1993 Philadelphia Phillies Season - Regular Season

Regular Season

After finishing in last place the year before, the Phillies took the lead in the NL East on opening day, and never relinquished the lead, as they clinched the division title on September 28 in Pittsburgh.

The 1993 Phillies were led by stars such as Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, and Curt Schilling. The team was often described as "shaggy," "unkempt," and "dirty." The previous year, noting the presence of the clean-cut Dale Murphy, Kruk himself described the team as "24 morons and one Mormon." Their character endeared them to fans, and attendance reached a record high the following season. As a play on the legendary 1927 New York Yankees' Murderers' Row, the team's dirty, mullet-wearing look was dubbed "Macho Row." To the surprise of their city and the nation, the Phillies powered their way to a 97-65 record and an NL East division title. Their 97 wins were the most since their back-to-back 101 win seasons in 1976 and 1977.

They had a formidable batting lineup, leading the National League in at-bats (5,685), runs scored (877), hits (1,555), doubles (297), walks (665), on-base percentage (.351) and total bases (2,422). Center fielder Lenny Dykstra batted .305 and led the league in hits, with 194, and runs scored, with 143; both were career-highs. He also set career-highs in home runs (19) and RBI (66). Left fielder Pete Incaviglia hit 24 home runs and drove in 89 runs in only 368 at-bats. Catcher Darren Daulton also hit 24 home runs and drove in 100 runs for the second consecutive season, with 105. Steady-hitting right fielder Jim Eisenreich lead the team with a .318 batting average and struck out only 36 times in 362 at-bats. First baseman John Kruk batted .316 and hit 14 home runs with 85 RBI and third baseman Dave Hollins drove in 93 runs for the second straight season.

The Phillies also had one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB that year, leading the league in complete games (24), innings pitched (1,472.2) and strikeouts (1,117). Each of their five starting pitchers had at least one shutout during the regular season. Curt Schilling and Tommy Greene each won 16 games, Ben Rivera won 13, and Danny Jackson and Terry Mulholland won 12. Closer Mitch Williams walked 44 batters in 62.0 innings, but had a solid 3.34 ERA with 43 saves and averaged only one home run allowed every 20.2 innings pitched.

During the season there were a multitude of memorable moments. In late April, the team rallied from 8-0 down to beat the San Francisco Giants 9-8 in 10 innings, spurred when Giants reliever Bryan Hickerson slammed the ball off the turf to celebrate an out. In San Diego, a few days later, left-fielder Milt Thompson saved a game by making a leaping catch on a potential grand slam by Padres' catcher Bob Geren.

Terry Mulholland hurled the fiyccffirst shutout in Mile High Stadium as the Phils swept the expansion Colorado Rockies in late May. On July 2, the Phils and Padres hooked up for a doubleheader which lasted almost 12 hours with rain delays. Mitch Williams won the second game on an RBI single at 4:41 AM. Five days after that, Lenny Dykstra ended a 7-6, 20-inning affair against the Dodgers at the Vet with a ground-rule double.

A three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to end July effectively pushed the Redbirds out of the pennant chase, and Danny Jackson's 12-0 rout of Cincinnati on August 29 left the Cards 10 out and Expos 10 1⁄₂ out with one month to go.

However, a September slip caused some columnists in the city to compare the club to the infamous 1964 team. They dropped five of seven at home to the Cubs and Astros, then lost two of three at Olympic Stadium which brought Montreal within four with 13 games remaining.

All that was put to rest on September 28, as the Phils wrapped up the NL East with a 10-7 win over in-state rival Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. Mariano Duncan hit a grand slam to lead a comeback effort, and little-used Donn Pall closed out the game, touching off a wild celebration for their first division crown since 1983. Outfielder Wes Chamberlain ended all the references to 1964, screaming, "It's 1993, baby! It ain't 1964. Where are those ghosts now?". Here is Phillies announcer Harry Kalas' call of the final out of the Division-clinching game against Pittsburgh:

Ground ball, it's a fair ball! Kruk to Pall...the Phillies are the '93 National League Eastern Division Champions! This wonderful band of throwback players have won the National League East, mobbing one another on the field.