The City Series Begins: The Phillies vs. Athletics, April 14, 1883

Blondie Purcell

A few veteran Philadelphia baseball fans may remember The City Series, an annual series of (usually three) exhibition games between the two Philadelphia professional baseball teams, the Athletics and the Phillies. The history of the City Series actually dates back to 1875, but the team we now know as the Phillies was not formed until the National League's Worcester, Massachusetts team transferred to Philadelphia in 1883 under the leadership of local sports equipment purveyor, Albert Reach. The team was formally called the Philadelphia Quakers, but even then, fans and sports writers alike often referred to the team as the Phillies. 

On April 14, 1883, the Phillies faced off against the Athletics of the American Association. This was not the same franchise that would enter the American League in 1901, but Philadelphia had had professional baseball teams in various leagues since 1860. The name was derived from the name Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia. The 1883 iteration of the Athletics was one of the strongest teams in the American Association, having finished second in the league in 1882, they would go on to win the championship in 1893.

The Phillies first foray into the City Series was covered by a brand-new sports journal, called Sporting Life, that would publish its first edition the day after this first City Series game. This new journalistic endeavor was the brainchild of Philadelphian, Francis Richter, who published, edited, and wrote stories for this venture out of his offices at 202 South Ninth Street. Sporting Life would eventually become the most important baseball journal in the country and Richter a key figure in the development of professional baseball, but in this initial edition the focus was on local Philadelphia sports, especially baseball. We know every play of this game because of the comprehensive coverage of Richter and Sporting Life.

This very first game of the spring was apparently highly anticipated by local fans. The game was to be played at the Athletics home field, the Jefferson Street Grounds, a ball field at Jefferson and 26th Street in what we would today call Brewerytown. It had a capacity of about 5,000-6,000 fans.  According to Sporting Life, 

For hours before the game a constant stream of people was wending its way along all the streets leading to the grounds... By the time the game began fully ten thousand people were on the ground and "still they came."

The crowd was so large that it "encroached upon the playing field." The teams mutually agreed any ball hit into the crowd on the field counted as two bases. 

The more experienced Athletic team was heavily favored to win. Their pitcher was Bobby Matthews, recently arrived from Boston. Matthews would have three consecutive 30-win seasons for the Athletics. First baseman Harry Stovey, a Philadelphia native, was one of the top offensive players in the American Association. A rare combination of speed and power. he led the league in home runs four times and in runs scored three. Germantown native, fleet-footed Jud Birchall batted leadoff and played left field. Lon Knight, a graduate of Girard College (High School) was in right field. Another Philly native, diminutive Cub Stricker, all 5'3" of him, was the second baseman.

The battery for the Phillies was the 20-year-old youngster Hardie Henderson on the mound and left-handed catcher, "Roaring Bill" Harbridge behind the plate. Thirty-eight-year-old Bob (Death to Flying Things) Ferguson, who served as second baseman and manager of the club, is remembered today mostly for his nickname. Other members of the Phillies made their reputations off the baseball field. Third baseman Frank Ringo, left fielder Blondie Purcell, and centerfielder Fred Lewis all had reputations for heavy drinking and barroom brawling. First baseman Alex McKinnon played in this game but was sick during the spring and asked for his release, never appearing in the regular season. 

The game itself started inauspiciously when the Athletics Birchal dropped a fly ball from Phillies leadoff hitter Jack Manning. Catcher Ed Rowen then dropped a foul popup, before Purcell singled. Matthews wriggled out of the inning with the help of a good defensive play by Stovey at first. Birchall led off for the Athletics and drove the ball over centerfielder Lewis' head and into the crowd for a ground rule double. Henderson retired the Athletics without further ado. 

Bill Harbridge

In the second inning "a new ball was put in as the old one had ripped." Lewis "whanged" a ball to center for a single. Harbridge walked after his foul pop was muffed and both runners moved up on a passed ball. After two batters went out, Manning drove a ball to deep center over Jack O'Brien's head for a bases clearing double. Both runs were unearned.

