The 1976-83 High Point Of Philadelphia Phillies History
The late 1970s and early 1980s was a great time in Philadelphia Phillies history. The franchise, after more than a decade of irrelevance, had come back in 1975 as a contender and in 1976 they returned to postseason play. It started an eight-year stretch where they won five NL East titles, two National League pennants and a World Series. The links below capture the heart of this great era for Phillie fans.
GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Philadelphia fans experienced the full gamut of emotions. They won 101 games in 1976 and were probably the second-best team in baseball, behind only the powerful Big Red Machine of Cincinnati that won the World Series. The Phils returned to NLCS in 1977 and 1978, but suffered tough losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers. 1980 was the breakthrough.
The 1980 Phils won a de facto playoff against the Montreal Expos, a three-game weekend series to end the regular season, with the teams tied for first. The Phillies won the greatest League Championship Series ever played, the 1980 NLCS, and they won an exciting six-game World Series over the Kansas City Royals.
Philadelphia returned to the playoffs in the split season of 1981, though they lost the NL East divisional round to Montreal. It looked like the run might be over, but the Phils signed a couple veterans of the Big Red Machine and made one more run to a National League pennant before losing to the Baltimore Orioles.
The articles below celebrate all the great moments of the 1976-83 high point. From the greatness of third baseman Mike Schmidt and starting pitcher Steve Carlton. To the power of Greg Luzinski, to the scrappiness of Larry Bowa, to the defensive wizardry of Garry Maddox to the bullpens anchored by the colorful Tug McGraw to the consistency of “The Sarge”, Gary Mathews. They’re all here, as are many more.
Read through the narratives of the regular season and the game-by-game breakdowns of the postseason, all included below.
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1980 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1976 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1977 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1978 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1981 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
READ MORE ABOUT THE 1983 PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES