Born:  Chicago, Ill., 11/22/1950

B-R, T-R...  6'1", 225 lbs

 

"The Bull" had an off year in 1980. Before, he was one of the great young hitters in the league, but injuries and Lonnie Smith's stellar rookie year limited Luzinski's playing time and effectiveness.  Luzinski missed nearly two months with a knee injury that had required surgery. Nevertheless, the Phillies of 1980 would not have been complete without him. His home run provided the difference in game 1 of the LCS as the Phillies defeated the Astros 3-1.

1980 Statistics

 

Games

 Hits

 HR

RBI

Avg.

1980

    106

  84

19

56

.228

LCS

        5

     5

 1

4

.294

WS

        3

     0

0

0

.000

Lifetime Statistics

Year

Team

AB

Runs

Hits

HR

RBI

Avg.

1970

Phillies

    12

    0

     2

   0

     0

.167

1971

Phillies

  100

   13

    30

   3

   15

.300

1972

Phillies

  563

   66

  158

  18

   68

.281

1973

Phillies

  610

  76

  174

  29

   97

.285

1974

Phillies

  302

  29

   82

   7

   48

.272

1975

Phillies

  596

  85

 179

  34

 120

.300

1976

Phillies

  533

  74

 162

  21

   95

.304

1977

Phillies

  554

  99

 171

  39

 130

.309

1978

Phillies

  540

  85

 143

  35

 101

.265

1979

Phillies

  452

  47

 114

  18

   81

.252

1980

Phillies

  368

  44

   84

  19

   56

.228

1981

White Sox

  378

  55

 100

  21

   62

.265

1982

White Sox

  583

  87

 170

  18

 102

.292

1983

White Sox

  502

  73

 128

  32

   95

.255

1984

White Sox

  412

  47

   98

  13

   58

.238

TOTALS

 

6505

880

1795

307

1128

.276

Phillies Publications

From The Phillies 1980 Media Guide:

 

How Obtained:  Phillies No. 1 selection, June 1968 draft.

 

1979 Season:  Had a difficult, injury plagued season...  Suffered pulled thigh muscle on 5/11 at San Francisco and had problem with the leg all season...  Still hit 18 HR and had 81 RBI including his fifth career grand slam on 8/5 at Pittsburgh...  Blasted career HR number 200 on 8/2 off the Mets Andy Hassler at Shea Stadium...  Hit .303 with 11 HR and 51 RBI on the road and just .187 with 7 HR and 30 RBI at the Vet...  Batted .270 the first part of 1979 and .230 the second half of the year with just 200 AB...  Was hit by a pitch a league-high 10 times.

 

Career:  Twice has finished second in MVP balloting in 1975 and 1977...  Had career high 39 HR and 130 RBI in 1977...  Received more votes than any other NL player for the 1978 All-Star Game...  Has been in four All-Star games, three as a starter...  Homered off Jim Palmer in the 1977 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium...  Has hit safely in all 11 League Championship Games in which he has participated...  Drove in seven runs vs. Atlanta on 6/11/77...  Missed 74 games in 1974 following surgery to repair of torn ligaments in his right knee.

 

Personal/Misc:  Is part owner of the Cherry Hill (N.J.) Tennis Courts...  Will continue his left field "Bull Ring" which provided $20,000 in tickets for underprivileged children to see a Phillies game.

From The Phillies 1981 Media Guide:

 

1980 Season:  Bittersweet season for him as he started out strong then faded into a frustrating finish...  Hit game winning three-run HR off Steve Rogers in his first at bat after reporting to spring training some 25 pounds lighter than previous season...  Hit .312 in May with 8 HR and 18 RBI but started to slump in June before injuring right knee sliding in StL on 7/5...  Underwent surgery on 7/28 and was activated 8/24 missing 45 games...  Homered in his first game back off DL on 8/24...  He and Schmidt hit back-to-back HR six times.

 

1980 Post-Season:  Hit game-winning HR in LCS # 1 and drove in winning run in Game # 4 with pinch double...  Has been held hitless in just one LCS game in his career...  Intestinal virus sidelined him three games in WS.

 

Career:  Twice has finished second in MVP balloting (1975 to Joe Morgan and 1977 to George Foster)...  Had career high 39 HR and 130 RBI in 1977...  Received more votes than any other player for 1978 All-Star game...  Has been in four All-Star games, three as a starter...  Homered off Jim Palmer in 1977 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium...  Hit safely in 13 straight LCS games before going 0-5 in Game # 3 this past post-season...  Drove in seven runs vs. Atl. on 6/11/77...  Has hit five career grand slams, last one on 8/15/79 at Pittsburgh off Blyleven...  Missed 74 games in 1974 following surgery to repair torn ligament in his right knee.

 

Personal/Misc:  Part owner of Greg Luzinski Cheery Hill (NJ) Tennis Courts...  Provides $20,000 in tickets each season for underprivileged children to see a Phillies game in his left field, upper deck "Bull Ring"...  Spends most of the off-season hunting in New Jersey.

From The 1980 Phillies Yearbook:

  • Favorite Color:  Red
  • Favorite Singer/Group:  Kenny Rogers
  • Favorite Song:  The Gambler
  • Favorite City:  Los Angeles
  • Least Favorite City:  San Francisco
  • Person You'd Most Like To Meet:  None
  • Boyhood Idol(s):  The Chicago Cubs
  • Biggest Turn-On:  Hunting
  • Biggest Turn-Off:  Conceited people
  • Favorite Subject in School:  Physical Education
  • Favorite TV Show:  NFL Football
  • Favorite Book:  Haven't found a favorite yet
  • Person You Most Admire:  Deron Johnson
  • Greatest Achievement:  Not yet achieved
  • Most Memorable Moment:  Home run which helped win 1978 division in Pittsburgh
  • Hobbies:  Hunting
  • Toughest Pitcher You've Faced:  Tom Seaver