The 1980 Major League Baseball season saw the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series Championship. The 1980 World Series was the 77th edition of Major League Baseball’s championship series….and the conclusion of the 1980 Major League Baseball season…..with a best-of-seven playoff, it matched the National League (NL) champion Philadelphia Phillies against the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals….as the Phillies defeated the Royals four games to two to capture the club’s first World Series championship in franchise history. Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt was named as the World Series MVP. The series concluded with Game 6, which ended with Tug McGraw striking out Willie Wilson at 11:29 pm on October 21, 1980. Wilson set a World Series record by striking out twelve times….after getting 230 hits in the regular season. Game 6 is also significant because it stands as the “most-watched game in World Series history” with a television audience of 54.9 million viewers.
In 1980, American League leaders were Royals George Brett with a batting average of .390…..with Yanks Reggie Jackson and Brewers Ben Oglivie tied with 41 home runs….while Brewers Cecil Cooper led by driving in 122 RBI’s….with White Sox P Steve Stone leading the AL with 25 wins…..as the Yankee P Rudy May led all with a 2.46 ERA…..whereas, on the NL side, Red Sox Bill Buckner’s .324 BA led the NL ….with Phillies Mike Schmidt having a league leading 48 HR’s and 121 RBI’s….and on the pitching side, Phillies Steve Carlton led the NL with 24 wins…..as Dodgers Don Sutton led the NL and all of baseball with a 2.20 ERA.
