April 16th, 1993: Philadelphia Phillies (8-1) at Chicago Cubs (4-5)
LeFebrve for more Cowbell
An Introduction…
I’m the guy who legitimately feels jipped by not being alive to root for an NL Champion Phillies team whose average age was 36 (RIP Joe Morgan). It’s crazy, but the Major League Baseball season was actually played in 2020, and the Phillies have done everything they could do to try to ruin my fanhood. So I’ve decided once more to go back in time and revisit the greatest season of baseball of my childhood, the 1993 Phillies. Thanks to the internet and more specifically the saint who runs the ClassicPhilliesTV youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWb6dGkCnKBlrQLJAjZ-4-w), I’m going back and watching every 1993 Phillies I can find just like if it was 27 years ago (but with the internet)... Previously I attempted to go day for day with every Phillies game in the month of June, which was a bold idea but proved to be futile. Now the plan is to start from the beginning of the season and attempt 1-2 game recaps per week until we get to game 5 of the 1993 World series and then decide if I really want to torture myself with game 6. Come along for the ride to reminisce about the legends of John Kruk, Mitch Williams, and Darren Daulton, to mix the knowledge we have now, with jokes of how dumb things were then.
Where We Last Left Our Intrepid Heroes (and Villains)
The Phillies currently stand with a record of 8-1 which equals the best start in the (then) 110 year history of the team, matching the 1915 NL Champion Phillies (Whose four outfielders first names were, Dode, Beals, Possum, and Gavvy). They just finished sweeping the Cincinnati Reds and are starting a three game set at the friendly confines of Wrigley Stadium. Their third year manager, Jim Fregosi is using three platoons and depending on veteran leadership to help bring his team to the World Series. Fregosi was a 6 time all-star shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels and when asked by Tommy LaSorda one time if Fregosi ever faced LaSorda, Fregosi replied “No Tommy, that’s because I was in the majors … YOU were pitching in the minors.”
The Chicago Cubs are currently 4-5 but four of their losses were one run games. They have also handed the Phillies their only loss on the season in an 11-7 slugfest. The 1992 offseason has left the Cubs without number 1 starter and future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux and their number 1 slugger and future Hall of Famer Andre Daweson. Both departed the Windy City without even getting an offer from a penny pinching Cubs ownership group. Now to start the season, future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is on the injured list, and the pitching staff has been lackluster. Their second year coach Jim Lefebrve (pronounced Le Fever) is optimistic though, telling Sports Illustrated “Not signing Maddux and Dawson was a blessing”, for he has great hopes for newcomers Willie Wilson (the strike out victim of Tug McGraw in the 1980 World Series) and Candy Maldonado, but also has great faith in young outfielder Sammy Sosa to step up in Dawson’s absence. SI’s 1993 season preview also mentions that Lefebrve is “Baseball’s first New Age manager” without actually mentioning in what way he is other than the he didn’t hire coaches he hired co-ordinators. Some research brings up that Lefebrve was a hot name in coaching circles in the mid 80’s after being on the bench with Tommy LaSorda in Los Angeles and Tony LaRussa in Oakland. After playing for the Dodgers, Lefebrve spent some time in the far east playing in Japan where he befriended home run king Sadaharu Oh and studied Zen with him, before returning to America and becoming a hitting guru. Lefebrve would get his first shot as coach of the Seattle Mariners before not getting re-signed and heading to Chicago. Despite finishing above .500 in both 1992 and 1993 Lefebrve would again not be retained and would only coach one more season in professional baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1998. According to an Los Angeles Times article about his hiring in Seattle, Lefebrve is the best managerial prospect since “Bobby Valentine” and is exceptional in that he actually talks to players about themselves. According to one relief pitcher, “(Lefebrve)’s talked to me more in two weeks than (former manager) Dick Williams did in two years”. The article also describes Lefebrve’s exit from LaSorda’s good graces (and hitting coach position) when LaSorda believed Lefebrve was going directly to ownership to try to take LaSorda’s job. Lefebrve thought that LaSorda was being paranoid and that LaSorda was telling hitters to ignore Lefebrve’s advice. This all came to a head in the parking lot of a Los Angeles Sports talk show, and ended when Lefebrve punched Tommy LaSorda and split his lip. LaSorda would tell the press he was sucker punched, Lefebrve agreed and said, “He’s right. It was the sucker who got punched”.
Today’s Game:
It is Friday April 16th, 1993, in the Windy City of Chicago at the perennial home of the Cubs, Old Wrigley Stadium. At time of starting pitch the temperature is a balmy 44 with a wind chill that takes the tempertature all the way down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s important to note at this juncture that Chicago, while quite windy, was not called “the Windy City” because of weather patterns but because it was so politically corrupt. Today’s game is on Sportschannel (an offshoot of Prism) which means our hosts for all nine innings are the venerable Andy Musser and former relief pitcher Kent “Tek” Tekulve.
Watch for yourself at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGWoiuwfC90
The Line-up
CF Lenny Dykstra
2B Mickey Morandini
1B John Kruk
3B Dave Hollins
C Darren Daulton
LF Milt Thompson
RF Wes Chamberlain
SS Juan Bell
SP Terry Mullholland
On the Mound:
For the visiting team, Terry Mulholland takes the mound coming off two starts where he gave up a combined 1 run in 17.2 innings. Terry was a first round draft pick in 1983 to the San Francisco Giants after an exemplary career at Marietta College in Ohio. Later in life mulholland bought Marietta’s baseball field a new lighting system and the College named the street on which the field sits, Mulholland Drive (no correlation with the David Lynch film).
