Allentown Morning Call - October 22, 1980

Phillies win it!

Phillies end 98-year drought, beat Royals 4-1

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The Philadelphia Phillies, behind the pitching of Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw and the hitting of Mike Schmidt, won the first world championship in their 98-year history last night, beating Kansas City 4-1 to end the 1980 World Series in six games. 

Carlton, the left-handed ace of the Phillies staff, allowed the American League champion Royals only four hits until he was relieved by McGraw in the eighth. Carlton, who had pitched 324 innings this season, was working with five days' rest. 

He got the lead early when Schmidt, the Series Most Valuable Player, drilled a two-run single in the third inning. By the seventh, the Phillies lead was up to 4-0. When Carlton retired the Royals in order in that inning, the fans who had waited so long sensed that victory was theirs. 

The crafty Carlton zipped through the Kansas City batting order with ease, striking out seven and staying in control throughout the early and middle innings before giving way to McGraw. The Royals failed to mount an effective attack until the eighth, but their lone run then was too little, too late. 

Kansas City threatened again in the ninth, loading the bases with one out, but once again McGraw rose to the challenge and preserved the victory. 

A capacity crowd of 65,838 – largest to watch a World Series game in 16 years – kept up a steady roar which mounted in intensity as the Phillies closed in on the title.

Phantastic Phils!

Schmidt MVP; McGraw saves 4-1 title win

By Gordon Smith, Associate Sports Editor

PHILADELPHIA – The acrid taste of Phillies phutility has been buried with haunting memories of their historical pflops. Finally, the 65year-old franchise has a World Series flag to fly forever above the roundhouse of madness they call Veterans Stadium. 

It wasn't even dramatic, this 4-1 sixth game of the 77th World Series. 

It was over in a flash.

When Tug McGraw got the final out, three dozen mounted cops, and 500 extra security people ringed the field. Only a few spectators made it to the field, and they were quickly whisked away. 

Steve Carlton mowed down the boys from Kansas City with the consistency of a hay bailer until he was removed in the top of the eighth after walking John Wathan and giving up a single to left to Jose Cardenal. Tug McGraw, working his fourth time in the series, finished up, although not too cleanly. 

The drama went right to the ninth inning, when the never-say-die American League champs loaded the bases on a walk and two singles. But McGraw fanned Willie Wilson as pandemonium erupted.

McGraw retired White on a pop foul to Rose, but walked Willie Wilson (sic) to load the bases. The Royals scored their first run on a sacrifice to not-so-deep center by Washington. Brett singled to load the sacks again, but McGraw got Hal McRae to ground to Trillo on a 3-2 pitch, and the "Tugger" left the field patting his heart again.

Most Valuable Player Mike Schmidt's two-run, third-inning single provided all the offense the Phillies needed. 

Carlton, who complained after Game 2 that the , baseballs weren't properly rubbed-up, had no trouble gripping the leather spheres last night. 

His assorted curves, sliders and fastballs had the Royals so offbalance at the plate they could have been mistaken for tipsy Bowery bums. 

Carlton, soon-to-be-named Cy Young Award winner in the National League, helped Kansas City' s Willie Wilson along to a World Series record of 11 strikeouts by fanning the Royals' leftfielder twice. Carlton fanned a total of seven Royals, throwing 109 pitches.

The Phillies' regular-season 24-game winner even made American League batting champion George Brett look uncomfortable at bat when he fanned the Kansas City third-baseman in the first inning. 

Then, when Brett grounded into a double-play in the fourth, Phillies' shortstop Larry Bowa became the only player in baseball history to start seven double-plays.

In the decisive third inning, Kansas City starter -Rich Gale walked Bob Boone. Boone was safe at second and Lonnie Smith safe at first when Kansas City second-baseman Frank White fielded Smith's grounder but made a short toss to shortstop U.L. Washington covering second. Washington had to stretch so far that his foot came off the bag before the ball landed in his glove.

