1985 Game 34 - 1985 Fleer #253 Von Hayes

Phillies 7, Dodgers 5
Game 34 - Saturday Night, May 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 13-21, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Back-to-back triples in the fifth from Glenn Wilson and Luis Aguayo tied this game at four and Von Hayes' two-run home run in the sixth broke the tie as the Phillies went on to beat the Dodgers again.

What It Means:  The Phillies beat Tommy Lasorda's Dodgers for the second game in a row, and they'd go for a series sweep in the Sunday afternoon game.  But with Fernando Valenzuela pitching on Sunday, it would be a tough path to a sweep.

What Happened:  Mariano Duncan's very costly error to open the fifth led to all four of the Phillies runs that inning being unearned.  Dodgers' starter Orel Hershiser was the recipient of the bad defense.  Still, Hershisher didn't pitch that crisply, and allowed the Phillies to score their first run in the second when he walked opposing pitcher John Denny with the bases loaded.  Wilson's three RBIs gave him a team-leading 25 and Hayes' home run was his third of the season.  In the fourth, Denny somehow stole second against Hershiser and Dodgers' catcher Mike Scioscia.  I was a bit surprised to learn that Denny had nine career stolen bases over his 13-year career, and this was his sixth.

Denny didn't factor in the decision, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing five runs on eight hits.  Larry Andersen got the win as he recorded the final out of the sixth inning before the Phillies took the lead for good.  Don Carman pitched three perfect innings for the save.  Carman was actually second on the team in saves in 1985 with seven.  Only Kent Tekulve had more with 14.

Featured Card:  Wilson had a big hit, but I'll give the card to Hayes for his clutch, tie-breaking home run.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 33 - 1985 Cramer Portland Beavers #31 Rocky Childress

Phillies 10, Dodgers 5
Game 33 - Friday Night, May 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 12-21, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Kevin Gross pitched well and benefitted from a 12-hit, 10-run outburst from the Phillies in this 10-5 win over the Dodgers.

What It Means:  For the third time this season, the Phillies scored at least 10 runs.

What Happened:  Juan Samuel, Garry Maddox, Von Hayes and Glenn Wilson all drove in two runs a piece, with Samuel and Hayes homering.  Ozzie Virgil went 4 for 5, the second (and final) time he'd have a four hit game in the majors.  Only Mike Schmidt (0 for 2) and Luis Aguayo (0 for 2) didn't get in on the hit parade, and Schmidt's average dropped to .208.  John Russell had a hit to increase his average to .152.

Gross pitched eight innings, tying his career high up until this point with 10 strikeouts.  (He'd strike out 13 in 1992 while a member of the Dodgers.)  Rookie Rocky Childress made his major league debut in a low-pressure situation, entering the game in the ninth with the Phillies ahead 10-3.  He got knocked around a a little and the Dodgers scored a pair of runs before he was able to get out of the inning.

Featured Card:  I have three Childress cards in my collection - this minor league card from the Portland Beavers team set and the team-issued cards Childress appeared on in 1985 and 1986.  He'd get a few proper mainstream baseball cards in 1988 when he appeared in the Donruss, Fleer and Topps sets with the Astros.

Transaction:  Before the game, the Phillies placed catcher Darren Daulton on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder and recalled reliever Childress from Triple-A Portland.  Daulton must have suffered the injury in the Monday night game against the Reds, as that was his last game action. Childress had been pitching well for Portland, but didn't expect to get the call.  Per this Reading Eagle article written by Larry Shenk, he arrived for this game around 10:30, in the bottom of the seventh, and was told by the bullpen coach, Mike Ryan, he'd be entering the game as soon as he warmed up.  Childress wore uniform #50, previously worn by Marty Bystrom between 1980 and 1984.

