June 7: Woody, We Hardly Knew Ya

The Main Event

• June 7, 1988 – Team president Bill Giles fires GM Woody Woodward after only seven months on the job.

In the long history of Philadelphia Phillies general managers, few tenures have been as fleeting — or as inconsequential — as that of Woody Woodward. Hired in the autumn of 1987 and gone before the summer of 1988 was out, Woodward left almost no lasting imprint on the franchise. Yet his story is worth telling, if only to understand what the Phillies were, and weren’t, during one of the quieter stretches of their modern history.

From Miami Shortstop to Front Office Executive

William Frederick “Woody” Woodward was born in Miami and attended Coral Gables High School, where he starred as a shortstop and helped lead his team to a state championship. He went on to Florida State University, where he was named an All-American shortstop in 1963. Woodward played in the major leagues as a shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman, spending time with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds from 1963 to 1971, batting .236 over his career with just one home run. He was a glove first, hitter second type of player.

After his playing days ended, Woodward returned to Florida State as head baseball coach from 1975 to 1978, earning three NCAA Tournament bids and one College World Series appearance. He then transitioned into front office work, serving as assistant GM of the Cincinnati Reds from 1981 to 1984, then assistant GM of the New York Yankees in 1985 and 1986 until be took over as the team’s GM in October of 1986.

How Woodward Landed in Philadelphia

After three seasons, Woodward had had enough of the George Steinbrenner-era Yankees and chose to move on after the 1987 season, even turning down Steinbrenner’s offer to extend his contract.

Within a week of leaving the Yankees, Woodward joined the Philadelphia Phillies as vice president for player personnel. Team owner and general manager Bill Giles shifted much of his own front office responsibility to Woodward. “He’s going to evaluate the players we have both in the majors and the minor leagues. It will be up to him to decide if a prospect is ready to come up to the majors. And it will be up to him to negotiate trades,” Giles said. So while Giles remained nominally in charge, Woodward was effectively the decision-maker when it came to building the roster.

Woodward’s most significant move came almost immediately after he arrived. On December 9, 1987, the Phillies sent outfielder Glenn Wilson, pitcher Mike Jackson, and minor leaguer Dave Brundage to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Phil Bradley and minor league pitcher Tim Fortugno. Wilson had been a fan favorite in Philadelphia known for his cannon arm, but Woodward was betting on Bradley — a younger, versatile outfielder — to inject some life into the lineup. Brundage would eventually return to the Phillies organization as the manager of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

The deal was notable for another reason: it connected Woodward personally to the team that would define his legacy. Just months after being fired by the Phillies in June 1988, Woodward became the general manager of the Seattle Mariners in July 1988 — the same organization he had just traded with. The Mariners would go on to be the chapter of his career that truly mattered.

In March 1988, Woodward also dealt third baseman Rick Schu, outfielder Keith Hughes, and outfielder Jeff Stone to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder Mike Young and a player to be named later. Neither transaction moved the needle in any meaningful way for a Phillies club that was quietly stumbling.

The Circumstances of His Departure

The team, despite a big payroll, got off to a poor start in 1988, and Woodward paid the price when he was fired in June 1988. The Phillies went on to finish sixth in the National League East with a record of 65 wins and 96 losses. It was a lost season in nearly every respect.

Who Replaced Woodward

The next fixture at the general manager position was former player Lee Thomas, who led the club from after Woodward’s departure in 1988 through his own dismissal in 1997. Thomas is a figure often overlooked in Phillies history, despite having a hand in bringing numerous talented players into the organization through the draft — including Mike Lieberthal, Scott Rolen, Jimmy Rollins, and Randy Wolf. Thomas also engineered the trades that built the beloved 1993 pennant-winning squad, most memorably acquiring Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell.

A Footnote, Not a Chapter

Woody Woodward’s time with the Philadelphia Phillies was less a chapter than a footnote. Eight months in the chair, one modest trade of note, one useful draft pick, and a team headed for last place. His real story — building the Seattle Mariners into a playoff contender, drafting Alex Rodriguez, and acquiring Randy Johnson — unfolded elsewhere. In Philadelphia, Woodward was passing through.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 7

• June 7, 1890 – Jack McFetridge throws a five-hitter for the Phillies in his major league debut, earning a 4-1 win over Brooklyn. He will not pitch again until 1903 and earn only one more win in his major-league career.
• June 7, 1950 – Richie Ashburn starts the game in center field – the first game of a streak that lasted 730 games – the fifth longest in National League history. The streak ended when a spring training injury prevented him from starting the 1955 season.
• June 7, 1957 – Jack Sanford fans 13 in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. It was his second-straight shutout, following a two-hit, 11 strikeout game against Brooklyn.
• June 7, 1966 – Jim Bunning records 14 strikeouts to beat Cincinnati 5-1, his eighth straight start without a loss.
• June 7, 1983 – Steve Carlton passes Nolan Ryan to take the all-time strikeout lead, fanning six for a career total of 3,526. The two will trade the lead for the next year, until Ryan takes it for good in September 1984.
• June 7, 1987 – Mike Jackson held Montreal hitless through eight, then Tim Raines led off the ninth with a double. He later scored, but the Phillies held on for a 3-1 win.
• June 7, 2000 – Pete Zamora throws a seven-inning perfect game at Double-A Reading, and wins 6-0.
• June 7, 2003 – Sherry Magee is inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.
• June 7, 2019 – Jay Bruce hit a two-run home run to lead the Phillies to a 4-2 win over Cincinnati. It was his fourth home run in four games since coming to the team in a trade, something no other player has done since at least 1920.

ICYMI

• PBN Extra Innings – The Saturday Six: Top Phillies Prospects With the Highest OPS (subscription req’d)

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for June 7

• George Chalmers (born 1888) – Born in Aberdeen, England, Chalmers spent his entire seven year MLB career with the Phillies. The right-hander made 78 starts and 43 relief appearances between 1910 and 1916 with a 29-41 record and a 3.41 ERA.
• Don Money (born 1947) – Money played 11 of his 16 seasons with Milwaukee, but started his career playing with the Phillies from 1968-1972. He is also the grandfather of former Phillie Buddy Kennedy.
• Heathcliff Slocumb (born 1966) – The Phillies were one of the eight teams that Slocumb pitched for during a 10-year career. His time with the Phillies came in 1994 and 1995 and included a spot on the NL All-Star team in ’95.
• Vince Velasquez (born 1992) – Pitched for the Phillies from 2016-2021 with a 30-40, 4.93 mark. He last pitched in the majors with Pittsburgh in 2023 before appearing in one game in relief with the Cubs this season.

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