Reading Eagle - September 3, 1980

Phillies Tough in Win Over Giants

 

By the Associated Press

 

Vida Blue was tough – the Philadelphia Phillies were tougher.

 

“It took some grinding, but we did it,” said Philadelphia Manager Dallas Green after his Phillies scored a hard-earned 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in 13 innings Tuesday night.

 

Philadelphia managed to win despite a strong pitching performance by Blue, who allowed but two hits and one run to the Phillies over 10 innings.

 

Manny Trillo started the Phillies’ 13th with a double and later scored the winning run on Keith Moreland’s sacrifice fly.

 

“It was our best team effort of the year, by far,” said Phillies reliever Warren Brusstar. “It took everybody to win it.”

 

Brusstar created the most perilous situation of the game for the Phillies and pitched out of it in the 11th inning. The Giants loaded the bases with none out on a single, walk and bunt single. The next two batters, Milt May and Rennie Stennent, hit ground balls and the Phillies threw home for force outs.

 

Brusstar fell behind 3-1 to pinch hitter Joe Strain. Strain took a pitch for a strike and fouled off three pitches before grounding out.

 

“I knew I couldn’t go to my breaking ball,” said Brusstar. “I had to throw the fastball, my ‘out pitch,’ and that’s what got him.”

 

The victory kept the Phillies in first place in the National League East by percentage points over the Montreal Expos, 2-1 winners over San Diego.

 

Blue retired 18 straight baters before Bob Boone, leading off the Philadelphia ninth, reached base on a throwing error by third baseman Darrell Evans. A sacrifice by Ramon Aviles, pinching hitting for Phillies starter Larry Christenson, sent pinch runner Jay Loviglio to second, and Lonnie Smith strove in the game’s first run with a one-out single.

 

Christenson allowed only a third-inning single by Joe Pettini. But a possible victory eluded him as reliever Tug McGraw gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth on Milt May’s RBI-single.

 

In other NL action, Los Angeles beat New York 6-5; Atlanta whipped Chicago 10-5; and St. Louis stopped Cincinnati 12-4.