The Philadelphia Phillies rivalry against the New York Mets has taken many turns over the years. Both teams have gotten the best of each other over the years and various players have worn each uniform. With a wide variety of memories, let's reflect on just a few.
In 2007, the Phillies won the National League East by one game. They came from well behind and moved into first place late in the season, causing what some called a collapse. That effort earned the Phillies their first playoff birth since former Met Lenny Dykstra helped lead Macho Row to the 1993 World Series.
Darren Daulton, Dave Hollins, Pete Incaviglia, John Kruk and Mitch Williams were all part of a rugged group that stunned the baseball world during a much different Phillies era. The Mets won 59 games that season, finishing 38 games out in dead last place. That was also the last year each league had two divisions.
Since then, Kruk, Williams and Daulton have become media analysts. Hollins is a scout. Incaviglia has been the manager of the Grand Prairie Air Hogs, in an Independent League in Texas, since their inaugural season in 2008. Dykstra's most recent claim to fame has been to befriend a "Dude" by the name of Charlie Sheen.
In sports like football, basketball and hockey scoring creates a change in possession. Not so in baseball, as a team is able to score until that third out is finally made. And that is exactly what happened on June 11, 1985, when John Felske's Phillies beat Davey Johnson's Mets squad 26-7.
The Phillies scored nine runs in the bottom of the first. Von Hayes led the onslaught in that inning with two homeruns, including a grand slam, and had six RBI's. That performance made him only the second Phillies player ever to homer twice in one inning. The other was Andy Seminick in 1949.
Tom Gorman didn't make it out of the first for the Mets, yielding 6 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning. Calvin Shiraldi "relieved him" and gave up 10 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Third baseman Rick Schu had four hits in the game. The person he was considered to be the heir apparent for, Mike Schmidt, was playing first base that night and went 2-2. Phillies new third base coach, Juan Samuel, played at second base and had five hits. Even though he surrendered six earned runs in five innings, Charles Hudson got the win for Philadelphia.
The Mets won 98 games that season, but finish three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies won 75 games and finished 26 games back. The win totals for each team during that 1985 season might be exchanged by the end of this 2011 season. Regardless of how the season ends, these two franchises are sure to continue to battle each other along the way.
Growing up in the Philadelphia region during the late 1970s and early 1980s naturally enabled everyone to become Phillies fans. My friends and I learned the game on little league fields, through trading cards, and by playing APBA. That era became an important part of our young lives. This new golden era has sparked a resurgence of baseball passion in everyone who never forgot the feeling of those old school days.