:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66756795/184731703.jpg.0.jpg)
Today’s watch party takes us back to Tommy Lasorda’s first season, with the Dodgers in Philadelphia to face the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS. This is a classic game for both fanbases, but I don’t want to spoil the ending just yet.
The league championship series were best-of-5 from 1969-84, with the first two games in one city, followed by the final three games in the other city. Home field advantage alternated yearly by division, and this was the NL East’s year. That meant the first two games were at Dodger Stadium.
NLCS Game 3 lineups
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Phillies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Phillies |
| 2B | Lopes | RF | McBride (L) |
| SS | Russell | SS | Bowa (S) |
| RF | Smith (S) | 3B | Schmidt |
| 3B | Cey | LF | Luzinski |
| 1B | Garvey | 1B | Hebner (L) |
| LF | Baker | CF | Maddox |
| CF | Monday (L) | C | Boone |
| C | Yeager | 2B | Sizemore |
| P | Hooton | P | Christenson |
Philadelphia and Los Angeles split the first two games, featuring the first two grand slams in Dodgers postseason history. Ron Cey took Steve Carlton deep in the seventh inning to tie things up at 5-5, though the Phillies won this game in the ninth. The Dodgers cruised in Game 2, winning 7-1 on the strength of Dusty Baker’s grand slam and strong pitching from Don Sutton.
These were two evenly matched teams. The Phillies had the better record, 101 wins to the Dodgers’ 98, though the Dodgers had better run differential, +187 to +179.
Greg Luzinski did the most damage among Phillies against the Dodgers during the season, hitting .333/.360/.583 with three home runs, and he was 2-for-7 with a home run, a double, and two walks in the first two games of the NLCS.
The Dodgers and Phillies split 12 games during the regular season, each team winning four of six at home. The Phillies were 60-21 in Philadelphia last season, the last National League team to win 60 home games.
Burt Hooton starts for the Dodgers in Game 3 at Veterans Stadium, against right-hander Larry Christenson for the Phillies. The Dodgers tagged Christenson for 17 runs, including six home runs, in 12 innings in his three starts against them during the regular season, winning all three games.
A noon start time in Los Angeles in real time, though we will watch on YouTube tonight at 5 p.m. PT.