1983 National League Championship Series
Encyclopedia
The National League Championship Series
was a best-of-five matchup between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers
and the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Phillies
. The Phillies beat the Dodgers three games to one and would go on lose the World Series
to the Baltimore Orioles
.
in Los Angeles, California
Mike Schmidt
clubbed a two-out homer off Jerry Reuss
in the first, and the Phillies made it hold up as Steve Carlton
and Al Holland
combined to scatter seven Dodger hits. The Dodgers' only threats came in the sixth, when Steve Sax
singled, Bill Russell
sacrificed Sax to second, and Sax went to third on a Carlton wild pitch. Carlton retired the last two hitters, however. Another threat came in the eighth when singles by Sax and Dusty Baker
and a walk to Pedro Guerrero loaded the bases, chasing Carlton. Holland came in and retired Mike Marshall for the third out and finished the game.
in Los Angeles, California
The Dodgers drew first blood with a Ken Landreaux
RBI single in the first. Gary Matthews
tied it for the Phils in the second with a home run off Fernando Valenzuela
. Valenzuela and Cy Young Award winner John Denny
would continue dueling until the Dodger half of the fifth. Valenzuela led off and reached third when Garry Maddox misplayed a fly-ball. However, with one out, Valenzuela was thrown out at the plate on a Greg Brock
ground ball (Brock reached first). Seemingly out of the inning, Denny walked Dusty Baker
and then gave up a tie-breaking two-run triple to Pedro Guerrero.
The Dodgers' final run came in the seventh on an RBI single by catcher Jack Fimple
. Valenzuela and Tom Niedenfuer
would combine to scatter seven hits for the win.
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
With the series shifting to Philadelphia, rookie Charles Hudson turned in a pitching gem, going the distance and allowing only four hits. A fourth-inning two-run homer by Mike Marshall was Hudson's lone mistake. Gary Matthews
provided the bulk of the offense with three hits and four RBIs, including his second homer of the series.
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Series MVP Gary Matthews
belted a three-run homer in the first off Jerry Reuss
and the Phillies never looked back as they moved to their second World Series
in four seasons. Sixto Lezcano
added a two-run homer in the sixth as Steve Carlton
pitched his second win, scattering 10 hits with relief help from Ron Reed
and Al Holland
.
Out of the fourteen postseason series that Pete Rose
played in, this was the only one in which he did not record an RBI
. He did hit well in the series, compiling six hits and one walk in seventeen plate appearances. Oddly enough, in the thirteen series in which Rose had an RBI, he never drove in more than two runs in any of them.
in the 1977 National League Championship Series
.
In Game 3 of that series, the Phils
were ahead by two runs with two outs in the ninth inning. The Dodgers then scored three runs to take the lead and, eventually, win the game. Los Angeles then won the National League
pennant with a win in Game 4. For the Phillies, this shocking loss became known as Black Friday.
The pre-game atmosphere for Game 3 of 1983 was very much like it was for the Black Friday game six years earlier. In each case, the NLCS was tied at one win apiece (with the Phillies taking the first and L.A. the second.) Both games took place at Veterans Stadium
on a Friday. In their respective years, each was played on October 7, starting at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. The NBC
television network broadcast the game each time. The scenarios for both of these Game 3s were amazingly similar!
There was one major difference. In 1983, the Phillies got the final out in the ninth inning without a Dodger comeback. Furthermore, it was Bill Russell
(who got the game-winning single on Black Friday) that made the final outs of Games 3 and 4 in the NLCS of 1983. This time, it would be the Phils, not Los Angeles, who would go on to the World Series
.
over Los Angeles Dodgers
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
was a best-of-five matchup between the Western Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers
1983 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League Western Division but lost in the National League Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies 3 games to 1.- Offseason :* December 28, 1982: Acquired Pat Zachry from the New York Mets for Jorge Orta...
and the Eastern Division champion Philadelphia Phillies
1983 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies season involved the Phillies winning the National League East Division title with a record of 90-72, six games over the Pittsburgh Pirates...
. The Phillies beat the Dodgers three games to one and would go on lose the World Series
1983 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandJohn Denver, whose Thank God I'm a Country Boy was played at the seventh-inning stretch of each Orioles home game, sang the National Anthem prior to this game....
to the Baltimore Orioles
1983 Baltimore Orioles season
The Baltimore Orioles season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Orioles finishing 1st in the American League East with a record of 98 wins and 64 losses...
.
Background
During the regular season, the Dodgers had beaten the Phillies in eleven of the twelve games they played.Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Game 1
Tuesday, October 4, 1983 at Dodger StadiumDodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
clubbed a two-out homer off Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
in the first, and the Phillies made it hold up as Steve Carlton
Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
and Al Holland
Al Holland
Alfred Willis Holland is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who mostly pitched in the Major Leagues from to ....
combined to scatter seven Dodger hits. The Dodgers' only threats came in the sixth, when Steve Sax
Steve Sax
Stephen Louis Sax is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. He was a right-handed batter for the Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , and the Oakland Athletics ....
singled, Bill Russell
Bill Russell (baseball)
William Ellis Russell is a former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Russell played his entire 18-year, 2,181-game career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the starting shortstop for four National League pennant winners and one World Series champion...
sacrificed Sax to second, and Sax went to third on a Carlton wild pitch. Carlton retired the last two hitters, however. Another threat came in the eighth when singles by Sax and Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and a walk to Pedro Guerrero loaded the bases, chasing Carlton. Holland came in and retired Mike Marshall for the third out and finished the game.
