A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1993 Philadelphia Phillies | ||
|---|---|---|
| National League Champions National League East Champions | ||
| League | National League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Veterans Stadium | |
| City | Philadelphia | |
| Record | 97–65 (.599) | |
| Divisional place | 1st | |
| Owners | Bill Giles | |
| General managers | Lee Thomas | |
| Managers | Jim Fregosi | |
| Television | WPHL-TV (Andy Musser, Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn) PRISM (Chris Wheeler, Jay Johnstone, Garry Maddox) SportsChannel Philadelphia (Andy Musser, Kent Tekulve) | |
| Radio | WOGL (Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser, Chris Wheeler, Garry Maddox) | |
| ||
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The 1993 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 111th season in the history of the franchise. The team won the National League East title and defeated the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS in six games, before losing the World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays, also in six games.
Regular season
After finishing in last place the previous year, the Phillies took the lead in the National League East Division on opening day and remained in first for all but one day (April 9) the rest of the season, clinching the division title on September 28 in Pittsburgh.
The 1993 Phillies were led by stars Dave Hollins, Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, Mitch Williams and Curt Schilling. The team was often described as "shaggy", "unkempt", and "dirty." The previous year, noting the presence of the clean-cut Dale Murphy, Kruk described his team as "24 morons and one Mormon." Their character endeared them to fans, and attendance reached a record high the following season. As a play on the legendary 1927 New York Yankees' Murderers' Row, the team's scruffy, mullet-wearing look was dubbed "Macho Row." To the surprise of their city and the nation, the Phillies powered their way to a 97–65 record and an NL East Division title. Their 97 wins were the most since their back-to-back 101-win seasons in 1976 and 1977.
They had a formidable batting lineup, leading the National League in at-bats (5,685), runs scored (877), hits (1,555), doubles (297), walks (665), on-base percentage (.351), and total bases (2,422). Center fielder Lenny Dykstra batted .305 and led the league in hits, with 194, and runs scored, with 143, both career-highs; he also set career-highs in home runs (19) and RBI (66). Left fielder Pete Incaviglia hit 24 home runs and drove in 89 runs in only 368 at-bats. Catcher Darren Daulton also hit 24 home runs and drove in 105 runs, topping 100 for the second consecutive season. Steady-hitting right fielder Jim Eisenreich contributed with a .318 batting average and struck out only 36 times in 362 at-bats. First baseman John Kruk batted a team-leading .316 and hit 14 home runs with 85 RBI, while third baseman Dave Hollins drove in 93 runs for the second straight season.[1]
The Phillies also had one of the best pitching staffs in the Major Leagues that year, leading their league in complete games (24), innings pitched (1,472.2) and strikeouts (1,117). Each of their five starting pitchers had at least one shutout during the regular season. Curt Schilling and Tommy Greene each won 16 games, Ben Rivera won 13, and Danny Jackson and Terry Mulholland won 12. Closer Mitch Williams walked 44 batters in 62.0 innings, but had a solid 3.34 ERA with 43 saves and averaged only one home run allowed every 20.2 innings pitched.[2]
During the season there were a multitude of memorable moments. In late April, the team rallied from an 8–0 deficit to defeat the San Francisco Giants 9–8 in 10 innings, spurred when Giants reliever Bryan Hickerson slammed the ball to the ground to celebrate an out. In San Diego, a few days later, left-fielder Milt Thompson saved a game by making a leaping catch on a potential grand slam by the Padres' catcher Bob Geren.
Terry Mulholland hurled the first shutout in Mile High Stadium, as the Phils swept the expansion Colorado Rockies in late May. On July 2, the Phils and Padres played a doubleheader that lasted almost 12 hours with rain delays; Mitch Williams won the second game with an RBI single at 4:41 AM. Five days later, Lenny Dykstra ended a 7–6, 20-inning game against the Dodgers at Veterans Stadium with a ground-rule double.
The Phillies survived a 6–14 skid from late June through mid-July that shrunk their lead in the East to three games on July 17. A three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to end July effectively pushed the Redbirds out of the pennant chase, and Danny Jackson's 12–0 rout of Cincinnati on August 29 left the Cards 10 games out and the Expos 10+1⁄2 out with one month to go.
However, another slip in September caused some columnists in the city to compare the club to the infamous 1964 team. They lost five of seven games at home to the Cubs and Astros, then lost two of three at Olympic Stadium, which brought Montreal within four games with 13 remaining.
