FSD History Flashback: October 21

On October 21, 1980, the last of the original 16 teams in Major League Baseball had finally won a World Series title. It was on this day that the Kansas City Royals were at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series. This also marked the second time that an expansion team played in the World Series with the first being the New York Mets in 1969.

With the Phillies leading 3 games to 2, they sent Cy Young Award winner Steve Carlton to the mound to face Royals' starter Rich Gale. Over 65,000 fans came to see the Phillies on the brink of history.

The Phillies got to Gale in the 3rd inning after an error off the bat of Lonnie Smith and bunt single by Pete Rose. Then 1980 National League MVP Mike Schmidt delivered a two-run single to put the Phillies out in front 2-0. Gale left the game after giving up the hit to Schmidt.

The Phillies added two more runs with one each in the 6th and 7th innings on an RBI groundout by Lonnie Smith and RBI single by Bob Boone as they led 4-0.

Meanwhile, Carlton cruised along on the mound after allowing only three hits thru seven innings. He came out in the 8th inning after giving up a single to Jose Cardenal and allowing a walk to John Wathan before that. Tug McGraw came on in the inning, and gave up a sacrifice fly off the bat of U.L. Washington that scored Wathan. Then 1980 American League MVP George Brett delivered a single that loaded the bases for Hal McRae. McGraw was able to get McRae to groundout to second base to end the threat. The Phillies led 4-1 at this point.

The Royals once again loaded the bases in the top of the 9th inning against McGraw. But McGraw got Frank White to popout and Willie Wilson struckout to end the game and give the Phillies their first ever World Series title.

Wilson, who led the American League with 230 hits on the regular season, struck out a record 12 times in this World Series including three times in Game 6.

The MVP of the World Series went to Schmidt who batted .381 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Carlton won two games in this series for the Phillies.

Philadelphia made it to the World Series in 1983 and 1993, and have made it back in this year since they won the 1980 World Series. The lost to the Baltimore Orioles in 1983 and Toronto Blue Jays in 1993. They are set to play to the Tampa Bay Rays in this year's Fall Classic. The Phillies have now made the World Series six times in their history.

Kansas City would make it back in 1985, and beat the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals in the 1985 World Series. To date, those are their only World Series appearances. The Royals have really struggled as a franchise in their glory days in the late 1970s and into the 1980s. They haven't made the playoffs since 1985.

Thanks for viewing, and I hope you enjoyed this FSD History Flashback!

Part 1 of 2. Part 2 is another day in history that will be coming up in the next post.

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