The Philadelphia Phillies Clinch the Division, October 4, 1980 in Montreal
In the midst of an up and down season, the Philadelphia Phillies found themselves six games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates in August of 1980. It was a critical moment in Phillies history. The Phillies had won the National League East Division in 1976, 1977 and 1978, only to lose in the first round of the playoffs. Pete Rose was signed as a free agent in 1979 to help the Phillies get over the hump, and make it to the World Series. The plan did not work in 1979, as the Phillies saw their division rivals, the Pirates, take the division, and go on to beat the Orioles in the World Series. If this crew of talented veterans was going to win it all for the City of Philadelphia, time was running short. The Phillies roared back into contention in the months of August and September. The charge was led by future Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt. But te Phillies found help from an unlikely source. September call-up, Marty Bystrom, proce...