1988 Phillies: Bottom of the Barrel

There is a certain ebb and flow in the success of sports teams that always intrigues me. The Phillies of the 1980s epitomize the extremes of good and bad. The 1980 squad, led by Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Steve Carlton, and a range of other high quality athletes, reeled in a World Series trophy and gave much reason for optimism that the team would continue its winning ways through many years.

Well, that didn't quite happen.

Though 1983 brought another push for the pennant as the team reached the World Series again but lost to Cal Ripken's Baltimore Orioles, the end of the decade didn't go as planned for the Phightin's.

Indeed, 1988 was the low point of the Phils' decade-long roller coaster ride at Veterans Stadium.

Here are some ugly details from that year of drudgery:

• Final record of 65-96, led by Lee Elia and later John Vukovich
  
• Finished last place in East Division, and the only team that was worse was Atlanta at 54-106 (okay, that's a really bad record, but at least they made a comeback and were on fire in the '90s and '00s)
• 35.5 games behind the Mets in the East Division
• Highest batting average for any of the regular starters was earned by Milt Thompson at .288
• Kevin Gross laid claim to the team's "ace" with a 12-14 record, 3.69 ERA and 162 K's
• As a team, the only categories where the Phils were ranked in the top 3 in the NL were for offensive strikeouts (3rd), and pitching losses (2nd). That's a powerhouse team right there, alright. On the bright side, they did finish 4th in doubles. (Crowd goes wild.)
  
• Some of the vintage "Obscure Philly" names on the team were: Luis Aguayo, Al Pardo, Don Carman, Bob Sebra, Jeff Calhoun, Todd Frowirth, Steve Jeltz, and Salome Barojas. If those names don't bring goodsebumps to a Philly sports fan's skin, then you aren't a true Philly sports fan! (If the names Salome Barojas or Todd Frowirth don't get you pumped up for Phillies baseball, then surely you must be dead.) I grew up hearing those names and have fond memories of watching their ineptitude night in and night out. If you didn't suffer through this miserable year like many of us, you sure missed out!
  

So there you have it. More than you ever wanted to know about those Phightless Phils of 1988. Hope you enjoyed this first post, please leave your comments below about memories, other facts, or other fodder. If you'd like to post in the future, please let me know by emailing me at ffats166(at)hotmail.com. See you next time Philly fans!