A history of Latino Phillies players in Red October

As the Philadelphia Phillies approach another October, it is fun to look back at past post-seasons and remind fans how much Latino ballplayers have contributed to the Phillies organization’s  success.
Ever since this historically-losing franchise started reaching the post-season more frequently in the 1970s, Latino ballplayers have played a vital role in winning post-season games, National League pennants and World Series championships for the Phillies.

Here is the first part of my list of favorites, starting with some top moments of the late 20^th Century:

“Manny Trillo – at third a triple!”

After three agonizing playoff series defeats in the late 1970s, the Phillies rallied to win the 1980 National League East and entered the post-season. Manny Trillo’s first at-bat in Game 1 of this dramatic National League Championship Series against the Houston Astros was the first ever post-season appearance by a Latino in Phillies history. In Game 5, fans will always remember Trillo’s  two-run triple, scoring two Phillies – including Boricua pinch-runner Ramon Aviles – to give the team a 7-5 lead. The Phillies eventually won in extra innings, advancing to its first World Series since 1950, and the Venezuelan second baseman was the biggest reason why. Trillo had a .381 batting average, eight hits, four runs batted in and was named the 1980 NLCS Most Valuable Player.

Sixto Lezcano’s forgotten game

The 1983 National League Championship Series is fondly remembered as that time the “Wheez Kids” Phillies finally sleighed the hated Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. The undisputed star of this series was Gary Matthews, whose hot bat helped win it for the Phillies. But in the clinching Game 4, Puerto Rican outfielder Sixto Lezcano also helped bury the Dodgers. He was on base when Matthews hit his 3-run homerun in the first inning. Sixto also hit a two-run homerun in the 6^th inning to put the game away.

Mariano Duncan’s “Macho” 1993 series

The worst-to-first Phillies were big underdogs against the rival Atlanta Braves, yet won the 1993 National League Championship Series in six games. Duncan, a Dominican who split second base duties with Mickey Morandini, hit two triples in this series and scored the first run in the pivotal Game 5 win against the Braves in Atlanta. He registered an .800 on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage in this series.

Part II will include playoff memories delivered by Phillies Latino players in the 21^st Century.