1985 Game 54 - 1985 Fleer Update #U-20 Don Carman

Phillies 6, Mets 4
Game 54 - Monday Night, June 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 20-34, 5th Place, 14 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Glenn Wilson continued to swing a hot bat and John Denny turned in another solid pitching performance as the Phillies downed the Mets, 6-4.

What It Means:  The Mets had been in first place the last time these two teams faced off back in May, but they had gone 12-13 since then and dropped into second place, three games behind the Cubs.

What Happened:  The Phils plated solo runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings before a 3-run seventh put them ahead 6-0.  Wilson tripled home Rick Schu and Juan Samuel, and he in turn was brought home on an RBI-single from Garry Maddox.  Denny went eight strong innings, allowing a run on seven hits before yielding to the bullpen.

Don Carman suffered through his worst outing of the year, allowing three Mets runs to score in the ninth.  His ERA jumped more than a run from 1.23 to 2.35.

Featured Card:  I admittedly don't remember Carman as one of the team's most effective relievers, but he was definitely that during the 1985 season.  Carman made 71 appearances, all in relief, and had a fantastic 2.08 ERA for the year.  He'd receive his first mainstream baseball cards in the Fleer Update and Topps Traded sets.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 53 - 1985 Topps #584 Kevin Gross

Phillies 4, Expos 1
Game 53 - Sunday Afternoon, June 9th in Philadelphia
Record - 19-34, 5th Place, 14 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies rode a first inning three-run home run from Glenn Wilson and a fine pitching performance from Kevin Gross to a 4-1 win over the Expos.

What It Means:  The team broke its four-game losing streak on the day all men received a free Richie Ashburn hat in appreciation of Father's Day.

What Happened:  Wilson's home run and an RBI single from Jeff Stone in the second were all the run support Gross needed.  He earned his fifth win with seven strong innings, allowing a run on six hits while striking out eight.  Don Carman and Kent Tekulve secured the win in their respective roles of set-up man and closer.

Checking in with the new corner infielders, Rick Schu was providing decent defense and holding steady with a .257 average.  First baseman Mike Schmidt had a hit in this game to raise his average to .213.

Featured Card:  I'll give Gross the nod over Glennbo, as I've only featured Gross in one of these 1985 game summary posts so far.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 52 - 2020 Chachi 1985 Topps Missing Links #10 Pat Zachry

Expos 4, Phillies 3
Game 52 - Saturday Night, June 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 18-34, 5th Place, 14 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Shane Rawley departed with an injury and the offense couldn't capitalize on plenty of scoring opportunities, as the Phillies lost this one to the Expos, 4-3.

What It Means:  This was the low-point of the season for the Phillies, as they dropped to 16 games below .500 for the only time all year.  They wouldn't climb out of fifth place until early September, and that was only for a brief stay in fourth, but from this point on the club did in fact play better baseball.

It was also Kodak Camera Night at the Vet, with fans allowed down on the turf prior to the game to snap pictures of the players and coaches as they quickly walked by.

What Happened:  The offense went 4 for 16 with runners in scoring position, largely wasting their 10-hit output.  The Phillies mounted a brief rally in the seventh, started when Luis Aguayo hit a lead-off double and with two outs Greg Gross doubled him home.  Juan Samuel followed with a single to score Gross.

Shane Rawley exited the game with an apparent injury after walking Mike Fitzgerald to start the third.  He had allowed a solo home run to Andre Dawson in the first to give the Expos an early lead.  Jeff Reardon recorded another two-inning save, his 17th, and lowering his season ERA to 1.08.

Featured Card:  It was the end of the line for Pat Zachry (see below) and the veteran pitcher's only official Phillies baseball cards could be found within the 1985 Tastykake Phillies set.  I created this 1985 Topps-style card for him using his photo from the 1985 Phillies Yearbook.

