Allentown Morning Call - October 2, 1980
Carlton stops Cubs on two hits, 5-0
By Gordon Smith, Associate Sports Editor
PHILADELPHIA - Garry Maddox tried for all he was worth to get out of the doghouse after the Phillies' 5-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs that enabled the "Broad Street Brats" to stay even with National League East Division leader Montreal in the all-important loss column last night at Veterans Stadium.
But no matter how hard Maddox tried to escape the blame for Steve Carlton losing a no-hitter in the eighth inning, his explanations just didn't have the necessary credibility.
Maddox was penciled in to start in centerfield by Manager Dallas Green. Shortly before the game, Maddox went to Green and told him an injured finger was giving him trouble.
"So, after Garry told me he didn't feel he could hold the bat, I scratched him," said Green. “Hey, Del Unser is a good ballplayer. If a guy doesn't feel he can contribute, we have others who can."
It was mysterious right from the beginning, because Maddox had played in 11 games since hurting the little finger on his left hand, he says, in Pittsburgh Sept. 17.
But Maddox, who had not been producing well at the plate, was benched along with Greg Luzinski and Bob Boone for two games this week. When Green decided to put all three back in last night, Maddox came up with the injured finger angle.
So it was that a sinking line drive off the bat of Mike Veil fell one hop short of a charging Unser after Carlton had pitched perfect ball through seven innings.
Later, in the ninth, the Cubs' Bill Buckner singled off Manny Trillo's glove. But Buckner would never have come to bat had that sinking liner been caught in the seventh.
Maddox plays a much shallower center field than Unser. "He (Maddox) might have caught it," admitted Green. "But that's strictly conjecture."
Carlton, naturally, wasn't available for comment. His long-standing rule of not talking to the press would, most feel, even hold up through a World Series.
It would be back-to-back home runs by Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski in the sixth inning off starter and loser Dennis Lamp that would give the Phils all the offense they needed.
Two more runs that inning on a triple by Unser, singles by Trillo, Bowa and Boone, and Carlton's sacrifice fly, would give baseball's premier lefthander more support than he apparently needed.
The Phils' fifth run came in the eighth when Boone singled home Bowa, who had stroked a two-out double to right-center field.
Luzinski was relieved, it seemed. "I saw the pitch so well," he would say of the home run ball. "That's a good sign. I hope the long famine is over. We'll soon see."
"For a 35-year-old power pitcher, it's amazing to me that he's (Carlton) cranked up so many innings (304) he has with the strikeouts (284) he has," said Green. "There's no contest for the Cy Young Award. I wish I had his ingredients in all my other players. There must be something 'Lefty' has to his training program. We'll have to take a hard look at it after the season. Perhaps other players could benefit from it."
Carlton's curve and slider were wickedly effective. He struck out eight, including Mike Tyson, Cliff Johnson and Dave Kingman in the eighth, after that single by Veil and a walk to Carlos Lezcano.
The victory was Carlton's 24th as against nine defeats, and had he been able to keep the one-hitter, it would have boosted his National League record to seven one-hitters. He has never pitched a no-hitter. The furthest he's gone is 7⅓ innings, twice.
Kingman came close to breaking up the shutout when he smacked a curving shot towards left field. The ball crossed in front of the foul pole by inches, and Carlton proceeded to set the slugger down on strikes.
"Credit the veterans, Luzinski, Bowa and Boone, for their offensive show," said Green. “They came through like I hoped they would."
It was the first start for Boone and Luzinski since they were benched following Sunday's loss to Montreal. All three would have played last night, had Maddox not come up with the sore finger.
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Pregame entertainment was provided by the Southern Lehigh High School marching band... Southern Lehigh's national championship Connie Mack team was also saluted before the game... The crew of the USS Saratoga, in Philadelphia for the next 28 months for restoration, was honored, and "Sara's" captain, James H. Flatley III, threw out the ceremonial first ball… Former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes was in attendance at the invitation of Pete Rose, who admits he's a "Buckeye-aholic." Asked what he used to do to quell team uprisings such as those that have plagued the Phils, Woody said, "Son, I never had any uprisings." Amen... On this date in Phillies history in 1950, Phillies clinched their last pennant on the final day with a 4-1, 10-inning victory over the Dodgers.
Carlton stops Cubs on two hits, 5-0
PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia 's Steve Carlton hurled a brilliant two-hitter, throwing no-hit ball until the eighth inning, as he pitched and batted the Phillies to a 5-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs last night.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner walked Carlos Lezcano on a 3-2 count with two out in the second and took a no-hitter into the eighth before giving up a leadoff single to Mike Vail. Vail's line drive fell a few feet in front of Del Unser, who had roared in attempting to make a shoestring catch.
Following Vail's hit, Carlton walked Lezcano for the second time in the game. But then the hard-throwing lefthander reared back and struck out three straight batters.
In the ninth, Carlton gave up a two-out single to right by Bill Buckner. Carlton, 24-9, struck out 10 overall to raise his National League-leading total to 286.
Carlton's sacrifice fly capped a four-run seventh against Dennis Lamp, 10-13.
Mike Schmidt had broken a scoreless tie with a one-out homer off Lamp, his 45th this season to tie a personal high set last year. His 116th RBI also tied a personal season high set in 1974.
Greg Luzinski followed with his 19th homer, marking the sixth time this year and ninth in their careers that the two sluggers had hit back-to-back homers.
A triple by Unser and single by Larry Bowa produced the Phillies' third run of the inning before Carlton, who also had two singles, contributed his rally-capping fly ball.
The Phillies scored another run on Bob Boone's RBI single in the eighth.
Two slick fielding plays by Philadelphia infielders earlier saved possible Chicago hits. In the fourth inning, first baseman Pete Rose picked up Bill Buckner's hard bunt down the line, beating the runner to the bag on a bang-bang play. Later in the fourth, Jerry Martin's chopper took a bad bounce, but second baseman Manny Trillo scooped the ball and threw a bullet to first for the out.