The score stayed 2-0 Phillies, until the sixth, when the Athletics cut the lead in half on doubles by shortstop Mike Moynahan and Rowen. The Phillies got that run back in the top of the seventh, thanks again to some sloppy fielding by the Athletics. Frank Ringo got to third base on an overthrow at first by third baseman Bob Blakiston, and went all the way to third after a return throw from Knight hit him in the basepaths and ricocheted away. From there, Purcell drove him home with a single. 

In the ninth inning the Athletics "got another streak of muffery." After Henderson reached on Moynihan's bad throw, Manning hit another double to drive him in. Purcell drove a single to left and Manning scored when Birchall juggled the ball. After two outs, Purcell scored when Ferguson's popup fell between four fielders in shallow right field. The Athletics went down in order in the bottom of the ninth and the final score was Phillies 6, Athletics 1. 

According to Sporting Life,

After the game, the enormous crowd flocked across the field, and it was a long time before the ground was cleared. On the street and [street] cars, nothing was heard but comments upon the unexpectedly severe defeat of the Athletics.

Blondie Purcell with three hits and Jack Manning with two doubles were the hitting stars for the Phillies. The Athletics were guilty of six errors. 

The final two games of the City Series were played at the Phillies home field - Recreation Park. The field was at 24th and Ridge Avenues in Strawberry Mansion. The Phillies won both of these games as well by scores of 8-1 and 3-1. The sweep of the city series was not a harbinger of things to come for either team, however. The Athletics won the American Association championship with a record of 66-32, while the Quakers/Phillies finished dead last in the National League at 17-81-1. 

The City Series was held every year until the Athletics left for Kansas City in 1955.

Harry Stovey

Light-Hitting Denny Doyle Owned Pitching Great Bob Gibson

Former Phillies second baseman Denny Doyle died this week at the age of 78. Denny was signed as a free agent out of Morehead State University in his native Kentucky. Doyle was disappointed not be drafted but was spotted by former Phillies outfielder and scout Mel Clark who convinced the Phillies to take a chance on the scrappy 5'9" Doyle. Denny worked his way through the Phillies farm system with stops at Spartanburg, Tidewater, Reading and Eugene, before making his debut with the Phillies in 1970. He was paired with another rookie, shortstop Larry Bowa, to form a fine double play combination. Doyle had four decent years with the Phillies, providing solid defense and a .240 batting average. He bought a home in the Philadelphia area and settled in with his wife and three children.

At the end of the 1973 season, the Phillies traded Doyle to the California Angels to complete a trade for Billy Grabarkowitz. California traded Doyle to the Boston Red Sox in 1975 and Doyle had his greatest season, hitting .310 with the Sox and helping lead them to the American League pennant. In the post-season Doyle started every game and had hits in all but one of them, as the Red Sox eventually fell to the Cincinnati Reds in that classic World Series. Doyle retired in 1977 after two more seasons with the Bosox.

Doyle was chiefly known as a good defensive second sacker and contact hitter with little power. While he only averaged .240 in his years with the Phillies, in one of those strange anomalies that make baseball so compelling, little Denny Doyle simply owned future Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. In 31 plate appearances against the most dominant right-handed pitcher of the era, Doyle had 13 hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch, for an astounding .464 batting average.

In Doyle's first-time facing Gibson, on May 23, 1970, the rookie went 2-for-4 with two singles as the Phillies and Jim Buning fell to Gibson's St. Louis Cardinals, 3-1. The next time Doyle faced Gibson, on July 30, 1971, Denny had one of the finest offensive games of his career. Batting leadoff, Doyle reached base in the first when Gibson drilled him with a 1-2 pitch. In the third inning, Doyle got revenge for the bruise by smashing a homerun over the right field fence in Veterans Stadium to get the Phillies on the board. It was one of a total of only 16 home runs Doyle hit in his career. Doyle then singled in his next three at bats against Gibby, the final single pulling the Phillies to within one run at 4-3. Unfortunately, Bowa grounded out to end the game. Doyle was 4-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

On April 19, 1972, Gibson squared off against his former teammate and new Phillies pitcher, Steve Carlton. Carlton bested his old mate in a classic pitcher's duel, 1-0. Doyle went two-for-two with a walk. In his next two games against Gibson in 1972, Doyle came back to earth a bit, going 0-for-7 with just one walk to show for his efforts. The Phillies lost both games. 