Transaction:  Jerry Koosman was activated from the disabled list, and it seemed as the short-term plan was to use him in long relief.  Injuries to Rawley and Steve Carlton saw him inserted back into the starting pitching rotation until his own injuries cut short his season in August.  To make room for Koosman on the roster, reliever Zachry was designated for assignment.  He'd ultimately be released, ending his 10-year big league career.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 51 - 1985 Topps 3D #25 Steve Carlton

Expos 3, Phillies 1
Game 51 - Friday Night, June 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 18-33, 5th Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Once again Steve Carlton pitched well and was victimized by a complete lack of run support in this 3-1 loss to the Expos.

What It Means:  The Phillies were about to hit their lowest point of the year (that would come tomorrow) but the good news is they were poised to break out of their two-month long offensive slump fairly soon.

What Happened:  Carlton took the loss after pitching seven solid innings and allowing two runs on four hits.  Jim Wohlford drove in both Expos runs against Carlton with a first inning ground out and a sixth inning single.  The Expos' first run, driven in by Wohlford, came when Tim Raines singled to start the game and then quickly stole second and third.

Two of the Phillies' three singles came from Rick Schu.  Von Hayes drove in the Phillies' only run in the game in the sixth with an RBI-single scoring Juan Samuel.  Future Phillie David Palmer got the win following his six strong innings and Jeff Reardon recorded a two-inning save, his 16th of the season.

Featured Card:  I'm running out of opportunities to feature Carlton cards in these 1985 game summary posts, so here's another "card" for Lefty.  These Topps 3D cards weren't that appealing to me back in 1985, as I didn't really know what to do with them and how to store them properly.  There's two sticky tape pieces on the back of the card, so Topps intended for them to be displayed.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 50 - 1985 Topps #117 Greg Gross

Padres 3, Phillies 1
Game 50 - Late Wednesday Night, June 5th in San Diego
Record - 18-32, Tied for 5th Place, 13 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell quietly to LaMarr Hoyt and the Padres, losing 3-1.

What It Means:  The team went 2-7 on a rough 9-game West Coast trip and following an off-day on Thursday, they'd open up a weekend series at home against the Expos.

What Happened:  The Phillies were nursing a slim 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Padres would go on to score three unanswered runs to secure the win.

Jeff Stone singled to start the game and came all the way around to score on a throwing error by first baseman Steve Garvey after Juan Samuel had grounded out.  That was it for the Phillies offense for the rest of the day.  There would be three more singles as Hoyt easily managed the struggling Phillies line-up.  Hoyt earned the complete game win with nine strikeouts.

Charles Hudson pitched well for the Phillies, lasting seven innings and giving up a pair of runs on five hits.  Hudson struck out seven.

Featured Card:  Greg Gross had one of the four Phillies singles, collecting a pinch-hit in the eighth and raising his season average to .216.  I vaguely recall at the time thinking Gross was probably near the end of his career here, but he'd ultimately finish the season with a decent .260 average and he'd play in parts of four more seasons after this.

Gross is still the franchise's all-time pinch-hits leader with 117, and he has more than double the total of the franchise's second pinch-hit leader - Tony Taylor's 54.  Tommy Hutton with 52 and Greg Dobbs with 51 are the only other Phillies players with more than 50 career pinch-hits.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 49 - 1985 Topps #39 Johnny Wockenfuss

Padres 6, Phillies 5
Game 49 - Late Tuesday Night, June 4th in San Diego
Record - 18-31, Tied for 5th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies battled back in the late innings to take the lead, only to watch the Padres walk off with a win in the ninth on a Kevin McReynolds triple.

What It Means:  It's probably best this game would have been mostly ignored by Phillies fans on the East Coast not willing to stay up late on a Tuesday night to watch their bottom-dwelling team take on the first place Padres.

Given the time of game was exactly three hours, the winning run would have scored at a little past 1am.

What Happened:  The Phillies were trailing 4-3 heading into the eighth inning.  John Denny had exited after 5 2/3 innings, having allowed four runs on nine hits.  A two-run single from Tim Flannery in the sixth gave the Padres the lead and chased Denny from the game.  The Phillies had scored their runs on an RBI-triple from Juan Samuel and an RBI-double from Ozzie Virgil in the first.  Tim Corcoran, getting his first start of the season in right field, added a sacrifice fly in the third.