Now the 65,838 partisian fans decided to help matters. As they shook the stadoum with their screaming, Pete Rose caught third-baseman Brett, napping with a bunt down the line, and all parties were safe. 

Schmidt swallowed any notions he might have had of seeking the seats, and instead placed a shot to right-center, chasing Boone and Smith across the plate.

T’was no ordinary day in City of Brotherly Love

By John Kunda, Executive Sports Editor

PHILADELPHIA – This was no ordinary day in the. City of Brotherly Love. 

Oh. sure, the Schuylkill Expressway was its usual pain in the driver's seat... and the girl-watching at Rittenhouse Square during lunch hour got its usual 8-to-10 ratings... and the push-cart vendors were hawking the usual menu, hot dogs and soft pretzels. 

But this was no ordinary day.

It was not your routine go-to-the-ballpark ordeal, either. The heavy traffic was there, alright, pouring in from all directions. The subway riders were coming from the underground by the thousands. And the sidewalk sellers were screaming their lungs out, "Get your World Series souvenirs... we got 'em all. Get your Phillies souvenirs… Go, Phillies, Go." 

As you got anywhere near Veterans Stadium you soon got the drift that this wasn't going to be an ordinary happening. 

If you were on Mars the last week or so and showed up outside the Vet late yesterday afternoon, you might have thought you had walked into a uniformed policeman's convention. 

Uniformed police were everywhere – on foot, on motorcycles, on horseback, in cruiser cars, in emergency vehicles. You had to wonder who was watching the store at Broad and Market. The commissioner had 7,500 at his disposal, and the last time he needed so many was last year, when the Pope visited the city. 

There were no soft-hats among the police crowd. Hard-hats, riot gear, were the uniform of the day. 

"There isn't a policeman in this city who has the night off," one of the officers said. "A lot of guys are here on overtime." 

This was no ordinary day in the City of Brotherly Love. 

This was the day – more accurately, the night – that the Phillies were going to win the baseball championship of the world. No ordinary happening, to be sure. 

But celebrating, Philadelphia style, isn't an ordinary happening, either. City fathers learned that a few years ago when the Flyers won the hockey championship of the world.

It doesn't take a sports genius to know that there are more baseball fans around here than there are hockey fans. Does that mean triple the trouble? 

"We aren't taking any chances," was the word from the police department.

The city wants to save Veterans Stadium, as well as the lives of those in and around the stadium. 

It was scary. The mere thought of what happened at other World Series breakouts, most notably at New York's Shea Stadium, made one almost hope that the visitors would throw a damper on the whole thing by winning the next two games. 

But then frustration would take over, and the results could be the same. 

"I hope you guys can find a ride back," the cab driver told us on the way to Veterans Stadium. "You won't find a cab in a 20-block area of the stadium. I'm gonna hang around here, try to get a fare back into the city and then go home. Most of the guys (cab drivers) are gonna do that. They ain't gonna get stuck out here." 

The cabbie said the natives were getting restless as early as Sunday. "They were acting up at Broad and Snyder on Sunday night," he said, "5,000 of them and they (the Phils) didn't win anything yet. Can you imagine what's gonna happen if they win tonight? I don't wanna be around to see it. I'm going home to watch it on TV." 

If you think the cab drivers of this city were frightened by the thought of the victory breakout, listen to what the man in charge of Veterans Stadium had to say.

"This field is worth a great deal of money," Pat Cassidy, the stadium director, said. "We have to protect it, and the only way to do that is to try and keep people off it." 

Good luck. 

Cassidy was talking about police on horseback as a major deterrent for the rowdies. "We're going to have police on horseback," he said. "That has a psychological effect, if nothing else. Nobody wants to run into cops on horses."

They tried that at Yankee Stadium in 1977 on clinching night. Sorry to say, it didn't help; but then, as I recall, there weren't all that many policeman on horses. Cassidy was much better prepared for it. 

And he let the crowd know the horsemen were there. He let them parade around the warning track between innings late in the game. He showed 'em off, let the maniacs in the crowd know that they were going to have to battle more than just the cop on the beat. 

