Winning consecutive East Division titles from 1976-78 was a Phillies first, but each time they failed to get to the big dance in October. Signing free agent Pete Rose brought heightened promise for the 1979 season, but the Phillies fell to fourth place.
When Dallas Green’s club reported for Spring Training in 1980, there were questions as to whether the core was good enough or too old (six of the nine players in the Opening Day lineup were 30 or over). With Green in the dugout, general manager Paul (The Pope) Owens wanted to give the club one more chance.
The answer came on October 21 when Tug McGraw struck out Willie Wilson of the Royals to give the Phillies their first world championship. Bedlam followed at Veterans Stadium and the Delaware Valley. A few days later the region continued to celebrate with a parade to remember.
The Phillies clinched the division title on the second-to-last day of the season, eliminated the Houston Astros in the most gut-wrenching National League Championship Series ever, 3-2, in which the last four games went extra innings, and captured the crown by defeating Kansas City, 4-2.
40th reunion
A reunion of the 1980 champions is the theme of this year’s Toyota Alumni Weekend, Aug. 8-9. 2B Manny Trillo will be inducted into the Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame prior to the 4:05 game vs. the Giants on Saturday, Aug. 8. Many of his teammates will be there. The next day the team will be honored pregame (1:05). All fans attending this game will receive a Toyota Tug McGraw Bobble Figurine.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, fans 15 and over will receive a Coca-Cola Mike Schmidt 1980 World Champions Replica Ring at that night’s 7:05 p.m. game against the Reds.
City sweep
• In the NHL, the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup finals in May before losing to the New York Islanders, 4-2.
• In the NBA, also in May, the 76ers were in the finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, 4-2.
• In the NFL, the Eagles won the NFC title and advanced to Super Bowl XV in 1981, bowing to the Oakland Raiders, 27-10.
Phillies nuggets
• Manny Trillo won the NLCS MVP, Mike Schmidt, the WS MVP and NL MVP, and 35-year-old Steve Carlton the NL Cy Young Award.
• Garry Maddox and Schmidt won Rawlings Gold Gloves.
• Pete Rose was the highest paid player on the team, $805,000.
• Five rookies made the 24-man Opening Day roster: RHP Scott Munninghoff, C Keith Moreland, INF Luis Aguayo, OFs George Vukovich and Lonnie Smith. Two other rookie right-handers were big contributors later: Bob Walk made his debut May 26, finished 11-7 and started and won the first World Series game; Mary Bystrom, Sept. 7 debut, went 5-0 that month.
• On the amateur level, the Phillies signed Juan Samuel out of the Dominican Republic and in the 25th round of the Draft, they took a catcher out of Arkansas City, Kan., Darren Daulton.
• Slugging outfielder Chuck Klein was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Phillies Wall of Fame.
• Phillie Phanatic was two years old.
Elsewhere in 1980
• Ronald Reagan elected president.
• Year-end close for Dow Jones Industrial Average, 963.
• CNN launched on June 1.
• New: Rubik’s Cube, Post-It Notes, Pac-Man arcade game.
• Gallon of gas, $1.19.
• Gallon of milk, $1.12.
• 19” color TV, $485.00.
• USA defeated the Soviet Union in the “Miracle On Ice" hockey game in the Winter Olympics.
• Shane Victorino was born.
• Charlie Manuel hit 48 home runs for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes in the Japan Pacific League.