The1980 National League Championship Series was abest-of-five playoff inMajor League Baseball’s1980 postseason between thePhiladelphia Phillies and theHouston Astros for theNational League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the1980 World Series. Played from October 7 to 12, it was the 12thNLCS. Philadelphia won the series three games to two to clinch the NL pennant. It was the first postseason series victory in franchise history for the Phillies, who went on to defeat theKansas City Royals for their first World Series Championship.

The 1980 National League Championship Series is remembered as the closest, most grueling playoff series in Major League Baseball history. The series went to its five-game limit, with the final four games requiringextra innings to determine a winner.

The two franchises would meet again in the2022 World Series, nine years after the Astros switched to theAmerican League.

The 1980 National League pennant race was one of the most exciting races in baseball history,^[1] as both divisions came down to the final weekend. The NL East race featured thePirates, the defending World Series Champions; thePhillies, who were hovering just over a .500 winning percentage and in third place until the middle of August; and theExpos, who were leading the division or within at least four games of first place throughout most of the season. The Pirates would fade at the end of the season and finish 83–79. The Phillies and the Expos were tied in the standings entering the final weekend of the 1980 season with a three game series set between the two clubs atOlympic Stadium (Montreal). On October 4, with the Phillies holding a one-game lead in the standings, and with the score tied at four heading to the tenth,Mike Schmidt hit a blast deep into the seats in left field to give the Phillies a 6–4 lead and ultimate win. The win clinched the NL East for the Phillies and prevented aone-game playoff with the Expos for the divisional crown the following day.

The two parties in the NL West race were theAstros andDodgers. The Astros were a very talented team with the additions ofJoe Morgan andNolan Ryan during the off-season, but a stroke to ace pitcherJ.R. Richard in late July and inner turmoil threatened to tear the team apart. In his book,Joe Morgan – A Life in Baseball, Morgan recounted how he called a players-only meeting in August after a series against the Padres in San Diego. He challenged his teammates to be less selfish and he singled people out and it worked. Immediately following the meeting, Houston went on a tear and gained a three game lead in the NL West. Everyone was happy, according to Morgan, except managerBill Virdon, who felt Morgan had overstepped his bounds. Their relationship changed after that. As the team continued to surge, players would talk about how much of an influence Morgan was which made the problem worse. Virdon began benching Morgan late in games and it would come back to bite them later on.^[2] While the Phillies were putting their finishing touches on clinching the NL East during the last weekend of the season, the Astros had a meltdown atDodger Stadium. All Houston had to do was win one game and they would qualify for their first ever post-season appearance; instead, they were swept in three games by the second-place Dodgers to force a one game playoff the next day.

More than 50,000 people packed Dodger Stadium on Monday, October 6 for theone-game playoff to determine the NL West champion. The Astros sent 19-game winnerJoe Niekro to the mound, while the Dodgers countered withDave Goltz, who signed as a free-agent in the 1979-1980 off-season. Goltz recorded double-digit wins for six straight seasons in Minnesota, but his first season in Dodger Blue was a disappointment, as he entered the most important game of the season with a 7–10 record and a 4.31 ERA. Houston would knock Goltz out the game early and go on to win 7–1, setting the stage for a Phillies versus Astros NL Championship Series.

Ramón Avilés,Bob Boone,Larry Bowa,Warren Brusstar,Marty Bystrom,Steve Carlton,Larry Christenson,Greg Gross,Greg Luzinski,Garry Maddox,Bake McBride,Tug McGraw,Keith Moreland,Dickie Noles,Ron Reed,Pete Rose,Dick Ruthven,Kevin Saucier,Mike Schmidt,Lonnie Smith,Manny Trillo,Del Unser,George Vukovich.

Joaquín Andújar,Alan Ashby,Dave Bergman,Bruce Bochy,Enos Cabell,César Cedeño,José Cruz,Ken Forsch,Danny Heep,Art Howe,Frank LaCorte,Rafael Landestoy,Jeffrey Leonard,Joe Morgan,Joe Niekro,Terry Puhl,Luis Pujols,Craig Reynolds,Vern Ruhle,Nolan Ryan,Joe Sambito,Dave Smith,Denny Walling,Gary Woods.