Starting pitchers (5) - Steve Carlton, John Denny, Kevin Gross, Charles Hudson, Shane Rawley
Relief pitchers (6) - Larry Andersen, Don Carman, Rocky Childress, Dave Rucker, Kent Tekulve, Pat Zachry
Catchers (2) - Ozzie Virgil, John Wockenfuss
Infielders (7) - Luis Aguayo, Tim Corcoran, Steve Jeltz, John Russell, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt, Derrel Thomas
Outfielders (5) - Greg Gross, Von Hayes, Garry Maddox, Jeff Stone, Glenn Wilson
Disabled List (4) - Darren Daulton, Bo Diaz, Jerry Koosman, Joe Lefebvre

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 32 - 1985 Topps Traded #121T Derrel Thomas

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 32 - Thursday Night, May 16th in Atlanta
Record - 11-21, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Shane Rawley left this game early and Derrel Thomas had a costly error as the Braves won again against the Phillies, 6-3.

What It Means:  A little over 10,000 paying customers watched two fairly bad teams play a somewhat boring game.

What Happened:  Rawley must have departed with an injury as he left with two outs in the third after issuing a walk to Brad Komminsk.  He'd make his next regularly scheduled start five days later, so the early hook ended up only being a precaution.  Pat Zachry entered the game after Rawley's exit, and he must have actually hurt something as he'd not appear in a game again until May 27th.  Zachry, Dave Rucker and Larry Andersen allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits.  The unearned runs came courtesy of Thomas, who made his Phillies debut and booted his first chance at shortstop in the seventh inning.

Glenn Wilson had a three-hit game.  The three Phillies runs scored on RBI ground-outs and a Luis Aguayo sacrifice fly.

Featured Card:  Heck of a way to start your Phillies career.  Thomas entered the game in the sixth as a pinch-hitter for Steve Jeltz with the Phillies trailing 3-2.  His groundout to second scored Ozzie Virgil and tied the score at three.  In the seventh, with the score still tied, he whiffed on his first chance at short and the Braves took a 4-3 lead.  Two more unearned runs would eventually score later in the inning.  Somewhere, the recently designated for assignment Kiko Garcia was shaking his head.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 31 - 1985 Donruss Action All-Stars #55 Steve Carlton

Braves 3, Phillies 2 (10 Innings)
Game 31 - Wednesday Night, May 15th in Atlanta
Record - 11-20, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Braves tied the game in the ninth and walked it off in the 10th on a Terry Harper home run given up by Kent Tekulve.

What It Means:  This is one of those brutal losses that must have stung for a few days.  The Phillies had a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth thanks in part to a great outing from Steve Carlton.  Carlton had pitched six shutout innings before yielding to the bullpen.

What Happened:  The downfall happened quickly.  Larry Andersen allowed a lead-off single in the ninth to Ken Oberkfell and Gerald Perry then promptly hit a two-run home run to tie the game.  Harper led off the 10th with his game-winning home run off Tekulve.

The offense had plenty of opportunities to score more, but went 3 for 13 with runners in scoring position.  The game was scoreless until the seventh thanks to the pitching duel between Carlton and Braves starting pitcher Steve Bedrosian.  In the top of the seventh, Tim Corcoran doubled home Von Hayes for the first run of the game.  Mike Schmidt would single home Luis Aguayo an inning later.

Featured Card:  This was to be Carlton's last outing of pitching at least six innings of shutout baseball for the rest of the season.  In mid-June, Lefty landed on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury and he'd return in September to make three rough starts.  He'd attempt a comeback in 1986, with a few starts showing promise, but the Phillies would ultimately release the greatest pitcher in the franchise's history on June 24, 1986.

That began a season and a half odyssey that saw Carlton pitch for the Giants, White Sox, Indians and Twins between mid-1986 and early 1988.  His longest stint during that period came with the Indians, with whom he made 23 appearances (14 starts) in the first half of 1987.

