The Curse of Chico Ruiz: The Phillies Blow the 1964 Pennant!
“The steal of home plate by Chico Ruiz was the play that broke our humps!” – Phillies’ sensational rookie Richie Allen, speaking of the 1964 Phillies collapse.
Today is a very painful day for all Phillies fans. Fifty-two years ago today, on 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 cruising 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 it’s ugly head…
The 1964 Phillies, under manager Gene Mauch, were a great club with a roster that included familiar names like Johnny Calllison, Richie Allen, Frank Thomas, Bobby Wine, Ruben Amaro, Roy Sievers, Vic Power, Tony Gonzales, and Wes Covington. Allen was having one of the greatest seasons by a rookie ever. He ended up leading the National League in runs (125), triples (13), extra base hits (80) and total bases (352). Newly-acquired Jim Bunning headed a solid pitching staff, which included Chris Short, Ray Culp, Art Mahaffey, Ryne Duren, Rick Wise, Bobby Shantz, and Dennis Bennett. On June 21, Bunning pitched the first National League Perfect Game since 1880.
The month of September opened well for the Phillies. They began with a 5 1/2 game lead over the Reds. The team was on “cruise control” and appeared to be headed for the World Series, as there were no playoffs back then. On Labor Day, the lead increased to 6 1/2 games with 25 left to play. Then, out of nowhere, the injury bug hit and suddenly things started to go wrong.
Frank Thomas broke his right thumb. Starter Ray Culp hurt his elbow. Dennis Bennett developed a sore arm. Art Mahaffey began having control problems. For the next two weeks, things were shaky, but the Phillies appeared to have “righted the ship” by September 13 when Bunning beat the Giants for his 17th win. Short and Bennett followed up with wins over Houston. During the month, the club had so far gone a mediocre 12–9, but with a road win over the Dodgers on the 20th, the lead remained at 6 1/2 games with just 12 games left. The Phillies didn’t know it at the time, but the win over the Dodgers would be their last win in September.
On September 21, the team returned to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series against the Reds as part of a seven-game home stand. Expectations were high as the Phillies were hoping to clinch the pennant this week at home. In the first game against the Reds, Art Mahaffey was in a scoreless pitchers’ duel against John Tsitouris until the 6th inning when Chico Ruiz hit a single and advanced to third on Vada Pinson’s hit up the middle. Frank Robinson followed and swung and missed for strike one. On the next pitch, Ruiz, noticing that Mahaffery had not checked him, broke for home, catching Mahaffey by surprise as his pitch went high and wild. Catcher Clay Dalrymple jumped but missed the ball which carried to the screen. Ruiz crossed the plate with the game’s only run and a painful 1-0 loss for the Phils. It was a loss from which the Phillies could not recover.
Chico Ruiz’s steal of home has evolved into a popular culture legend. Some Philadelphia sports fans still refer to the “Curse of Chico Ruiz” as the reason for many of their teams’ misfortunes. After this dramatic loss, things went from bad to worse for the shaken Phillies. They lost the next two games to the Reds and suddenly the lead was cut to 3 1/2 games with Milwaukee coming to town next.
The downhill slide continued against the Braves, as they swept the Phllies in the four game series. The losing steak was suddenly at seven and panic started setting in. The now second-place Phillies had to travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals for a crucial series. Who should await them in the first game but the great Bob Gibson, which they dropped 5–1 for their eighth loss in a row. Stunningly, out of nowhere, the Phillies found themselves in third place. The Cardinals swept the three-game set and assumed first place for good on their way to a World Series victory over the Yankees. The Phillies finished September losing 10 in a row.
What had just happened? Was Yogi Berra thinking of the 1964 Phillies when he coined his famous baseball adage: “It ain’t over til it’s over”? In a season that just days before had appeared to be a sure pennant winner, suddenly ended in bitter disappointment. The Phillies won their last two games and finished 92-70 in a second-place tie with the Reds, just one game behind the pennant-winning Cardinals. Some minor consolation could be taken in the knowledge that it was the best season by the Phillies since the 1950 pennant winning Wiz Kids. But there was no joy in the city of Brotherly Love. The “Phold”, as the ten-game losing streak became known, is one of the most notable collapses in sports history.
-GaryLivacari
Photo Credits; All from Google search
Information: Excerpts edited from the 1964 Phillies Wikipedia page
