April 26th, 1993: Philadelphia Phillies (13-4) vs San Francisco Giants (11-8)
Don’t Call it a Comeback
An Introduction…
I’m the guy that is psyched about the fact that the Phillies actually made moves with their bullpen this offseason. 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 Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers and currently* have the best record in baseball (*April 1993) at 13-4. The great start is attributed mostly to a much improved rotation and a perfectly orchestrated platoon system by third year manager Jim Fregosi. In Robert Gordon’s “Then Bowa Said to Schmidt”… The Greatest Phillies Stories Ever Told Mitch Williams is quoted as saying “ Jim Fregosi went out and got a prison squad. I never saw a manager get so much out of a group of players. No other manager could have managed that team. We didn’t have any of the premier guys in the league- at least no one that the rest of baseball recognized as marquee players. But we had guys who would do anything to win. Some of us were just, let’s just say, a bit of a challenge to manage. Fregosi knew how to handle us.”
The San Francisco Giants are still on the runway in the 1993 season, sitting at a record of 11-8, the Giants are in some sense a disappointment, but in reality are just lucky to playing in San Fran at all. After finishing 72-90 in 1992, good for 5th in the NL West, principal owner Bob Lurie, who was losing 2-7 million dollars annually, decided to sell the team to an ownership group with the intention of moving the franchise to Tampa Bay, Florida. Beyond mostly losing in the 35 years the Giants were in San Fran, the real reason for the move was that Candlestick park was a terrible place to play and no fans ever wanted to go watch the team. At the last second a San Francisco investor group led by Safeway magnate Peter Magowan bought the team from Lurie with plans to keep the Giants in San Francisco and build a vastly better ballpark. The Giants, despite losing former MVP Kevin Mitchell in 1992, still had a strong offensive club with veteran sluggers Will Clark and Matt Williams at First and Third base respectively, and decided to go out in the 92 offseason to sign (checks notes… checks notes) the greatest baseball player in the history of the sport (shut up, you know I’m right) Barry Bonds. Bonds had originally been drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 1982 amateur draft, his father Bobby Bonds had been a perennial all star for the Giants, and his godfather Willie Mays was the greatest baseball player in the history of the sport, up til Bonds, for the Giants so it seemed like a perfect match. But as rich Baseball owners are wont to do, the Giants tried to lowball Bonds with a 70,000 dollar offer to forego college, Bonds wanted 75k so he went to Arizona State and was subsequently drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bonds at this point (in 1993) has already won 2 MVP awards in his six full seasons, but has also won very few friends in the game of baseball. The Pirates beat writers voted him “Most Despised Pirate”, and after a disappointing loss in the 1992 NLCS vs the Braves, Bonds opted for free agency and signed for a then ludicrous 6 year 43.75 million dollar deal, the biggest contract in baseball.
Today’s Game:
It is Monday April 26th, 1993 and here at Veteran’s stadium it is 54 degrees and raining. For every kid who grew up in the Delaware Valley, this is the weather we associate with the worst memories of April. Where it should be warm and finally nice, it is instead windy, rainy and cold, and we’re all still forced to go outside because it’s technically Spring. Tonigh’s game started at 7:41 which is only important since the second and last game of the series tomorrow starts at 1. The television broadcast is brought to you on PRISM (stay tuned for the Shane Black classic The Last Boy Scout after the game) with Chris Wheeler all game, but Jay Johnstone and Garry Maddox help alleviate the tedium. I tend to give Wheels a lot of unfair grief in this space due to his continued presence as sage broadcaster following the deaths of Richie Ashburn and Harry Kalas, but I’ve finally put my finger on why Wheels bothers me. Wheels is the kid whose dad goes up to people and says, “My kid knows everything about baseball. Ask him anything… go ahead ask” and then they sit there until you ask and the kid does know the answer.
Watch for yourself at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblAgf_cOfk
The Line-up
CF Lenny Dykstra .
2B Mickey Morandini 6 game hitting streak
1B John Kruk
3B Dave Hollins
C Darren Daulton
RF Pete Incaviglia
LF Milt Thompson
SS Mariano Duncan
SP Ben Rivera
On the Mound:
Making his first start since April 14th is Bienvinido Rivera, who is currently for the year has a 1-1 record with a 6.48 ERA. This is only his third start of the year, but his previous effort was a nice 6 inning affair where he gave up 0 runs against the Reds while striking out 7 and walking 4. Rivera owns a pretty basic repertoire of fastball curveball, but if he is able to keep the ball down, he can be very effective.
Pitching for the San Francisco Giants is a future Phillie, a man by the name of Jeff Brantley. Brantley is a product of Mississippi State and has spent most of his career as a relief pitcher, making an All Star team in 1990. After holding Left handers to a .180 batting average in 1992, the Giants in desperate need for starting pitching decided to try Brantley out as a starter (he briefly auditioned at the end of the 92 seasons with 4 starts going 3-0 with a .44 ERA over 20.2 innings). The experiment has given the Giants some mixed results as he sits with a 1-1 record and a 3.45 ERA but 5.29 FIP over 15 innings. Brantley goes back to the bullpen after 8 more starts (not including tonight) in the 93 season never to return to the role again. In 1996, Brantley would lead the league in saves for the Cincinnati Reds, and in 1999 he would join the Philadelphia Phillies. His time in Philadelphia was terrible, to the tune of a 3-9 record 28 saves a 5.77 ERA and 5.27 FIP over two seasons (though the first season was only a month long after and injury shortened his year). Brantley is currently a broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds after a stint on Baseball Tonight for ESPN.