The Phillies tied the game in the eighth when Juan Samuel started the inning with a double off Padres starter Andy Hawkins.  Rich Gossage relieved Hawkins and surrendered an RBI-triple to Mike Schmidt.  In the ninth, Rick Schu and Glenn Wilson singled to give the Phillies runners at first and third.  Pinch-hitter John Wockenfuss came through with a clutch single off reliever Craig Lefferts to give the Phils the slim 5-4 lead.

Kent Tekulve came on to attempt to close out the game in the ninth, but he allowed a single to Tony Gwynn and walked Graig Nettles.  With two outs, McReynolds hit his game winning triple, handing the Phillies a loss and Tekulve's second blown save with the club.

Featured Card:  Wockenfuss was nearing the end of his 12-year big league career at this point, and the 36-year-old was being used primarily as a bench bat.  He had only six hits in 1985, with this being by far his biggest one.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 48 - 1985 Topps Stickers #110 Ozzie Virgil

Phillies 3, Padres 2
Game 48 - Late Monday Night, June 3rd in San Diego
Record - 18-30, Tied for 5th Place, 12 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  After getting shelled in his previous outing, Kevin Gross pitched well and Ozzie Virgil hit a pair of home runs in this 3-2 win in San Diego.

What It Means:  The Phillies were at the end of their West Coast trip, opening up a three-game series with the Padres with a much-needed win.  The Padres were coming off their first World Series appearance in 1984 and at 27-21 they held a one-game lead over the Reds for first place in the N.L. West.  Tony Gwynn went 2 for 4 in this game to raise his season average to .307.

What Happened:  Virgil hit a solo home run off Padres starter Dave Dravecky in the second, and then connected again off Dravecky in the fourth with Rick Schu on base.  The Padres out-hit the Phillies - nine hits to four, but couldn't get anything going against Gross.  Gross pitched into the eighth inning, allowing two runs while striking out three.  Kent Tekulve recorded the final five outs of the game to record his third save with the Phillies.

Featured Card:  Virgil continued to build his All-Star case with his performance in this game, raising his season home run total to eight, his RBI total to 21 and his average to .298.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 47 - 1985 Donruss #448 Rick Schu

Giants 3, Phillies 1
Game 47 - Sunday Afternoon, June 2nd in San Francisco
Record - 17-30, 6th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Vida Blue and a pair of Giants relievers held the Phillies' line-up to one hit in this 3-1 loss.

What It Means:  For the second, and fortunately last time in 1985, the Phillies were one-hit.  The last time the team had been one-hit was back on May 11th against the Mets when Sid Fernandez and Roger McDowell were on the mound.  The loss also dropped the team into the N.L. East basement, a half game behind the Pirates.

What Happened:  Rick Schu had the club's only hit, a triple off Blue in the fifth inning.  Schu scored on a sacrifice squeeze bunt from Steve Jeltz.  Schu also committed his first error at third base since his promotion, leading to a seventh inning unearned run.  Juan Samuel was caught stealing twice by catcher Bob Brenly.

Shane Rawley took the loss, dropping to 4-4, allowing two runs on six hits over six innings of work.  Blue went five innings, working out of trouble for most of his outing walking five.  Mark Davis recorded the final seven outs for his second save of the season.

Featured Card:  Schu's baseball cards were sparse, and I would have had just four of his cards in my collection at this point back in June 1985.  He's in the 1984 and 1985 Portland Beavers team sets, he shared a 1985 Tastykake Phillies card with fellow prospect Chris James and he was a surprise addition to the 1985 Donruss set.  Fleer and Topps would catch up to Donruss by issuing Schu cards in their update sets.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 46 - 1984 Topps Stickers #1 and #2 Steve Carlton

Giants 2, Phillies 1
Game 46 - Saturday Afternoon, June 1st in San Francisco
Record - 17-29, 5th Place, 12 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Steve Carlton suffered from a lack of run support yet again as the Phillies fell to Atlee Hammaker and the Giants, 2-1.

