Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 72

f70 Monday. October 13. 1980 Philadelphia Daily News I I By RAY DIDINGER HOUSTON When they immortal-ize the Phillies' 1980 pennant clinching on canvas, when they chisle the whole crazy scene in stone or squeeze it onto a postage stamp, it will come down to Garry Maddox' victory ride. It will come down to Garry Maddox bouncing along on the shoulders of his teammates, his fists clenched above his head, the outline of his ideburns bristling against the bright Astrodome roof. It was a game that decided perhaps the greatest post-season series in baseball history, a game that turned on one sudden flick of Garry Maddox bat.

With two out in the 10th Game 5 PHILLIES 8, Astros 7 PHUJES Rose. tt McBrKJe. rt AB 3 3 0 0 1 0 5 3 0 0 0 2 4 5 3 2 2 2 d-Mor eland McGraw. h-G Vufcowch Rurhven Schmidt 3b LuzinsKi, It b-L Smith Chnstensort. Reed, Unser rt Trillo.

2D Maddo. ct Bona, ss Boone, Bystrom. Br jsstar. Gross. If Total 13 30 15 2 inning, Maddox stroked a Frank LaCorte fastball to center field.

Terry Puhl charged the ball but couldn't come up with it It skipped past him, Del Unser scored the decisive run and Maddox streaked into second base like a cheetah sniffing a fresh kill. THEN, IN THE bottom of the 10th. the final two Houston Astro batters hit fly balls to Maddox. He watched them both disappear into his Gold Glove and then, in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Garry Maddox danced with joy. He rushed toward the infield, toward the mob of Phillies who had come streaming from the dugout.

He leaped into the arms of Larry Bowa, then into the arms of Manager Dallas Green. A moment later, Garry Lee Maddox was up on their shoulders and riding toward the dugout, a man who had just been reunited with his destiny. Remember, it was Garry Maddox who dropped the fly ball that brought the curtain crashing down on the Phillies in the 1978 National League Championship Series. Remember, it was Garry Maddox who lost a critical fly ball in the sun against Montreal two weeks ago, then vanished from the starting lineup in circumstances that could only be described as puzzling. Now, when the Phillies came face-to-face with their final hour, when they would either win their first pennant in three decades or surely be cast to the baseball winds, Garry Maddox delivered the hit that delivered a franchise from bondage.

IN THE CLUBHOUSE later, Maddox looked like a man who had just fought his way through a long, dark tunnel into the daylight He drank his champagne gently, respectfully. He didn't guzzle it. he didn't spray it like the other players. Garry Maddox had struggled with this cork too long. He was entitled to take a nice, mellow sniff.

"I've never had a feeling like it," Maddox said. "This was such an emotional series, there were so many turns, so many comebacks. You just ached on every pitch. "I can't say enough about this team. These guys never quit.

They never let down. When Houston came back to tie us (in the eighth) the guys on the bench encouraged us, told us to get our heads up. "I got the winning hit." Maddox said, "but I'll tell you. this was a real team effort. We got great clutch hitting, we got some great defensive plays and Dick tRuthven) did a super job in relief.

"When we got to the playoffs, we dedicated ourselves to one thing and that was going all the way. We knew we wouldn't be satisfied and our fans wouldn't be satisfied by anything less than a National League pennant. "We adopted the motto, 'Whatever it takes." That means, whatever it takes to win. that's what we're gonna do. "Coming back to win that crazy game on Saturday, then coming back to win again tonight, I think -we proved something to a few people.

I think we showed we have a lot of character on this ballclub." COACH BOBBY WINE edged through the group of newsmen around Maddox and he embraced the centerfielder. job." Wine said. ASTROS Bl AB 6 5 4 1 3 5 0 4 1 1 3 5 3 0 0 1 Put cf Cabell. 3b Morgan. 2b Landesfoy 2b Cruz It illing, rt La Cone Hoe.

tb c-Bergman. lb PuiOrS. a-Ashby. Reynolds, ss Ryan, Sambito. Forsch.

g-lrVoods. rt -Heep Totals 43 7 14 30 0 a-singM tor Pujoit In Sth. b-ran tor Luzfcwki in 7th. c-ran for How In 7th. 1 3i d-hit Into tore tor McBrio In 8th.

PtKtographed by Fardoth Garry Maddox and Del Unser who combined on the game-winning play walk to the clubhouse -ran tor Moraiand in Sth. Mingled lor Raad In 8th. g-struc out tar Forsch in Sth. iaandd aut tar McGraw In 9th. HUd out tor Woods (1 10th.

PHH.UES Houston 030 000 050 1 100 001 320 0 7 DP Reynold. Morgan and How; Cabal, Morgan and Howa. LOB PHNJJES S. Houston 10. 28 Cruz.

Reynolds, Unsar. Maddox. 38 Mom, Trie. SB Puhl. Cab, Boons.

Gam winning RBI Maddox. ER BB SO 5'i72121 PHBXIES Bystrom Barsstar Chrstenson Reed McGraw Rutnven (W. 1-0) thought. This must be a dream. This all has to be a So a season of conflicting emotion, a season tinted with controversy perhaps real, perhaps imagined ended happily for Garry Lee Maddox.

The memory, like the bottle he sippedJrom, had no jagged edges. The relationship between Dallas Green and Garry Maddox has not always been an easy one. There have been clashes of pride, clashes of wills, differences of opinion often more semantic than genuine. However, it is worth noting that as Garry Maddox rode off the Astrodome field last night, the man clutching his left leg and hoisting him toward the ceiling was Dallas Green. It was, indeed, a moment for all to cherish.

hit the ball to me," Maddox said, smiling, "but when they did. I was glad. I felt confident in my ability to make the plays. They weren't that tough." "Will this make up for the (dropped)' ball in Los Angeles?" someone asked. "That's in the past," Maddox said, gracefully handling the painful memory.

"This (win) is what's important now. This team and what it has accomplished. "I'm elated. All the disappointments, all the frustrations I felt (in years gone by) are washed "away. Hey, I can't tell you how it felt to have those guys pick me up and carry me off that field.

didn't know they were gonna do that. In fact, I didn't know what they were doing at first. When I realized. I "Thank you." Maddox said. His voice was weak, filling with emotion.

"I've never felt this way before never in my life." Maddox said. "I'm elated but I'm almost limp. I'm tired from playing, I'm exhausted from jumping up and down in the dugout, yelling. "The (winning) hit? I don't suppose I'll ever forget it. I was just looking to make good contact.

I was trying to hit the ball back through the middle. 'Even when we scored the (go-ahead) run, we knew the game was far from over because they had come back so many times before. When we went back in the field, we were thinking. 'We can't let up. We can't let them get (a rally) started." wasn't really praying they would Houstm Ryan 7 8 6 6 2 8 Sambito 0 0 0 0 Forsch 2 I 1 0 1 LaCortefL i t) 2 3 110 1 pitched to our batters i 8th WP Cf-'Sterson Unpires.

Engel. Tata. Froemmirg. Harvey. Vargo.

Crawford. Time 338 Arremapce 44 302.