The 1974 Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

 season was the 92nd season in franchise history. The Phillies finished in third place in the National League East

National League East

The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...

 with a record of 80 wins and 82 losses. They would not finish below .500 again until going 75-87 in 1985

1985 Philadelphia Phillies season

The 1985 season was the Philadelphia Phillies 103rd season. The Phillies finished in fifth place in the National League East with a record of 75 wins and 87 losses...

.

Offseason

• December 6, 1973: Denny Doyle
  Denny Doyle
  Robert Dennis Doyle is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies , California Angels and Boston Red Sox . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...
  
   was sent by the Phillies to the California Angels
  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
  The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
  
  , and Aurelio Monteagudo
  Aurelio Monteagudo
  Aurelio Faustino Monteagudo Cintra , nicknamed "Monty", was a right-handed screwball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball. He was the son of former big-leaguer René Monteagudo.-Career:Monteagudo was born in Caibarién, Villa Clara Province, Cuba...
  
   and Chris Coletta
  Chris Coletta
  Christopher Michael Coletta is a retired professional baseball player who played one season for the California Angels of Major League Baseball. Coletta was also with the Boston Red Sox organization and had an impressive career in the International League...
  
   were sent by the Angels to the Phillies to complete an earlier deal (the Phillies sent a player to be named later to the Angels for players to be named later and Billy Grabarkewitz
  Billy Grabarkewitz
  Billy Cordell Grabarkewitz , is a retired professional baseball player who played third base, second base, and shortstop in the Major Leagues from 1969-1975. His best season was 1970, when he was the starting third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was selected as an All-Star...
  
  ) made on August 14.
• December 19, 1973: Tony Taylor
  Tony Taylor
  Antonio Nemesio Taylor is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1958 through , Taylor played for the Chicago Cubs , Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers...
  
   was signed as a free agent by the Phillies.

Regular season

Third baseman Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt

Michael Jack Schmidt is a Hall of Fame third baseman popularly considered among the greatest third basemen in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies....

 had a breakout season in 1974, leading the National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

 in home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

s and demonstrating his prowess in the field. On June 10, Schmidt hit what many felt should have been a home run when the ball hit the public address speaker that hung 117 feet above and 329 feet away from home plate at the Astrodome in Houston

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

. The ball hit the speaker, fell to the field, and, by the Astrodome's ground rules, remained in play. Since Schmidt had already started his slow home run trot, he was held to a single. (There were runners on first and second when the ball was hit, and they each advanced only one base.) Many experts agree the ball would have traveled in excess of 500 feet.

Notable transactions

• June 5, 1974: 1974 Major League Baseball Draft
  1974 Major League Baseball draft
  -First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :With the number one pick of the June regular phase, San Diego tabbed infielder Bill Almon from Brown University, one of six shortstops selected in round one...
  
  
  • Derek Botelho
    Derek Botelho
    Derek Wayne Botelho is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs, who is currently the pitching coach for the Class A-Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats.-Career:...
    
     was drafted by the Phillies in the 26th round, but did not sign.
  • Ken Phelps
    Ken Phelps
    Kenneth Allan Phelps, nicknamed "Digger", is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. During an 11-year baseball career, he played from 1980-1990 for six different teams, but he played primarily with the Seattle Mariners...
    
     was drafted by the Phillies in the 1st round (19th pick) of the secondary phase, but did not sign.
• June 15, 1974: Jeff Schneider
  Jeff Schneider
  Jeffrey Theodore "Jeff" Schneider is former Major League Baseball pitcher. Schneider played for the Baltimore Orioles in . He was on a rookie card with Hall of Famer Cal Ripken.-External links:*...
  
   was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies.
• July 2, 1974: John Poff
  John Poff
  John William Poff is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of two seasons in the majors, for the Philadelphia Phillies and for the Milwaukee Brewers....
  
   was signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies.

Roster

1974 Philadelphia Phillies
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager Coaches

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
3B		162	568	160	.282	36	116

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
	62	64	21	.328	2	13
	30	53	9	.170	0	4
	34	30	4	.133	1	2

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	39	291	16	13	3.22	240

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
	10	1	1	2	4.30	18

Farm system