Pitching for the home team is Mike Morgan who currently sits at 0-2 for the year with a 3.29 ERA and as of 1993 has a lifetime career of 83-114. A former 1st round pick (4th overall) of the Oakland A’s in 1979, Morgan was fast tracked to the majors as an 18 year old where he was unsurprisingly trounced to the tune of 2-13 record over 90 innings with a 6.15 era and a 5.56 FIP. He would then spend three years seasoning in the minors before returning to become the quintessential journey man starter nicknamed “The Nomad”. Morgan would retire in 2004 while playing for a then record 12 Major League Baseball teams. He made one all star team as a starter for the 1991 Los Angeles Dodgers which coincidentally was his first winning season as well. In 2001, along with 93 Phillie Curt Schilling, Morgan would win the World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a relief pitcher. In the 7 game series, Morgan pitched 4 ⅔ innings without giving up a run to the New York Yankees.
Highs (Hopes) and Lows
Low- Top 1st- Leaving men on.
The offense starts as it typically does through the first 9 games of the season, with the Phillies loading the bases with a John Kruk double and walks to Dave Hollins and Darren Daulton. Yet, uncharacteristically for the men in red, they are unable to take advantage of the situation when Milt Thompson grounds out to the pitcher leaving the game scoreless.
Low- Bottom 1st- Early Holes
Mulholland is coming off back to back gems and is the early leader in every pitching category in the NL, but as with the Phillies Offense in the first inning, Mulholland also uncharacteristically falters in the first inning. After giving up two dinkers to the Cubs lead off hitters (one of which should have been a fielder’s choice if not for Juan Bell), Mark Grace smashes a double down the first base line off of Kruk’s glove to score two runs.
 |
| So close |
Grace is knocked in a batter later on another dinker that barely finds a hole between short and 3rd. 3-0 Cubs.
High and Lows- 2nd through 7th inning- Cruising
Following a very active first inning, both starting pitchers decide to put their respective cars int cruise control. Morgan would give up 2 hits and a walk in 59 pitches (after 21 in the first inning) silencing what has been one of the most potent line-ups in the NL. Mulholland would equal Morgan for the most part scattering 5 hits and 3 walks without giving up another run before making way for Mark Davis. 3-0 Cubs.
High- Top 8th- Close but no cigar
After finally getting Mike Morgan sent to the bench following a Lenny Dysktra single, the Phillies try to make their move. A Kruk single moves Dykstra to third, and Dave Hollins knocks in Nails in the next at bat to narrow it 3-1.
Daulton does his part with another single to load the bases once again for the Phillies, but for the second time today, the Phillies can do nothing in the situation and the rally is ended with a fly out from Eisenreich and a ground out from Wes Chamberlain. 3-1 Cubs
Wild Rides
The ride starts wild with a pinch hit double by back-up catcher Todd Pratt in his first at-bat of the season. The Phillies are then retired promptly with a strikeout to Pete Incavigla, a pop up from Lenny Dyskstra and a final strike out to Mickey Morandini to end the game 3-1. The Chicago Cubs Closer Randy Myers was 6 for 6 in save opportunities against the Phillies in 1992 and continues his dominance today.
Final: Philadelphia Phillies 1 (8-2) Chicago Cubs 3 (5-5)
Words of Wisdom for Andy and Tek
“According to our good friend Whitey Ashburn, that ivy doesn’t help a whole lot, even in July” - Andy Musser, discussing with Tek how much it hurts when you go run into the Wrigley Field wall which is made of brick. The idea being that the vines are just as good as padding, but it’s still winter in Chicago and there is no ivy.
“The writers down in Jim’s office this morning and asked ‘Jim how are you getting Mitch to do what he’s doing’ and Jim goes ‘shhhh’” - Tek, if Mitch Williams is rolling, no one mess with him.
“Todd Pratt got on the bus in a short sleeve shirt today… that’s a man that forgot to pack!”- Andy Musser
“Look at Lenny”- Musser
“Lenny saying that one was high” -Tek
“I believe those umpires would prefer Lenny didn’t exactly”- Musser
“Yeah usually those hand gestures aren’t really high on things they want to see you do up there” -Tek. Dykstra did not agree with a call in the ninth and visually made the ump aware of it. According to Macho Row Lenny would intimidate umps into giving him a better strike zone by blackmailing them about gambling? So I’m going to keep an eye on these situations, but mostly in my opinion Lenny was just a dick.
Final Conclusions
The Cubs put away the Phils 3-1 after a fluky first inning and a strong outing from “The Nomad” The Cubs remain the only team to beat the Phillies in the 1993 season. If you enjoyed this wonderful blast from the past please feel free to share, like, or comment on it. The hope is to have more people watching 93 Phillies games on youtube and talking about it. So hit me up @Kevin_Seamus on twitter or @loudphilliesguy on Instagram. The Phillies look to split the series tomorrow in Chicago as Jose Guzman takes on Curt Schilling.
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