"The majority of our fans are good people," Cassidy said. "There will be a few who get out of hand, but we can handle them if the rest of the crowd doesn't try to turn them into heroes and then join them. The important thing to understand is that those kind of heroes go to jail around here.”

Meanwhile, during batting practice, a couple of the Phillies showed concern about getting out after the game. "If we win it," said Larry Bowa, "I'll stay here all night. I can wait. We'll have a lot of champagne to drink." 

When you went deep inside the stadium, in its concrete pit, you had the feeling you were in a kind of air-raid shelter. It was safe... secure. 

This was no ordinary day in the City of Brotherly Love.

You know you’re going bad when you’re the scapegoat

By Thomas Boswell, Of the Washington Post

PHILADELPHIA – You know you're going bad when your wife takes you aside before the fourth game of the World Series and tries to change your batting stance. And you take her advice. 

Ask Kansas City's Willie Wilson, who is hitting .182 in the fall classic, and doesn't know where to turn. "I don't know exactly where I am," he said. "My wife says I should stand up straighter at the plate, so I'm trying it; anybody wanna buy me a hit." 

You know you're going bad when an usher calls you to the box-seat railing before the fifth game of the World Series, hands you a bat and says, "You gave this to me as a gift back on June 2 when you were hitting .333. Now, I'm giving it back. You need it more than I do." And you immediately use the bat in the game. 

Ask the Royals Darrell Porter, who was one for 20 this postseason until he got two hits with his old bat Sunday. 

You know you're going bad when you hit .305 for the season but, with the bases loaded and a Series game on the line, your manager sends up a 36-year-old has-been to pinch-hit instead. And then the manager says, "Should I have used John. In that situation, he never crossed my mind." 

Ask K.C.'s John Wathan, who is zero for 19 for his postseason career and is so deep in the doghouse that you have to put his Alpo at the back door. "All I can say," said Wathan, "is that I'm still here." 

You know you're going bad when you finally get enough Series at-bats so that your average on the scoreboard can drop below .100. Ask Frank White of the Royals, the man who hit .545 against the New York Yankees and won the American League Championship Series MVP, but now has a series average of .095. 

You know you're going bad when strangers leave boxes of All-Bran in your locker. Ask George Brett, he of the hemorrhoid problems, who has gone one for nine since saying, "My problems are all behind me." 

Yes, resin-bag breath, the World Series is a tough time for people with sensitive feelings and thin skins. It's a bad time to go into a slump or tell your manager that you think he should change deodorant pads. 

You know you are going bad when your Series ERA is 2.19 but your manager has so little confidence in your courage that he takes you out with a seventh-inning lead twice in five days after you've only thrown 82 and 77 pitches. And both times the manager's pet relief pitcher blows the lead. 

Ask Larry Gura, the Kansas City southpaw, who says, "Boy, would I like to say some stuff. I wasn't the least bit tired either time. I didn't even have a chance to argue." 

You know you are going bad when you are the leading winner in the history of your franchise and are still in the prime of your career, but when you finally get to the World Series, you don't get to pitch a single inning, even though many scouts say you might be the best antidote to the other team's , .301 team batting average.

Ask K.C. 's mad-as-hell Paul Splittorff who, after a strong start against the Yankees in the playoffs, has been passed over twice for starts in favor of young, sore-armed Rich Gale. "If Jim Frey doesn't think that I am still a topflight starter, if he doesn't think that's my role," said Splittorff, "I'll leave here. I'll make so many waves they can't keep me. I don't talk to him (Frey). I don't think anybody does." 

You know you are going bad when George Brett, who never bad-mouths anybody, says of you, "He's the reason we get all those errors," then adds, concerning the tough plays you botched in game five, "You have to make those plays." 

Ask Willie Aikens, who says, "One day everybody's looking for a hero. The next day , they're looking for a scapegoat." 

You know you're going bad when you're hitting .417 in the Series and your manager still pinch-hits for you every time you're supposed to face a lefty. 

