1977 NLCS
Meeting up for the first of two consecutive NLCS battles in 1977 and 1978, the Philadelphia Phillies (101-61) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (98-64) face off with games one and two at Dodger Stadium, and the final three (if necessary) at Veterans Stadium in Philly.
The Phillies captured their second of three consecutive NL East titles behind the stewardship of Danny Ozark. The Fightin’s had the best lineup in the NL, and they were stacked at nearly every position. Michael Jack Schmidt was his typical outstanding self (38 HR 101 RBI .274/.393/.574 151 OPS+), but it was Greg ‘the Bull’ Luzinski (39 HR 130 RBI .309/.394/.594 156 OPS+) who finished runner-up in MVP voting. The mid-season trade for former Cardinals OF Bake McBride bolstered are already strong outfield core with Garry Maddox and the Bull. Larry Bowa and Bob Boone provided excellent defense and timely hits, while platoon hitters like Jay Johnstone, Tim McCarver, and Davey Johnson crushed their opportunities. ‘Lefty’ Steve Carlton picked up his second career Cy Young by leading the NL in wins, but the rest of the rotation left a lot to be desired. These Phillies were able to win over a 100 games because Danny Ozark could turn to a dominant bullpen, with 4 guys (Gene Garber, Ron Reed, Tug McGraw, and Warren Brusstar) sporting ERAs in the 2s. With a high-powered offense, a true ace, and a lights-out bullpen, this is a modern team to be reckoned with.
In his first full year as manager of the Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda led this storied franchise back to the playoffs. His lineup packs a punch to rival the Phillies, with four 30+ home run hitters (Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Dusty Baker, and Reggie Smith). The corner infielders (Garvey and Cey) both drove in 110+ runs, while the corner outfielders (Baker and Smith) provided more in on-base and slugging, with Smith leading the NL in OPS+ and finishing fourth in MVP voting. Where the Dodgers had the greatest edge over the league was with their pitching staff, who collectively had a 3.22 ERA, 20% better than league average. All 5 of their starters pitched over 200 innings with above average ERAs and double digit wins. Tommy John led the way with 20 wins and a 2.78 ERA. The bullpen was not as reliable as Philadelphia’s, but that is partially because they weren’t relied on as frequently. The pitching matchups will be as follows:
Game 1 @ LAD - LHP Tommy John (20 - 7 2.78 ERA 220 IP) vs. LHP Steve Carlton (23 - 10 2.64 ERA 283 IP)
Game 2 @ LAD - RHP Don Sutton (14 - 8 3.18 ERA 240 IP) vs. Jim Lonborg (11 - 4 4.11 ERA 157 IP)
Game 3 @ PHI - RHP Larry Christenson (19 - 6 4.06 ERA 219 IP) vs. Burt Hooton (12 - 7 2.62 ERA 223 IP)
Game 4 @ PHI - LHP Steve Carlton vs. LHP Tommy John
Audio clips from Youtube linked below
Game 1 - Vin Scully on KTTV
Game 2 - Russ Porter and Jerry Doggett on KTTV
Game 3 - Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, and Andy Musser on WPHL-TV
Game 4 - Dick Enberg and Don Drysdale on NBC (plus Kalas on WPHL-TV)
As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, boxscores, background information, and much, much more.
Catch you next time,
P.C.O.
