Phillies-Related Events on November 20

  • November 20, 1981 – The Phillies completed a three-team trade: they acquired catcher Bo Díaz from the Cleveland Indians, sent outfielder Lonnie Smith to the St. Louis Cardinals, and later (in December) sent pitcher Scott Munninghoff to the Indians to finish the deal. The trade addressed the Phillies need for a defensive catcher. Díaz would go on to become the Phillies’ starting catcher in 1982, while Smith, known for his speed, became a key player for St. Louis. Munninghoff never pitched in the majors for Cleveland.

Phillies People Born on November 20

  • Jay Johnstone (1945) A longtime major-league outfielder who played for the Phillies (among other teams), Johnstone was also a clubhouse prankster, a two-time World Series champion, and later served as a radio color commentator for the Phillies in the early 1990s.
  • Steve Schrenk (1968) Right-handed pitcher who played for the Phillies in 1999–2000, recording a 3–6 record with a 5.25 ERA.
  • Sam Fuld (1981) Former MLB outfielder and, more recently, general manager of the Phillies.
  • Herm Starrette (1936): He served as the Phillies’ pitching coach (notably in 1980) and held various farm system and coaching roles later in his career.

A DEEPER DIVE… Jay Johnstone

Jay Johnstone was born November 20, 1945, in Manchester, Connecticut, though he grew up in Southern California. He signed as an amateur free agent with the California Angels in 1963, and made his major-league debut in July 1966. Over a 20-year MLB career, he played for a remarkable nine teams: the Angels, White Sox, Athletics, Phillies, Yankees, Padres, Dodgers (twice), and Cubs.

Johnstone was a left-handed hitter and a versatile outfielder, known not necessarily as a star, but as a reliable role player, a pinch-hitter, and a spark in the clubhouse. He posted a career batting average of .267, with 102 home runs and 531 RBI.

Some of his most memorable on-field moments came in big games. In the 1976 NLCS with the Phillies, he went 7-for-9 at the plate, although Philadelphia was swept by the Reds. Perhaps most famously, as a member of the Dodgers, he hit a pinch-hit, two-run home run in Game 4 of the 1981 World Series against the Yankees — that homer helped rally Los Angeles to an 8-7 win, tying the series, which the Dodgers eventually won.

Off the field, Johnstone’s reputation as baseball’s prankster was legendary. He kept clubhouses loose with a constant stream of hijinx. Among his most notorious stunts: he placed a soggy brownie in Steve Garvey’s first-base mitt; he nailed teammates’ spikes to the floor; he “hot-footed” cleats, setting them on fire; and he cut a hole in the crotch of Rick Sutcliffe’s underwear.

His pranks extended to Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. In spring training, he once locked Lasorda in his motel room by tying the doorknob to a palm tree. He also removed the mouthpiece of Lasorda’s phone so he couldn’t call for help, and replaced all the celebrity photos in Lasorda’s office with pictures of himself, Jerry Reuss, and Don Stanhouse. In one game in 1981, he and Reuss dressed as groundskeepers, dragged the infield in the fifth inning, then hustled back into their uniforms. Lasorda was furious and publicly punished him, but Johnstone came up to pinch-hit — and hit a home run.

There were even more surreal moments: he once climbed on top of the Dodger dugout in full uniform, walked through the stands, and bought a hot dog at the concession stand midgame. On another occasion he ran out of a taxicab in his uniform during a freeway traffic jam, sprinting toward the stadium. He dressed up as Lasorda (padding his uniform), ran to the mound carrying Lasorda’s book and a can of Slim-Fast, and acted like he was making a pitching change.

Johnstone also had a later career in media: he co-wrote three books with columnist Rick Talley — Temporary Insanity, Over the Edge, and Some of My Best Friends Are Crazy — in which he chronicled his playing days and his pranks. He was the original host of ESPN’s The Lighter Side of Sports, and later worked as a radio color commentator for the Yankees (1989–1990) and for the Phillies (1992–1993). He even made a cameo in The Naked Gun movie.

In October 1991, Johnstone was arrested at a Price Club in Alhambra, California, after a security guard accused him of concealing cigarettes in his clothing. He later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault stemming from a scuffle with store employees; prosecutors dismissed the shoplifting charge in exchange. He was placed on two years of summary probation and was fined, as part of the agreement.

Jay Johnstone passed away on September 26, 2020, at the age of 74, from complications of COVID-19. He left behind a legacy not only as a productive major-leaguer and two-time World Series champion, but as one of the most beloved pranksters in baseball history — someone who always tried to bring laughter to his teammates, even in serious moments.