 5-2 victory before 41,113 in Veterans Stadium.
Ah. the swiftness of today's communication. Within a few minutes, those bulletin-board beauties had been relayed to the Mets' locker room. And Torre, whose team has endured countless slings and arrows this season but is still, somehow, only a few games behind .500. sent the following reply to Mr. Green.
“I 'm not going to respond to something that isn't true," said Torre, starting slowly but then building his point with irony. "But I wouldn't say they exactly blew us out of the ballpark. I'll take three out of four from them anytime we play them."
Now. here's the REAL stuff.
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"Dallas has a tendency to have his ass overload his mouth once in a while," said Torre, adding a chapter to the colorful relationship between baseball and the anatomy. "I respect any club we play against but I don't appreciate someone who doesn't respect my team."
Then, it was time to get personal.
"Maybe Dallas is just getting back at everyone now that he isn't getting hit himself anymore," said Torre In a reference to Green's 20-22 lifetime record as a pitcher.
Tune in on August 14 when the teams meet again in New York. Both managers will have had plenty of time to think up some new ones before then.
And Bob Walk. Where will he be by then? Leading the National League in wins? Running for mayor of Philadelphia?
The rookie raised his record to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 5.36 (it was over 7.00 two games ago) with a fine performance for 7⅔ innings.
He left with a 5-2 lead and a man on. but reliever Lerrin LaGrow. after two shaky walks, induced Elliott Maddox to hit to third to end the inning. LaGrow then picked up the save despite giving up a double to Jose Cardenal and a bunt single to Frank Taveras in the ninth.
In Walk's last two outings he has given up just three earned runs and 12 hits in 15⅔ innings. And he has 10 strikeouts (seven last night ) against just five walks. Not bad for someone who was supposed to be summering in Oklahoma City.
"I've learned you can't strike everybody out up here." said Walk, now a regular member of the rotation. "You've gotta' just throw it and let our people catch it. We've got some Golden Gloves out there."
Two of the Golden Gloves, however, are on the shelf with hamstring injuries – Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa.
In their place are John Vukovich and Ramon Aviles. Throw in the battery of Walk and Keith Moreland and it looks like the American Association, not the National League East. But Vukovich and Aviles are capable defensive performers and Moreland handled Walk well. "When you're an extra player you've just gotta' face the fact that you're riot as good as the player above you," said Vukovich; who was 0-for-June before blooping a single in the seventh. "I know I'm not Schmitty and never will be.
But it feels good to make a contribution. "And the job Bobby (Walk) has done is just great. I remember when myself and Bull (Greg Luzinski) and a couple others were coming up it was different because the Phils were losers and there wasn't the pressure. But Bob Walk has walked into a pressure cooker and done the job. He's given us so much more than anybody thought he would."
Phils prevent a Mets sweep
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Manny Trillo hit a pair of singles, scored one run and drove in another to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 5-2 Sunday night and end a four-game losing streak.
Bob Walk. 3-0. who was brought up from Oklahoma City last month to help an injury-riddled pitching staff, ended New York's four-game winning streak. He worked 7⅔ innings, allowing eight hits and one walk and striking out seven before giving way to reliever Lerrin La-Grow, who earned his second save.
The Mets completed a 15-game road trip with a 7-8 record.
The Phillies, who had scored just nine runs in their last five games and lost eight of 10. took a 1-0 lead in the fourth against Mets starter Pat Zachry. 2-5. Trillo singled with one out and scored when first baseman Lee Mazzilli threw wild past Zachry covering first on a grounder by Bake McBride.
Philadelphia got three more runs in the sixth on singles by Walk, Pete Rose. Trillo. McBride and Keith Moreland.
The Mets finally reached Walk for a pair of runs in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Jose Cardenal walked, Mazzilli struck out and Frank Taveras reached first on a fielder's choice. Taveras took second on a. wild pitch and scored on a double by Claudell Washington. Joel Youngblood then singled home Washington to make it 4-2 and brought on LaGrow.
John Stearns and Steve Henderson walked to load the bases, but Elliott Maddox grounded into a force play at third to end the inning.
Ramon Avliles drove in the' Phillies' final run in the ninth with a fielder's choice grounder.