On April 22, 1973, Mike Schmidt hit a ninth inning walk off home run to beat Gibson 2-1. Doyle was 1-for-3 in the game. On June 26, Doyle was back at it, going 3-for-4 against Gibson (3-for-5 overall), with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI, as the Phillies romped, 10-3. Dick Ruthven shut the Cardinals down on two hits in besting Gibson, 2-1 on July 1. Doyle was 1-for-3 in his final career appearances against Gibson. That fall he was traded out of the National League for good.

Denny Doyle was anything but an intimidating presence at the plate, but for reasons known only to the baseball gods, he turned into Ty Cobb when he came to bat against one of the most intimidating pitchers baseball has ever known. I am sure Gibson raised a glass in mute celebration when the Phillies traded him away.

RIP Denny.

Phillies 1915 World Series Catcher Eddie Burns: Little Man, Big Job

When the Phillies get to the World Series, as they have done eight times in their history, one team member knows he won't be seeing much action. In seven of those eight World Series the backup catcher is a virtual invisible man, finding a comfortable spot on the bench and acting as cheerleader when events demand is about all that is asked of them. In 2022, backup catcher Garrett Stubbs earned a DNA (did not appear) next to his name in the final World Series stats. J. T. Realmuto caught every inning of every game. The same was true in 2009, when Carlos Ruiz caught every inning of the six games, while backup Paul Bako (remember him?) could only sit and wait. The 2008 World Championship team had Chris Coste, who did manage to get four at bats as a designated hitter, but Chooch again caught every inning. Darren Daulton played every inning of the 1993 Series against Toronto, while Todd Pratt was a DNA.

The last time a backup catcher actually appeared behind the plate for the Phillies in a World Series was 1983, when Ozzie Virgil, Jr. caught one inning after Bo Diaz was taken out for a pinch runner. Bob Boone caught every inning for the World Champion 1980 team, although backup Keith Moreland saw some action (12 at bats) as the DH. In 1950, Andy Seminick caught all but one inning of the Series even though he was playing on a dislocated ankle. Backup Stan Lopata came in after Andy went out for a pinch runner. Lopata also had a pinch-hitting at bat. That's seven World Series, 38 games, 345 innings and just two innings caught by the backup catcher.

The 1915 World Series was very different, however. The Phillies starting catcher. Bill Killefer came down with what was described as a "dead arm" in August. That opened the door for career backup catcher Eddie Burns to become the starter. Pundits of the day worried that the diminutive Burns (Eddie was just 5'6", 165 pounds) would not be up to the task. As the baseball journal Sporting Life put it, "It was generally thought that the Philly pitching staff would go to pieces," after the Killefer injury. "It was feared that his throwing would not be up to the mark and that the pitchers would lose confidence with him behind the bat." Those fears proved to be unfounded, Burns performed well, threw out 40% of those trying to steal against him, and hit .244 after taking over for Killefer on August 25. The Phillies kept winning too, going 29-12 and clinching the National League pennant with Burns behind the plate.

Before the World Series against the Boston Red Sox began, the Phillies' brass called in a specialist from New York to look at Killefer's arm, but he was deemed unfit to play and thus, little Eddie Burns caught every inning of the World Series. The Phillies were the underdogs to the powerful Red Sox team that had won 101 games on the season. The Phillies did have the great Grover Cleveland Alexander, winner of 31 games on the season, to give them hope. 

