1985 Game 35 - 1985 Topps Traded #58T Ken Howell

Dodgers 3, Phillies 2
Game 35 - Sunday Afternoon, May 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 13-22, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Dodgers squeaked by the Phillies in this 3-2 loss.

What It Means:  Over 35,000 fans were treated to a Sunday afternoon pitching duel between Charles Hudson and Fernando Valenzuela.  As a bonus, all kids received a free Phillies windbreaker.

The Phils took two out of three from the Dodgers and the Giants would come to town next for three games beginning on Monday night.

What Happened:  The Dodgers scored first with back-to-back triples in the first from Bill Russell and Ken Landreaux.  Greg Brock hit a solo home run off Hudson in the fourth to make it 2-0 Dodgers.  Ozzie Virgil singled home Von Hayes, who had doubled and then stolen third, for the Phillies' first run in the fourth.  Hudson was victimized by the long ball again in the sixth when Mike Marshall hit a solo home run.  Ken Howell recorded the final five outs for the Dodgers, allowing a solo home run to Mike Schmidt in the ninth, before locking down his fifth save of the season.  Four of his five outs were recorded on strikeouts.

Hudson went eight innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four.

Featured Card:  Both pitchers for the Dodgers in this game would eventually pitch for the Phillies, which would have blown my 11-year-old brain.  Valenzuela came to the Phillies during the strike-shortened 1994 season, appearing in eight games and going 1-2 with a decent 3.00 ERA.

Injuries cut short Howell's time with the Phillies.  He was acquired prior to the 1989 season and the expectation was he'd be a front of the rotation pitcher for the club for several years.  He made 50 starts for the Phillies in 1989 and 1990, going 20-19 with a 3.85 ERA.  I didn't realize he had been the closer for the Dodgers at this point in his career.  He preserved this win for Valenzuela by striking out Hayes with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index