April 24rd, 1993: Philadelphia Phillies (11-4) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (6-11)
Inky and The Brain
An Introduction…
I’m the guy who got Mitch Williams autograph after an Atlantic City Surf game in which he and Pete Incaviglia were thrown out for arguing with the ump. 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)
After losing 2 in a row for the first time all season, the Philadelphia Phillies have won 3 of their last 4 and sit atop the NL East by 1.5 games over the Montreal Expos with a record of 11-4. The 92 Phillies didn’t win their eleventh game till May 3rd, they haven’t been above .500 this far into a season (yes it’s April) since 1990. The Phillies haven’t been in first place this late into a season since 1989 when they were 10-9 on April 25th and up half a game in the East, before losing 16 of their next 24 and cozily placing themselves into the last place cellar.
The 1993 Los Angeles Dodgers are just 5 years removed from winning the World Series against the Oakland A’s (The Kurt Gibson home run), but most of the players from that championship season have since departed. They currently have a record of 6-11, but on the roster still have ace Orel Hershiser from the 88’ team, as well as 1992 Rookie of the year Eric Karros “a good looking young player” says Harry Kalas. The once stalwart leaders of the NL West have fallen on hard times for the first time since Tommy LaSorda took the manager job in 1979. The 92 Dodgers were the first team in their franchise’s (then) 87 year history to finish in last place with a dismal record of 63-99. To add injury to insult, due to an anarchic rule that said the worst place teams from the AL and NL would alternate who got first pick in the draft by year, no matter the records, the Mariners (64-98) won the first overall choice and selected an itty bitty baby of a shortstop named Alex Rodriguez. The Dodgers would take Darren Dreifort second, whose biggest claim to fame was being one of the first clients (that I could find) in which Scott Boras was able to make a ridiculous amount of money despite a complete lack of talent. After being injured or ineffective for a majority of his first six seasons in the majors (94-00) accumulating a 39-45 record, 4+ ERA and FIP, over 670+ innings, Boras was able to convince the Dodgers to give Dreifort a 5 year 55 million dollar deal (which per year is what former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber will be making this year with the New York Yankees). Dreifort would pitch 200 more ineffective innings (3.0 WAR combined) for the Dodgers, mostly in the bullpen, before retiring at the age of 32.
Today’s Game:
It is Saturday April 24th, 1993 at the Broad and Passyunk stop of the Philadelphia subway, known colloquially as the Vet. Today’s television broadcast is brought to you on WPHL-17 with hall of farmers Harry Kalas and Richie “Whitey” Ashburn for the majority of the game, and Chris Wheeler thrown in for fun. A big crowd on hand for the night game, but even more are expected tomorrow with the Phanatic’s birthday celebration. Harry Kalas at one point mentions a disastrous promotional event at the Vet from the past to which he refers to as “the highest jumping Easter Bunny.” Despite deep research on your intrepid blogger’s part, very little could be found on the event (not even the year), only Larry Shenk’s biography If These Walls Could Talk mentions the catastrophe in passing, “ I laughed when the Easter Bunny tried to take a hot air balloon out of here”. So supposedly what happened is that the Phillies promotional staff (led by Bill Giles) dressed some poor bastard named Paul Callahan up in an Easter Bunny costume and they were going to put them in a hot air balloon and launch the balloon out of the Vet and land it in the parking lot, calling it the “highest jumping Easter Bunny”. Yet what occurred was the hot air balloon not being able to take off due to cross winds inside the giant toilet bowl that is the Vet, and the Phille fans in attendance booing the Easter Bunny for his failure. I love this team and city so much. Amazing this doesn’t come up in the same breath as “boo-ed Santa”.