All that was laid to rest on September 28, when the Phils clinched the NL East with a 10–7 win over in-state rival Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. Mariano Duncan hit a grand slam to lead a comeback, and little-used Donn Pall closed out the game, touching off a wild celebration for their first division crown since 1983. Outfielder Wes Chamberlain ended all the references to 1964, screaming, "It's 1993, baby! It ain't 1964. Where are those ghosts now?".[3][4] Here is Phillies announcer Harry Kalas's call of the final out of the Division-clinching game against Pittsburgh:
Ground ball, it's a fair ball! Kruk to Pall ... the Phillies are the '93 National League Eastern Division Champions! This wonderful band of throwback players have won the National League East, mobbing one another on the field.
The hit song "Whoomp! (There It Is)" became the unofficial team theme song throughout the season and postseason.[5]
This would be the Phillies only winning season of the 1990s as the team would fall back into mediocrity and would not have another winning record until 2001.
Opening Day starters
Season standings
| NL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Phillies | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | — | 52–29 | 45–36 |
| Montreal Expos | 94 | 68 | 0.580 | 3 | 55–26 | 39–42 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 87 | 75 | 0.537 | 10 | 49–32 | 38–43 |
| Chicago Cubs | 84 | 78 | 0.519 | 13 | 43–38 | 41–40 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 75 | 87 | 0.463 | 22 | 40–41 | 35–46 |
| Florida Marlins | 64 | 98 | 0.395 | 33 | 35–46 | 29–52 |
| New York Mets | 59 | 103 | 0.364 | 38 | 28–53 | 31–50 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||
| Atlanta | — | 7–5 | 10–3 | 13–0 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 7–6 | 6–6 | |||
| Chicago | 5–7 | — | 7–5 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 5–8–1 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 8–5 | |||
| Cincinnati | 3–10 | 5–7 | — | 9–4 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 2–11 | 5–7 | |||
| Colorado | 0–13 | 4–8 | 4–9 | — | 7–5 | 11–2 | 7–6 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 3–10 | 5–7 | |||
| Florida | 5–7 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 5–7 | — | 3–9 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 4–9 | 4–9 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 4–9 | |||
| Houston | 5–8 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 2–11 | 9–3 | — | 9–4 | 5–7 | 11–1 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 3–10 | 6–6 | |||
| Los Angeles | 5–8 | 5–7 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 4–9 | — | 6–6 | 8–4 | 2–10 | 8–4 | 9–4 | 7–6 | 6–6 | |||
| Montreal | 5–7 | 8–5–1 | 8–4 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 6–6 | — | 9–4 | 6–7 | 8–5 | 10–2 | 3–9 | 7–6 | |||
| New York | 3–9 | 5–8 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 9–4 | 1–11 | 4–8 | 4–9 | — | 3–10 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–8 | |||
| Philadelphia | 6-6 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 10–2 | 7–6 | 10–3 | — | 7–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 8–5 | |||
| Pittsburgh | 5–7 | 8–5 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 9–4 | 6–7 | — | 9–3 | 5–7 | 4–9 | |||
| San Diego | 4–9 | 4–8 | 4–9 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 4–9 | 2–10 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 3–9 | — | 3–10 | 7–5 | |||
| San Francisco | 6–7 | 6–6 | 11–2 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 10–3 | 6–7 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 10–3 | — | 4–8 | |||
| St. Louis | 6–6 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 9–4 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 9–4 | 5–7 | 8–4 | — | |||
Notable transactions
- April 13, 1993: Brad Hassinger (minors) was traded by the Phillies to the Atlanta Braves for Mark Davis.[6]
- June 1, 1993: Juan Bell was selected off waivers from the Phillies by the Milwaukee Brewers.[7]
- June 3, 1993: 1993 Major League Baseball draft
- Wayne Gomes was drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round (4th pick). Player signed July 27, 1993.[8]
- Scott Rolen was drafted by the Phillies in the 2nd round. Player signed July 22, 1993.[9]
- July 2, 1993: Mark Davis was released by the Phillies.[6]
- July 3, 1993: Tim Mauser was traded by the Phillies to the San Diego Padres for Roger Mason.[10]
- August 10, 1993: José DeLeón was traded by the Phillies to the Chicago White Sox for Bobby Thigpen.[11]