Top 5 Players of the 1980 World Series

Originally published on Jun. 21, 2019

By Zane Miller

On Tuesday, October 21st, 1980, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia to win the 77th World Series four games to two. It was the first World Series championship for the Phillies franchise and the seventh that was won in Pennsylvania. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #6 Keith Moreland (Phillies)- DH

Moreland earned partial player of the game in game two, hitting an RBI with a run and a pair of hits in the Phillies’ 6-4 win.

4. #24 Willie Aikens (Royals)- 1B

Aikens took player of the game in game four, driving in three RBIs with two runs, two hits and one walk as the Royals claimed a 5-3 victory.

3. #38 Rich Gale (Royals)- P

Gale pitched his way to player of the game in game three, going four and a third innings with a pair of earned runs allowed on seven hits and three walks as the Royals went on to win it 4-3 in 10 innings.

2. #21 Bake McBride (Phillies)- RF

McBride earned player of the game honors in game one, getting three RBIs, one run and three hits, as the Phillies went on to take a 7-6 win.

1. #20 Mike Schmidt (Phillies)- 3B

Schmidt picked up player of the game honors in games five and six, as well as partial player of the game in game two, as game two saw him pick up an RBI with a run and a pair of hits as the Phillies won it 6-4, followed up by a game five that saw Schmidt get two RBIs with two runs and two hits in the Phillies’ 4-3 win. In game six, Schmidt added a pair of RBIs along with one hit and one walk as the Phillies won 4-1 to clinch the series championship.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

 

Link to stats database: https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1980_WS.shtml