Alexander beat the Sox in Game 1 in Philadelphia. 3-1. The Phillies scored two runs in the eighth to win it, after Boston shortstop Everett Scott failed to cover second base on a potential double play ball. In the ninth inning, twent-year-old Babe Ruth made his first ever World Series appearance as a pinch-hitter. Alexander got him to ground out to first baseman Fred Luderas. Burns went a quiet 0-for-3 at the plate but handled the catching duties well.

In the second game, Burns caught the ceremonial first pitch, thrown out by President Woodrow Wilson. In the first inning, with runners on first and third, he threw out Boston star Tris Speaker trying to steal second but bobbled second baseman Bert Niehoff's low return throw for an error that allowed the on-sliding Harry Hooper to score. Burns was again 0-for-3 at the plate as the Phillies lost, 2-1.

In Game 3 at Fenway Park, Burns got his first hit of the Series in the third inning and came around to score on a Dave Bancroft single. Unfortunately, that was the only run the Phillies scored in the game as they fell by another 2-1 score. Burns gunned down Duffy Lewis trying to steal in the second. Lewis had the last laugh though as he hit a walk-off game winning single in the ninth inning against Alexander. Game 4 also finished 2-1 in favor of Boston. Burns had a good game with a single and a walk and another caught stealing, catching Speaker at second base again. 

The Series returned to Philadelphia for Game 5 with Boston leading the series 3-to-1. Luderas doubled in two runs in the first and then homered in the fourth. In that same inning, Burns stroked an RBI single scoring Niehoff to put the Phillies up by 4-2.  Boston prevailed 5-4, however, on two home runs by Hooper and one by Lewis. Burns threw out Speaker trying to steal in the first inning. The Phillies lost the last four games of the series, all excruciatingly close, but losses, nonetheless. Their Game 1 victory would be the only Phillies World Series game win for 65 years.

Eddie Burns hit just .188 over the five games, but that was actually a few points better than his teammates had managed for the Series. Burns acquitted himself well behind the plate throwing out five of six baserunners attempting to steal, including future Hall of Famer Tris Speaker three times.

When the 1916 season began, Killefer's arm had not fully mended. Burns started the first 18 games of the season, but when Killefer healed, Burns returned to the bench. He broke his thumb in 1917 and appeared in just 20 games. In 1918, the Phillies traded Killefer to the Cubs as part of the infamous Grover Cleveland Alexander trade.  Burns began the season as the starting catcher, but in late July, with his batting average hovering near the Mendoza line and with his father-in-law falling ill at home, Eddie Burns, just 30-years-old, abruptly quit baseball. He returned to his home in Monterey, California and opened a clothing store. He died of a heart attack in Monterey on May 20, 1942. He was 54.

Eddie Burns was a solid defensive catcher with a weak bat, in other words a proto-typical backup catcher. Eddie, however, got the chance that few backup catchers ever get. The chance to be the "main guy" behind the plate in the World Series.

To read more about Eddie Burns career, check out his SABR biography here. 

Curt Simmons Greatest Game

With the news Tuesday, December 13 that Curt Simmons, the last surviving member of the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies Whiz Kids, had died at 93, tributes began pouring in from all over. Excellent obituaries in the Inquirer and the New York Times covered the highlights.

For Phillies fans those highlights of Simmons remarkable pitching career are familiar. A high school phenom out of tiny Egypt, PA near Allentown, Simmons signed with the Phillies for the largest bonus ever given up to that time: $65,000. With very little minor league experience, Simmons struggled to find his bearings in his first two seasons with the Phillies. He put it all together in 1950, however, and with his righthanded counterpart, Robin Roberts, pitched the upstart Phillies to the pennant. He could not pitch in the World Series, however, because he was called up to his National Guard Unit, the first baseball player called up due to the Korean War. 

Returning to the Phillies after his military duty, Simmons had an up and down career featuring a blazing fastball and some great pitching, marred by frequent arm miseries and a 1953 encounter with a lawn mower that removed part of his big toe. After 13 years with the Phillies, he was released and caught on with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he reinvented himself as a crafty, soft-tossing lefty who helped pitch the Cards to the 1964 pennant. He finally got to pitch in the World Serie that Year and acquitted himself very well.