Ask Clint Hurdle, who says, "It's breaking my heart." 

You know you're going bad when your Series ERA is 10.80 and the only excuse your manager can come up with is, "He didn't have his good wrist pop tonight." 

Ask Philadelphia's Larry Christenson, who lasted six batters against the Royals, allowing a single, two doubles, a triple and a 450-foot home run into a water fountain, and then said, "They didn't show me that much." 

You know you ' re going bad when you allow 18 runners on base in one game and your manager says the main reason was that the baseballs weren't "rubbed up properly." 

Ask Steve Carlton, who complained about "slick balls" in game two, prompting umpire Don Denkinger to say, "And here I thought I'd heard 'em all." 

You know you're going bad when you jog off the field with your .158 batting average, get hit right between the eyes by a paper wad thrown by a fan , and the only sympathy you get from teammate Larry Bowa is a wisecrack "They don't know how to be mean in Kansas City; if that had happened in Philadelphia, it would have been a shot put." 

Ask Pete Rose, who was so mad that he cocked his arm and almost threw the infield ball into the box seats at the assassin. "I stopped," said Rose. "I'm not that dumb." 

You know you're going bad when manager sends you up to hit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning of the fifth game of a tied World Series and the second time you swing, your bat flies out to the pitcher's mound. And when you go out to fetch the pitcher picks it up, hands it to you, then pokes you in the pit of the stomach with the handle end. 

Ask Jose Cardenal, zero for six in his first Series, who not only got gored by Tug McGraw, but then had it reported back to him that McGraw claimed Cardenal had cursed him in Spanish. "I no say nothing to him," said Cardenal. "Everybody knows McGraw is a crazy man. He jab me in the stomach with my own bat." 

Is the World Series fair? Is it fun?

"No," said Cardenal, summing up the feelings of generations of those for whom the Series has been a pie in the face, a theater of humiliation.

Inning-by-inning

Philadelphia (AP) – Here is the play-by-play for Game 6 of the World Series:

Royals First

Steve Carlton's first pitch was a strike. Willie Wilson looked at a third strike. U.L, Washington struck out. George Brett grounded to Manny Trillo at second.

No runs. no hits, no errors, none left.

Phillies First

Rich Gale's first pitch to Lonnie Smith was strike. Smith grounded to Frank White at second. Pete Rose singled to left field. Mike Schmidt popped to Washington at shortstop. Bake McBride lined to Wilson in left.

No runs, one hit, no errors, one left.

Royals Second

Hal McRae filed out to McBride in right. Amos Otis walked. Willie Aikens walked. John Wathan grounded into a double play, shortstop Larry Bowa to Trillo to Rose.

No runs, no hits, no errors, one left.

Phillies Second

Greg Luzinski struck out. Garry Maddox lined a double to right-center. Trillo filed out to Jose Cardinal in right, Maddox tagging up and moving to third. Bowa fouled out to catcher Wathan.

No runs, one hit, no errors, one left.

Royals Third

Cardenal filed to Smith in left. White struck out. Wilson struck out.

No runs, no hits, no errors, none left.

Phillies Third

Bob Boone walked. Smith grounded to White, who threw to second but the throw pulled Washington off the base and both runners were safe. While was charged with an error. Rose bunted down the third base line for a single to load the bases. Schmidt singled to right, scoring Boone and Smith, with Rose going to third. Renie Martin replaced Gale on the mound for Kansas City. McBride fouled out to White. Luzinski lined to Brett. Maddox filed to Cardenal.

Two runs, two hits, one error, two left.

Royals Fourth

Washington singled in the hole at shortstop. Brett bounced to Bowa, who stepped on second and threw to first for a double play. McRae grounded to Bowa.

No runs, one hit, no errors, none left.

Phillies Fourth

Trillo popped to Wilson. Bowa grounded out to Brett. Boone flied to Cardenal.

No runs, no hits, no errors, none left.