Philadelphia won the series, 3–2.

The 1980 NLCS featured Joe Morgan on the Astros and Pete Rose on the Phillies, theleadoff and2-hole hitters in theBig Red Machine batting line-up, who dominated baseball for much of the 1970s.

Game 1 was the most ordinary contest of the series. StartersKen Forsch andSteve Carlton dueled for the first five innings, with only one run scored by Houston in the third on an RBI single byGary Woods. Philadelphia'sGreg Luzinski essentially decided the game in the sixth when he homered afterPete Rose had singled. This was the only home run of the entire series. The Phillies added another run in the seventh on a run-scoring single by pinch-hitterGreg Gross.Tug McGraw relieved Carlton at the start of the eighth and allowed only a walk during the last two innings for the save. Despite pitching fairly well in a complete game effort, Forsch took the loss.

The Astros arrived in Philadelphia only hours before the first pitch after defeating theLos Angeles Dodgers atDodger Stadium in a one-game playoff the previous afternoon to win the Western Division championship.

This was the first home postseason win for the Phillies since the Game 1 of the1915 World Series, ending a ten-game home postseason losing streak.

Houston evened the series in Game 2, a seesaw contest that would prove typical of the series as a whole. Houston opened the scoring in the third whenTerry Puhl singled homeCraig Reynolds after a sacrifice bunt byNolan Ryan. The Phillies took the lead with two runs in the fourth on RBIs fromGreg Luzinski andGarry Maddox. Houston evened the score in the seventh when Ryan walked and was doubled home by Puhl, and went ahead in the eighth afterJoe Morgan doubled and scored on a single byJosé Cruz.

After loading the bases in the seventh but failing to score, the Phillies got a run in the eighth to tie the game 3–3 when Maddox singled home pinch-runnerLonnie Smith. The Astros went 1–2–3 in the ninth but the Phillies loaded the bases with one out in their half of the inning on singles byBake McBride,Mike Schmidt and Smith. ButManny Trillo, who would eventually win the series MVP award, struck out and Maddox fouled out to end the threat.

The tenth inning turned disastrous for the Phillies as Houston used three hits to score four runs, with an RBI single by Cruz (complete with an error that moved him to second base), a run-scoring groundout byCésar Cedeño, and a two-run triple byDave Bergman. The Phillies got an unearned run in the bottom of the inning on an error by Reynolds at shortstop. Astros relieverJoaquín Andújar came in to the game to try and stop the bleeding, which included two on with two out andMike Schmidt at the plate. On a count of 3-0, Schmidt lined a pitch harmlessly into right field into the glove of the fielder to end the game and tie the series at 1–1.

Houston'sAstrodome was always known as a pitcher's park, and the domed stadium lived up to its reputation when the series moved there for Game 3. The two teams' pitching staffs combined to yield only 13 hits and one run in the game's 11 innings. Houston'sJoe Niekro pitched ten strong innings but missed out on what would have been a win, while Phillies closerTug McGraw took the loss. Both teams did get men to third on a few occasions: Houston in the first and fourth and Philadelphia in the third. But the staffs held firm until the bottom of the 11th.Joe Morgan led off the inning for the Astros with a triple to right. After two intentional walksDenny Walling hit a sacrifice fly to bring home the game's only run and give Houston the victory. The Astros were now just one win away from the franchise's first appearance in the World Series.

In what was by now a familiar pattern, Game 4 turned into a back-and-forth contest that wasn't decided until extra innings.