As I said, these facts about Simmons career are well-known and well-detailed elsewhere. In my tribute to Curt, I would like to focus on one game - the greatest game he ever pitched. The game was played on May 16, 1953, at County Stadium in Milwaukee against the Braves. That day Curt pitched a one-hit shutout, to win 3-0 and deposit the Phillies, however temporarily, into sole possession of first place in the National League.

Nineteen-fifty-three was the first year for the Braves in Milwaukee, who moved there after 50 years in Boston. Despite threatening skies, an enthusiastic crowd of 23,578 was on hand for the Saturday afternoon tilt. The Phillies and Braves were tied for first place a month into the season. Simmons mound opponent was rookie lefty Don Liddle. The Milwaukee lineup featured another rookie, Bill Bruton, second year star Eddie Mathews, as well as veteran sluggers Sid Gordon and Joe Adcock. The Phillies fielded a team of mostly Whiz Kid holdovers like Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis, Granny Hamner, Willie Jones, and Simmons battery-mate, Stan Lopata.

After the Phillies went down quietly in the first, Bruton, leading off for the Braves, whacked Simmons first pitch for a clean ground single to centerfield. Bruton would be the only baserunner Curt would allow. He retired the next 27 batters in order. He struck out ten. He walked no one. After Bruton's single, he allowed only two other hard-hit balls. Braves shortstop, Johnny Logan, hit a line drive that Jones snagged at third and, in the ninth, the Phillies third sacker made another fine play to flag down catcher Del Crandall's ground smash. 

The Phillies pushed across a run in the second. With one out, first baseman Earl Torgeson singled and stole second base. Jones knocked him in with a line single to left. The Phils doubled their lead in the third when Ashburn singled to center and moved to third base when Bruton drop-kicked the ball into left. Left-fielder Mel Clark scored Ashburn with a double off the right-field wall. Another Clark double, this time off reliever Lew Burdette led to the Phillies final run in the eighth. Clark scored when Del Ennis followed with a single over shortstop Logan's head.

Simmons ended the game with a flair striking out pinch-hitter Jim Pendleton and then whiffing his nemesis Bruton.

After the game, the Braves were effusive in their praise of Simmons. "Simmons was unhittable," said Braves manager Charley Grimm. "He ranks with the great left-handers of all-time. His fastball was hopping and jumping onto the handles of our bats." Slugger Sid Gordon said, "All I did was step to the plate and hope I would get a piece of the ball." Eddie Mathews was left shaking his head. "I'm glad there is only one Simmons in the league, and we don't have to face him for a while."

Simmons was off to a great start in '53 and looked to be headed for a big season, but three weeks after this dominant performance, he ran that lawnmower over his foot and missed a month. While Curt always said that the injury did not affect his pitching, before the injury he was 7-3, with a 2.60 ERA. Afterwards, he was 9-10, 3.71.

RIP Curt. It was always a pleasure to watch you pitch, with that leg waggle and sling shot action that drove batters crazy for 20 years in the big leagues.

 

Milt Stock: Hero of Two Phillies Pennant Winning Teams

Milt Stock

On the final day of the 1950 season, the Phillies were battling the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn with the National League Pennant on the line.  The Phillies, who had had a 7.5 game lead over the Boston Braves on September 17, had seen that lead dwindle to just one game over the surging Dodgers. A Phillies win meant they captured their first pennant in 35 years. A loss meant a one game playoff with the Dodgers the next day. Phillies ace Robin Roberts faced off against Dodger ace Don Newcombe. The game entered the bottom of the ninth tied at 1-1. Roberts walked Dodger leadoff hitter, Cal Abrams to start the inning. Pee Wee Reese singled to left moving Abrams to second. Next, Duke Snider lined a single to centerfield. The Phils' Richie Ashburn charged the ball, Abrams took off for third and as he approached third, saw third base coach Milt Stock waving him home, Abrams turned, and sped home as Ashburn launched a throw to catcher Stan Lopata. Ashburn's throw was strong and true and Abrams was out by 15 feet. Roberts then worked out of the inning.

