1964 Philadelphia Phillies season

The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 82nd season for the franchise in Philadelphia. After leading the National League during the latter months of the season, the team suffered a drastic collapse during the final two weeks. The Phillies finished in a second-place tie with the Cincinnati Reds. Both posted a record of 92-70, finishing one game behind the NL and World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, and just two games ahead of fourth-place San Francisco. Gene Mauch managed the Phillies, as they played their home games at Connie Mack Stadium.

Offseason

• December 5, 1963: Don Demeter and Jack Hamilton were traded by the Phillies to the Detroit Tigers for Jim Bunning and Gus Triandos.^[1]

Regular season

Perfect game

On Father's Day, Jim Bunning threw a perfect game against the Mets, the first in the National League since 1880. For perhaps the only time in the stadium's history, the Shea faithful found themselves rooting for the visitors, caught up in the rare achievement, and roaring for Bunning on every pitch in the ninth inning.^[2] His strikeout of John Stephenson for the last out capped the performance.

The "Phold"

From 1919 through 1947, the Phillies finished last a total of 17 times and next to last seven times. A 1962 cartoon in a baseball magazine depicted a ballplayer arriving at a French Foreign Legion outpost, explaining, "I was released by the Phillies!"

During 1962 and 1963, the Phillies began to climb back to respectability, and throughout the 1964 season, they seemed destined to make it to the World Series, with excellent performances from players such as rookie third baseman Dick Allen, starters Jim Bunning (obtained from the Detroit Tigers at the start of the season to shore up the pitching staff) and Chris Short, and star right fielder Johnny Callison. TV Guide went to press with a World Series preview that featured a photo of Connie Mack Stadium. (Through the 1968 season, both first-place teams automatically went to the World Series, the only postseason play of that time.)

The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies held a six and a half game lead in an exceptionally strong National League with 12 games to play. They then lost ten straight games (the first seven played at home) and fell into a second place tie. The skein started with Chico Ruiz stealing home, with Frank Robinson at bat, for the game's only run. Dick Allen said of the play: "The play broke our humps."^[3] The crucial series came when the now second-place Phillies traveled to St. Louis to play the Cardinals after their losing home stand. They dropped the first game of the series to Bob Gibson by a 5–1 score, their eighth loss in a row, dropping them to third place. The Cardinals would sweep the three-game set and assume first place for good. The "Phold," as it is known, is one of the most notable collapses in sports history.^[4][5][6]

Season standings

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

• April 6, 1964: Darrell Sutherland was selected off waivers from the Phillies by the New York Mets as a first-year waiver pick.^[7]
• June 19, 1964: Joe Lis was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies.^[8]
• August 7, 1964: Wayne Graham, Gary Kroll, and cash were traded by the Phillies to the New York Mets for Frank Thomas.^[9]

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted In; SB = Stolen bases

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted In; SB = Stolen bases

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Awards and honors

1964 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Jim Bunning
• Johnny Callison
• Chris Short^[11]

In popular culture

The '64 Phillies are immortalized in American pop culture via numerous book chapters, magazine articles, and newspaper columns. At least three full length books are devoted to the '64 Phillies: non-fiction books The 1964 Phillies: The Story of Baseball's Most Memorable Collapse by John P. Rossi and September Swoon: Richie Allen, the '64 Phillies, and Racial Integration by William C. Kashatis; and a novel based on the '64 Phillies collapse titled '64 Intruder, by Gregory T. Glading, which centers on a Phillies fan going back in time and preventing Chico Ruiz from stealing home in the "Phold's" first loss.

Farm system

Notes

References

• 1964 Philadelphia Phillies team page at Baseball Reference
• 1964 Philadelphia Phillies team page at www.baseball-almanac.com

External links