Thursday, July 9, 2020

1985 Game 81 - 1985 Topps Stickers #369 Juan Samuel

Phillies 5Astros 3
Game 81 - Tuesday Night, July 9th in Houston
Record - 37-44, 5th Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Cardinals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies rode a five-run fourth inning to an eventual 5-3 win over Bob Knepper and the Astros.

What It Means:  As discussed in yesterday's game summary post, my family would have completely missed watching these games as we were enjoying our vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia.  I remained focused on collecting boxscores for each Phillies game, dutifully clipping this one from The Virginia Pilot.

What Happened:  There was no score after three innings when the Phillies offense came to life.  In quick succession - Rich Schu led off with a double, Glenn Wilson singled, Mike Schmidt singled scoring Schu, Garry Maddox singled scoring Wilson, Bo Diaz doubled scoring Schmidt, Luis Aguayo was intentionally walked to load the bases, Juan Samuel singled scoring Diaz and Aguayo after pitcher Kevin Gross had grounded into a fielder's choice, forcing Maddox at home.

Gross earned the win, lasting 6 2/3 innings and giving up two runs on six hits.  He was pulled in the seventh after walking Jose Cruz with the bases loaded.  Don Carman continued his struggles, allowing another Astros run, before Kent Tekulve was called upon to record the game's final out and record his eighth save.

Featured Card:  Samuel had the big hit in the fourth, plating two runs.  He also stole his 29th base following his hit as a rattled Knepper probably wasn't paying much attention to him.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

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