Not-so-magic Royals moments, '80 Series: K.C. can't cash in vs. Carlton

Steve Carlton was a mass of facial contortions as he bore down to repeatedly turn back Kansas City Royals threats in Game 2 of the 1980 World Series at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium.

Steve Carlton's steely-eyed determination made a major difference in the Philadelphia Phillies' triumph over the Kansas City Royals in the 1980 World Series. Carlton repeatedly left Royals stranded on base as he gutted out a 6-4 victory in Game 2. Then he slammed the door on K.C. in a 4-1 clinching win in Game 6.

By Phil Ellenbecker

  Mike Schmidt was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1980 World Series, and it's hard to argue with that.

  Schmidt, who would also be named the National League MVP for 1980, batted .381 with two homers and seven RBIs, including the Series-clinching runs in a 4-1 Game 6 victory, to help the Philadelphia Phillies defeat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 for the Phillies’ first Fall Classic title in the franchise’s 97-year history.

  But while Schmidt had a great Series, it didn't stand out too much from what others on either team accomplished. For the Phillies, Bob Boone hit. 412 and Larry Bowa hit .375 while turning a record seven double plays at shortstop. If the Royals would have won, Willie Aikens (.400, four homers, eight RBIs) and Amos Otis (.478, eight RBIs) would have been most worthy MVP candidates, while Schmidt's all-time great counterpart at third base George Brett and Hal McRae each hit .375.

  From this partial observer's standpoint, as someone who'd followed the Royals since their first season, the most valuable Phillie, the one who made the difference in a pretty evenly matched Series -- the man who was Public Enemy No. 1 to this Royals fan -- was the man they call "Lefty" -- Hall of Fame southpaw Steve Carlton.

  Carlton, who won the NL Cy Young Award this year with a 24-9 record and 2.34 ERA,  went 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 15 innings in the Series, including seven Ks in seven innings in the Phillies' Game 6 win.

  But what was especially impressive, what truly made him a difference maker, was his performance in Game 2. No, it wasn't a dominating performance, far from it. But it was the kind of performance the great ones summon when they don't have their best stuff, when the opposing team has them on the ropes. You can't win 'em all, but the great ones win the ones they're not supposed to.

  The Royals had Carlton on the ropes all night Wednesday, Oct. 15. They got to him for four runs, three earned, and 10 hits in eight innings. He walked six batters.

  He bent a lot, but the Royals couldn't completely break him, and his resilience, with the help of 10 strikeouts, got the Phillies through to a 6-4 victory at Philly's Veterans Stadium that gave them a 2-0 lead in the Series.

  I can still clearly see the TV close-ups of Carlton on the mound, straining and grimacing, but never flinching, as the Royals constantly threatened. And I'm convinced that if they could have gotten to him a bit more and won the game, they would have won the Series. Beating the Phillies' ace southpaw could have been a huge psychological advantage for the Royals.

  But the Royals couldn't capitalize when they had a chance, and the next time they faced him, with a title on the line, they had no chance.

  How gritty was Carlton on this night? The Royals left 11 men on base, including six in scoring position in six separate innings. And another time they had a runner on second thrown out attempting to go to third on a sacrifice fly for the third out of the inning.

  Four times with runners in scoring position, Carlton got a strikeout. Two other times he coaxed double plays. Four runs for the Royals, but they were so close to a few more.

  Let's take a closer look at how "Lefty" negotiated this mine field:

• With runners at first and second base and two out in the first inning, a fielder's choice grounder by Amos Otis got Carlton out of the inning.
• Again with runners at first and second and two out in the second, Carlton struck out Willie Wilson.
• Again with runners at first and second in the third, this time with one out, Otis grounded to shortstop Larry Bowa, who went to Manny Trillo at second, who went to Pete Rose at first for the double play.
• The Royals only got one on in this fourth, and the Bowa-to Trillo-to Rose combo struck again to end the inning with a double play off the bat of Jose Cardenal.
• Yet again in the fifth, first and second, two out, and Carlton fanned cleanup hitter McRae.
• The Royals finally broke through with a run in the sixth off Trillo's error, cutting the Phillies' lead to 2-1. But with -- guess what? -- runners at first and second and one out, Carlton dialed up another 6-4-3 double play, Frank White doing the dubious honor for the Royals this time.
• A two-run double by Otis moved the Royals ahead in the seventh, and John Wathan's sacrifice fly to center with one out made it 4-2. But when Otis tried to advance from second on Wathan's fly out, center fielder Garry Maddox threw him out at third with the help of Rose's relay.
• And here we go again, first and second, two out in the eighth, and U.L. Washington whiffs.

Larry Bowa batted .375 and turned a record seven double plays at shortstop to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals in six games in the 1980 World Series. He turned three double plays to help Steve Carlton escape numerous jams in a 4-2 victory in Game 2.

  And then the Phillies made the Royals pay by scoring four runs off K.C. closer Dan Quisenberry to go up by the final margin.

  Ron Reed relieved Carlton in ninth, and after he struck out pinch hitter Darryl Porter, McRae singled to bring the tying run to the plate. Otis hit into a fielder's choice and Wathan struck out, and that was the ballgame.

  You can pin the blame for this one on Quisenberry's failure to protect the two-run lead. Quiz -- who would win the first of five Rolaids AL Fireman of the Year awards this season, with 33 saves the first of five league-leading seasons -- retired the Phillies in order when he took over for starter Larry Gura starting the seventh. But after walking the leadoff batter in the eighth he was rocked for four hits, including doubles by pinch hitter Del Unser and Schmidt. That led to four runs, and ultimate doom.

  You can also point to Otis, who although he drove in half the Royals' runs also left five men on base, grounded into a double play and got thrown out for the third out of an inning.

  And you can also point to the absence from the bottom of the sixth on of all-time clutch performer and 1980 AL MVP Brett. He had to sit out because of pain from a case of hemorrhoids.

Steve Carlton, the 1980 NL Cy Young Award winner, and George Brett, the 1980 AL MVP, square off in Game 2 of that year's World Series. Brett had to leave the game in the sixth inning because of pain from a case of hemorrhoids.

  But when all was said and done, you can't ignore the repeated escape acts of Lefty. He was a difference maker, most definitely.

  The opportunities were few and far between when the Royals faced Carlton again in Game 6. He retired K.C. 1-2-3 in three of his first seven innings, got out of another in three batters with the help of a double play started by Bowa, and faced only four batters in the three others with the help of another Bowa-started DP.

  When the Royals got their first two runners on in the eighth, Phillies manager Dallas Green brought in Tug McGraw, who got out of bases-loaded jams in both the eighth and ninth to close out the 4-1 win and the Series.

  So in the end, missed chances again for the Royals. They left 54 men on base in the Series to 41 for Philly, including 11 precious ones against Lefty in Game 2.

  Carlton, who finished his 24-year career with a 329-244 record, 3.22 ERA and 4,413 strikeouts (fourth all time), used to plunge his pitching fist to the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket of rice to develop the necessary hand strength to throw his tight slider. That helped him win four Cy Young Awards.

  On that Wednesday night in Philadelphia, whenever they threatened, the Royals were so much rice pudding in the hands of Carlton.

Sources:

Play-by-play: https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1980/B10150PHI1980.htm  

Series summary:  https://www.royalsreview.com/2019/8/7/20731942/a-look-back-at-the-1980-world-series  
Additional background came from various sources on the Retrosheet and Society for American Baseball Research's Biography Project and Games Project websites, as well as baseballreference.com.