Highs (Hopes) and Lows
Low, low, low, all the lows- The First Five and a Half Innings
As New York Times bestselling author Shea Serano likes to remind people, “You can’t win a game seven without first losing three times.” And in that same vein, you can’t comeback from 8 runs without first giving up 8 runs. And that’s exactly what the Phillie pitchers did through the first six innings of tonight’s game in Philadelphia. As Lenny Dykstra puts it in the 1993 season video yearbook, Whatever it Takes Dude, “this was a nightmare, it was raining, and we were getting a big league butt kicking from the Giants.” Ben Rivera lasted only 2 ⅔ innings, giving up 4 runs (2 Earned) while walking 6 Giants and striking out 4 (he struck out the side in the first), relieving Rivera. Jose De Leon, didn’t do much to quell the fire by giving up 2 more runs (1 earned) with 3 more walks. On the day the Phillies pitchers would hand out 14 free passes to the Giants (1 intentional). “Everything they hit just seemed to find a hole” added Dykstra. The starting pitcher for the Giants, Jeff Brantley entered the game with two career RBIs and doubled his lifetime total with 2 more in tonight’s game with two hits of his own. The game gets so bad at one point, the person who taped the game on their vcr in 1993 starts tv surfing and misses an entire inning.
High- Bottom 6th- Let it Begin
After spotting the Giants 8 runs, the Phillies offense finally decides to get to work in the bottom of the 6th inning as career reliever Jeff Brantley faces the line-up for the third time. Morandini walks to start the inning and moves to third on a John Kruk single. Kruk is then pulled from the game with an apparent hamstring injury, but Fregosi has already used back-up 1st Baseman Ricky Jord as a pinch hitter so Jim Eisenreich (who started 14 games at first base in 1991 for the Kansas City Royals and will go on to start 19 games at first base for eventual World Series winning 1997 Florida Marlins) is pressed into service. Morandini scores on a sac fly from Dave Hollins to finally put the Phillies on the board 8-1. After a walk to Daulton, Brantley hits the showers, and the Phillies score two more runs on an Incaviglia infield single and a Mariano Duncan double narrowing the game 8-3 when Wes Chamberlain pinch hit for the relief pitcher Bob Ayrault. The resulting play would really spark the fire for the Phillies, as Wes Chamberlain hits a shot right back to the pitcher Brian Hickerson, who snags it right out of the air for the third out of the inning. In an outburst of emotion, Hickerson spiked the ball onto the ground, and that really pissed off the Phillies.
“That was the wake-up call we needed” says Dykstra in Whatever it Takes Dude. Milt Thompson is quoted in William Kashatus’ Macho Row “I’ve never seen anything like that before. It ticked us off. And fired us up. We were destined to win after that.” The remaining Phillie fans, of the announced 17,000 who showed up for a cold rainy baseball game, decide to chant “Ass-Hole Ass-Hole Ass-hole” at Hickerson to end the 6th.
High- Top 7th- Fregosi Playing Chess.
With the Phillies now trailing 5 runs in the 7th inning, Jim Fregosi makes a move that very few managers would make. With a Giant on third and two outs, Phillies’ reliever Mark Davis is facing off with GOAT Barry Bonds at the plate. For the season Bonds is batting .414 and is leading so many categories its humorous hearing Jay Johnstone list them all off. He hit a home run in his first game for the Giants and (spoilers) would win his third MVP in seven seasons when the year is all said and done. Fregosi intentionally walks Bonds (his fourth walk on the day btw), while down 5 runs with two outs. Larry Andersen said about the move in More Than Beards Bellies and Biceps "To me as a player, that move was a message. That's what we mean about being 'old-school,' a throwback team. We were trying to beat you right till the last out." This is the kind of stuff that Joe Maddon gets called a genius for day in and day out. I laughed so hard watching and Fregosi laughed (inside probably) when Davis retired Jeff Reed to end the inning. Fregosi would tell the media, "We still had a chance to win the game. It wasn't over."
High- Bottom 7th- Inch by Inch
New First Basemen Jim Eisenreich knocks home Lenny Dyskstra to make it 8-4, before the Giants decide to give out back to back walks to Dave Hollins and Darren Daulton to load the bases for Pete Incaviglia. It’s at this point (about 3 and a half hours of drinking into the game) that the Philly fans start to get really loud, and Incaviglia hits a tapper to 2nd baseman which promptly get thrown away for an error by Mike Benjamin to make it 8-5.
I should note that Wheel’s tv broadcast call of “Tapper to second and Benjamin BOOTS it and Incaviglia is safe!” is probably his best call of his career, and in fact this entire game he’s pretty great (which takes a lot for me to say). Thompson follows up with a two RBI single up the middle (just past the pitcher’s glove) to tighten the score 8-7.