Royals Fifth

Otis struck out. Aikens looked at a third strike. Wathan singled to center. Cardenal popped to Trillo in short right field.

No runs, one hit, no errors, one left.

Phillies Fifth

Smith legged a ground ball to center into a double. Rose flied to Otis and Smith tagged up and went to third. Schmidt walked. Paul Splittorff relieved Martin on the mound. McBride was thrown out by Washington on a slow roller as Smith scored to make it 3-0. Luzinski grounded to Washington.

One run, one hit, no errors, one left.

Royals Sixth

White popped to Bowa. Wilson bunted back to Carlton, who threw him out. Washington struck out.

No runs, no hits, no errors, none left.

Phillies Sixth

Maddox singled to left. Trillo grounded to Splittorff, who threw to Washington for the force at second and Washington threw to Aikens to complete a double play. Bowa doubled to left. Boone singled to center, scoring Bowa to make it 4-0. Smith flied to Otis in center.

One run, three hits, no errors, one left.

Royals Seventh

Brett singled to right. McRae fouled out to Bowa. Otis flied out to McBride at the right field wall. Aikens tapped back to Carlton.

No runs, one hit, no errors, one left.

Phillies Seventh

Rose lined a single off Brett's glove. Marly Pattln relieved Splittorff. Rose was thrown out attempting to steal second, Wathan to While. Schmidt looked at a third strike. McBrlde grounded to Aikens, who was given an error when his throw to Pattin was wild. Luzinski struck out.

No runs, one hit, one error, one left.

Royals Eighth

Wathan walked. Cardenal singled to left, Wathan slopping at second. Tug McGraw replaced Carlton on the mound for Philadelphia. White fouled out to Rose. Wilson walked, loading the bases. Washington flied out to center, Wathan tagging up and scoring to make it 4-1. Brett grounded to Trillo but was safe when Rose's foot was off the bag. It was scored as a single, loading the bases. McRae grounded to Trillo.

One run, two hits, no errors, three left.

Phillies Eighth

Maddox fouled out to Wilson. Trillo grounded to Washington. Bowa filed to Cardenal.

No runs, no hits, no errors, none left.

Royals Ninth

Otis looked at third strike. Aikens walked. Onix Concepclon ran for Aikens. Wathan singled to right, Concepclon stopping at second. Cardenal singled to center, loading the bases. White's foul pop deflected off Boone's glove into Rose's for the second out. Wilson struck out.

Philadelphia wins 4-1 and wins the World Series 4 games to 2.

No runs, two hits, no errors, three left.

Phillies gave L.V. fans scare before taking it all

By Dan Pearson, Of the Morning Call

For thousands of Lehigh Valley Phillies fans planted in front of their television sets last night there were just two things worse than watching open-heart surgery and a python swallowing a pretty, white rabbit. 

They were the top of the eighth and ninth innings in the final World Series game when the Kansas City Royals loaded the bases and threatened to catch up with the National League champions who were leading 4-1. 

Tug McGraw, the incredible Phillies relief pitcher, found a way to escape calamity in both innings, surrendering only one harmless run to the Royals. But Lehigh Valley fans sweated and bled with him on each pitch, each foul into the stands.

Karl J. Schuster of Emmaus R. 1 was able to keep reasonably cool within the confines of his own living room because he was a pitcher in his youth and he felt confident that McGraw would work his way out of trouble.

"Joyous, but nothing negative."

Leary said he hoped that spirited fans would not damage beautiful Veterans Stadium. 

And he also said, like a player stealing second, "And now I'm going to go back and watch the rest of it." 

There were many other comments sampled over the phone by residents torn between the tube and Bell of Pennsylvania: 

Dennis Taylor of Bethlehem: "The Phillies played basically good baseball through the playoff and through an exciting series... It was just their (the Phillies) desire to win; they came out on the field with great determination. Carlton looked better than he did earlier. The Royals looked flat. They did not want to come back here to Philadelphia in the Phillies stadium with the crowd roaring. I'd feel depressed too if I were one of the Royals." 

