RetroSimba

The passing of former Phillies pitcher Wayne Twitchell on Sept. 16, 2010, brought to mind one of the most electrifying performances in the career of Cardinals speedster Bake McBride.

In the Phillies’ home opener on April 11, 1975, McBride sparked the Cardinals to a 6-3 victory with a three-run inside-the-park home run to center field against Twitchell. Boxscore

McBride, a left-handed batter, went 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored that night. Against Twitchell, who started and lasted five innings, McBride was 3-for-3.  He singled in the first, homered in the third and singled again in the fifth.

His home run came after Lou Brock singled and Ted Sizemore walked. McBride then drove a Twitchell pitch into center field and circled the bases.

McBride tormented Twitchell throughout his career, hitting .480 (12-for-25) against him.

In a twist of fate, the Phillies made trades involving McBride and Twitchell within minutes of one another on June 15, 1977.

After falling short in an aggressive bid to acquire pitcher Tom Seaver from the Mets (Seaver was dealt to the Reds instead), the Phillies traded Twitchell and catcher Tim Blackwell to the Expos for catcher Barry Foote and pitcher Dan Warthen.

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Phillies then acquired McBride and pitcher Steve Waterbury from the Cardinals for pitcher Tom Underwood and outfielders Dane Iorg and Rick Bosetti.

The deal upset the Cubs, who thought they had a commitment from the Phillies to send them Underwood for outfielders Jose Cardenal and Greg Gross.

McBride became expendable because first-year Cardinals manager Vern Rapp preferred Tony Scott in center field and because the Cardinals were concerned about McBride being slowed by shoulder and knee problems. McBride also had clashed with Rapp over the club’s ban on facial hair and long sideburns.

McBride gave the Phillies an effective leadoff batter. He helped them to division titles in 1977 and 1978, and to a World Series championship in 1980.

Twitchell, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, had been named to the 1973 National League all-star team. Writing about the trades in the July 2, 1977, edition of The Sporting News, Ray Kelly suggested the Phillies “were reluctant to let him (Twitchell) go because he’s one of the hardest throwers around.”

Twitchell went from the Expos to the Mets and then the Mariners.

His last big-league season was 1979 and he finished his career with a 48-65 record.