What It Means:  Carlton was now 1-5 with a 2.24 ERA which had to place him among the ERA league leaders.  It wouldn't get any better for Lefty as a nagging left shoulder injury would find him on the disabled list for the first time in his career by mid-June.

What Happened:  Carlton allowed only one hard hit ball - a Jeffrey Leonard solo home run to start the fourth.  Ricky Adams had driven in the other Giants run in the third with an RBI single.  The Phillies scored their lone run when Mike Schmidt singled Jeff Stone home in the sixth.  Stone had three hits in the game and his seventh stolen base.

Featured Card:  Not only am I trying to avoid cards from the future (post-1985) but I'm also trying to match up home and away uniforms for the card featured for each game summary post.  This is going to get harder, and it's probably a futile exercise, but I'll keep up the attempt with the first two stickers from the 1984 Topps Stickers set.

Transaction:  Bo Diaz was activated from the disabled list and reliever Rocky Childress was sent back down to Portland.  I guess the Phillies assumed Diaz's bat and a third catcher was more important than reinforcements for what had been a fairly strong bullpen up until this point in the season.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 45 - 1985 Drake's #27 Juan Samuel

Giants 4, Phillies 3
Game 45 - Late Friday Night, May 31st in San Francisco
Record - 17-28, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A three-run home run from Ricky Adams sunk Charles Hudson and the Phillies in this 4-3 loss.

What It Means:  No offense to Adams, but his name was unfamiliar to me.  He was a back-up infielder for the Giants in 1985, occasionally filling in for Chris Brown at third base and Jose Uribe at shortstop.  His home run in this game was his third of four career big league home runs.  In two seasons with the Angels (1982-1983) and his year with the Giants, Adams appeared in 120 games, hitting .215.  He appeared on three mainstream baseball cards - in 1984 within the Donruss and Topps sets and again in the 1986 Topps set.

What Happened:  Hudson had cruised through six innings when Adams hit his unlikely blast.  The only other run he had allowed came on a first inning solo home run surrendered to Chili Davis.  Former Phillies Mike Krukow and Mark Davis held the Phillies line-up to five hits while striking out a combined eight batters.  Juan Samuel homered off Krukow in the eighth.

Featured Card:  I often used the end of each month to take stock of the Phillies season to date.  I took the time to handwrite the current roster, seemingly forgetting Darren Daulton and Kent Tekulve until after I was originally finished.

There aren't a lot of surprises below in the team leader categories, other than Steve Carlton's team leading ERA of 2.15.  His record was only 1-4, but Lefty continued to keep the Phils in the games he pitched.  Through the first 45 games of the season, only Von Hayes, Samuel and Glenn Wilson had appeared in every game.

May 1985 Leaders
Games:  Von Hayes, Juan Samuel and Glenn Wilson - 26
Average:  Ozzie Virgil - .278
Runs:  Juan Samuel - 14
Home Runs:  Mike Schmidt - 4
RBIs:  Glenn Wilson - 13
Stolen Bases:  Von Hayes and Juan Samuel - 6

Games:  Don Carman - 13
Wins:  Kent Tekulve - 2
Innings Pitched:  John Denny - 43 1/3
ERA:  Steve Carlton - 1.23
Strikeouts:  Kevin Gross - 22
Saves:  Kent Tekulve - 2

Cumulative Season Leaders
Games:  Von Hayes, Juan Samuel and Glenn Wilson - 45
Average:  Von Hayes - .313
Runs:  Juan Samuel - 28
Home Runs:  Mike Schmidt - 6
RBIs:  Glenn Wilson - 28
Stolen Bases:  Juan Samuel - 14

Games:  Don Carman - 21
Wins:  Shane Rawley - 4
Innings Pitched:  John Denny - 72 1/3
ERA:  Steve Carlton - 2.15
Strikeouts:  Kevin Gross - 39
Saves:  Larry Andersen and Kent Tekulve - 2

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 44 - 1985 Donruss #111 John Denny

Phillies 6, Dodgers 1
Game 44 - Late Thursday Night, May 30th in Los Angeles
Record - 17-27, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  John Denny out dueled Fernando Valenzuela and the Phillies took advantage of three Dodgers' errors in this 6-1 win.

