Atlantic City Press - May 15, 1980

Phillies’ Carlton Earns Sixth Win

ATLANTA (AP) – Pete Rose had batted in four runs with a pair of doubles and a single, but the veteran National League infielder refused to take a major share of the credit for the Philadelphia Phillies’ 9-1 rout of the Atlanta Braves Wednesday night. 

“You just saw the best lefthander in the league,” Rose said, referring to the performance Steve Carlton had turned in as the Phillies gained a split of their two-game series with the Braves. 

Carlton indeed was masterful. The only hits he gave up in six innings of work were a two-out single by Dale Murphy in the fourth and Bob Horner's first home run of the season leading off the sixth. 

It was the sixth victory of the season for Carlton, who has lost twice. He has given up only five hits in 15 innings against the Braves this season. 

“Carlton has great strength, not just in his arms, but in his whole body,” said Phillies Manager Dallas Green. “He was still going strong, but Sauce (Kevin Saucier) hadn't pitched in 10 days and Tug (McGraw) needed to be sharpened up. So I took Steve out to give them needed work.” 

Rose, Bake McBride and Larry Bowa, with three hits apiece, led a 14-hit assault. 

Horner, the struggling Atlanta slugger who got his first RBI against the Phillies in the Braves’ victory Tuesday, did not see his home run as any sort of milestone or drought-breaker. 

After scoring two runs in the first on a Mike Schmidt grounder and an Atlanta error, the Phllies got two more in the second on Rose's first double and McBride’s single. 

Rose keyed a four-run third with a two-run single and doubled home another run in the fifth.