Watch for yourself at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGvvT_b_0OY
The Line-up
CF Lenny Dykstra
2B Mickey Morandini
1B John Kruk
3B Dave Hollins
RF Wes Chamberlain
LF Pete Incaviglia
SS Mariano Duncan
C Todd Pratt
SP Danny Jackson
On the Mound:
Danny Jackson takes the ball for the Philadelphia Phillies today, he’s coming off a decent start in Chicago where he went 6 ⅔ while giving up 2 runs, 5 hits, and 4 walks (2 HBP). The former number 1 overall pick in the 1982 secondary draft currently holds a 0-0 record with a 4.26 era, but more importantly as to why they got Jackson, he’s pitched 19 of 27 possible innings and has given the Phillies two Quality Starts. In 1994, Jackson would have an even better year personally, going 14-6 during the strike shortened season gaining his second All Star appearance, and garnering a 6th place showing in NL Cy Young voting. Jackson would turn that success into 3 year 10.9 million dollar contract with the St. Louis Cardinals where he went 4-15 over 3 years before being traded to the Padres in mid-June of 1997 (in a deal that included Fernando Valenzuala of all people). He’d finish the 97 season (and his career) in San Diego going 1-7 with a 5.86 FIP. For his career Jackson would play in 4 Championship series, 3 World Series (winning 2), twice be in the top 6 of Cy Young voting, and pitched the only immaculate inning (9 pitches 9 strikes,3 K's) in World Series history. He won 112 games and struck out 1225 professional baseball players, while accumulating 17.1 WAR.
Pitching this evening for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is former Philadelphia Phillie, Kevin Gross, who at the moment (in 1993) holds a lifetime 100-115 record for his career. In 1992, he went 9-13 with the Dodgers but more importantly Gross threw the only no-hitter in the entire 1992 season against the San Francisco Giants. To double up on the Fernando Valenzuala fun facts, he and Gross are the only pitchers to start against each other and hit home runs off each other in the same inning. Gross first broke into the majors starting 17 games for the 1983 NL champion Philadelphia Phillies affectionately known as the Wheeze Kids (he did not make the postseason roster). His best year came in 1988, when he was named to his only All Star roster, and went 12-14 with a 3.68 FIP for the Phightins. He was traded for Jeff Parrett after the 88 season, Parrett would have a great season for the Phillies in 1989 going 12-6 with a 2.98 FIP which made him a trade asset for the Phillies who exchanged Parrett with the Braves for Dale Murphy and a player to be named later. That player… Tommy Greene.
Highs (Hopes) and Lows
Low then High- First Inning- Wes Chamberlain
The youtube video of this games starts in the bottom of the first, with the Phillies already down 1 to nothing. The run came after two singles and a throwing error from Pete Incaviglia. The Phils though answer back in the bottom of the first with a 2 out single by Wes Chamberlain. Chamberlain, batting 5th today with Darren Daulton taking his first off day of the season, is in his third full season in the majors after being drafted in the fourth round in 1987 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wes was expected to be one of the young prospects to help relief the veteran team after finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1991. Fregosi has been giving a majority of the starting time to Chamberlain so far this year (despite the plan of platoonings) as Wes has started 12 of the 16 games so far this season in right field. Incaviglia follows up with a single of his own to make amends for his error and take the lead 2-1 PHILLIES.
Low- Bottom 2- Wallach ties it up
Despite finishing in last place in 1992, the Los Angeles Dodgers did very little in the offseason to improve their roster, hoping instead their young prospects would lead them back to a championship (only took 27 years). One of the few moves they did make was to trade for Tim Wallach (on Christmas Eve), a former five time all star for the Montreal Expos, it has not panned out well for the Dodgers, coming into the game Wallach is batting .133. This of course means nothing as he smashes a Danny Jackson curveball over the wall to make it 2-2. Jackson then loads the bases with 1 out before ending the threat with a 1-2-3 double play.
High- Bottom Second- Mickey Comes Through
With two on and two out, Mickey Morandini hits a single up the middle to score Mariano Duncan to take the lead. Mickey, like Wes, is also an integral youthful cog in the Phillies machine, which is great to see succeed in important situations. Harry Kalas’ call on the play of “It has eyes!” Is a prime example of what made Kalas so special as a baseball broadcaster. Like other greats, Phil Rizzuto or Vin Scully, Kalas had the vocal range to both put great gravitas to situations, but also to react with unencumbered joy. Baseball is known as a child’s game played by adults, and Kalas was beautifully able to bring a child like enthusiasm to every great play and game. I miss him so much. 3-2 PHILLIES.
