October 21 marks the 45th anniversary of the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies World Series title. This was the first championship for the Phillies in their history. It remains as one of two Phillies World Series titles along with their 2008 championship team. The elusive third World Series championship still awaits this franchise. Since the 1980 championship, the Phillies have reached the World Series five times: in 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, and 2022. In 1983, they lost to the Baltimore Orioles. In 1993, they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. 2008 saw them beat the Tampa Bay Rays. The following year, trying to repeat as champions, they lost to the New York Yankees. In 2022, their unexpected postseason run ended with a Fall Classic loss to the Houston Astros.
The 1980 Phillies Remembered 45 Years Later
The 1980 team had a 91-71 record, winning the National League East. Back then, only the two division champions in each league made it to the postseason. The LCS was still a best-of-five series at that point as well. In the 1980 NLCS, the Phillies faced off against the champions of the NL West, the Houston Astros. The Phillies took Game 1 of the series but then lost the next two in extra innings. However, the Phillies would rally, winning the next two games in extra innings to advance to the World Series. Both the Game 4 and Game 5 wins while facing elimination came on the road. Manny Trillo would take home NLCS MVP, recording a .935 OPS and going 8-for-21 with four RBI across the five games in the series.
NL MVP Season for Star Third Baseman
In 1980, Mike Schmidt won the first of his three NL MVP awards. This also marked the first of two consecutive NL MVPs for Schmidt. That season, Schmidt had a .286/.380/.624 line with 48 home runs and 121 RBI in 150 games, along with a 171 OPS+. He took home both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award. Schmidt’s performance in 1980 is one of the best individual seasons in Phillies history. His 8.9 bWAR that season is tied for the third-best mark by a position player in a single season in team history.
NL Cy Young Season for Ace Starting Pitcher
The Phillies also boasted the 1980 NL Cy Young Award winner, Steve Carlton. Carlton had a 24-9 record along with a 2.34 ERA and 286 strikeouts in 38 starts. He also had a 162 ERA+ and finished fifth in NL MVP voting. This was the third of Carlton’s four NL Cy Young Award seasons. He pitched over 300 innings and faced over 1,000 batters that season, which is unheard of nowadays. Carlton’s 10.2 bWAR in 1980 ranks as the ninth-best mark by a pitcher in a single season in team history.
World Series Champions for the First Time Ever
The Phillies’ opponent in the 1980 World Series was the Kansas City Royals. Both teams were looking for their first championship at the time. Furthermore, both teams were led by their league MVP third baseman: Schmidt for the Phillies and George Brett for the Royals. The home teams won each of the first four games before the Phillies took Game 5 on the road. In Game 6, Carlton would pitch seven innings, allowing four hits and one run. Pete Rose would go 3-for-4 at the plate while Schmidt drove in a run. Tug McGraw recorded his fourth postseason save, a six-out save, to secure a 4-3 win and the World Series title. Schmidt took home World Series MVP honors, hitting .381 with two homers and seven RBI in the six games.
Today In 1980: The Philadelphia #Phillies finally win their first World Series championship, defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games! #MLB #Baseball #History #Postseason #WorldSeries #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/KwDfJeZdXD
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) October 21, 2025
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Top Postseason Performers for the 1980 Phillies
At the plate, Schmidt had an .820 OPS with two home runs and eight RBI across 11 postseason games. Rose had a .780 OPS, drawing seven walks while only striking out five times in those 11 games. Bake McBride and Greg Luzinski were the other Phillies to homer in that postseason. On the mound, Carlton went 3-0 with a 2.30 ERA in four postseason outings. Meanwhile, McGraw pitched nine times, recording a 2.87 ERA and four saves. McGraw pitched multiple innings in five out of those nine relief appearances during the Phillies’ 1980 World Series championship run. That included the save in Game 6 to win it all.
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
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