The fourth inning of this game was especially eventful. In the top,Bake McBride andManny Trillo opened with back-to-back singles offVern Ruhle.Garry Maddox then hit a low liner back to the mound that Ruhle reached down and appeared to catch (replays were inconclusive). Plate umpireDoug Harvey at first made no call on the play due to his view being blocked by Maddox. Ruhle threw to first basemanArt Howe to either double off Trillo or retire Maddox (according to the call) and Harvey asked for a ruling from first-base umpireBob Engel. Engel ruled a catch, meaning Maddox was out and Trillo was doubled off. Howe, seeing McBride at third base, then ran down and touched second for an apparenttriple play and the Astros left the field as the inning was apparently over. Phillies managerDallas Green and the Phillie infielders (especiallyPete Rose) heatedly protested that Ruhle trapped the ball, but the call was not changed. Harvey allowed McBride to return to second, determining that his original hesitation and conferring with Engel caused McBride to run to third. Astros managerBill Virdon protested the decision to declare only two outs and McBride on second, but to no avail. The umpires then consulted with National League PresidentChub Feeney, who was seated in the first row behind home plate, and Feeney agreed with the ruling. Green and the Phillies then resumed their heated disagreement, and both the Phillies and the Astros decided to play the game under protest. After a total of 20 minutes' worth of arguing from both sides,Larry Bowa grounded out for the third out of the inning. Neither teams' protest was upheld by Feeney.

The bottom of the fourth featured two fielding gaffes by Phillie left-fielderLonnie Smith as the Astros got their first run.Enos Cabell doubled to left on what appeared to be a catchable fly ball. Smith mistakenly turned to face the left field wall as if the ball would carom, but the ball instead dropped on the warning track a few feet away from him. AfterJoe Morgan grounded Cabell to third,Gary Woods walked. Howe then hit a fly ball to left that Smith caught as both runners tagged. As Smith attempted to throw home to retire Cabell, the ball slipped from his hand and Cabell scored. Woods reached second and attempted to advance to third on the miscue, but Smith recovered the ball and threw him out on a close play as the Astros protested once again.

The Astros got another run in the fifth asLuis Pujols tripled and scored on a single byRafael Landestoy. In what would prove to be critical failings, the Astros loaded the bases in both the sixth and seventh but couldn't add to their lead. In the sixth, a run for the Astros was taken off the board when Woods left third base too early on a sacrifice fly attempt and the Phillies successfully appealed.

The Phillies took advantage by going ahead with three runs in the eighth, ending a scoreless string of 18 consecutive innings in theAstrodome. Pinch-hitterGreg Gross and Smith opened the inning with singles off Ruhle. Rose singled to right, scoring Gross. Right fielderJeff Leonard threw to third, trying to tag Smith out, but Smith made it safely while Rose took second.Mike Schmidt then hit a grounder up the middle, scoring Smith to tie it and reaching first whenJoe Morgan fielded but was hesitant and did not make a throw, as Rose took third. After McBride was struck out byJoe Sambito, Trillo hit a sinking line drive that Leonard made a shoestring catch on for the second out. Rose tagged and scored from third to put the Phillies ahead 3-2 as Leonard's throw home was offline. However, Schmidt thought Leonard trapped Trillo's hit and had taken second and was doubled off first by catcherBruce Bochy to end the inning.

The Astros didn't go quietly and leveled the score in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single byTerry Puhl. But the tenth was ruinous for Houston. With two out and the score tied at 3–3, the Phillies'Greg Luzinski entered as a pinch-hitter and doubled home Rose with the go-ahead run on a close play at the plate, with Rose running over Bochy at home plate.Manny Trillo then singled home Luzinski with an insurance tally. The Astros went 1–2–3 in the bottom of the tenth, and the series was tied. This was Luzinski's second game-winning hit in the Championship Series, coming after a subpar regular season for the slugger.

Game 4 of the series was a Saturday afternoon affair that ran into the early evening of October 11. An NCAA football game between theUniversity of Houston andTexas A&M had been scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. Rather than move the game to a different day or to another stadium, the schools elected to play the game at the Astrodome as scheduled. The conversion of the Astrodome from baseball to football took several hours and the football game did not kick off until 11:33 p.m. The game ended at 2:41 a.m. with the Houston Cougars taking a 17–13 victory over Texas A&M. The Astrodome crew then began work on converting the Dome back to a baseball setup for Game 5 of the NLCS.

