When Mike Schmidt announced his surprise retirement in May 1989, while the Philadelphia Phillies were in the middle of a road trip to California, the news came as a shock. The Philadelphia Daily News dedicated 10 pages from his diary of May 30 to history. Five years later, Schmidt was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
For a generation that has never experienced Schmidt’s major league career, or is too young to appreciate it, a reminder is in order. Schmidt will be the subject of the last “MLB The documentary “Network Presents”, Newsweek Sports learned.
“Michael Jack Schmidt” debuts December 12 at 8 p.m. ET, to top things off. MLB Network coverage of Winter Meetings Week.
Schmidt’s career accomplishments stand out on paper: 548 home runs, three MVP awards, 10 Gold Gloves at third base, 12 All-Star teams. His 107 wins above replacement are more than any player who called third base his primary position, according to Baseball Reference.
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What’s more, Schmidt’s cultural impact on Philadelphia in the 1970s and 1980s is a complex story that deserves to be told.
Julius Erving, the Philadelphia 76ers forward and contemporary of Schmidt, is among the luminaries interviewed for the film. The same goes for Johnny Bench, Larry Bowa, George Brett, John Kruk and former Phillies Larry Andersen and Garry Maddox.
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The Philadelphia Phillies joined the National League in 1883 and reached only two World Series in their first 97 seasons of existence. Their 1915 and 1950 teams failed each time.
With Schmidt in the starring role, the Phillies won their first championship in their history in 1980. Yet his perceived arrogance often rubbed the team’s passionate fan base the wrong way.
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As the Los Angeles Times noted about Schmidt’s induction into Cooperstown in 1995:
He had called Philadelphia fans a “mob scene” and accused them of being spoiled by his excellence even as they were jealous of his money. The bad feelings were mutual: Fans long viewed Schmidt as an arrogant pretender who, after all, hadn’t taken the Phillies to a World Series since they went 1 for 20 in their 1983 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
The strained relationship with fans made Schmidt’s path to fame something less than a straight line. The documentary explores the subject in depth.
MLB Network has featured George Brett, Dennis Eckersley, Johnny Bench, Tony Gwynn, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly and Greg Maddux since the beginning of theMLB Network Presents series” in 2015.
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