John Heck of Palmerton: "Well, they (the Phillies) seem to be on top of things better than they were before. Carlton is doing well and he makes a big difference. The Royals have good hitters, but Carlton seems to be keep- ing them handcuffed." 

John Brand of Palmerton: "It's a good game; lots of action. I'm pleased with the Phillies and the way they are playing against a team like the Royals that put the mighty Yankees down in three straight. I was afraid, at times, that Kansas City would come back. But they didn't. Carlton is doing a heck of a job on the mound." 

Wayne Seitzer of Quakertown: "It's a great game in a super series all the way! After the series was even at 2-2, I was still confident. If we had lost the fifth game in Kansas City, I would have had doubts. But the Phillies won it. Carlton was superb and all of the Phillies' hits were key hits. There were no long balls, but they put it together. You have to be happy for the Phillies." 

Gene Gockley of Allentown: "I thought the Phillies had the game iced pretty early. (He was speaking to a reporter when the Phillies were ahead 4-0 in the 7th inning). Their adrenalin was flowing; they had confidence, their hitting was good I was surprised the way that Dallas Green held his temper and he's doing a good job. I'd like to see him come back as manager next year if he wants to."

Debbie Pletz of Coopersburg: "I was not really following baseball this year until the series started and then I began to root for the Phillies. I did not expect a Phillies-type comeback by the Royals and I thought Carlton was pretty good. You could see all of the women in the stands at the stadium. I think there are probably just as many women who root for the Phillies as there are men."

World Series cuts attendance at Quakertown Halloween parade

By Sonya Sharp, Of the Morning Call

Hobgoblins danced on the streets of Quakertown last night in the Jaycees' annual Halloween parade, but only about 5,000 watched – reflecting the interest in the Phillies World Series game under way at the same time. 

Spotted throughout the crowd were radios and portable TV sets as loyal fans tried to catch both events. 

Pennridge High School band canceled Sunday. Ken Yeakel, parade chairman, said, the Jaycees were told the band was scheduled six out of eight nights and the director felt that was too heavy a schedule.

Quakertown, Palisades and Upper Perkiomen high bands marched. 

There were no incidents, Jeff Naugle, crowd control chairman, said. 

The local Jaycees got a hand from Upper Perkiomen Jaycees, Quakertown police and fire police in controlling the crowd. 

The parade had only one casualty – a Jaycee. Kenneth Martin fell off the group's float and required five stitches in his head at Quakertown Community Hospital emergency room. 

Winners were: 

Kiddies: First, Pilgrim and turkey; second, Anthony and Cleopatra; third, demon, Phanatic and players; fourth, dog pulling a cart. 

Individuals: First, Jolly Martian; second, gingerbread man; third, clown on unicycle; fourth, classical hobos. . Couples: First, owl and pussycat; second, Raggedy Ann and Andy; third, mother mouse and baby; fourth, Mr. and Mrs. Frog. 

Most original group: First, cadet Girl Scout 781, "Hershey Kisses;" second. Brownie Troop 81, "Christmas Presents;" third, Cub Scout Pack 13, haunted house; fourth, Junior Girl ' Scout 794, waitresses on roller skates. 

Most comical group: First, Gerryville Fire Co. band; second, Girl Scout Troop 807; third, Cub Scout Troop 22; fourth, Girl Scout Troop 834. 

Precision drill team: First, Zinc City Motorcycle Club drill team; second, Miss Cindy's school of dance; third, the Vickettes. 

Floats: First, Haunted Hauler 4; second, Cub Scout Pack 81; third, Trinity Great Swamp United Church of Christ; fourth, Frosty and Co. 

Fire companies: First, Milford Township Fire Co. 1; second, Trumbauersville; third, Quakertown Fire Co. 1; fourth, Richlandtown Fire Co. I.

Horse groups: First, Bux Mont Riding Club ; second, Lone Ranger and Tonto; third. Brae Bourne Outriders. 

The judges' prize went to the Wizard of Oz float.