1985 Topps #763

1985 Fleer #314

Transaction:  Also on this day, the Phillies designated infielder Kiko Garcia for assignment and signed utility player Derrel Thomas as a free agent.  Thomas would make his Phillies debut on Thursday against the Braves and Garcia would be released by the club on May 23rd (according to the team's 1986 Media Guide).

Garcia had been released by the club once already, prior to the start of the regular season, but was quickly re-signed when the Phillies dealt Ivan DeJesus to the Cardinals.  Garcia had only appeared in four games for the Phillies in 1985, going 0 for 3 to end his 10-year big league career.

Derrel Thomas was a veteran of 14 seasons in the majors, having last appeared in 122 games with the Expos and Angels in 1984.  When the Phillies signed him, he had been playing for the Miami Marlins, an unaffiliated team in the Class A Florida State League.  Thomas took over Garcia's uniform number too - #18.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 30 - 1985 Donruss #355 Charlie Hudson

Phillies 7, Reds 1
Game 30 - Tuesday Afternoon, May 14th in Cincinnati
Record - 11-19, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Juan Samuel drove in five runs and Charles Hudson pitched eight shutout innings in this 7-1 victory over the Reds.

What It Means:  The win halted a seven-game losing streak and gave the Phillies their third win in 11 games in May.  Following this matinee, the club flew to Atlanta for a quick two-game series with the Braves.

What Happened:  Samuel went 2 for 5 with a three-run home run in the fifth off Reds starting pitcher Tom Browning and a two-run single in the ninth off reliever Frank Pastore.  Mike Schmidt hit a solo home run to lead off the sixth, and raised his average to an even .200 in the process.  Von Hayes and Ozzie Virgil also had multi-hit games.

John Wockenfuss got his first start of the season, playing first base and going 1 for 3.

Hudson made his first start of the season, filling in for the injured Jerry Koosman, and he was brilliant.  He walked three and struck out five, with the only hit allowed coming from a Dave Parker single in the fourth.  He was pinch-hit for in the ninth, which was somewhat surprising as the Phillies held a 4-0 lead at the time and Hudson was cruising.  Don Carman worked out of a small jam in the ninth, allowing a run to score on a Cesar Cedeno sacrifice fly.  Pete Rose went hitless in four at-bats.

Featured Card:  In his diary of his record-breaking season, Rose gives an explanation as to why Hudson went from Charlie to Charles following his rookie season in 1983.  By 1986, Donruss, Fleer and Topps had all updated their cards to reflect Hudson's preferred first name.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 29 - 1984 Fleer #63 Reds Reunited

Reds 7, Phillies 3
Game 29 - Monday Night, May 13th in Cincinnati
Record - 10-19, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A Tony Perez grand slam in the sixth off Dave Rucker sealed the Phillies fate in this 7-3 loss to the Reds.

What It Means:  The Phillies were getting dangerously close to falling into the basement of the N.L. East, and only the equally poor play of the Pirates kept the team in fifth place.  This was the Phillies seventh loss in a row.

What Happened:  Heading into the bottom of the sixth, the score was knotted at 3-3.  A fading John Denny walked the first two Reds batters, allowed a single to Dave Van Gorder and was lifted for reliever Dave Rucker.  Rucker allowed the grand slam to pinch-hitter Perez.

Earlier in the game, Mike Schmidt hit his third home run of the season off Reds starter John Stuper.  Darren Daulton started behind the plate for the second game in a row, and his last back-to-back starts until August, doubling and scoring a run.  Juan Samuel also had a double and an RBI groundout.

Reds player/manager Pete Rose had a pair of hits leaving him 71 hits shy of Ty Cobb's all-time record.

Featured Card:  Perez was now 43 and playing in his 22nd season in the majors.  Used primarily as a pinch-hitter, he'd enjoy a solid 1985 season, hitting .328 with six home runs and 33 RBIs.  He hit his sixth career and his final grand slam in this game.  At the time, he was also the oldest player in baseball history to hit a grand slam.  The previous record had been held by Cap Anson, who was 42 when he hit his last grand slam in 1894.  Julio Franco would break Perez's record with a slam in 2005 when he was 46 years old.

