10 Memorable Games from Philadelphia World Series History
The Phillies took the National League by surprise winning the pennant in 1915, led
by the bats of Gavvy Cravath and Fred Luderus. Game One of the World Series took place in the Baker Bowl, pitting 31 game winner Grover Cleveland Alexander against the Boston Red Sox’s 19 game winner, Ernie Shore.
Alexander kept Boston to one run, while the Phillies scored three for the victory. This was the Phillies’ first World Series win. It would prove to be their last for the next 65 years, as the Red Sox took the next four games to win the series. With the Yankees sweeping the Whiz Kids team of 1950, Phillies fans would have to wait until 1980 for the team to win another World Series game.
9. Game Five of the 1993 World Series
The Phillies took one of the first two games in Toronto. But then, the pitching gave out. The Phillies dropped game three, 10-3. Game four was a heart-breaker, with the Phillies blowing a 14-9 lead in the top of the eighth inning to lose 15-14.
Down 3 games to 1 in the Series, pitcher Curt Schilling seemed to will his team to stave off elimination. Lenny Dykstra led off the first with a walk and a stolen base. John Kruk knocked Dykstra in on a ground out. In the second inning, Darren Daulton scored on a Kevin Stocker double. That is all the offense the Phillies needed as Schilling pitched a complete game shut-out.
The Series returned to Toronto, where the Phillies had a one run lead going into the bottom of the ninth in game six. Of course, Phillies fans are well-acquainted with Joe Carter’s heroics, which broke our hearts.
8. Game Two of the 1905 World Series
In 1905, the pennant winners from the National and American Leagues met for only
the second time in postseason play, pitting the New York Giants against the Philadelphia Athletics.
The first game, which was played in Philadelphia at Jefferson Park, turned out to be a pitching duel between two future Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson for the Giants and Eddie Plank for the A’s. Mathewson emerged victorious with a 3-0 shutout.
The second game moved to the Polo Grounds, pitting Joe McGinnity against twenty-one year old Albert Charles “Chief” Bender. Catcher, Osse Schrecongost scored twice, and left fielder Topsy Hartsel scores once to give the A’s all the offense they needed as Bender shut the Giants out in a complete game.
Although the Giants went on to win the next three, and thus the Series, game two is memorable for being the first World Series game won by a Philadelphia team.
7. Game Three of the 1911 World Series
Game three was another tight pitchers’ duel, pitting Jack Coombs against Christy Mathewson. Going into the top of the ninth, the Giants had a 1-0 lead. Baker hit his second home run of the Series to tie the score. Coombs shut the Giants down in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Eddie Collins and Frank Baker scored in the top of the eleventh. Coombs surrendered only one in the bottom of the inning to give the A’s a 3-2 victory. Both pitchers, Coombs and Mathewson, pitched all eleven innings.
The A’s went on to win the Series in six games. Baker led the team in offense with an average of .375 and an OPS of 1.108. His two home runs at critical points in the Series during the dead ball era earned him the nickname “Home Run” Baker.
6. Game Five of the 1930 World Series
With the Series ties at two games apiece, game five took place in St. Louis
Sportsman’s Park. George Earnshaw and Burleigh Grimes were deadlocked through seven scoreless innings. Connie Mack pulled Earnshaw, sending Lefty Grove in to pitch in the eighth.
The scoreless tie was finally broken in the top of ninth. Grimes walked Mickey Cochrane. Jimmie Foxx followed up with a monster two run blast. Grove closed out the bottom of ninth to give the Athletics a 2-0 victory.
The A’s took the Series in the next game. This was the last World Championship Philadelphia would see until the Phillies won it all fifty years later.
5. Game Five of the 1910 World Series
4. Game Four of the 1929 World Series
After taking a two games to one lead in the Series, the Athletics found themselves
down 8-0 in the bottom of the seventh. The game seemed lost, until Al Simmons led off with a deep home run to left field. Then, the wheels fell of for Chicago pitcher Charlie Root. After the A’s had scored four runs, Art Nehf came in relief. Nehf promptly gave up an inside the park three run home run to Mule Haas, followed by a walk to Mickey Cochrane. Two more pitchers failed to stop the bleeding. When the dust settled, the Athletics had scored ten runs in the inning, now leading 10-8. Lefty Grove came in for relief, shutting the Cubs down for the last two innings. The Athletics now has a commanding 3-1 lead in the Series, and would take it all two days later, winning the World Championship before the Philadelphia faithful at Shibe Park.
3. Game One of the 1929 World Series
2. Game Five of the 2008 World Series
Up three games to one over Tampa Bay, the Phillies were set to take their second World Championship in the team’s 125 year history. But a dreary, cold rain was in the forecast.
The Phils started quickly, scoring runs off a Shane Victorino single. The Rays
answered in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Evan Longoria. Then the rains came down.
The ground crew did a heroic effort of trying to keep the field dry by spreading sand between the innings. But the rain kept coming.
The fifth inning ended with the Phillies up 2-1. To some fans, this meant that the game was now official, and could end with a Phillies victory. But later that night, in a press conference, Commissioner Bud Selig claimed that he had told both teams before the game that there was no way the World Series would end on a rain shortened game. It seems Selig forgot to tell this to the fans.
In the top of the sixth, with Jimmy Rollins sporting a cap that covered his ears from the cold, the Rays tied the game at two. The umpires then suspended the game, and the tarp was placed on the field.
Selig announced that the game would resume in Philadelphia when the rain stopped. Two days later, the forecast brightened, and game five resumed in the bottom of the sixth.
Jayson Werth scored Geoff Jenkins on a sacrifice fly. In the top of the seventh, Ryan Madson gave up a solo home run to Rocco Baldelli. The Phillies kept chugging along, as Pedro Feliz knocked in Eric Bruntlett, who had come in as a pinch runner for Pat Burrell. JC Romero held the Rays to no runs in the eighth. Brad Lodge topped off his perfect season with a save on the ninth. The Phillies had won their second World Championship on the only game suspended for rain in World Series History.
1. Game Six of the 1980 World Series
The 1980 World Series was a back and forth affair between two evenly matched teams. In the first five games, the margin of victory was only one or two runs. It seems Phillies fans were always on the edge of their seats.
With Steve Carlton on the mound, everything seemed to break the Phillies way. The Phillies struck first in the bottom of the third, when Mile Schmidt came to the plate with the bases loaded. He singled in Bob Boone and Lonnie Smith. Bake McBride added on in the fifth when Smith scored on a ground out. Boone gave the Phils a four run lead in the bottom of the sixth, singling in Larry Bowa.
In the eighth, Kansas City looked ready to give the Phils trouble when Carlton walked John Wathan and gave up a single to Jose Cardenal.
Dallas Green brought Tug McGraw in for relief, and the baseball gods seemed to smile on Philadelphia. Frank White popped out to Pete Rose in foul territory. After a walk to Willie Wilson, U.L. Washington scored Wathan on a sacrifice fly. Still on the edge of their seats, Phillies fans saw George Brett load the bases again with a single. But the inning ended on a Hal McRae ground out. The Phils escaped by giving up only one run.
But the Royals would not go away easily. Kansas City again loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Frank White hit a pop foul in front of the Phillies dug out. Bob Boone and Pete Rose both converged on the ball. Boone attempted to catch the ball, but it popped out of his glove. Luckily, Rose was right there to snatch the ball while it was still in the air for the second out. McGraw, in heart-thumping fashion, then struck out Willie Wilson for the final out of the Series. The city went crazy as the Phillies won their first ever World Championship in their 97 year history.
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