WRIGLEY FIELD: THE FRIENDLY CONFINES AT CLARK AND ADDISON CHIVIIDT'S PHILLIES OUTSLUG KINGMAN'S CUBS MAY 17, 1979 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES 23, CHICAGO CUBS 22 93y Mike q-fuber IN WHAT COULD BE BILLED AS ONE OF gave up a solo home run to Lerch before McBride the wildest games in major-league history, the was retired. Philadelphia had seven hits in the inning. In 1979 Dave "King Kong" Kingman led the majors Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs met on a with 48 home runs with the Cubs. In parts of16 Larry Bowa, the Phillies' shortstop, told reporters, seasons, be blasted 442 round—trippersfor seven Thursday afternoon in front of 14,952 fans at Wrigley teams. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) "Whenever Lerch pitched, we never scored any runs Field. The wind was blowing out at 18 mph.' A little for him. We got those early ones and said to him, more than four hours later, the Phillies emerged ,41 `Okay, there's your runs.' But you could tell it wasn't victorious, securing a 23-22 victory in to innings. going to be enough." Lerch pitched to six batters in The game featured 45 runs, 5o hits, it home runs, the bottom of the first, and five of them got hits. The 127 batters, it pitchers, 15 walks, and 37 players. The first three Cubs batters singled, scoring one run, and visiting Phillies were paced by Mike Schmidt and then Kingman launched a three-run blast. With one his two home through the top of runs, including the game-winner. On out, Jerry Martin doubled to right field, and Lerch under two touchdowns and could block a couple of innings from the top of the sixth the Chicago side, three more runs off Reed Dave Kingman smashed three was sent to the showers by skipper Danny Ozark. extra points."3 the eighth. Chicago scored home Cubs scored two runs. Doug Bird relieved and allowed two more runs on Tug McGraw, the third Phillies hurler, started in the bottom of the sixth, as the hit his third homer. The Phillies had scored 13 runs against the Cubs a single and triple. The Cubs' seven hits accounted the bottom of the fifth. Barry Foote greeted him on groundouts and Kingman down to two runs, at the day before as Steve Carlton shut out Chicago, so for six runs. with a single, Ted Sizemore reached on an error by Suddenly the Phillies' lead was their 21-19. Boone doubled in Greg Gross in the Phillies' bats were warm. Their pitchers' arms were also Thirteen Phillies faced Cubs pitching in the third Schmidt, and pinch-hitter Steve Dillard, batting warm; the seventh to make it 22-19, but Chicago engineered Phillies' rotation and bullpen had the best inning, and eight of them scored. Willie Hernandez for Hernandez, walked to load the bases. McGraw earned-run three more runs in the eighth on RBI singles by average in the National League (2.91). relieved Moore after six batters had reached and walked Ivan de Jesus, forcing in a run. After Mike Buckner, Martin, and Foote off Reed, and the game Chicago batters had mustered only three hits against four runs had scored. Again the Phillies had seven Vail flied out to center, Bill Buckner launched Carlton, was tied, 22- 22. but they exploded in this game. hits in the inning, including a three-run homer by a grand slam. Kingman drew a walk, and an out Cubs' sixth pitcher Randy Lerch started for the Phillies and Dennis Garry Maddox off Hernandez, but they also had two later, Martin followed with a two-run homer. Foote Bruce Sutter became the and he retired the Lamp got the nod for the home team. Philadelphia walks and a hit batsman. Hernandez also pitched doubled, and Ozark brought in Ron Reed to relieve in the top of the ninth inning, Meoli. The Phillies wasted no time in jumping on Lamp and Chicago, the fourth and fifth innings, allowing two runs in McGraw. Reed got Sizemore to ground out to short Phillies, allowing only a walk to Eastwick in the bottom of the sending io batters to the plate. Schmidt and Bob the fourth and four in the fifth. In the bottom of the to end the inning, but the Cubs had put a big dent countered with Rawly the game. He pitched a Boone hit three-run homers. Lamp retired only fourth, Kingman connected with his second blast, in the Phillies' lead. ninth, their fifth pitcher of went into the loth. one of the seven batters he faced. (Bake McBride a two-run homer, and Steve Ontiveros