Game 2
Wednesday, October 5, 1983 at Dodger StadiumDodger Stadium
Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
The Dodgers drew first blood with a Ken Landreaux
Ken Landreaux
Kenneth Francis Landreaux is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball.After graduating from Dominguez High School in Compton, California, Landreaux carried on his education at Arizona State University before joining the California Angels in...
RBI single in the first. Gary Matthews
Gary Matthews
Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. , nicknamed Sarge, is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. He now serves as a color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies. From through , Matthews played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Seattle...
tied it for the Phils in the second with a home run off Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea is a Mexican former left-handed pitcher, most notably with the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 1981, the 20-year-old Valenzuela took Los Angeles by storm, winning his first 8 decisions and leading the Dodgers to the World Championship...
. Valenzuela and Cy Young Award winner John Denny
John Denny
John Allen Denny is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds. He won the Cy Young Award in 1983.-Career:Denny was born in Prescott, Arizona and attended Prescott High School...
would continue dueling until the Dodger half of the fifth. Valenzuela led off and reached third when Garry Maddox misplayed a fly-ball. However, with one out, Valenzuela was thrown out at the plate on a Greg Brock
Greg Brock (baseball)
Gregory "Greg" Allen Brock is a retired baseball player who played for 10 seasons in Major League Baseball. A first baseman for his entire major league career, he split his big league career evenly with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers.-Early life:Brock was born in McMinnville,...
ground ball (Brock reached first). Seemingly out of the inning, Denny walked Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and then gave up a tie-breaking two-run triple to Pedro Guerrero.
The Dodgers' final run came in the seventh on an RBI single by catcher Jack Fimple
Jack Fimple
John Joseph Fimple is a former Major League Baseball catcher.Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 29th round of the 1980 MLB amateur draft, Fimple made his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 30, 1983, and appeared in his final game on October 4, 1987...
. Valenzuela and Tom Niedenfuer
Tom Niedenfuer
Thomas Edward Niedenfuer , is a retired American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He attended high school in Redmond, Washington and was a standout pitcher in college for Washington State University under coach Bobo Brayton. He left school before completing his senior season. He is a...
would combine to scatter seven hits for the win.
Game 3
Friday, October 7, 1983 at Veterans StadiumVeterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
With the series shifting to Philadelphia, rookie Charles Hudson turned in a pitching gem, going the distance and allowing only four hits. A fourth-inning two-run homer by Mike Marshall was Hudson's lone mistake. Gary Matthews
Gary Matthews
Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. , nicknamed Sarge, is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. He now serves as a color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies. From through , Matthews played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Seattle...
provided the bulk of the offense with three hits and four RBIs, including his second homer of the series.
Game 4
Saturday, October 8, 1983 at Veterans StadiumVeterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
Series MVP Gary Matthews
Gary Matthews
Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. , nicknamed Sarge, is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. He now serves as a color commentator for the Philadelphia Phillies. From through , Matthews played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Seattle...
belted a three-run homer in the first off Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from to ....
and the Phillies never looked back as they moved to their second World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
in four seasons. Sixto Lezcano
Sixto Lezcano
Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras is a retired baseball player who played for 12 seasons as an outfielder in the Major Leagues between 1974 and 1985. He played for 5 different teams in the Majors and won a Gold Glove during his career.Lezcano was originally signed as an amateur in 1970 by the...
added a two-run homer in the sixth as Steve Carlton
Steve Carlton
Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards...
pitched his second win, scattering 10 hits with relief help from Ron Reed
Ron Reed
Ronald Lee Reed is a retired American starting/relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , St. Louis Cardinals , Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox...
and Al Holland
Al Holland
Alfred Willis Holland is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who mostly pitched in the Major Leagues from to ....
.
Out of the fourteen postseason series that Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
played in, this was the only one in which he did not record an RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He did hit well in the series, compiling six hits and one walk in seventeen plate appearances. Oddly enough, in the thirteen series in which Rose had an RBI, he never drove in more than two runs in any of them.
Redemption for Black Friday
The win in Game 3 was special for the Phillies. It made up for something that happened to them when facing the Dodgers1977 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The Los Angeles Dodgers season saw Tommy Lasorda take over the reins as Manager from longtime skipper Walter Alston. The Dodgers coasted to a 10-game victory in the National League West and beat the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the NLCS, only to lose to the New York Yankees in the World...
in the 1977 National League Championship Series
1977 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 4, 1977 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CaliforniaThe Phillies took the opening game of the series, winning their first postseason game since Game 1 of the 1915 World Series...
.
In Game 3 of that series, the Phils
1977 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 1977 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 95th season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies won their second consecutive National League East division title with a record of 101-61, five games over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies lost the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, three...
were ahead by two runs with two outs in the ninth inning. The Dodgers then scored three runs to take the lead and, eventually, win the game. Los Angeles then won the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant with a win in Game 4. For the Phillies, this shocking loss became known as Black Friday.
The pre-game atmosphere for Game 3 of 1983 was very much like it was for the Black Friday game six years earlier. In each case, the NLCS was tied at one win apiece (with the Phillies taking the first and L.A. the second.) Both games took place at Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
on a Friday. In their respective years, each was played on October 7, starting at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. The NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network broadcast the game each time. The scenarios for both of these Game 3s were amazingly similar!
There was one major difference. In 1983, the Phillies got the final out in the ninth inning without a Dodger comeback. Furthermore, it was Bill Russell
Bill Russell (baseball)
William Ellis Russell is a former shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Russell played his entire 18-year, 2,181-game career with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the starting shortstop for four National League pennant winners and one World Series champion...
(who got the game-winning single on Black Friday) that made the final outs of Games 3 and 4 in the NLCS of 1983. This time, it would be the Phils, not Los Angeles, who would go on to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
.
Composite box
1983 NLCS (3–1): Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
over Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...