Fifty years ago...........................................

A city gets traumatized:  Chico Ruiz steals home and the Phillies lose 1-0.  I was only twelve, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was a wound that didn't heal until 1980 (with many thanks going out to Pete Rose and Tug McGraw).

Part of the story is here:

Before the game against the Reds, the Phillies were a comfortable six and a half games up in the NL pennant race, and with only 12 games left in the season, their first appearance in the World Series since 1950 seemed imminent. But the loss to the Reds was merely the first of ten straight games tanked by the Phils, as the team blew the lead and the playoffs (in what has come to be known as either the Philly Phlop or Philly Phold), earning manager Gene Mauch an infamous spot in baseball history.