1985 Game 28 - 1985 Donruss #477 Kevin Gross

Mets 3, Phillies 2
Game 28 - Sunday Afternoon, May 12th in New York
Record - 10-18, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets completed the three-game sweep with a Sunday matinee win over the Phillies, 3-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies losing skein continued as they dropped their sixth consecutive game.  Spoiler alert - The losing streak would grow to seven on Monday night before Charles Hudson and Juan Samuel contributed to stop the streak on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

What Happened:  Kevin Gross took the loss, pitching six innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits.  He allowed a first inning home run to Keith Hernandez.  The Mets third and ultimately their winning run scored in the sixth when Juan Samuel booted a ground ball, prolonging the inning and allowing Danny Heep to score.  It was Samuel's fourth error of the season.

The Phillies offense continued to be ineffective.  Kevin Gross was the only Phillie to have a multi-hit game.  Glenn Wilson pinch hit for Gross in the seventh and hit a solo home run off Darling, his fourth of the season.

Featured Card:  Gross was decent in filling the role of the team's fifth starter, despite this game's outcome.  This was his third start, and he had lasted at least five innings in each outing.

Even though the Phillies were playing like crap, you could still look good while rooting for them.  Gold Medal Sporting Goods had you covered when it came to official Phillies gear and souvenirs.

1985 Game 27 - 1981 Fleer #27 Tim McCarver

Mets 4, Phillies 0
Game 27 - Saturday Afternoon, May 11th in New York
Record - 10-17, 5th Place, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A fourth inning single from Von Hayes was the only thing that kept Sid Fernandez and Roger McDowell from no-hitting the Phillies in this 4-0 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies would be one-hit twice in 1985 - this game and against the Giants and Vida Blue on June 2nd.  According to the Baseball Reference play index, the last time the Mets one-hit the Phillies was on October 1, 1982 with Terry Leach on the mound.  The next time the Mets would one-hit the Phillies was on August 13, 2010 with R.A. Dickey on the mound.  Opposing pitcher Cole Hamels broke up that no-hitter with a single in the sixth against Dickey.

What Happened:  Fernandez pitched the first six innings with McDowell closing out the final three innings, striking out a combined 13 Phillies batters.  Fernandez was effectively wild, also walking six batters.  Mike Schmidt struck out three times, dropping his average below the Mendoza line to .193.

Shane Rawley was charged with all four Mets runs, and he lasted just 4 2/3 innings.  The Mets weren't exactly a powerhouse offensively in this game, as their four runs scored on a ground out, a sacrifice fly, a single from Keith Hernandez and a wild pitch courtesy of Phillies reliever Pat Zachry.

Featured Card:  Watching the Friday night Dwight Gooden game on YouTube for yesterday's post reminded me that my Pop-Pop would sometimes tune in to the Mets on Channel 9 for the sole purpose of yelling at Tim McCarver.  I don't know why he despised McCarver so much, but he took great pleasure in telling the Mets' then broadcaster that he was talking too much or that he didn't make any sense.  Gary Carter also received quite a bit of my Pop-Pop's ire back then, but I always chalked that up to Carter being a good player and frequently hurting our Phillies team.

I can imagine my Pop-Pop yelling at this post too.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 26 - 1985 Fleer #634 Juan Samuel / Dwight Gooden

Mets 5, Phillies 0
Game 26 - Friday Night, May 10th in New York
Record - 10-16, 5th Place, 7 1/2 games behind the Cubs and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Dwight Gooden again easily handled the Phillies' struggling offense and he once again out dueled Steve Carlton in this 5-0 loss to the Mets.

What It Means:  This was Gooden's 38th career start, his fourth against the Phillies dating back to the 1984 season, and his first complete game shutout against the club.  He recorded his second highest strikeout total (13) against the Phillies, having struck out 16 Phillies in his start on September 17, 1984.  He'd strike out 11 Phillies in games on September 16, 1985 and August 4, 1987.

