1979 Philadelphia Phillies – Baseball by The Letters https://www.baseballbytheletters.com Hand-written memories from those who lived The Game! Thu, 27 Oct 2016 14:18:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 22759191 Phillies Del Unser Shares Pinch-Hit Wisdom https://www.baseballbytheletters.com/2011/01/14/phillies-del-unser-shares-pinch-hit-wisdom-2/ https://www.baseballbytheletters.com/2011/01/14/phillies-del-unser-shares-pinch-hit-wisdom-2/#respond Fri, 14 Jan 2011 06:11:00 +0000 http://www.baseballbytheletters.com/2011/01/14/phillies-del-unser-shares-pinch-hit-wisdom-2/ Read more]]> “Then look for it!”

Was Del Unser a born pinch-hitter?

I love http://www.retrosheet.org/. Looking there at Unser’s top performances, I see that he spread his 87 career homers out evenly — 87 different games!

Phillies fans remember the key roles he played in the team’s 1980 World Series championship. However, Unser flashed the under-pressure tools in 1979, coming off the bench when it mattered most.

How did he manage three consecutive pinch-hit homers? Unser replied:

“All were at the end of games. You have to know what pitch a pitcher is willing to get beat with. Then look for it!”


A father who caught in the 1940s. A brother who played minor league ball. Unser lived the game.

“I grew up in baseball — it seemed natural to play; but we had very exciting moments and a lot of disappointments.

Family is my greatest achievement by far!”

Tomorrow: a Twins fan collects with his heart.

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