What It Means:  This was Denny's second complete game in a row, but this time he got some run support from his offense.  He had lost his last complete game, 1-0, to the Padres a week earlier.

What Happened:  Ozzie Virgil continued to quietly pace the offense with two more RBIs - a sacrifice fly in the second and a solo home run in the ninth.  The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the third when Jeff Stone reached on a fielder's choice, stole second and advanced to third on catcher Mike Scioscia's throwing error, and then scored when center fielder Ken Landreaux also misplayed the ball.

Denny allowed a solo home run to Mike Marshall in the second.  He closed out his complete game victory with three straight ground balls to short to retire the Dodgers in order in the ninth.

Featured Card:  Denny gets the card again here for his pitching efforts.  Once again, the boxscore is from the Philadelphia Daily News, as this game would have ended too late for inclusion in the Atlantic City Press.  My Dad's daily trips to Wawa to pick up the Daily News also meant a daily pack of baseball cards (or two or three) for me, and I'm reminded here that I hand collated our 1985 Topps and Fleer sets.  Our 1985 Donruss set was purchased in late June at that summer's Ocean City baseball card show.

I love the ad below from a 1985 Phillies program, noting that "Not only are baseball cards fun to collect but they are also a great investment."

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 43 - 1986 Topps #200 Mike Schmidt

Dodgers 6, Phillies 1
Game 43 - Late Wednesday Night, May 29th in Los Angeles
Record - 16-27, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The new look Phillies fell to the Dodgers, managing only four hits off Orel Hershiser in this 6-1 loss.

What It Means:  In an otherwise forgettable season, the Phillies made perhaps their biggest move prior to the start of this West Coast swing by shifting Gold Glove third baseman Mike Schmidt to first base, and recalling prospect Rick Schu to man the hot corner.  The news was announced by manager John Felske during a postgame press conference following the Phillies' Memorial Day win over the Padres.  The struggling John Russell, the team's opening day first baseman, would be heading back to Portland and moved to left field.  There's a great article (linked here) from The Morning Call with Schmidt's reaction to the move.

Before the 1985 season, Schmidt had made only 11 starts at a position other than third base - 7 at shortstop, 1 at second base and 3 at first base.  His first base starts had come in 1973 (2 games) and 1984 (1 game).

From a scrapbook logistics standpoint, the late night game meant a Philadelphia Daily News was needed in order to clip out the boxscore.  My Dad most likely made daily trips to Wawa to make sure I had access to these West Coast game boxscores.

What Happened:  Kevin Gross got hammered in 1 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on five hits before yielding to the bullpen.  Also notable from this game is it was Pat Zachry's final career appearance.  The 10-year veteran and former Rookie of the Year pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth innings, striking out two.  The Phillies would designate him for assignment a week later when Jerry Koosman came off the disabled list.

Schu and Schmidt went a combined 1 for 7 with no errors.

Featured Card:  Through the first 42 games of the 1985 season, I've consciously tried to only post featured cards from 1985 or prior.  Let's jump in our time machines for this post and fast forward to 1986, when the Topps flagship card for Schmidt listed his position as "1B."  Fleer followed suit with the first base designation, but Donruss still listed Schmidt as a third baseman on his 1986 Donruss card.

Transaction:  As mentioned above, Russell was optioned to Portland and Schu was recalled.  Schu had worn #53 following his September call-up in the prior season.  Now a regular, he switched to #15, last worn by John Wockenfuss in 1984.  (Wockenfuss switched to #14 for the 1985 season.)

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 42 - 1985 Tastykake Phillies #20 Mike Schmidt

Phillies 10, Padres 9
Game 42 - Monday Afternoon, May 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 16-26, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies treated a Memorial Day crowd to a come-from-behind victory, hanging on to beat the Padres, 10-9.

