UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
13
Wednesdav. September 29. 1993
Philadelphia clinches first crown in 10 years
Pennant sweet for team with worst-to-first year
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — The Philadelphia Phillies waited 10 years to win the National League East. They were not the sort to wait another night.
"It is a great feeling after the year we had last year," said manager Jim Fregosi, whose club nearly squandered a 141/2-game August lead over Montreal. "It's really gratifying to come back and win the division. These guys wanted to win it tonight, they were going to do whatever was needed."
Len Dykstra got Philadelphia going with four hits and three RBIs and Mariano Duncan finished off with a dramatic grand slam in the seventh inning as the Phillies clinched their division with a 10-7 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates last night.
Philadelphia completed a remarkable worst-to-first turnaround. Last year, the Phillies were in sixth place, 26 games behind the division champion Pirates. This year they clinched 10 years to the day since they last won the East in 1983.
The near collapse brought back memories of Philadelphia's monumental late-season blowup in 1964, but the 1993 Phillies were not about to re-live those memories.
"Where's the ghost? Where's the
ghost?" outfielder Wes Chamberlain yelled. "I don't see any ghosts."
What's so remarkable about this championship is the Phillies' unremarkable record since they last won in 1983: three last-place finishes and only one finish higher than third.
"You're used to going out there brain-dead in September, and, all of a sudden, you're playing for a championship," first baseman John Kruk said. "For seven years the teams I played on weren't just bad, they were bad. I've been sick having to watch people I know in baseball do this, so it's our turn."
"As soon as we clinched a tie (Monday), it was like we all got our second wind," outfielder Pete Incaviglia said. "It's unbelievable. We all came to the park today like it was a playoff game. We were ready to get this over with."
"It doesn't make any difference, we start the playoffs at home so that's not a factor," Fregosi said of the Phillies possible opponents.
They now have a week to rest and relax. The Phillies will play either Atlanta or San Francisco when the NL playoffs start on Oct. 6 at Veterans Stadium.
The Phillies also could have clinched the division if second-place Montreal had lost one more game.
The Phillies, who also won the division in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980 and 1983, are the third-straight NL East champion to clinch in Pittsburgh. The Pirates clinched at home in 1991 and 1992.
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