October 6, 1980

As the Phils went home to prepare for the playoffs, their opponent was still undecided. The Dodgers had swept the Astros to tie the National League West on the last day, necessitating a one-game playoff. In this game Houston came out firing, chasing starter Dave Goltz after three innings and then putting the game out of reach against Rick Sutcliffe. Joe Niekro baffled Dodger batters and pitched a complete game to clinch the division and a date with the Phillies for the playoffs. Little did either team know that they were in store for perhaps THE classic NLCS.

Final NL East Standings

Team	Wins	Losses	Pct.	GB
Phillies*	91	71	.562	-
Expos	90	72	.556	1
Pirates	83	79	.512	8
Cardinals	74	88	.457	17
Mets	67	95	.414	24
Cubs	64	98	.395	27

* Clinched Division

Scoreboard

National League

HOU N 2 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 - 7 12 1

LA N 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 2

WP: Niekro (20-12)

LP: Goltz (7-11)

HR: Art Howe (10)

American League

No Games Scheduled

Transactions

Phillies

None