What It Means:  There's a few things to note from this game.  This was the last time I most likely watched live baseball as an 11-year-old for a week and a half, as the Phillies were about to embark on a west coast trip and a string of late night starts.  I doubt I watched much of this game either, as we would have been down at the shore at my grandparents beach house in Sea Isle for Memorial Day weekend.

This was also Mike Schmidt's last game as the team's regular third baseman in 1985, as the team was about to recall Rick Schu from the minors and he'd make the trip west with the club.  Schmidt would return to third more regularly in 1986.

What Happened:  On the day all fans received a free Phillies beach towel, the team scored early and often.  John Russell, about to earn a ticket to Portland, had a pinch-hit, three-run home run in the second.  Schmidt hit a three-run home run of his own in the fifth, and his 3 for 4 day also included a double.  Jeff Stone enjoyed a three-hit day.

Shane Rawley exited early having allowed four runs on six hits over just 1 1/3 innings.  The bullpen struggled, allowing the Padres to creep back into this game, but Kent Tekulve pitched the final two scoreless innings for the win.  With the score tied at nine in the eighth, Tim Corcoran's sacrifice fly scored Garry Maddox with the winning run.

Featured Card:  For one day at least, all was right in the Phillies' world.  Schmidt hit well and had a clean day in the field and the flight to Los Angeles was most likely cheerful.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 41 - 1985 Topps Circle K #19 Mike Schmidt

Padres 7, Phillies 2
Game 41 - Sunday Afternoon, May 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 15-26, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Lack of clutch hitting and a costly error from Mike Schmidt led to this 7-2 Padres win over the Phillies.

What It Means:  This was the fourth loss in a row and at this point, the Phillies' brain trust had to be thinking of ways to try to jump start a lethargic line-up and shore up the infield defense.  Schmidt went 1 for 5 to drop his average to .201 and his ninth error of the season led to three unearned runs in the fifth.  Tim Corcoran was doing a serviceable job at first base but he had slumped in May and was hitting .196 for the month.

Meanwhile in Portland, top prospect Rick Schu was hitting .280 with 22 RBIs through 42 games while playing solid defense at third base.  Could be something to watch.

At the ballpark, it was Phillies glove day, with all kids in attendance receiving a new glove.  Given the attendance of 40,182, this was a near sell-out.

What Happened:  Steve Carlton got hit around, and even though three of the four runs he allowed were unearned, he still surrendered nine hits in his 6 1/3 innings, including a solo home run to Bruce Bochy.  The game entered the ninth with the Padres holding a 4-2 lead, but Phillies reliever Rocky Childress allowed three more runs to score.

The Phillies actually outhit the Padres, 11-10, but went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.  Their two runs scored on a Carlton sacrifice fly in the second, and an RBI double from Schmidt in the seventh.  LaMarr Hoyt and Rich Gossage combined to contain the Phillies line-up, with Gossage recording his 13th save.

Featured Card:  I'm not trying to pick on Schmidt with these posts, but he had an awful start to his 1985 season.  He was about to turn things around, and he'd bat an even .300 from June through October, with 27 home runs and 73 RBIs.  An MVP-caliber 1986 season was also on the horizon.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 40 - 1985 Topps Traded #33T John Felske MG

Padres 4, Phillies 1
Game 40 - Saturday Night, May 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 15-25, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Cubs

One Sentence Summary:  Andy Hawkins easily handled the Phillies, pitching a complete game and only allowing a solo home run to Ozzie Virgil in this 4-1 Padres win.

What It Means:  The win improved Hawkins' record to 9-0 and I was surprised to see he didn't make the N.L. All-Star team.  He was probably the victim of the Padres, the reigning N.L. Champs, having too many other players either voted into the game or equally as deserving.  The N.L. All-Star starting line-up boasted five Padres - Terry Kennedy (c), Steve Garvey (1b), Graig Nettles (3b), Tony Gwynn (of) and LaMarr Hoyt (p).  Kennedy was injured and was replaced on the roster by the Mets' Gary Carter.  Along with the five starters named, manager Dick Williams brought Garry Templeton as a reserve.  There just wasn't any more room on the roster for another Padre, and Hawkins got left out.

