This Date in Phillies History: October 27

Phillies events that occurred on October 27

October 27, 2008 — Game 5 of the 2008 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays began at Citizens Bank Park; the contest was suspended in the bottom of the sixth with the score tied 2–2 because of heavy rain and was completed two days later when the Phillies eventually won the series.
October 27, 1965 – The Phillies traded Pat Corrales, Art Mahaffey, and Alex Johnson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dick Groat, Bob Uecker and Bill White.

Phillies birthdays for October 27

Tom Nieto (1960) — Tom Nieto served as a major-league catcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989–1990 and later worked as a minor-league manager and MLB coach.
Pedro Beato (1986) — Pedro Beato reached the majors with several clubs, signing with the Phillies on a minor-league deal and appearing for Philadelphia in 2017.
Tyler Phillips (1997) — Tyler Phillips is not an October 17 birth; he was born on October 27, 1997, spent time in the Phillies organization, including his MLB debut with Philadelphia in 2024, before having his contract purchased by the Marlins and going 2-1, 2.78 in 53 relief appearance in 2025.

A DEEPER DIVE… A good day for a big trade

In the autumn of 1965, both the Phillies and the Cardinals faced roster decisions. The Phillies, coming out of an 85-76 finish in 1965, decided they needed to add veteran experience and stability. At the same time, the Cardinals — under new general manager Bob Howsam and with manager Red Schoendienst having taken over the team in 1964 – wanted to retool, offload older regulars, and restock with younger, athletic players.

On October 27, 1965 the two clubs executed a six-player swap. The Phillies acquired longtime slugger and first baseman Bill White, veteran shortstop/former MVP Dick Groat, and catcher/utilityman Bob Uecker from the Cardinals. In return, St. Louis received Phillies outfielder Alex Johnson, pitcher Art Mahaffey, and catcher Pat Corrales.

For Philadelphia, the allure was straightforward: White brought a proven bat, steady defense at first base, and clubhouse presence, Groat was a veteran infielder with championship experience and steadiness up the middle and Uecker provided veteran catching depth. The Phillies believed such experience would help stabilize a fairly young roster and push them back toward contention.

On the Cardinals side, Johnson represented youth, athleticism, and power potential in the outfield — a possible long-term building block. Mahaffey, despite declining from his early-career peak, still had name value as a former effective starter, and Corrales gave them catching depth. For a franchise in transition under new management, the deal aligned with a rebuilding philosophy.

What they got — and how it worked out

Bill White: In 1966 with the Phillies, White delivered solidly. He played 159 games, hit .276 with good power numbers, and drove in over 100 runs. That made him arguably the most impactful player acquired by the Phils in that trade. Unfortunately, an Achilles tendon injury in the 1966–67 offseason derailed his production over the next two years. The Phillies traded him back to the Cardinals in April 1969 where he played sparingly in only 49 games in his final major-league season.

Dick Groat: Though once a star and MVP, by the time he arrived in Philadelphia Groat was well past his prime. His output declined sharply, and he lasted only until June of 1967 when the Phillies sold him to the San Francisco Giants. The hoped-for “steady veteran shortstop presence” proved a short-lived experiment.

Bob Uecker: Uecker provided backup catching and veteran presence in 1966, hitting .208 with 7 home runs and 30 RBI. But his on-field impact was modest and he didn’t stick long — midway through the next season he was traded to Atlanta for catcher/outfielder/first baseman Gene Oliver. Uecker went on to much greater fame off the field as a broadcaster and beloved baseball personality.

On the St. Louis side:

Alex Johnson: Young and promising with speed and power, Johnson was the prize for the Cardinals. St. Louis envisioned him joining a talented outfield group, but Johnson did not flourish. He struggled in the majors, was sent down to the minors during the 1966 season, and never became a regular force in St. Louis. The Cardinals eventually traded him to Cincinnati, who dealt him to the Angels where he led the American League in batting with a .329 average in 1970.

Art Mahaffey: Once among the more promising young right-handed starters with the Phillies (he famously struck out 17 in a game in 1961) — by 1965 his effectiveness had waned. With the Cardinals in 1966 he posted a 1–4 record in 12 games and an ERA of 6.43. He was sent to the minors that same year, bounced around a little, and never returned to a major league mound and was out of baseball by 1967.

Pat Corrales: Corrales was a backup catcher with limited offensive upside. After joining the Cardinals, he served as a backup to Tim McCarver in 1966 and spent 1967 mostly in the minors. He later landed with the Cincinnati Reds, then the San Diego Padres, and had a journeyman career. He did return to Philadelphia to manage the Phillies from 1982 until the midway point of the 1983 season. Incidentally, he was fired while the Phillies were in first place.

Long-term evaluation

In hindsight, the trade proved more beneficial for the Phillies in the short term — Bill White’s 1966 season provided a reliable bat and leadership. However, the broader aim “to win now with veteran leadership” yielded only marginal returns beyond 1966, and the Phillies drifted through the late 1960s without serious contention.

For St. Louis, the gamble on youth largely failed. Alex Johnson didn’t live up to expectations with the Cardinals, Mahaffey never regained form, and Corrales remained a peripheral backup. The Cardinals’ post-trade seasons also failed to produce a return to their early-1960s dominance — the club finished 6th in 1966.

This trade illustrates how mid-1960s front offices balanced competing philosophies: Philadelphia opted for veteran experience to try to push upward; St. Louis attempted to retool around youth and athleticism. In that light, the deal stands as a classic example of a high-profile “win-now vs. rebuild” trade — with modest rewards for both clubs, and in the long run, viewed by many historians as a trade that had more significance for pitchers and position players down the line than for the franchises involved in 1966.

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