The Phillies won the game in the tenth on a Dick Sisler three-run homerun followed by a shutout inning by Roberts. Coach Stock came under considerable criticism for sending Abrams home with no one out and Jackie Robinson due up. Stock defended his decision, “We have been scoring on plays like that all season against the Phillies because Ashburn is not a great thrower. Furthermore, Reese was coming around fast, and if I had held up Abrams there might have been a jam at third base.” Abrams said, "I think he should have held me at third." Dodger manager Burt Shotten came to Stock's defense, "Stock played it right. That's the sort of set up when you send in the big run." Brooklyn fans and the Dodgers ownership were not so forgiving. General Manager Branch Rickey, Shotten, and Stock were all fired at the end of the season.

While most longtime Phillies fans likely know that story, what many fans might not know is that Milt Stock was also highly instrumental in the Phillies winning their first ever National League pennant in 1915. Stock was a 21-year-old utility player for that Phillies team, when he was suddenly thrust into the starting lineup during the team's stretch run to the pennant. The Phillies' regular third baseman and leadoff hitter, Bobby Byrne, broke his finger fielding a throw during the first game of a doubleheader on August 23. He was replaced by Stock, who up to that time had had only seven starts all season and was hitting just .200. 

Stock proved to be a more than capable replacement. His hitting improved with regular play and his defensive play was praised by all who saw him. "Milton Stock looks great at third base," gushed the Philadelphia Public Ledger. "While he may not be as strong on defense as Byrne, he is a much better hitter and a faster and better man on the bases." Buck Herzog, manager of the Cincinnati Reds, said, "He is not only a good hitter and a fine baserunner, but he has the best pair of hands I ever saw for a third baseman." Stock also possessed a strong arm, which allowed him to play deep and cut off balls in the hole and over the bag. 

In the Sporting Life* preview of the World Series, editor Francis Richter had this to say of Stock:

J. Milton Stock is in large measure responsible for the great finish made by the champions. When Bobby Byrne was injured Manager Moran sent Stock to third base. The team had lost three straight games to Brooklyn, and unless Stock filled the gap in the infield, it was almost certain the team would slump. Stock filled the bill so well, that Moran intends to make him the regular third baseman.

In his first game as a regular, Stock had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored in a 13-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Two days later he had two hits, two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI as the Phillies defeated Cincinnati, 8-0. On September 25 in Chicago, Stock went 3 for 6 including his only homerun of the season. His twelfth inning single helped the Phillies prevail over the Cubs, 5-4. Stock had a four-hit game on October 1, scoring two runs as the Phillies beat the Boston Braves, 9-4. 

Overall, the Phillies went 31-12 in the final 43 games. all of which Stock started in place of Byrne. Byrne recovered but never got his starting position back. Stock hit .260 for the season. In the World Series he scored the winning run in Game 1, the only Series game the Phillies won. He had a poor series at the plate, however, hitting just .118.

Stock was the Phillies starting third baseman for four seasons before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals where he enjoyed five very good seasons. He wrapped up his career with Brooklyn in 1926 and then became a coach, which set up his second date with Phillies destiny in 1950.

If you would like to read more about Milt Stock's career, you can find his SABR biography here. 

*Sporting Life, established in 1883, and published in Philadelphia by Francis Richter from their offices at 54 S. 3rd Street, was the premiere national paper chronicling baseball. It had stiff competition from The Sporting News, which was published in St. Louis. Sporting Life ceased publication in 1917 as a result of the first world war.

