The Main Event
- May 19, 1979 – Hosting Montreal at the Vet, the Phillies take the field wearing all burgundy uniforms. The Phillies give up five HR in the 10-5 loss and would not wear the burgundy uniforms again until 2019.
The all-burgundy uniforms were the brainchild of Bill Giles, then the executive vice president of the Phillies. Giles envisioned a solid burgundy uniform with white trimmings that would be worn only on Saturdays at Veterans Stadium, making them a recurring special attraction. The plan was to wear the all-burgundy uniforms for every Saturday night home game “until we lose two in a row,” according to Phillies PR man Larry Shenk. Giles had reason to trust his promotional instincts. Just a year earlier, his idea for a giant green creature had turned out to be a gigantic success — the Phillie Phanatic.
What the Players Found in Their Lockers
When players arrived before the game, the uniforms were hanging in their lockers. “These were dark. These were burgundy. These were just a real different color,” starting pitcher Larry Christenson recalled. “I couldn’t help but just laugh about all of it.” The reaction quickly turned chaotic. Christenson told fellow starter Jim Lonborg that Greg Luzinski looked like a grape — and dared Lonborg to say so. Luzinski, for his part, was livid. “It got pretty wild in there before the game,” Christenson said.
The players’ contempt was unanimous. “I didn’t like them. I didn’t like them. Period. Those were terrible. The pants were grape. It didn’t flatter me,” Luzinski said. Larry Bowa compared them to a Sunday afternoon softball game: “Like something you see when you drive by a park.”
The Game That Sealed Their Fate
May 19, 1979, was also Photo Night at Veterans Stadium, and the Montreal Expos were in town. Staked to a 4-0 lead after four innings, starting pitcher Christenson fell apart in the fifth and the Phillies eventually lost to the Expos, 10-5. The turning point came when Christenson hit Gary Carter in the head with a pitch, clearing both benches and waking up the Montreal lineup. “I woke them up,” Christenson said. “My thing against Gary Carter ended up being where I opened their eyes.” The Expos scored 10 straight runs before the Phillies scored a run in the ninth.
After the game, Luzinski reportedly told owner Ruly Carpenter in the Veterans Stadium locker room that he would play for a different team before dressing in burgundy again. Players tossed the uniforms into a pile on the locker room floor.
A Charitable Aftermath
The immediate overall reaction of the media, fans, and players alike was negative, with many describing the despised uniforms as pajama-like. Once the Phillies decided the uniforms were “one and done,” they received calls from fans around the country wanting to buy them. The Phillies decided to sell them for $200 — jersey, pants, and cap — with proceeds going to special needs children in the Delaware Valley. Mike Schmidt wore one during the MLB All-Star Tour of Japan following the 1979 season, and Christenson wore one for the closing ceremonies of Veterans Stadium in 2003.
The 2019 Return: Forty Years Later
The Phillies brought back the all-burgundy uniforms on July 27, 2019, for a 1970s Retro Night against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park — also Photo Night. The new uniforms were faithful replicas of the 1979 originals, complete with zippered fronts instead of buttons. Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper embraced the moment, with Harper notably playing with the zipper on his jersey during warmups. The Braves wore their own authentic 1979 road throwbacks.
The uniform karma held. Zach Eflin was rocked for 10 runs in less than three innings as the Phillies fell 15-7. Ozzie Albies hit a grand slam and Ronald Acuña Jr., Ender Inciarte, and Adam Duvall all homered for Atlanta. The loss was the Phillies’ second straight in the all-burgundy set — counting the 1979 game — technically fulfilling Larry Shenk’s original “two losses in a row” retirement condition.
No plans for a third wearing have been publicly announced.
Philadelphia Baseball Events for May 19
- May 19, 1994 – Signed free agent Dennis Springer, who played most of the season in the minors before being a September call-up and starting four games, finishing with a 4.84 ERA. He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed with California.
- May 19, 1997 – Granted Bobby Munoz free agency. The Phillies had acquired Munoz along with Ricky Jordan in the trade that sent Terry Mulholland to the Yankees. After posting a 2.37 ERA in 1994, his ERA elevated to 5.74, 7.82, and was 8.91 when he was released by the Phillies.
- May 19, 2000 – Lost Trever Miller on waivers to the Dodgers. After being acquired from Houston for Yorkis Perez during spring training, Miller had an 8.36 ERA in 14 relief appearances when he was placed on waivers. In two outings with the Dodgers, he had a 20.34 ERA and was again released.
- May 19, 2011 – Forty-year-old Jason Giambi hit three home runs, accounting for all of his team’s scoring as Colorado beat the Phillies 7-0. Giambi became the second oldest player to go deep three times in a game; Stan Musial was 41 when he accomplished the feat in 1962. Giambi’s brother, Jeremy, played in 82 games with the 2002 Phillies.
- May 19, 2013 – Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the ninth to seal a 3-2 victory over Cincinnati. It was the first time Reds closer Aroldis Chapman gave up two home runs in a game, and the first time the Phillies ended a game with consecutive home runs since 1922.
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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for May 19
- Ed O’Neil (born 1870) – Born in Philadelphia, O’Neil was a member of the 1890 Athletics. He had a 9.69 ERA in six starts. In addition to pitching, he played three games in center field and one at third base, hitting .161 (5-31)
- Earl Naylor (born 1919) – An outfielder, Naylor played with the 1942 and 1943 Phillies in 109 games, batting just .188, but he did hit three home runs in 1943. He also pitched for the ’42 Phillies in 20 games – four starts and 16 relief outings – with a 6.12 ERA.
- Curt Simmons (born 1929) – For more on Simmons’ career, see May 16: Curt Simmons Helps and Hurts the Phillies.
- Turk Wendell (born 1967) – A right-hander who pitched in 77 games for the 2001 and 2003 Phillies, missing the 2002 season with an injury. He posted a 4.18 ERA in those two seasons in Philadelphia. Best known for his time with the Cubs and Mets.
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