My Memories of the Astros vs. Phillies in The 1980 NLCS

Tomorrow night, the Houston Astros will host the Philadelphia Phillies to commence the 2022 World Series.

While this is the first time the Astros and Phillies have faced each other in the World Series, it is not the first time they have faced each other in the post-season.

Those of us of a certain age will know I am referring to the 1980 National League Championship Series. In less than a decade in the AL, the Astros have thrived playing in six consecutive American League Championship Series winning four of them along with a World Series title in 2017 (albeit under controversial circumstances). But for most of their history, the Astros were a NL team when they debuted 60 years ago as the Houston Colt 45's. Rechristened the Astros when they moved into the Astrodome in 1965, the Astros would reach the post-season for the first time in 1980 besting the Los Angeles Dodgers in a one game playoff. 

Managed by Bill Virdon, they had added both Nolan Ryan and Joe Morgan as free agents joining an organization which already had Jose Cruz, Joe Niekro and Cesar Cedeno. They even had a Canadian, outfielder Terry Puhl from Melville, Saskatchewan. I would be remiss if I didn't mention J.R. Richard, a pitcher who threw every bit as hard as the Ryan Express. Sadly, Richard would be unable to compete in this NLCS as he had felled by a stroke shortly after the All-Star Game in July 1980 and would never again pitch in MLB. 

The Astros faced a Phillies team which featured Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw and managed by Dallas Green. Whereas Virdon was low-key, Green was domineering and despised. But unlike his predecessor Danny Ozark who was unable to get the Phillies past the Big Red Machine in 1976 and the Dodgers in 1977 and 1978 before missing the post-season entirely in 1979, Green got his team to the World Series prevailing over the Astros in a spirited five game series. Four of the five games went into extra innings.

I was all of 8-years old when I watched this contest. 1980 was the year I became a baseball fan and was only beginning to understand the game. But I remember being excited by the back and forth nature of this contest. What I also remember is being very sick during the week of the 1980 NLCS. This wasn't a case of baseball fever. I was sick as I have ever been and I remember this series being the only thing that made me feel better even though the Astros would go on to lose the NLCS. I was rooting for the Astros because the Phillies had bested the Montreal Expos in the NL East.

In retrospect, the Phillies had been a longer suffering franchise than the Chicago Cubs. When they defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games, it was their first World Series title in their 97-year history. They have only won one other title since back in 2008.

So this time around I am rooting for the Phillies and I predict Philadelphia will upset the Astros in five games.