What Happened:  Carlton worked out of jams in the second and third innings, before the Mets finally got to him in the fourth via a two-run home run from George Foster.  Trailing 2-0 and with the offense not able to get anything going against Gooden, Carlton was pinch-hit for with Greg Gross in the sixth.  Carlton exited on the way to dropping his record to 0-3 despite allowing only two runs and striking out seven.

Gooden completely confused the Phillies line-up, allowing only three hits, including a double to Von Hayes.  He struck out 13 in his complete game shutout.  Mike Schmidt went 0 for 4 to drop his average to .200 while Juan Samuel also went 0 for 4 (with four strikeouts) to drop his average to .245.

This was yet another box score that caused me stress as an 11-year-old, as I had no idea who "Walker" was listed under the Phillies pitchers.  I surmised then that either the Phillies had called up a pitching prospect or had made a deal for a pitcher named Walker.  I now realize that Walker was actually Dave Rucker and the Atlantic City Press box score editor had failed me once again.

Featured Card:  I loved this Fleer Super Star Special card when it was released back in 1985, and it was one of the coolest cards to find in a pack of 1985 Fleer cards.  I was able to find the telecast of this game on YouTube, and I've linked to it below.  Ralph Kiner and Tim McCarver provide the play by play and I'll admit I watched more of this game than I planned to, even though I already knew the outcome wouldn't be great for the Phillies.

With Comcast Philadelphia rebroadcasting games from 2018 and 2019 fairly often these days, it was nice to go back and watch a more "vintage" game from 35 years ago.

1985 Game 25 - 1985 Topps Glossy All-Stars #10 Pete Rose

Reds 8, Phillies 2
Game 25 - Wednesday Night, May 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 10-15, 5th Place, 7 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  John Denny got knocked around in this game, with the big blow being a three-run home run from Reds catcher Dave Van Gorder in the sixth, as the Phillies lost 8-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies were three losses in to what would ultimately become a seven-game losing streak.  Nothing was going well as the team continued to pitch, hit and field poorly.  It didn't factor into the game's outcome, but there were two more errors in this game from Mike Schmidt (his sixth) and Glenn Wilson.

What Happened:  Denny pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits.  The Phillies held a brief 2-1 lead in the first when Von Hayes doubled home Juan Samuel and Schmidt followed with an RBI ground-out to score Jeff Stone.  That was all the scoring the Phillies would do in this game.

Featured Card:  Player/manager Pete Rose doubled in the third off Denny for his 4,118 career hit and bringing him just 74 hits away from breaking Ty Cobb's all-time record.  He also scored three times.  In his entry for this game in his book, Countdown to Cobb, Rose provides some foreshadowing by mentioning his conversation with Phillies president Bill Giles.  The Reds were looking for catching help and despite Van Gorder's three-run home run in this game, he was still only hitting .218.  Rose's summary mentions both Bo Diaz, on the disabled list for the Phillies, and Alan Knicely, who was tearing it up for the Triple-A Denver Zephyrs at the time.

On August 8th, the Phillies would end up trading Diaz and minor leaguer Greg Simpson to the Reds for Knicely, Tom Foley and player to be named later Freddie Toliver.  Kniceley would appear in seven games for the Phillies in September, going 0 for 7.

Diaz would have to shave his mustache upon joining the mustache-less Reds.  He'd find success in Cincinnati, making the N.L. All-Star team in 1987.

1985 Game 24 - 1984 Topps Glossy All-Stars #1 Pete Rose

Reds 2, Phillies 0
Game 24 - Tuesday Night, May 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 10-14, 5th Place, 6 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Mario Soto, John Franco and Ted Power combined to shut out the Phillies, holding them to only five hits, in this 2-0 win.

