The team is notable for being in first place in the National League since opening day, and then suffering an unthinkable collapse during the final two weeks of the season.
A 1962 cartoon in a baseball magazine depicted a ballplayer arriving at a French Foreign Legion outpost, explaining, "I was released by the Phillies!
"[citation needed] Things began to change slowly beginning in 1960 when Gene Mauch was hired as manager to replace Eddie Sawyer, who had resigned after the club's opening game of the regular season.
The bullpen had Ed Roebuck, who was purchased from the Washington Senators in April 1964, as the primary relief pitcher, along with John Boozer and Dallas Green.
Bunning had been with the Detroit Tigers since 1955 and was one of the best pitchers in the American League, throwing a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox in 1958 and was a five-time All-Star.
[7] During the season Johnny Callison was having a career year and was the top contender for the National League Most Valuable Player award.
Callison was named the game's Most Valuable Player, hitting a fast ball by Boston Red Sox ace Dick Radatz into the right field stands at Shea Stadium for a 3-run home run in the 9th inning for the win.
[citation needed] From opening day, Bunning thrived in the National League, going 6–2 in the first two months of the season, and becoming the ace of the pitching staff.
[9] For perhaps the only time in the stadium's history, the Shea faithful found themselves rooting for the visitors, caught up in the rare achievement, and roaring for Bunning on every pitch in the ninth inning.
[citation needed] On September 1 the Phillies held a 5+1⁄2-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds and it seemed were in cruise mode to clinching the pennant.
On September 7, Labor Day, the Phillies split a doubleheader with the Dodgers while the Reds lost 2 games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The number four starter, Ray Culp, started to have problems with his right elbow; Dennis Bennett began having a sore arm.
Bunning remembered that the club had been shaky; the Phillies almost blew the game in the ninth when Vic Power made an error, leading to two unearned runs.
It was a pitchers' duel until the sixth inning, when Cincinnati's Chico Ruiz hit a single, which was followed up by Vada Pinson hitting a line drive through the pitcher's box and past second base; however, Johnny Callison threw Pinson out as he tried to advance to second, while Ruiz reached third on the play.
Ruiz successfully stole home plate, giving the Reds the lead and what would turn out to be the game's only run in a 1–0 Cincinnati victory.
In the third game of the series with the Reds, things went from bad to worse, when Dennis Bennett lasted six innings with a sore arm as the Phillies lost again, 6–4, with Pinson and Ruiz hitting home runs.
Then Chris Short pitched on two days' rest in the next game, the Phillies lost, and the losing streak was at five, with the lead now down to a game-and-a-half.
Allen spoke his mind, combatted racism, and bucked organizational hierarchy; he almost ended his career in 1967 after mangling his throwing hand by pushing it through a car headlight.
Allen was fined $2,500 and suspended indefinitely in 1969 when he failed to appear for the Phillies twi-night doubleheader game with the New York Mets.
[19] Early in the 1975 season, Phillies general manager Paul Owens wanted a right-handed power hitter and a first baseman.
[19] He was part of the 1976 Phillies National League East Championship team, before leaving for the Oakland Athletics for his final season in 1977.
believe that Allen is the best eligible player not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (except for some players who have been tainted with use or alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs)..[citation needed] The perfect game was the highlight of the Philadelphia career of Bunning, who became a fan favorite and the club's ace starter for the next four seasons, being one of the most dominant pitchers in the Major Leagues.
Thirty years later, Bunning, by then a member of Congress, talked about The "Phold" to David Halberstam and said that to understand what happened, you had to be there and be caught up in the emotions and excitement of the pennant race.
The team began to run the bases poorly and throw badly, missing easy plays and making errors they would not normally have made.
[24] Carlton went on to anchor the Phillies' pitching staff for the next thirteen seasons, ultimately winning 329 games and a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 1977 and 1978 teams also won the National League East, but both lost to the Dodgers in the playoffs; it was not until the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies (managed by 1964 alumnus Dallas Green, with Bobby Wine and Rubén Amaro as coaches) won both the National League Pennant against the Houston Astros and also the World Series against the Kansas City Royals that the stigma of the 1964 "Phold" was fully erased after sixteen seasons.
[5] The 1964 Phillies are immortalized in American pop culture via numerous book chapters, magazine articles, and newspaper columns.
The Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame honors no less than five 1964 Phillies players: Richie Allen, Jim Bunning, Johnny Callison, Dallas Green and Tony Taylor.
Infielders Other batters Coaches Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; Avg.