Gettysburg Times - May 27, 1980

Phillies Win "Slug"fest, 7-6

by Ralph Bernstein, AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Dallas Green loved it. Why not. His team won.

Chuck Tanner found it distasteful. Naturally. His team lost.

It was a brawl game Monday night won by Green's Philadelphia Phillies, 7-6, with two runs in the bottom of the ninth.

There were two incidents during the game in which every member of both teams poured out of the dugouts and bullpens.

There was a lot of milling around, verbal abuse, and one player and one coach were ejected.

The biggest hurt from the Pittsburgh standpoint was losing not only the game, but first place in the National League East to the Phillies.

The Phillies now have won 10 of their last 13. It was their fifth straight triumph.

The Pirates lost their third in a row and seventh of the last 10.

It all added up lo placing the Phillies in first by four percentage points with three games to go in this first series of the season with the Pirates.

The pair of bench eruptions were caused by pitchers Bert Blyleven of the Pirates and Kevin Saucier of the Phillies. Blyleven in the early innings tried to back Philadelphia's Mike Schmidt off the plate with inside pitches.

The second time Blyleven did it, in the third inning, Schmidt started for the pitcher, and the dugouts emptied. The umpires, however, contained the situation and the game continued.

In the sixth, however. Saucier hit Blyleven with a pitch and Blyleven went after the Phillies' reliever.

The dugouts emptied again. The pitchers were kept apart, although Blyleven did heave his helmet at Saucier.

The players milled around. There was some pushing, some fists swung, a few minor bruises The game was delayed 10 minutes.

When umpire Doug Harvey's crew got things under control, the game resumed minus Pittsburgh utility player Lee Lacy and Phillies' pitching coach Herm Starrete, both ejected for what Harvey said was instigating.

Saucier refused to comment on the incident. He looked stonily ahead, his back to questioners. All he would say was that it was a great game to win

Most of the Phillies' players dressed quickly and left with their families to watch a posigame fireworks display.

Those still around tried to low key the incidents. Larry Bowa, the Phillies' shortstop who got bruised slightly, said," hopefully it's all over."

Most players on both sides dismissed it as one of those things that happen. Blyleven also had nothing to say.

"We're not going to be inamidated." said Green

"We won't start every fight.. but we won't back off."

Tanner said Saucier hit Blyleven on purpose.

"I can't read his mind but I'd say yes he hit him on purpose."

Obviously controlling the rage he felt. Tanner commented, "Saucier has to hit someday."

Tanner said he a«ked Harvey why Saucier wasn't ejected.

"He told me that a pitcher can't be ejected until he has been issued a warning (for throwing at a batter). He read me something from the rule book."

The game itself really was more interesting than the controversy.

Pittsburgh took a 5-3 lead after three innings and had only two hiis. They were helped by rookie pitcher Bob Walk who didn't belie his name. Walk walked five batters.

In the first inning with two out and Dave Parker on base with a walk. Willie Stargell hit his fifth home run of the season for a 2-0 lead.

The Phillies got one back in the second on consecutive doubles by Garry Maddox and Bowa.

But Walk walked three in the third, and two scored on Ed Ott's single to make it 5-2.

Back came the Phillies in the bottom of the third for two runs, on a home run by Maddox with Schmidt on base via a walk.

In the seventh. Tim Foil and Parker singled, and Foli scored on a long sacrifice fly to center on which Maddox made a spectacular catch.

The Phillies made it 6-4 in the seventh on Pete Rose's single, a ground out and Greg Luzinski's double. In the eighth, Philadelphia sliced it to 6-5 on a single by Maddox, who stole second, advanced to third on an infield out and scored on Manny Trillo's single.

The Phillies won it in the ninth without an out.

Schmidi doubled, took third on an infield single by Luzinski and scored the tying run on Bob Boone's double.

Maddox walked to load the bases and Bowa singled across the winning run. Alil of this was against the Pirates' ace reliever, Kent Tekulve.

Stargell, who has the knack of getting to the nub of most situations, said of the game and its histrionics, "100 years from now you'll look in the scorebook and it will be the same. We lost. 7-6."