‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Larry Bowa on Philly’s 1976 All-Star Game, a Trea Turner rebound, and more
Bowa, a five-time All-Star, said being introduced at the All-Star Game at the Vet was among the biggest moments of his career.
Larry Bowa remembers the roar.
Fifty years ago, the All-Star Game came to Philadelphia as part of the country’s bicentennial celebration. Bowa was among five Phillies players in the game, and when they were introduced with the National League squad, the ovation shook Veterans Stadium.
With the Midsummer Classic set to return to town next month, Bowa, 80, joined the Phillies Extra podcast to recall Philly’s baseball summer of ’76, as well as the state of the current Phillies.
Here are a few excerpts from the conversation with the World Series-winning former Phillies shortstop. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: When someone brings up the 1976 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, is there a specific moment or memory that comes to mind?
A: The fact that we played in our own city was unbelievable. The crowd reaction when they introduced all of us is something that you never ever forget. With the exception of winning the ’80 World Series, that was an incredible moment for me to play in front of your hometown in your ballpark.
And looking at the cast of characters, the players on both sides — I happened to just check out the roster a couple days ago — and the American League had some good pitchers there. And the thing that stands out in my mind, you have a meeting before — it’s a lot different now, obviously; it’s more of an entertainment thing now. Back then, it was, “Hey, you better win or you’re going to be embarrassed.”
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I remember Pete Rose. Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was going to pitch against us, and he was on fire. He had one of those years where he’s talking to the ball and doing all that. And three or four of us were sitting around there, and Pete says, “You know what I’m going to do? He’s going to start talking to that ball, I’m gonna hit a base hit up the middle.” … And I knew Pete was a great player, and I said, “Man, if this guy’s that good …” Sure enough, base hit, right up the middle. He’s talking to the ball, and boom. And he looked in the dugout, and he gave me like a little thumbs-up, and I went, this game must be easy for him because to call that against a pitcher that was probably the greatest pitcher at that time in the American League, it was unbelievable.
Just the reaction of the crowd, especially when they said, “And now from the Phillies,” and they introduced all of us. And if I’m not mistaken, I think there were seven Reds on that team and five Phillie guys, which at that time, those two teams were pretty good. You can throw in the Dodgers, they were really good, too. So, there were three teams there that were well represented in that game.
Q: Have you ever seen anything like Cristopher Sánchez, just in terms of a transformation or the kind of growth that he’s had?
A: No, I haven’t. And when I first saw him pitch, the control was a huge issue, and now I’m watching this individual pitch now, and to me, and I know there might be some guys slighted, but he’s the best pitcher in baseball. The outs that he makes other teams get are very soft. As an infielder, as an outfielder, you’re always ready, because he doesn’t walk a lot of guys. He doesn’t run deep counts. His work ethic is off the charts. He’s a very humble individual. Hopefully, this can continue because literally right now we have two No. 1s. I mean, you talk about Sánchez and [Zack] Wheeler, and I still believe in my heart that we’re going to be in the playoffs. I know Atlanta has got a big lead and all that. I’m not even worried about that. But when we get in, and I know we’re going to get in, I wouldn’t want to face this team with the pitching staff that we have, especially in a short series, whether it’s five games, whether it’s seven games.
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Sánchez is the kind of guy that you wouldn’t know if he won 20 games or if he lost 20 games. You wouldn’t know if he’s losing 8-1 or winning 1-0 . He’s a humble individual. … I wish, and I love Ranger [Suárez], [but] I wish Ranger had a little bit of Sánchez’s work ethic because I think Ranger could have attained the same type of success.
But Sánchez’s work ethic, I haven’t seen anybody — I should say this, Clayton Kershaw worked like that, and that when I watch Sánchez, I’m thinking of Clayton Kershaw, the work ethic that they put in. Hopefully this thing can continue, because right now, when we take the field and we have Wheeler or Sánchez on the mound, it’s almost like that team in ’72 when [Steve] Carlton took the mound, we knew we were going to win. And I think that’s the feeling right now when those two guys take the take the mound in Philadelphia.
Q: If they could get Trea Turner going at the top of the order in that one or two spot, that would be a huge boost to an offense that could really use it. What do you see from Trea?
A: I expect him to be where he’s supposed to be at the end of the year. People don’t see the work he puts in. … This guy works harder than anybody out there. I think sometimes he lets his hitting affect when he goes [on the field at shortstop], not as much as he did the first year when he first came over, but when he feels he’s not helping the ballclub offensively, I think it weighs on him a little bit. I think they made a great move hitting him second.
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I don’t think Trea’s the kind of guy that’s going to work pitchers and all that and look for walks. He’s one of those guys that, once he gets into his groove, I don’t care where you throw him, he’s going to get base hits. And lately he’s been coming on. I expect a good second half … I think he’s going to be fine, but he’s his own worst critic. Believe me, he wants to do well. He knows he’s disappointed the team. It seems like when Trea doesn’t get on — I know we got the big boys in [Kyle Schwarber] and [Bryce Harper] — but when Trea gets on, we’re a very good offensive ballclub. When he’s not, sometimes we have to struggle for runs.
Nothing against the other guys on the team, but Trea seems to be the guy that ignites us. And them switching the lineup a little bit lately, having Schwarber lead off, I think it might have eased his mind a little bit. But I expect big things from him moving forward, because he’s too good a hitter to be hitting what he’s hitting. To me, he’s the catalyst for our team.
Phillies Extra is your deep dive into all things Phillies on Gameday Central! Hosted by Scott Lauber, each episode brings you insider analysis, exclusive interviews with players and experts, reader emails, and more to cover the hottest topics with the Phillies and across Major League Baseball. Don’t miss it — the conversation starts here!
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