1989 Philadelphia Phillies season
Encyclopedia
The 1989 season was the Phillies 107th season. The Phillies finished in 6th place in the National League East
for the second consecutive season. It would also be Mike Schmidt
's final season.
, on May 29. Known as "Captain Cool" by many in Philadelphia sports circles, Schmidt surprised many with an emotional, and occasionally tearful, retirement speech. In honor of his career, fans voted Schmidt to the NL All-Star team
; Schmidt declined to play but was announced with the team. His last game was May 28, 1989 against the San Francisco Giants
.
On June 8, 1989, Steve Jeltz
hit two of his five career home runs in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates
, despite not starting the game. A switch-hitter, Jeltz hit one of these homers from the right side of the plate and one from the left side. This was the first time in the history of the Phillies that this feat had been accomplished. It was in this same game that, after the Pirates scored 10 runs in the top of the first, Pirate broadcaster Jim Rooker
said on-air, "If we lose this game, I'll walk home." The Phillies came back to win 15-11, and after the season Rooker conducted a 300-mile charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
for the second consecutive season. It would also be Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....
's final season.
Offseason
- October 24, 1988: Shane RawleyShane RawleyShane William Rawley is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from 1978 through 1989, for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Minnesota Twins.Rawley was selected to the National League All-Star team in 1986 as...
and cash were traded by the Phillies to the Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
for Tom NietoTom NietoThomas Andrew Nieto is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former manager of the Rochester Red Wings, the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Nieto previously served as the New York Mets' bench coach and catching instructor. A native of Downey, California, Nieto attended Oral Roberts...
, Eric BullockEric BullockEric Gerald Bullock is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos from 1985 to 1992.-External links:...
and Tom HerrTom HerrThomas Mitchell Herr is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1979 to 1991 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets...
. - December 7, 1988: Kent TekulveKent TekulveKenton Charles Tekulve is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched for three different teams, but spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates...
was released by the Philadelphia Phillies. - December 7, 1988: Greg A. HarrisGreg A. HarrisGreg Allen Harris is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees from 1981 to 1995. Harris pitched in 703 games in his career, starting 98...
was signed as a Free Agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. - December 8, 1988: Phil BradleyPhil BradleyPhilip Poole Bradley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder/designated hitter with an 8 year career from to . He played for the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox of the American League and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. He was elected to the American...
was traded by the Phillies to the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for Gordon DillardGordon DillardGordon Lee Dillard is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched parts of the and seasons in the majors, for the Baltimore Orioles in 1988 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989.-External links:...
and Ken HowellKen HowellKenneth Howell, Jr. , is a former professional baseball player.Howell was born in Detroit, Michigan, and pitched in the Major Leagues from 1984-90...
. - December 16, 1988: Milt Thompson was traded by the Phillies to the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for Steve LakeSteve LakeSteven "Steve" Michael Lake batted and threw right-handed, and is a former professional baseball backup catcher. He played Major League Baseball from 1983-93 for the following teams: Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, and finishing his career with the Cubs...
and Curt FordCurt FordCurtis Glenn Ford , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues from 1985-1990. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies...
. - January 11, 1989: Steve StanicekSteve StanicekStephen Blair Stanicek is a former Major League Baseball player. He played parts of two seasons in the majors, for the Milwaukee Brewers and for the Philadelphia Phillies. He played 13 games, twelve as a pinch hitter and one as a designated hitter.Steve is the brother of fellow former major...
was signed as a free agent by the Phillies.
Regular season
Injuries to Mike Schmidt's knees and back caused him to miss much of the season. After a poor start to the season, Schmidt chose to suddenly announce his retirement in San DiegoSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on May 29. Known as "Captain Cool" by many in Philadelphia sports circles, Schmidt surprised many with an emotional, and occasionally tearful, retirement speech. In honor of his career, fans voted Schmidt to the NL All-Star team
1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1989 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 60th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 11, 1989 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California, the home of...
; Schmidt declined to play but was announced with the team. His last game was May 28, 1989 against the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
On June 8, 1989, Steve Jeltz
Steve Jeltz
Larry Steven Jeltz is a former professional baseball player. He played in parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies and Kansas City Royals...
hit two of his five career home runs in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, despite not starting the game. A switch-hitter, Jeltz hit one of these homers from the right side of the plate and one from the left side. This was the first time in the history of the Phillies that this feat had been accomplished. It was in this same game that, after the Pirates scored 10 runs in the top of the first, Pirate broadcaster Jim Rooker
Jim Rooker
James Phillip Rooker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and broadcaster.A left-hander, Rooker pitched for the Detroit Tigers , Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates ....
said on-air, "If we lose this game, I'll walk home." The Phillies came back to win 15-11, and after the season Rooker conducted a 300-mile charity walk from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.