What It Means:  The Reds acquired Pete Rose on August 16, 1984 from the Expos, and Rose stepped in to become the player-manager for the club.  This was his first visit back to Philadelphia since re-joining the Reds and he went 0 for 3 in this game.

What Happened:  The offense couldn't get anything going and went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.  The only real threat came in the sixth inning when Soto walked both Juan Samuel and Von Hayes.  Mike Schmidt hit a ball that seemed destined for the left field corner, but it was stopped by Reds third baseman Nick Esasky, preventing any runs from scoring.  With the bases loaded, Tim Corcoran grounded out to Rose and Glenn Wilson struck out to end the threat.

Featured Card:  On September 11th, Rose would break Ty Cobb's all-time hit record with a single off the Padres' Eric Show.  His season was chronicled in his book, Countdown to Cobb.  I'm pretty sure I received his "diary" of the 1985 season that Christmas, and I enjoyed reading it and getting a behind the scenes look at Rose's march towards the record.

For his May 7th diary entry, Rose, with help from Hal Bodley, notes that coming back to Philadelphia was a homecoming and other than a brief part of the 1983 season, he enjoyed his time with the Phillies.  He then tells the story of trying to pick Mike Schmidt's brain for a scouting report on Dwight Gooden.  Rose notes Schmidt was struggling at the plate, as he was hitting only .219 coming into this game.  Both Larry Shenk, the Phillies long-time publicity director, and Howard Eskin get name checked in Rose's entry for the game.

1985 Game 23 - 1985 Fleer #255 Charles Hudson

Astros 4, Phillies 3
Game 23 - Sunday Afternoon, May 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 10-13, Tied for 4th Place, 5 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Joe Niekro bested Shane Rawley as the Astros avoided the series sweep with this 4-3 win.

What It Means:  For the only time this season other than the All-Star break, the Phillies had two scheduled off days during the week.  They'd play a two-game series against Pete Rose and the Reds beginning Tuesday, with off days on Monday and Thursday.

What Happened:  Jose Cruz homered off Rawley in the first to give the Astros a 2-0 lead, and Niekro would help himself with an RBI double in the second to make it 3-1 Astros.  Rawley dropped his second game of the season, lasting six innings and giving up all four Astros runs.  Charles Hudson kept his team in the game with three perfect innings of relief.

Offensively, the Phillies couldn't string together a bunch of big hits, going 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position.  Glenn Wilson had a pair of RBI singles in the third and seventh innings.

Featured Card:  With the scheduled off days, the Phillies didn't need a replacement in the rotation for the injured Jerry Koosman right away.  The job would ultimately go to Hudson who would make his first start on May 14th.  Hudson had been used solely as a starter in 1983 and 1984, but had begun the 1985 season in the bullpen.

Roster:  Here's an updated look at the Phillies roster as of May 5th.  I'm moving Tim Corcoran to the infielders section, as he had only played one game in the outfield up until this point.

Starting pitchers (4) - Steve Carlton, John Denny, Kevin Gross, Shane Rawley
Relief pitchers (6) - Larry Andersen, Don Carman, Charles Hudson, Dave Rucker, Kent Tekulve, Pat Zachry
Catchers (3) - Darren Daulton, Ozzie Virgil, John Wockenfuss
Infielders (7) - Luis Aguayo, Tim Corcoran, Kiko Garcia, Steve Jeltz, John Russell, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt
Outfielders (5) - Greg Gross, Von Hayes, Garry Maddox, Jeff Stone, Glenn Wilson
Disabled List (3) - Bo Diaz, Jerry Koosman, Joe Lefebvre

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 22 - 1985 Donruss #503 Luis Aguayo

Phillies 7, Astros 5 (13 Innings)
Game 22 - Saturday Night, May 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 10-12, Tied for 4th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Cubs and Expos

One Sentence Summary:  Luis Aguayo, an unlikely hero, had a four-hit game and hit a two-run home run in the 13th to give the Phillies a 7-5 walk-off win.

