Mike Schmidt poses with his bats at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where 49 years ago today the Phillies’ third baseman and future Hall of Famer flies out in his first at-bat and then singles before homering in each of his final four at-bats.
All of which help Philadelphia rally from an early 12-1 deficit to beat the Cubs 18-16 in 10 innings before a Saturday afternoon crowd of 28,287.
Schmidt homers twice off Cubs starter Rick Reuschel and then once off reliever Mike Garman before victimizing Reuschel’s brother, Paul, with a two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning.
Schmidt finishes the 1976 season with 38 home runs, marking the third straight year he leads the major leagues in homers.