Friday, April 24, 2020

1985 Game 14 - 1985 O-Pee-Chee #103 Ozzie Virgil

Expos 7Phillies 6
Game 14 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 24th in Montreal
Record - 4-10, Tied for 5th Place, 6 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  For the second game in a row, the Phillies fell short again against the Expos, despite three home runs in the 8th and 9th innings.

What It Means:  The good news for John Felske's club is the offense was starting to heat up, but the pitching was still a mess.  Starting pitcher John Denny lasted five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks.  Pat Zachry relieved Denny and allowed three more runs (two earned) in his two innings of work.

Following this game, the Phillies headed back to Philadelphia.  After an off-day on Thursday, they'd open up an 11-game homestand against the Cubs, Expos, Astros and Reds.

What Happened:  Ozzie Virgil hit a pair of home runs - one off Expos starter Bryn Smith in the second and another off reliever Dan Schatzeder in the eighth.  Garry Maddox and Mike Schmidt both homered off Schatzeder in the ninth to turn what had been a sure blow-out into a close game.  Tim Burke recorded the final out to earn his first save of the season.  The home run from Schmidt was his first of 1985, and the 426th of his career.

The Expos scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings, led by Tim Raines who had an RBI triple in the fifth and an RBI double in the sixth.

Featured Card:  Virgil was on his way to a default All-Star Game appearance in 1985 as the Phillies sole representative, initially.  Glenn Wilson would later be named to the team too, replacing an injured Pedro Guerrero on the National League roster.

If you had traveled to Montreal with the Phillies for this road trip, perhaps you would have come across this Virgil card in a fresh pack of 1985 O-Pee-Chee cards.

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