The Main Event
- June 30, 1984 – Traded Marty Bystrom and Keith Hughes to the Yankees for Shane Rawley.
Few stories in Philadelphia Phillies history are as improbable as that of right-hander Marty Bystrom. A virtual unknown outside the organization’s farm system, Bystrom arrived in the major leagues in September 1980 and authored one of the most dramatic late-season debuts in franchise history, helping push the Phillies over the top in their march to a long-awaited championship. While his career never again reached those heights, his contribution to the 1980 club has made him a permanent part of Phillies lore.
From Miami to the Phillies’ Farm System
Marty Bystrom developed his skills as a pitcher at Miami Killian Senior High School before continuing his education and baseball career at Miami Dade Community College. The Phillies took notice of the tall, projectable right-hander and signed him as an amateur free agent in December 1976. At 6-foot-5 and roughly 200 pounds, Bystrom fit the mold of pitcher the Phillies organization had long favored: a big frame with room to grow into his stuff.
Bystrom spent several seasons working his way through Philadelphia’s minor league system, refining his control and learning to use his size to his advantage on the mound. One of the signature moments of his minor league career came on August 12, 1978, while pitching for the Peninsula Pilots. That night, Bystrom threw a perfect game against the Salem Pirates in the Carolina League, a feat so rare that it stood as just the third nine-inning perfect game in league history, and remains the last one thrown in the 20th century. It was an early sign that, under the right circumstances, Bystrom was capable of dominant performances.
A September Call-Up for the Ages
By 1980, the Phillies were chasing a National League East title and, ultimately, the first World Series championship in franchise history. Injuries and inconsistency in the rotation opened a door, and the 22-year-old Bystrom walked through it. He made his major league debut on September 7, 1980, tossing a scoreless inning of relief against the Los Angeles Dodgers in what amounted to mop-up duty.
Three days later, everything changed. With the Phillies needing a starter to replace an injured Larry Christenson, Bystrom got the call against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. The rookie delivered a five-hit, complete-game shutout, striking out five batters in a 5-0 Phillies win. It was an extraordinary first start for a pitcher who, just days earlier, had been an afterthought on the organizational depth chart.
That shutout was only the beginning. Bystrom went on to make five starts in September and October of 1980, winning every decision he factored into and posting a remarkable 5-0 record with a 1.50 ERA over 36 innings. His performance earned him National League Pitcher of the Month honors, an almost unheard-of distinction for a player who had not even been on a big-league roster a month earlier. Walking into a veteran clubhouse that included Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Steve Carlton, Tug McGraw, Bob Boone, and a notoriously demanding Larry Bowa, the 21-year-old rookie did not back down from the pressure of a tight pennant race against the Montreal Expos.
Postseason Eligibility and the World Series Run
Because Bystrom had been called up so late in the season, his postseason eligibility was not guaranteed under normal circumstances. Phillies manager Dallas Green and the front office worked to ensure the rookie could pitch in October, a decision that left established veterans such as Randy Lerch and Nino Espinosa off the postseason roster instead. The gamble paid off. Bystrom started Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Houston Astros, limiting Houston to one earned run over 5⅓ innings in a no-decision during one of the most thrilling NLCS series in baseball history.
He then started Game 5 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, allowing three runs over five innings in another no-decision. The Phillies won both games Bystrom started that postseason, and the team went on to capture the franchise’s first World Series title. Bystrom’s late-season emergence is widely regarded by historians and longtime fans as one of the essential, if often underappreciated, ingredients in that 1980 championship run.
The Rest of His Phillies Tenure
Following his sensational 1980 debut, Bystrom struggled to replicate that early magic. He never again pitched a full, uninterrupted season as a primary member of the Phillies rotation, and arm troubles and inconsistency limited him to spot duty and partial seasons over the next several years. Across parts of five seasons in Philadelphia, from 1980 through June 1984, Bystrom made 64 career starts for the club. He remained a useful, if unspectacular, member of the pitching staff and was part of the Phillies’ 1983 National League pennant-winning team, appearing in that year’s World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
Trade to the Yankees and Career Conclusion
In late June 1984, the Phillies traded Bystrom, along with outfielder Keith Hughes, to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Shane Rawley. Bystrom finished out the 1984 season in pinstripes and made his final big-league appearances in 1985, with his last major league game coming on September 9 of that year against the Milwaukee Brewers. He continued pitching in the minor leagues until 1989 in an effort to work his way back to the majors, but he never appeared in another MLB game.
For his career, Bystrom finished with a record of 29-26 and a 4.26 ERA over 84 games, striking out 258 batters. In an unusual postscript, he briefly returned to professional baseball in 1995 as a replacement player during the players’ strike, though he did not appear in a regular season major league game during that stint.
Legacy in Philadelphia
Statistically, Bystrom’s career was modest by many standards. But in Philadelphia, his name carries outsized significance. His five-start, five-win stretch in September 1980 is still recalled as one of the most improbable and important rookie performances in franchise history, the kind of out-of-nowhere contribution that turned a talented but previously unfulfilled Phillies core into champions. For a franchise that waited 97 years for its first World Series title, the rookie right-hander from Miami Dade Community College played a role that far outweighed the brevity of his career.
Philadelphia Baseball Events for June 30
- June 30, 1914 – A federal appeals court upholds the earlier decision in the dispute between the Federal League and the Phillies over the services of catcher Bill Killefer, in which Killefer was allowed to stay with the Phillies.
- June 30, 1932 – Chuck Klein hits two home runs, setting a league record for most home runs by the end of June (24).
- June 30, 1938 – In their last game at Baker Bowl, the Phillies were pounded by the NY Giants 14-1. The visitors scored nine of their runs in the third inning.
- June 30, 1946 – Del Ennis is chosen for the NL All-Star team. He was the first Phillie to make the team in his rookie season. At the time he was selected to play in the game, he was batting .322.
- June 30, 1967 – Catcher Cookie Rojas is brought in to pitch the ninth inning of a 12-3 blowout against San Francisco. He allowed a single but no runs. With that appearance, Rojas notched at least one game at every position during his Phillies career.
- June 30, 1987 – Steve Bedrosian picks up a save in his 13th consecutive appearance, on the way to a 40-save season and the Cy Young award.
- June 30, 2004 – In a 6-3 loss to the Expos, Jim Thome hits his 15th home run of the month, setting a team record for June and tying the overall team record for any month set in 1923 by Cy Williams. It was also the team’s 44th home run of the month, setting a new team monthly record.
- June 30, 2010 – The Phillie Phanatic is being sued by a Pennsylvania woman who claims that she suffered an arthritis flare-up, leading to knee-replacement surgery, after the creature climbed on top of her at a minor league game in Reading, PA in 2008. The case was settled out of court with the settlement not being disclosed.
- June 30, 2012 – Traded Jim Thome to Baltimore for Gabriel Lino and Kyle Simon, neither of which appeared in the majors with the Phillies.
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Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for June 30
- Jack Albright (born 1921) – Played in 42 games for the 1947 Phillies at shortstop and hit .232/.303/.333/.636 in his only season in the majors.
- Chan Ho Park (born 1973) – Signed with the Phillies as a free agent and made seven starts and 38 relief appearances with the 2009 Phillies going 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA. Had a 17-year career with seven different teams.
- Cody Asche (born 1990) – Came up through the Philies organization and played in Philly from 2013-2017 at both third base and in left field. Asche is currently the hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers.
- Trea Turner (born 1993) – Signed with the Phillies as a free agent prior to the 2023 season. Has twice led the majors in plate appearances, at-bats, hits, and batting average and has led the National League in stolen bases twice during his career.
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