Changing the course in Philly

Pat Corrales

Tired of watching their overpriced, overhyped team of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers languish with a 43-42 record, the Phillies fire manager Pat Corrales 41 years ago today, even though Philadelphia is clinging to first place in the National League East.

The move marks the first time – and, so far, only time – in major league history in which a first-place team fires its manager in midseason.

The move also comes in Corrales’ second season with the Phillies, who in 1982 finish at 89-73 with Corrales as their manager.

Paul Owens, left, with Bill Giles

“When you see ballplayers hitting 40 points below where they’ve been hitting, something is wrong,” Phillies team president Bill Giles says after announcing Corrales’ firing on this day in 1983.

“It’s the job of the manager to motivate and get the players to play up to their capabilities,” Giles says. “Whether it’s the players’ fault, Pat’s fault or my fault, we have to find out.”

Giles assigns the task of finding out to the spry, 59-year-old Paul Owens, who as general manager is the architect of the team Corrales has in 1983.

“I feel we’ve got the talent out there but we’ve just been spinning our wheels,” Owens says. “We’re too good a ballclub to be doing what we’re doing. We have to find out who is playing and who isn’t.”

With Owens in the dugout, the Phillies win 47 of their final 77 games before beating the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League title.

Alas for the Phillies, they do not fare as well in the 1983 World Series, losing in five games to the Baltimore Orioles.