sent a solo McGraw recalled, "I gave up seven runs in one- 1-2-3 inning and the game was gunned down at home plate on a Pete Rose shot over the wall. By the time the Cubs came to third of an inning. It took me the rest of the year to Sutter was perhaps the best reliever in baseball at comebacker to the mound.) With the score 6-o, Cubs bat in the bottom of the fifth, Philadelphia had its get my ERA back into [three] digits."4 Only four of the time. When he delivered a 3-and-2 split-fingered manager Herman Franks pulled Lamp in favor of largest lead of the game, 21-9. It would not hold. the runs were earned. fastball to Schmidt with two outs in the top of the the left-field Donnie Moore. Moore struck out Rudy Meoli but Bowa later commented archly, "When we got up Chicago's Bill Caudill and Ray Burris, who had Toth, and Schmidt sent it deep into not move. Afterward he by 12, I figured we could win if we could hold them both pitched the day before, combined for three bleachers, the pitcher did 232 233 WRIGLEY FIELD: THE FRIENDLY CONFINES AT CLARK AND ADDISON commented, "I didn't even turn around to look at was it, set on April 17, 1976, by the Phillies against it. I knew exactly where it was going."5 Of Wrigley the Cubs in Chicago. Philadelphia also won that 071 AND DE JESUS SLUG THEIR X Field, Schmidt said, "Ballplayers often will say that game in the loth inning,r8-16, on Mike Schmidt's TO WILD WALL -OFF WIN you never can get enough runs to win in this park, fourth home run of the day, a three-run blast. On but they always say it sarcastically. After today, they this day, the Cubs had erased a iz-run deficit, but APRIL 22, 1980 forget the sarcasm."' The Phillies third baseman still ended up one run short of victory. can 16, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS 12 had gone 2-for-4 and walked four times in the game. This was the second time in history that the Cubs CHICAGO CUBS Cubs manager Franks, "with 20-zo hindsight after Fifty-seven had allowed 23 runs to the Phillies. years Ty `Huss ,sake the game, sighed and said he wished Schmidt had earlier, on August 25, 1922, the Phillies and Cubs walked again."7 played at Cubs Park in Chicago and combined to Eastwick, in his second inning of relief, set the score 49 runs on 51 hits.'° That game still (as of zo17) Cubs down in order in the bottom of the loth and held the record for most runs in a game by two teams. picked up his first win of the season. He was the only ON APRIL 22, 1980, THE CHICAGO CUBS an All-Star reliever who could be counted on during pitcher to retire the side in order; in fact, he retired SOURCES were 5-3, and one game out of first place in the late-inning situations. As Boyer viewed his own relief all six batters he faced. sources mentioned in the notes, the author In addition to the National League East Division. They had swept selections, he coveted an option like Sutter. The two teams were 17-for-44 with runners in consulted baseball-reference.com and retrosheet.org. the New York Mets in a three-game home series For April, it was hot. A temperature forecast of scoring position. The Phillies left 15 runners on base; that drew healthy turnouts to Wrigley Field. 8o was surpassed by midmorning. A record-setting the Cubs stranded only seven. The Phillies' Bowa NOTES Nonetheless, the "jury was still out" in regard to the mark of 91 had locals converging en masse to the was 5-for-8 and teammate Maddox was 4-for-4 with "Phils Win 5o-Hit Slugfest, 23-22," New York Times, amount of support new skipper Preston Gomez and beach to brave Lake Michigan water still a bone- four RBIs. Boone was 3-for-4 with two walks and May 18, 1979. his squad would receive from the fandom. During chilling 48 degrees.' The unseasonable weather likely five runs driven in. All 16 starting position players Paul Sullivan, " 22 Runs, and the Cubs Still Lost," Chicago an offseason newspaper poll that evaluated potential threw a wrench into Wrigley's walk-up attendance. got at least one hit. Had Chicago won the game, Tribune, May 14, 5989. Cubs manager candidates, Gomez finished in a tie Still, a lively shirtsleeve gathering of 18,889 entered Buckner would have made headlines with his 4-for- 3 Dave Nightingale, " 22 Cubs Runs One Too Few to Stop for loth (with Maury Wills).' the ballpark with many arriving early to watch 7 performance and 7 runs batted in.