1980 World Series
The 1980 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's season. The 77th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies and the American League champion Kansas City Royals. The Phillies defeated the Royals in six games to secure the team's first World Series championship in franchise history. Third baseman Mike Schmidt was named the World Series MVP.
The series concluded with Game 6 in Philadelphia, which ended with closer Tug McGraw striking out Willie Wilson at 11:29 pm EDT on Tuesday, October 21. Wilson set a World Series record by striking out 12 times in the six-game set. 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.
The Kansas City Royals became the second expansion team, and the first from the American League, to appear in the World Series. The AL had to wait until before one of their expansion teams—the Royals—won a World Series.
This was the first of six World Series played entirely on artificial turf.
This was also the first World Series since 1920, and the most recent, in which neither team had a previous World Series title. As of the end of the 2025 season, this can only happen again if the Tampa Bay Rays or Seattle Mariners face the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, or Colorado Rockies in the World Series.
With their victory, the Phillies became the final team out of the original 16 MLB teams to win a World Series. However, a Philadelphia team had won a World Series before, the last being the Athletics in, exactly a half-century earlier, in a twist of fate, the Athletics played 13 years in Kansas City before relocating to Oakland.
Background
The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League East division by one game over the Montreal Expos, then defeated the Houston Astros three games to two to win the National League Championship Series. The Kansas City Royals won the American League West division by 14 games over the Oakland Athletics, then swept the New York Yankees for the American League pennantTwo first-year managers, Dallas Green of the Phillies and Jim Frey of the Royals, fought to win a first World Championship for their respective clubs. This was the first appearance for the Phillies since losing to the New York Yankees in and just their third overall, having lost also to the Boston Red Sox in.
The Royals entered the league as an expansion team in 1969. They had early success under the leadership of Whitey Herzog, winning their division from 1976 to 1978, but lost each year to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, finally exacting revenge with a sweep of the Yankees in 1980. The Phillies had a strikingly similar run entering this Series, as they were also divisional winners from 1976 to 1978, but lost three straight NLCS: to the Cincinnati Reds in 1976, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1977 and 1978. In 1980, they finally triumphed, rallying on the road to eliminate the Houston Astros.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies entered the 1980 season as the only original National League team not to have won a World Series. Established in 1883, the franchise had gone 97 years without a championship. They reached the postseason five times in those 97 years, winning pennants in 1915 and 1950, along with three straight NL East titles in 1976, 1977 and 1978.The Phillies' 1980 squad included the NL Most Valuable Player, third-baseman Mike Schmidt, and Cy Young Award winner, lefty Steve Carlton. This mostly veteran club finished between first and third in almost all offensive categories in the National League. Thirty-nine-year-old Pete Rose led the club in hits and doubles, while center fielder Garry Maddox and utility outfielder Lonnie Smith combined for 68 steals. The pitching staff was led by Carlton and 17-game-winner Dick Ruthven. In the bullpen was the screwballer Tug McGraw, who was making his third trip to the Series.
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals were a team that was formed by pharmaceutical executive Ewing Kauffman as a result of the move of the Athletics to Oakland, and began play in 1969. They quickly became competitive, achieving a winning record in their third season with an 85–76 win–loss record. By 1976, the young team was becoming the dominant force in the American League West, winning 90 or more games in four consecutive seasons from 1975 to 1978. Unfortunately for the Royals, they could not get over the hump of the New York Yankees, losing three straight ALCS to New York from 1976 to 1978.The 1980 Royals had a Most Valuable Player of their own in the indomitable superstar, third-baseman George Brett, who flirted with the sacred.400 mark all summer with an average above.400 as late as September 19, before settling for a.390 batting average, with 24 homers and 118 RBI in 117 games. The unquestioned heart and soul of the Royals was surrounded by a solid corps of veterans: Amos Otis, super-designated-hitter Hal McRae, solid second-baseman Frank White, and switch-hitting leadoff man Willie Wilson, who finished the season with 230 hits and 79 stolen bases. Six KC pitchers had ten or more wins, led by 20-game-winner Dennis Leonard and left-hander Larry Gura. Submariner closer Dan Quisenberry won 12 games out of the bullpen and accumulated 33 saves, tied for best in the American League with Rich Gossage. On their way to the World Series in 1980, the Royals would finally beat the New York Yankees in the ALCS.