High- Bottom 3rd Inning- Philadelphia meet Pete
One of the great folk heroes of the Philadelphia Phillies was Greg “The Bull” Luzinski, a bulking outfielder well known for his strength. Luzinski was an integral piece to the great Phillies teams of the 1970’s as well as the World Champion 1980 Phillies. The Bull was well loved by the Phille Phaithful for his ability to hit gargantuan home runs and .300 despite frequent strike outs. Pete Incaviglia was brought to the Phillies to do the exact same thing, the 6’1” 220+ outfielder looked more like a mob enforcer in The Sopranos then a baseball player (Tony Soprano played baseball, and his Uncle Junior always said he had the talent to make it, sliding doors), but early in the season, it’s not going great. On the season “Inky” is batting .185 with a .216 OBP, his only home run came on the second game of the season and occurred in Houston, away from Phillie fans. After an early error led to a run by the Dodgers, Incaviglia re introduces himself with a rocket home run, to which Wheels comments, “Phillies fans are going to like him.” 4-2 PHILLIES
HIGH- Bottom 6th- Tacking On
Mike Piazza hit a sacrifice in the top of the 6th to make it 4-3, but the Phillies go to work in the bottom of the sixth with the help of the Dodgers. First Chamberlain reaches on an error (he comes up limping and is subbed out for Eisenreich), then Incaviglia singles in Eisie due to another throwing error. Inky ends up 3-3 with a HR and 2 RBIS for the day raising his batting average to .258 in one day. Todd Pratt follows up with his first RBI on the season hitting a ground rule double to score Incaviglia to bring the score to 6-3 PHILLIES.
Wild Rides
Eisenreich would add another run in the bottom of the 8th with an RBI triple which makes it 7-3 and a moot point for Manager Jim Fregosi to bring in Mtch Williams if not a save situation (even though he’s already warmed up). Danny Jackson went 7 innings while scattering 8 hits and giving up 3 runs (2 earned) with 4 strikeouts for his 3rd quality start of the season. With Tommy Greene and Curt Schilling thriving in the early goings, Jackson has been able to quietly transition from decent number 2 starter to best number 4 starter in the National League. He’s like the Anti-Jake Arrietta. Larry Andersen pitched an easy 1-2-3 eighth inning which garners enough trust from Fregosi to send LA out for the 9th. This won’t be the last time that Fregosi decides to trust a pitcher to go an extra inning, and for the most part it works out for the skipper. Andersen is able to retire two Dodgers in the 9th but also gives up 2 singles, the second of which brings out Fregosi to call on The Wild Thing (now that it is a save situation). Mitch starts off with a near wild pitch nowhere close to the plate that Pratt luckily grabs, the second pitch is a perfect strike down the middle. This is vintage Mitch Williams. After working a full count, Williams is able to coerce a fly ball to the shortstop to end the game. Phillies win.
Final: Philadelphia Phillies 7 (12-4) Los Angeles Dodgers 3 (6-12)
Words of Wisdom from Harry and Whitey
“Phanatic Birthday tomorrow”- Wheels.
“I’ll tell you the one person in this stadium most excited by that… Tom LaSorda”- Whitey. If you haven’t read the cute little write-up MLB.com did after LaSorda’s death about the relationship between Tommy and the Phanatic. Do so now.
“Kruk looks hitterish”- Whitey.
“The difference is that I threw a strike”- Harry. Harry and Wheels both threw out ceremonial first pitches at Little League today, Harry needs Wheels to know he’s better than him.
Final Conclusions
Danny Jackson continues to put quality into quality stats, and Phillie fans get their first glimpse at Pete Incvaiglia, as the Phillies take the second game of the series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. 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 goes for the sweep on the Phanatic’s birthday with Tommy Greene on the mound, and I finally write a proper Eulogy for the great Tommy LaSorda
No comments:
Post a Comment