Out of left field

For a few days in the spring of 1981 the Philadelphia Phillies have two hard-hitting, 30-year-old left fielders with Greg Luzinski and Gary Matthews, the latter of whom they acquire 43 years ago today from Atlanta for pitcher Bob Walk.

Luzinski and Matthews are teammates only for five days before the Phillies sell Luzinski to Chicago, where he is forced to wear the White Sox’s hideous, softball-like jerseys for the next four seasons before retiring in 1984 after 15 seasons in the majors.

As for Matthews, he spends three productive seasons in Philadelphia that include a National League Championship Series MVP award in 1983.

The Phillies then regift Matthews to the Chicago Cubs along with center fielder Bob Dernier and pitcher Porfi Altamirano for middle reliever Bill Campbell and utility player Mike Diaz.

Matthews, along with Dernier, promptly leads the Cubs to the National League East title in 1984 and helps Chicago that season come within a game of reaching the World Series.