Summary
Matchups
Game 1
Phillies' starter Bob Walk became the third rookie to start the first game of a World Series, the first since Joe Black of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952. The Royals jumped on him early with a pair of two-run home runs: in the second, Amos Otis lifted one to left after a leadoff walk of Darrell Porter, and Willie Aikens went over right-center with two outs in the third, following Hal McRae's single up the middle and a called strikeout of George Brett. The K.C. threat continued until Porter was thrown out at home. In their half of the third, the Phils rallied off Dennis Leonard. Shortstop Larry Bowa singled with one out, stole second and scored on catcher Bob Boone's double. Lonnie Smith's RBI single then cut the Royals' lead to 4–2, but Smith was caught in a rundown heading back to first, which allowed Boone to score. With the bases clear and two outs, Pete Rose was hit on the calf and Mike Schmidt walked on five pitches. Bake McBride launched a 1-1 pitch to right-center for a three-run home run and the Phillies led 5–4; designated hitter Greg Luzinski fanned for the third out.In the fourth inning, Manny Trillo chopped a high bouncer over Leonard for an infield single, advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw, and to third as Bowa bounced to second for the second out. Ninth in the order and with a 3-1 count, Boone doubled again to score Trillo and knock Leonard out of the game. Reliever Renie Martin retired Smith on a fly out to right.
After loading the bases in the fifth with one out on a single, hit-by-pitch, and walk off Martin, Garry Maddox's sacrifice fly to left on full count scored Schmidt for a 7–4 lead. Trillo popped out to first to end the threat. Hitless Brett opened the eighth with a double to left-center off of Walk, and went to third on a wild pitch to Aikens, who hit another two-run home run to right-center to cut the lead to one. Closer Tug McGraw entered with the bases clear and no outs, faced the minimum in the final two innings for a 7–6 Phillies victory.
Prior to this victory, the Phillies had not won a World Series game since Game 1 in against the Boston Red Sox, when Grover Cleveland Alexander had pitched a shutout.
Game 2
Game 2 was a pitchers' duel between left-handers Larry Gura and Steve Carlton. After a one-out single and subsequent double in the fifth, Manny Trillo's sacrifice fly and Larry Bowa's RBI single put the Phillies up 2–0. The Royals cut it to 2–1 when Amos Otis scored from second on Trillo's error on Willie Aikens's ground ball in the sixth. Carlton looked in control until, acting on a complaint from Kansas City manager Jim Frey that he was using a foreign substance on the ball; the umpires made Carlton wash his hands.In the seventh, Carlton loaded the bases on three walks, the last intentional, and Otis ripped a double into the left-field corner to drive in two, then John Wathan's sacrifice fly to center extended the Royals' lead to 4–2; questionably, Otis was caught in a rundown after also tagging up from second; Rose cut the ball and threw to Schmidt, who tagged him halfway back to second to end the inning.
The Phillies rallied in the eighth inning off closer Dan Quisenberry; after a leadoff walk to Bob Boone, pinch hitter Del Unser's RBI double to left-center cut the Royals' lead to 4–3. A groundout to first by Pete Rose advanced Unser to third, and a high-chopper single by Bake McBride over the drawn-in infield tied the score. Mike Schmidt drove in McBride to take the lead with a double off the wall in right-center, then scored on Keith Moreland's single up the middle to lead by two. Pinch hitter Greg Gross grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
Ron Reed took over for Carlton in the ninth, struck out two, and held the Royals scoreless for the save as Philadelphia went up 2–0 heading to Kansas City.