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“The Curse of Chico Ruiz”: The Phillies Blow the 1964 Pennant!

“It was about the dumbest play I’ve ever seen…except that it worked.” -Pete Rose, speaking of teammate Chico Ruiz’ 1964 steal of home.

We’re coming up to a very painful anniversary for Phillies fans. Fifty-six years ago next month, September 21, 1964, the Phillies held a 6 1/2 game lead over the second-place Reds with just 12 games to play. They had been in first place since Opening Day and appeared to be coasting to their first pennant since 1950. And then one of the most infamous collapses in baseball history, known as the “Phold of ‘64,” began to rear its ugly head.

The 1964 Phillies were a great club with a lineup loaded with stars: Johnny Callison, Richie Allen, Frank Thomas, Bobby Wine, Roy Sievers, Vic Power, Tony Gonzales, and Wes Covington. Jim Bunning headed a solid pitching staff, which included Chris Short, Ray Culp, Art Mahaffey, Ryne Duren, Rick Wise, Bobby Shantz, and Dennis Bennett. A highlight of the year was Jim Bunning’s perfect game on June 21, the first in the National League since 1880.

As September opened, the Phillies appeared to be on cruise control with a 5 1/2 game lead. Then suddenly bad things began to happen, including injuries to Frank Thomas and Ray Culp, and unexpected wildness for Art Mahaffey. After a mediocre start to the month at 12–9, they appeared to have righted the ship with a win against the Dodgers on September 20. They were still 6 1/2 games ahead with just 12 left to play. They could smell the roses. Who would have guessed that the win over the Dodgers would be their last win in September?

The Phillies headed home for a three-game series against the Reds. With a little luck, the thinking went, maybe they could clinch the pennant this week at home. In the first game against the Reds, Mahaffey and John Tsitouris were locked in a scoreless duel through five innings. In the sixth, Reds’ rookie Chico Ruiz, known for his blazing speed, hit a single and advanced to third on Vada Pinson’s shot up the middle. With two outs, the next batter, the great Frank Robinson, swung and missed the first pitch. 

From his perch on third, Ruiz noticed that Mahaffey hadn’t checked him. On the next pitch, he caught Mahaffey and the entire stadium by surprise—including his manager, Dick Sisler—as he suddenly broke for home. The ploy worked. The startled Mahaffey uncorked a wild one that sailed over the head of catcher Clay Dalrymple and carried all the way to the screen. Ruiz easily crossed the plate with the game’s only run, handing a painful 1-0 loss to the Phillies.

In researching this article, I learned a little about the popular Cuban-born Chico Ruiz. He had hit well in the minors, but just .240 over his eight-year career in the majors (1964- ’71). He was a valuable utility player as he could adequately play every position on the field except pitcher and catcher.

Teammate Sammy Ellis spoke fondly of Chico Ruiz:

“Chico was popular with his teammates on the Reds. He was always smiling and bubbly, a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He was proud of the control he had gained of the English language through hard work, without any educational assistance, and he mixed well with his teammates.  Everybody liked Chico.”

The sentiment was echoed by teammate Mel Queen:

“Chico Ruiz was extremely funny, He was always joking. One of the characters on the team, he kept teammates laughing. He loved practical jokes, once slicing a teammate’s sports jacket into shreds and then sewing it back together loosely so that it fell apart as soon as it was put on.”

The Phillies’ volatile manager Gene Mauch definitely did not share this amicable opinion of Ruiz, who had definitely “gotten into Mauch’s head.” The Phillies’ manager took the loss hard. In the clubhouse after the game, he was heard screaming at his demoralized players:

“If he had been thrown out he would be sent back to the minors where he belongs. Chico F—ing Ruiz! Chico F—ing Ruiz! I can’t believe it. You guys let Chico F—ing Ruiz beat you.”

Chico Ruiz is also remembered for a few other things. Sounding a whole lot like Bob Uecker, he once uttered the great baseball line, “Bench me or trade me!” And speaking of “bench,” he’s the only player to have pinch-hit for the great Johnny Bench. It occurred on August 28, 1967 in Johnny’s rookie year, after he went 0-3.

Chico Ruiz was traded to the Angels in 1970 and was tragically killed in a car accident in California in 1972 at the age of 33.

So rather than dwelling on the Phillies’ famous collapse, let’s take a moment to remember Chico Ruiz: a fine utility player with a short major league career who certainly left his mark on the game. And if you don’t believe me, ask any Phillies fan.

Gary Livacari 

Photo Credits: All from Google search

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