What It Means:  This was the high-water mark for the 1985 Phillies.  They would get to within two games of .500 just one more time in the season, at the beginning of September, but by then they were 18 games out of first place.  On this night, featuring a dramatic win, the Phillies still had hope.

What Happened:  John Denny pitched into the ninth inning for the Phillies, allowing five runs (four earned) on 12 hits while striking out six.  Manager John Felske probably should have lifted Denny after eight innings - see below.  Dave Rucker made his Phillies debut pitching a perfect 12th and 13th innings, and earning the win.

Ozzie Virgil continued to swing a hot bat, hitting a three-run home run in the fourth that put the Phillies ahead 4-2.  Aguayo's first home run of the game in the sixth made it 5-2.  That was the score when Denny allowed a ninth inning, three-run home run to pinch-hitter Harry Spilman to tie the game up.  A costly Juan Samuel error at the start of the inning prolonged the game and led to Spilman's big hit.

Aguayo's walk-off blast came off Astros reliever Bill Dawley with one out and Virgil on first base.

Featured Card:  Aguayo was starting at third base to give the struggling Mike Schmidt a night off, and his big night led to a second start at third the following night.  Through the first 21 games of the season, Schmidt was hitting only .211.  He did get into this game in the ninth, delivering a pinch-hit single but then promptly getting lifted for pinch-runner Kiko Garcia.

This was to be the only four-hit game of Aguayo's career.

Transaction:  Prior to the game, Jerry Koosman landed on the disabled list with an inflamed left knee and Rucker was recalled from Portland.  Rucker had been acquired on April 6th, right before the start of the season, from the Cardinals for reliever Bill Campbell and shortstop Ivan DeJesus.  DeJesus had lost his starting shortstop job to Steve Jeltz and was expendable.

1985 Donruss #260

1985 Donruss #204

1985 Donruss #163

1985 Game 21 - 1985 Fleer #268 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 3, Astros 2
Game 21 - Friday Night, May 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 9-12, Tied for 4th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Cubs, Expos and Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Glenn Wilson delivered a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth as the Phillies defeated the Astros, 3-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies were within three games of the .500 mark after this win, and things were looking up!  Or so I thought as an optimistic 11-year-old at the time.

We also have the first appearance of a box score from The Philadelphia Inquirer in my scrapbook.  We got the Atlantic City Press delivered to our home daily and my guess here is that the game ended too late for inclusion in the Saturday addition of the Press.  My Dad probably dutifully headed off to Wawa to pick up an Inquirer so as not to have a missing game in my scrapbook.

What Happened:  Neither Steve Carlton nor Nolan Ryan factored into the final outcome in the second meeting in 1985 of these two legends.  Carlton lasted five innings and allowed a pair of hits while striking out none.  Ryan went six innings and had runners on the base paths pretty much at all times with five hits and five walks allowed.  He did strike out 10 in his outing.

Tim Corcoran scored Jeff Stone with a sacrifice fly in the first, and that was the end of the scoring until the Astros scored twice off Kent Tekulve in the top of the eighth.  Now trailing, the bottom of the eighth started with Astros reliever Frank DiPino issuing a lead-off walk to John Russell, who was hitting .143 at the time.  That had to drive Astros' manager Bob Lillis nuts.  Wilson then homered off DiPino to give the Phillies the lead and Tekulve pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the win.

Featured Card:  Glennbo gets the card again for this game, and I'd encourage you to watch the Phillies commercial below from 1985.  Richie Ashburn, Wilson, Samuel and Kevin Gross are playing a good-natured game of Trivia Pursuit and Wilson delivers the team's 1985 slogan at the end of the commercial, imploring fans to "Follow Us."

#AtPhillies wasn't around in 1985, but even that Phillies team wanted you to follow us. #TBT pic.twitter.com/WjeV7bUsCL — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 25, 2019