1984 Philadelphia Phillies

1984 Philadelphia Phillies / Franchise: Philadelphia Phillies / BR Team Page

Record: 81-81, Finished 4th in NL Eastern Division (1984 NL)

Managed by Paul Owens

Coaches: Dave Bristol, Lee Elia, John Felske, Deron Johnson, Claude Osteen and Mike Ryan

Ballpark: Veterans Stadium

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1984 Philadelphia Phillies dismantled much of the veteran team that had reached six of the previous eight postseasons. Genral Manager Paul Owens stayed on as a caretaker manager for a final season. But he made a flurry of moves in the off-season. The year before, Von Hayes had arrived from the Cleveland Indians for five Phillies. Now another promising talent, the Detroit Tigers' Glenn Wilson, came in return for 1983's sleeper star, Willie Hernandez. Wilson struggled all year in Philadelphia and Hernandez promptly won a Cy Young Award and an MVP Award, so there is no need to ask who won that trade in the short term.

Jerry Koosman joined the Phillies rotation in exchange for reliever Ron Reed: hardly a youth-movement trade, but the 41-year-old Koosman acquitted himself well in 34 starts. Most telling, however, for the long run, were promotions from within the organization. Many young home-grown players - Juan Samuel, Ozzie Virgil, Jeff Stone, Kevin Gross, Marty Bystrom, Luis Aguayo, Steve Jeltz, and Rick Schu - would see action for Philadelphia in 1984.

Meanwhile, gone were Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Bob Dernier, and Gary Matthews. Staying in Philly, John Denny, Bo Diaz, Garry Maddox, and Tug McGraw all saw their playing time reduced, either by injury or declining skills.

The team won four of its first six games and loitered at the outskirts of the pennant race till late August. As the season wore on, the youth movement became less pronounced. Owens imported veterans Sixto Lezcano, Al Oliver, and Shane Rawley (from the New York Yankees for Bystrom) for a stretch drive that turned ugly in a hurry. The Phillies, losing their last 9 games, ended up 9-20 for the month of September and finished at an even .500. Meanwhile, a player they had given away as an afterthought in 1982, Ryne Sandberg, claimed the MVP award and Sandberg's Chicago Cubs took over as division champs.

Mike Schmidt won a Gold Glove and shared the home run and RBI titles. Samuel led the league in at-bats, triples - and strikeouts - and set a rookie record for stolen bases that would be shattered by Vince Coleman in less than a year.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Al Holland, Juan Samuel and Mike Schmidt
• NL Gold Glove: Mike Schmidt (3B)
• NL Silver Slugger Award: Mike Schmidt (3B)
• Topps All-Star Rookie Team: Juan Samuel (2B)

Further Reading

• Bill Schneider: "Pete Rose Gets His 4000th Major League Hit; April 13, 1984: Montreal Expos 5, Philadelphia Phillies 1 At Olympic Stadium", in Norm King, ed.: Au jeu/Play Ball: The 50 Greatest Games in the History of the Montreal Expos, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2016, pp. 74-75. ISBN 978-1-943816-15-6