Hawkins would finish the season with an 18-8 record and a 3.15 ERA, his best season in a 10-year big league career.

What Happened:  This was the first rough start of Charles Hudson's season and there would be a few more on the way.  He fell to 1-4 while pitching five innings and allowing four runs on five hits.  He wasn't particularly hit hard in the three-run second inning as the Padres scored their runs on a walk, single, single, single, and suicide squeeze sacrifice bunt (from Hawkins).

The Phillies had six hits, including Virgil's home run and a first inning double from Mike Schmidt.

Featured Card:  The 1985 Phillies Yearbook features an article by Larry Shenk celebrating the 40th manager of the club, John Felske.  In his first 40 games, Felske guided his Phillies team to a 15-25 record.  Here's a look at the group of managers who came before and after Felske and what they did in their first 40 games.  (I'm not counting Paul Owens here, who had his first stint as the club's manager back in 1972 and took over for Pat Corrales in 1983 with the club in first place.)

Felske joins Terry Francona as the two Phillies managers in recent history to have gotten off to the roughest starts.  No Phillies manager in recent history has won more than 24 games in his first 40.  Hopefully Joe Girardi breaks that trend.

Danny Ozark (1973) - 16-24
Dallas Green (1979 and 1980) - 24-16
Pat Corrales (1982) - 21-19
John Felske (1985) - 15-25
Lee Elia (1987) - 24-16
Nick Leyva (1989) - 17-23
Jim Fregosi (1991) - 19-21
Terry Francona (1997) - 15-25
Larry Bowa (2001) - 24-16
Charlie Manuel (2005) - 18-22
Ryne Sandberg (2013) - 19-21
Pete Mackanin (2015) - 19-21
Gabe Kapler (2018) - 24-16
Joe Girardi (2020) - ?

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 39 - 1985 Fleer #249 John Denny

Padres 1, Phillies 0
Game 39 - Friday Night, May 24th in Philadelphia
Record -15-24, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  John Denny received no run support and the Padres manufactured a run in the eighth to down the Phillies, 1-0.

What It Means:  Hard to believe, but at 2:08, this was the 12th shortest game of the season for the Phillies.  The shortest game came a week prior on May 13th when the Reds defeated the Phillies in a Monday night game that took 1:58.  That's absolutely unheard of today.

What Happened:  Denny went the distance in the loss, allowing a run on four hits while striking out four.  Dave Dravecky (7 1/3 innings) and Rich Gossage (1 2/3 innings) combined to shutout the Phillies, with Gossage recording his 12th save of the season.  Of the nine hits from the Phillies offense, two were from Glenn Wilson.

In the eighth, Denny allowed a lead-off single to Garry Templeton and then walked Dravecky.  Tim Flannery sacrificed both Templeton and Dravecky to third and second respectively.  Steve Garvey hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Templeton.

Featured Card:  Denny, Kevin Gross and Shane Rawley bolstered the Phillies rotation in 1985 with all three making at least 31 starts.  All three would throw six complete games, an impressive mark compared to today's starting pitchers.  In 2019, Zach Eflin threw two complete games for the Phillies with no one else going the distance.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 38 - 1985 Donruss #431 Manny Trillo

Giants 6, Phillies 2
Game 38 - Wednesday Night, May 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 15-23, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A costly error from John Russell and a lack of clutch hitting cost the Phillies in this 6-2 loss to the Giants.

What It Means:  Once again, the Phillies couldn't pull off a series sweep.  After an off-day on Thursday, Tony Gwynn and the Padres were coming to town for a three-game weekend series.

What Happened:  The Phillies loaded the bases in the second and fourth innings, and both times Giants' starting pitcher Dave LaPoint was able to get out of those jams by retiring Phillies pitcher Kevin Gross.  The offense went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position, and Mike Schmidt went 0 for 4 as his average fell to .189.

The Giants took a 2-0 lead in the sixth on an RBI-single from Manny Trillo.  Russell's error led to another run and Bob Brenly hit a ground-run double to give the Giants a 4-0 lead.  Dave Rucker had a rough outing in relief, lasting 1 1/3 innings and giving up a pair of runs while walking four.  Don Carman pitched a scoreless inning and his ERA went down to a surprising 0.59 mark.

