The Main Event

On June 18, 1989, the Philadelphia Phillies completed not one but two blockbuster trades in the same day, sending away a Cy Young Award winner and a former All-Star second baseman while acquiring a collection of players who would collectively reshape the franchise’s identity for years to come. To fully understand these deals, it helps to know just how dire the Phillies’ situation was at the time.

The 1989 Phillies were, by any measure, a team in transition. The franchise finished in sixth place in the National League East for the second consecutive season and was also in the middle of Mike Schmidt‘s final year. Schmidt retired in late May, hitting just .203 at the time, and the club was headed toward a 95-loss campaign. With little hope of contending, general manager Lee Thomas wisely pivoted toward a full-scale rebuilding effort — and both June 18 trades were central to that plan.

Deal No. 1: Bedrosian to San Francisco for Mulholland, Cook, and Hayes

Steve “Bedrock” Bedrosian had won the National League Cy Young Award in 1987 after posting 40 saves and a 2.83 ERA for Philadelphia. He followed that up with a 6-6 mark and 28 saves in 1988, then signed a three-year extension worth $4.35 million with the Phillies on November 4, 1988. But with Philadelphia headed for a 95-loss season in 1989, Bedrosian was traded to the Giants on June 18 of that year. Bedrosian himself saw it coming. “They’ve been telling me that if things didn’t get much better that there was a good chance I would be traded,” Bedrosian told the AP. “It was inevitable that I would be moved.”

The Giants were in first place at the time of the trade, and San Francisco was looking for bullpen reinforcement for a legitimate pennant run. The deal delivered immediately. Bedrosian gave the Giants what they were looking for, saving 17 games with a 2.65 ERA over 40 appearances as San Francisco won the NL West. He pitched in four games in the NLCS against Chicago, recording saves in the final three contests as the Giants defeated the Cubs in five games to advance to the World Series.

The player to be named later in the deal was outfielder Rick Parker, whom the Phillies sent to San Francisco on August 7, 1989 to complete the trade. There is a memorable footnote to Parker’s involvement: on August 15, 1990, while Mulholland pitched a no-hitter against San Francisco, Parker — the man traded away to complete the Bedrosian deal — reached base on a throwing error by Charlie Hayes, spoiling what would have been a perfect game. Hayes later redeemed himself by snaring Gary Carter‘s line drive for the final out of the ninth inning, preserving Mulholland’s no-hitter. It was a surreal moment where the threads of both the trade and its PTBNL came together on the field in unforgettable fashion.

As for the Phillies’ haul, Terry Mulholland would go on to become the most impactful piece. He was a first-round pick by the Giants in 1984 and was well known for having one of the nastiest pickoff moves in the game. In Philadelphia, he developed into a reliable starter and became a fan favorite. Dennis Cook contributed as a solid left-handed arm, and Charlie Hayes provided serviceable production at third base before being moved along. The Phillies clearly won this trade in terms of long-term return.

Deal No. 2: Juan Samuel to New York for Lenny Dykstra, Roger McDowell, and Tom Edens

Completed the same afternoon, this deal sent second baseman Juan Samuel to the Mets in exchange for outfielder Lenny Dykstra, reliever Roger McDowell, and a player to be named later. Samuel had spent much of the 1980s stealing bases, striking out, and playing second base, and had recently transitioned into center field, where the Phillies were hoping his speed could benefit them more. The Mets, sitting in second place and believing Samuel could give them the center fielder they craved, paid a steep price.

The player to be named later turned out to be minor league pitcher Tom Edens, who was sent to the Phillies on July 27, 1989. It was a modest add-on, but the real value was already in the package.

Samuel hit only .228/.299/.300/.599 for the Mets in his 86 games during the 1989 season. He did swipe 31 bases, but with the team failing to make it to the postseason, it felt like an error in judgment — they were going for what they believed was an immediate upgrade when they apparently had the answer already on their roster. Meanwhile, in 1990, Dykstra hit .325/.418/.441 with a .859 OPS in his first full season with the Phillies. He led the NL in hits (192) and OBP (.418) and earned the first of three All-Star selections, all as a Phillie. Despite being overlooked for the 1993 All-Star team, he led the league in runs, hits, walks, and at-bats, and was runner-up to the Giants’ Barry Bonds in voting for NL Most Valuable Player. He led the Phillies into the World Series. Roger McDowell, for his part, saved 19 games for the Phillies after they had shipped Bedrosian to the Giants, immediately filling the closer role Philadelphia had vacated in its other trade that same day.

How the Two Deals Fit Together

The elegant symmetry of June 18, 1989 is hard to miss. By trading Bedrosian, the Phillies freed up their closer’s role — and the Samuel deal brought in McDowell to fill it almost instantly. The Phillies essentially swapped a declining contender-era core for a set of younger, hungrier players better suited to the team they were building. Mulholland anchored the rotation. Dykstra became the engine of the 1993 pennant winners. McDowell bridged the bullpen gap. Many Mets fans continue to point to the trade of Dykstra as the moment when the Mets’ dominance of the mid-to-late 1980s began to collapse. The Giants, meanwhile, got their World Series run — which is what they paid for. Both trades had clear short-term winners (Giants, Phillies) and a long-term loser that is easy to identify: the Mets, who gave away a future star and a proven reliever for a player who never fit their ballpark or their needs. For the Phillies, both trades stand as among the shrewdest moves in franchise history.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 18

  • June 18, 1898 – Manager George Stallings is fired and replaced by club secretary Bill Shettsline. Stallings put up a 74-104 record with the Phillies.
  • June 18, 1927 – In a game at Wrigley Field, Phillies Jimmie Wilson and Fresco Thompson steal home in the same inning – the eighth. Both steals came on the front end of double-steals. The Phillies scored six runs in the inning, earning a 7-2 victory.
  • June 18, 1948 – In his major league debut, pitcher Robin Roberts give up two runs over eight innings, but loses a 2-0 decision to the Pirates.
  • June 18, 1972 – Houston’s Jerry Reuss yields no hits to the Phillies through eight innings. Larry Bowa led off the ninth with a double to break up the no-no, but it was the Phillies’ only hit in a 10-0 loss.
  • June 18, 1982 – Catcher Bo Diaz steals home on the back end of a double-steal, as the Phillies beat Pittsburgh, 8-3.
  • June 18, 1995 – Traded Gene Harris to Baltimore for Andy Van Slyke, who hit .243 in 63 games with the Phillies in 1995, his last major league season.
  • June 18, 1987 – Before a game in Chicago, the Phillies fired manager John Felske and replaced him with coach Lee Elia, a former Cubs skipper and Philadelphia native. Felske had a 190-194 record over three seasons leading the Phils.
  • June 18, 1997 – Darren Daulton hits a home run in a 4-2 interleague loss in Boston. It’s the first home run by a Phillies DH.

ICYMI

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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for June 18

  • Charlie Ganzel (born 1862) – Played 34 games with the 1885 Phillies and one with the 1886 Phillies. Hit .164/.189/.203/.392 with the Phils.
  • Taylor Phillips (born 1933) – Went 1-5, 5.61 with the Phillies in 1959 and ’60.
  • Paul Brown (born 1941) – A long-time minor leaguer who played parts of four seasons (1961-1963, 1968) with the Phillies. Finished with 12 starts, 24 relief appearances and an 0-8, 6.00 record.
  • Dave Leiper (born 1962) – Made 26 relief appearances and posted a 6.43 ERA with the 1996 Phillies.
  • Matt Moore (born 1989) – A left-handed swingman went 2-4, 6.29 in 13 starts and 11 relief outings with the 2021 Phillies.

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