 Steve Carlton Steve Carlton Steven Norman Carlton , nicknamed "Lefty", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched from 1965-1988 for six different teams in his career, but it is his time with the Philadelphia Phillies where he received his greatest acclaim as a professional and won four Cy Young Awards... LHP Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the... Retired 1989 |
Notable transactions
- June 1, 1989: Shane TurnerShane TurnerShane Lee Turner is a former professional baseball player. He played in parts of three seasons in the Major League Baseball for three different teams....
was traded by the Phillies to the Baltimore OriolesBaltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for John Posey (minors). - June 2, 1989: Chris JamesChris JamesDonald Chris James was a utility Major League Baseball player with a 10 year career from 1986 to 1995. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros all of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and...
was traded by the Phillies to the San Diego PadresSan Diego PadresThe San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for John KrukJohn KrukJohn Martin Kruk is a former Major League Baseball player and current baseball analyst for ESPN.-Early life and career:...
and Randy ReadyRandy ReadyRandall Max Ready , is a former professional baseball player and was the hitting coach for the San Diego Padres. Ready played in the major Leagues primarily as a utility player from to . He also played one season in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines in...
. - June 18, 1989: Juan SamuelJuan SamuelJuan Milton Samuel is a retired second baseman who spent sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies , New York Mets , Los Angeles Dodgers , Kansas City Royals , Cincinnati Reds , Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays...
was traded by the Phillies to the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
for Lenny DykstraLenny DykstraLeonard Kyle "Lenny" Dykstra , nicknamed "Nails" and "Dude", is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets during the late 1980s before playing for the Philadelphia Phillies during the early 1990s....
, Roger McDowellRoger McDowellRoger Alan McDowell is the pitching coach of the Atlanta Braves and was a right-handed relief pitcher for twelve seasons in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1996. He played for the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League and the Texas Rangers and...
and a player to be named later. The Mets completed the trade by sending Tom EdensTom EdensThomas Patrick Edens is a former Major League Baseball player. Edens was drafted 14th overall by the Kansas City Royals in 1983 and pitched all or part of seven seasons in the majors between and for six different teams.His best year was 1992 with the Minnesota Twins as a middle reliever, when he...
to the Phillies on July 27. - June 18, 1989: Steve BedrosianSteve BedrosianStephen Wayne Bedrosian, is an American former baseball player. Nicknamed "Bedrock", he played from 1981 to 1995 with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins...
and a player to be named later were traded by the Phillies to the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
for Charlie HayesCharlie HayesCharles Dewayne Hayes is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Philadelphia Phillies , New York Yankees , Colorado Rockies , Pittsburgh Pirates , Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros...
, Dennis CookDennis CookDennis Bryan Cook is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball with nine teams from 1988 to 2002: the San Francisco Giants , Philadelphia Phillies , Los Angeles Dodgers , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Texas Rangers ,...
and Terry MulhollandTerry MulhollandTerence John Mulholland is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He threw left-handed and batted right-handed.-Early and personal life:...
. The Phillies completed the deal by sending Rick ParkerRick ParkerRichard Alan Parker was a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets and Houston Astros. He played from 1985-1998.-External links:...
to the Giants on August 7. - August 7, 1989: Greg A. Harris was selected off waivers by the Boston Red Sox from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Roster
| 1989 Philadelphia Phillies | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders Other batters |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 131 | 368 | 74 | .201 | 8 | 44 | |
| 1B | 144 | 523 | 149 | .285 | 12 | 75 | |
| 2B | 151 | 561 | 161 | .287 | 2 | 37 | |
| 3B | 84 | 299 | 77 | .258 | 8 | 43 | |
| SS | 136 | 435 | 118 | .271 | 15 | 60 | |
| LF | 81 | 281 | 93 | .331 | 5 | 38 | |
| CF | 90 | 352 | 78 | .222 | 4 | 19 | |
| RF | 154 | 540 | 140 | .259 | 26 | 78 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 148 | 30 | .203 | 6 | 28 | |
| 11 | 20 | 3 | .150 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | 10 | 3 | .300 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | 9 | 1 | .111 | 0 | 1 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 204 | 12 | 12 | 3.44 | 164 | |
| 24 | 125.2 | 6 | 10 | 4.44 | 70 | |
| 6 | 30.2 | 2 | 1 | 3.82 | 12 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 2 | |