Game 5 capped the series in fitting fashion, with seemingly endless surprises and excitement. The Astros jumped to an early lead in the first on a run-scoring double byJosé Cruz. Philadelphia bounced back to take the lead on a two-run single byBob Boone in the second. The Astros sawLuis Pujols andEnos Cabell thrown out at the plate in the second and fifth, but finally broke through to tie the game at 2 on an unearned run in the sixth, due to an error by Philadelphia's LFGreg Luzinski.

Houston took what seemed like a solid 5–2 lead in the seventh on an RBI single byDenny Walling, a wild pitch from Phillies relieverLarry Christenson, and a run-scoring triple byArt Howe. A three-run deficit in the eighth inning againstNolan Ryan seemed insurmountable. But the Phillies would not die. They loaded the bases with nobody out on three straight singles, including an infield hit byBob Boone and a bunt single byGreg Gross. Two runs came in on a walk toPete Rose and a ground-out byKeith Moreland. An RBI single byDel Unser tied the game at 5, and then series MVPManny Trillo put the Phillies ahead with a two-run triple.

The Astros promptly came back to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, withRafael Landestoy andJosé Cruz each singling in a run. Neither team scored in the ninth, but the Phillies got doubles from Unser andGarry Maddox in the tenth to take an 8–7 lead. Despite ABC's short transmitter difficulties that same inning, Philadelphia'sDick Ruthven retired the Astros in order in the bottom of the tenth the last out being a soft liner to Maddox, and the Phillies had won their first pennant since 1950. Philadelphia went on to defeat theKansas City Royals four games to two in the World Series.

1980 NLCS(3–2):Philadelphia Phillies overHouston Astros

The 1980 NL Championship Series is widely regarded as one of the most exciting postseason series in baseball history.^[8][9] The last four of its five games went intoextra innings, which is the most extra-inning games of any post-season series. Four of its games featured lead changes, while the one game that did not go 11 innings and ended in a 1–0 Houston victory.

"I've never been through such excitement in all my life," said Astros’ outfielderJosé Cruz after the winner-take-all Game 5.Terry Puhl added, "Everybody thought we [Astros] were a team of destiny. They were wrong. The Phillies were a team of destiny in this series."^[10] The Phillies would go on the win their firstWorld Series in franchise history, becoming the last original National League team to win a Fall Classic.

The Astros could have possibly won this series and their first championship ifJ.R. Richard, one of baseball's dominant pitchers of the late 1970s, had not tragically suffered astroke in the middle of the season. In1981, Richard attempted a comeback with the Astros, however this failed because the stroke had slowed down his reaction time and weakened his depth perception. He spent the next few seasons in the minor leagues before being released by the Astros in 1984. After his professional baseball career ended, Richard became involved in unsuccessful business deals and went through two divorces, which led to him being homeless and destitute in 1994. Richard found solace in a local church and later became a Christian minister. He was inducted into theNegro League Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Astros inaugural Hall of Fame in 2019. Richard died in 2021 due to complications fromCOVID-19.^[11][12]

Then-Astros catcherBruce Bochy was the manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2010 when his team beat the Philadelphia Phillies 30 years later in theNL Championship Series. Bochy was behind the plate for Houston in Game 4 of the 1980 NL Championship Series versus Philadelphia whenPete Rose ran him over to score the go-ahead run in the top of the tenth inning.^[13]

The Astros had to wait 25 years before they would finally make their first World Series appearance in2005, where they lost to theChicago White Sox in a four game sweep. By 2013, the Astros had moved to the American League and they would not win a World Series until they beat theLos Angeles Dodgers in2017. The Astros would win again in2022, avenging their 1980 NL Championship Series loss by beating the Phillies in the World Series in six games.

• 1980 NLCS at Baseball-reference

• 1980 Major League Baseball season
• National League Championship Series
• 1980 in Houston
• 1980s in Philadelphia
• 1980 in sports in Pennsylvania
• 1980 in sports in Texas
• October 1980 sports events in the United States
• Houston Astros postseason
• Philadelphia Phillies postseason

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