The Giants had four errors of their own, but they ended up not really hurting the team.

Featured Card:  Trillo, a former Phillies All-Star and the team's second baseman when they won their first World Championship in 1980, was set to be inducted into the team's Wall of Fame this August.  There hasn't been any official announcement yet, but I'd have to imagine his ceremony will be postponed until next year and we'll get two Wall of Fame inductees in 2021.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 37 - 1985 Cigna Phillies #9 Glenn Wilson

Phillies 6, Giants 5
Game 37 - Tuesday Night, May 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 15-22, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies took advantage of shaky Giants defense to score three times in the fifth and twice in the sixth to go on to a 6-5 win.

What It Means:  Four of the Phillies' six runs were unearned as Giants third baseman Joel Youngblood booted a ground ball and shortstop Jose Uribe had two errors of his own.  Another run scored on a Bob Brenly passed ball.

What I wouldn't give for a sloppy, Tuesday night Phillies game right about now.  This is one of those many, many games throughout the season where nothing particularly memorable happened and there wasn't any real excitement generated.  The Phillies and Giants were bad teams, already buried in the bottom of their respective divisions and this game slogged on for almost three hours.  But that sounds just fine to me, and given the choice between that and no baseball at all, I'd choose that.

What Happened:  The Phils got lucky.  The offense had six hits and went 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position.  Glenn Wilson had a pair of RBIs.  The team's regular first baseman (John Russell) and their regular third baseman (Mike Schmidt) exited this game below the Mendoza line at .189 and .195 respectively.  Schmidt also had a pair of errors in this game.  Changes to the corner infield spots were coming.

Shane Rawley picked up the win, lasting five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits.  Kent Tekulve recorded the final four outs of the game for his second Phillies save.

Featured Card:  Wilson had two clutch hits, singling home Juan Samuel for the Phillies first run in the fourth and doubling home Samuel in the fifth for the game-winning RBI.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

1985 Game 36 - 1985 Cigna Phillies #10 Steve Jeltz

Phillies 2, Giants 1
Game 36 - Monday Night, May 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 14-22, 5th Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  A Steve Jeltz single in the seventh off Giants' reliever Vida Blue broke a 1-1 tie and ultimately led to this 2-1 win for the Phillies.

What It Means:  After this game, the Phillies and Giants had identical woeful records of 14-22.  The Giants would continue to be bad, ultimately losing 100 games and costing new manager Jim Davenport his job.  Roger Craig would take over in September, and he'd successfully manage the Giants through their 1992 season.  To date, 1985 is the only season in the 137 seasons in the history of the Giants franchise they have lost 100 games.

What Happened:  Steve Carlton won his first (and last) game of the season, pitching seven strong innings and allowing a run on five hits.  He struck out four.  Kent Tekulve got himself into a jam in the ninth with a pair of walks, but he worked out of it and recorded his first save for the club.

Mike Krukow started for the Giants, and lasted five innings, allowing a run on four hits.  The Phillies generated a run off Krukow in the first with back-to-back singles from Jeff Stone and Von Hayes, followed by an RBI groundout from Mike Schmidt.

Featured Card:  Jeltz had two hits in this game and the game-winning RBI, so that's good enough for the featured card.  This also gives me a good opportunity to cover one of the oddball Phillies sets issued in 1985.  I've always referred to this set as the Cigna Phillies set, as Cigna Corporation is indicated as the set's sponsor on the back of the cards.  The Standard Catalog lists this as the 1985 Police/Fire Safety set.  The cards measure 2 5/8" x 4 1/8" and there are 16 cards total in the Phillies set.  The set's listing also indicates these cards were distributed by several Philadelphia area police departments throughout the year.

The Standard Catalog also lists 1985 Police/Fire Safety sets for the Blue Jays, Braves and Brewers.

1985 Virtual Phillies Wall / 1985 Season Summary Index

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