Low, but saved- Dave Hollins
Dave Hollins develops the yips in front of our very eyes in this game. After only committing 1 error in his last 51 games dating back to the 1992 season, Hollins commits 3 errors in this game, all throwing. His first comes after a nice stop, but he attempts to throw off balance to 2nd base and throws it into left field, his next comes when he’s thinking about a throw and the ball pops out of his glove. Further, Hollins gets so far into his own head (which is suiting given his nickname as “Headley” or “Head” for being a headcase), that he hesitates on an easy throw to second on a play which makes it impossible for Morandini to turn a double play. Now with Eisenreich at first base, Hollins is throwing the ball all over the place, Johnstone comments on Hollins’ throws, “Well at least (Hollins)’s is consistent he hasn’t had a good throw yet.” Eisenriech though is proving up to the task with some great snags, but after Hollins gains his third error of the game, the Giants have two guys on with Darren Lewis at the plate. What follows is that David West hits Darren Lewis. 100 percent, no doubt about it, David West hits Darren Lewis with a pitch.
Except… home plate umpire Randy Marsh (who may or may not have been the reasoning behind the name of the father of South Park character Stan Marsh) called it foul ball. David West then struck our Darren Lewis to end the inning. 8-7 GIANTS
HIGH- Bottom 8- Tying Time.
With one out in the bottom of the 8th inning, Mickey Morandini “scoots” a ball into the right field gap for a triple to bring up Jim Eisenriech. Eisie had entered the game as a pinch runner in the 6th and delivered already with a rbi single in the 7th, and now comes to the plate as the go ahead run in the 8th. In the Phillies Clubhouse, the injured John Kruk is drinking beer and watching the game from the video room, and thankfully being filmed by Video Dan Stephenson who had the foreknowledge to grab a camera while Kruk was drinking. “I’m telling ya, Eisie is going to get another knock (RBI) and I’ll never fucking play again.” He is recorded as saying for Whatever it Takes Dude.
Eisie knocks in Morandini to tie the game at 8-8.
Wild Rides
Tied at 8-8, Fregosi decides to stick with David West for a second inning as Mitch Williams warms up in the bullpen. West starts the inning with a walk but retired Matt Williams on a grounder before striking out Barry Bonds on three pitches for out number 2. Bonds ends his night going 0-2 with 2 strike outs and 4 walks. West then gives up another walk, the 13th and final walk of game given up by Phillies pitchers, before getting Royce Clayton to strike out to end the top of the 9th.
The Giants counter with the pitching version of John Kruk also known as Rod Beck. Beck along with Mitch Williams are the inspiration for Kenny Powers in Eastbound and Down played by Danny McBride, a mullet wearing, slightly overweight fireballer, Beck would make 3 all star teams in his career and finish top 10 in saves in 9 seasons, ending his career in 2004 a year after winning Comeback Player of the Year for the Padres in 2003. Beck would die of a cocaine and heroine overdose in 2007. Tonight though, Beck’s signature forkball completely flummoxes the Phillies hitters as he strikes out 4 of the 5 guys he faces and gets out of the 9th inning unscathed.
Extra Wild Rides
In the 10th inning with the game still tied, Fregosi opts to go with 39 year old Larry Andersen instead of Mitch Williams, who after warming up, joins John Kruk in the video room. Larry gets a pop up before allowing a single, and then strikes out the next two Giants to end the 10th leaving the game still tied.
Defensive replacement Juan Bell leads off the 10th and works a walk to get on base. Following back to back to pop ups by Dykstra and Morandini, once again Jim Eisenreich comes up to bat in a pressure situation. Eisie grounds a ball into the gap between short stop and 3rd base, but its fielded by Royce Clayton who tries to make a play at second, but like Dave Hollins earlier, throws the ball away allowing Bell to advance to 3rd and Eisenreich to 2nd.
In the video room, Mitch Williams tells the camera, “If it’s a wild pitch… we win”,
and Giants pitcher Gino Minutelli obliges the Wild Thing and throws a wild pitch allowing Juan Bell to score and the Phillies to win on a walk-off.
Final: Philadelphia Phillies 9 (14-4) San Francisco Giants 8 (11-9)
Words of Wisdom from Wheels, Jay, and Garry
“Fans haven’t had much chance to boo this year, so some are taking advantage” -Wheels as Ben Rivera is being removed from the game.
“Daulton can’t hit a 7 run home run hear so he’ll probably take one here”- Garry Maddox weighing the odds of Daulton taking a 3-0 pitch while the Phillies are down 8-1.
“You know what he would do. The next day he’d throw. A day after going 9, he would long toss right in front of you” Garry Maddox telling stories about how Steve Carlton was a machine of a human being.
“He plays so shallow and he’s so good” Wheels is talking about Barry Bonds here, and reading the quote does not do justice to how good Bonds is.
Final Conclusions
The Phillies complete a huge comeback against the San Francisco Giants, thanks mostly to Jim Eisenreich. In Kruk's book he writes about this game, 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. Join me next time as the Phillies head to the west coast to play a quick two game series against the San Diego Padres.
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