Raffo to the Rescue: Phillies' Rookie Reliever Has a Moment in the Sun

The 1969 Phillies were a bad team. They lost 99 games while burdened with a superstar first-baseman who wanted to be traded, an anemic offense, a weak pitching staff, and a manager who would be fired in August.  Dick Allen was the super-star, of course, and his efforts to convince the team to trade him included writing messages to the fans in the dirt around first base. Allen was still a great player, however, hitting .288 with 32 homeruns. Manager Bob Skinner tried, but could not manage Allen or get good performances from other players for the most part, and was replaced by third base coach George Myatt on August 6. Despite all this turmoil and losing, this hapless group managed to engineer a nine-game winning streak in late June and early July.

Win number nine of that streak was a career highlight for the Phillies 27-year-old rookie right-hander Al Raffo. Raffo, who was signed by then Phillies scout Paul Owens out of a Los Angeles, California winter league for $1,500, toiled seven years in the Phillies farm system, making stops at Class D Miami, Class C Bakersfield, Class A Magic Valley and Eugene, Class AA Chattanooga, Macon, and Reading, and Class AAA San Diego and Eugene, before finally being called up to the Phillies on April 26, 1969. He replaced an injured Chris Short on the Phillies roster. The 6'5" Raffo featured a fastball that moved "like a slider" and a slow breaking ball that he admitted "was often a hanging curve." Raffo made his major league debut on April 29, allowing four hits and one run in three innings of work in a game the Phillies lost 10-0. 

Raffo pitched well in his role as middle reliever and had made seventeen appearances with an 0-2 record and a 2.82 ERA through June. On July 2, the Phillies were riding an eight-game road winning streak, the longest such streak in Phillies history. The Phils were in Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. Rookie Billy Champion started for the Phillies and did not make it out of the bottom of the first. He allowed three walks, two hits, and two runs, and left with the bases loaded and two outs. Raffo came on in relief and ended the inning by getting Freddy Patek to ground into a force out. 

In the top of the second, the Phillies rallied to take the lead off their former teammate, Jim Bunning.  Raffo was right in the middle of the rally. Rick Joseph led off with a double and Larry Hisle followed with a triple. Catcher Mike Ryan walked, and Ron Stone doubled, scoring Hisle and sending Ryan to third. Terry Harmon struck out, but Raffo, who had been a slugging third baseman in high school, scorched a line drive off the glove of first-baseman Willie Stargell and down the right field line. Ryan scored easily and Stone just beat Stargell's throw to the plate. Alas, catcher Manny Sanguillan recovered to throw Raffo out trying to move up to second. The Phillies now led, 4-2.

Raffo worked out of a second and third one out jam in the second inning and then set the Pirates down quietly in the next two innings. In the fifth, he allowed an unearned run, when catcher Ryan made an errant throw in an attempt to pick off Richie Hebner. Meanwhile, Raffo helped the Phillies extend their lead in the sixth, laying down a suicide squeeze bunt to score Ryan from third. Raffo tired in the seventh, allowing his first earned run of the game on a Sanguillan double and Carl Taylor single. John Boozer replaced Raffo on the mound and the Phillies eventually won the game 14-4, scoring seven runs in their last two at bats. 

Raffo's pitching line for the game: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. The victory would prove to be Raffo's only major league win. His second inning single would prove to be his only major league hit. His three RBIs would prove to be his only major league RBIs. Raffo appeared in a total of 45 games for the Phillies that year. He was very effective, until he experienced a "dead arm" in August and his ERA ballooned from 2.61 to 4.11. He finished the season 1-3 with one save.

Raffo did not make the Phillies team out of spring training in 1970. He pitched two more years in the Phillies minor league system before retiring from baseball at age 30. Raffo got a degree in Spanish and began a career as a teacher and baseball coach in Tennessee. Teams he coached won multiple district championships. Raffo was named district coach of the year 10 times and regional coach of the year five times. Raffo's son, Greg, played three years in the Detroit Tigers minor league system.  In 2001, the Marion High School baseball field was renamed Raffo Field. 

You can read a full biography of Al Raffo written by Brian Englehardt here.

H/T to @PhilliesBell for reminding me the Raffo played for the Phillies.