A Look Back at Manny Trillo's Legendary Four Seasons in Philadelphia

The newest member to the Phillies Wall of Fame, Manny Trillo made the most of his four seasons in Philadelphia.

Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Manny Trillo was never the most sought after prospect as a young player from Venezuela. He had a passion for the game and worked hard at his craft. He even moved positions constantly to fit the mold of whatever team he played on. Finally, he got his chance at the big leagues with the Oakland Athletics and his career took off.

After six seasons split between the Athletics and Chicago Cubs, Trillo found himself in part of an eight-player trade where his defensive prowess was needed to upgrade the Philadelphia Phillies infield.

When fielding a ground ball, Trillo famously would take time to gather himself, glance over towards the ball in his hand, and fire a perfect throw to first base. Some worried he took too long to make the throw, but Trillo insisted it was to ensure accuracy, and it worked. In 1979, his first season with the Phillies, Trillo won the first of his three Gold Gloves in Philadelphia.

The 1980 season came along, and this time, Trillo got it done with his bat. He hit .292 with seven home runs and 43 RBI to be awarded the NL Silver Slugger Award for second basemen. The Phillies finished the season with 91 wins and were set to play the Houston Astros in the NLCS.

Trillo batted an impressive .381 in that series, going 8 for 21 at the plate and driving in four runs. His key hits in Game 4 and in the Game 5 clincher earned Trillo the honors of NLCS MVP. The Phillies were on to the World Series.

Though he only hit .217 in the World Series, Trillo still made important contributions. In Game 5, Trillo saved a run with a great relay throw home to keep the Kansas City Royals from scoring, and later on in the top of the 9th, Trillo delivered the game-winning RBI with two outs and two strikes on a line drive comebacker off the pitcher’s glove.

The Phillies won that game 4-3, and ultimately won their first ever World Series in Game 6 two nights later.

The following season, Trillo was starting to make a collection of hardware. He won another Gold Glove, another Silver Slugger, and earned his second career honors as a National League All-Star in 1981. His .338 on-base percentage that season was the best of his career and he continued to hold it down defensively.

It was more of the same in 1982, and Trillo even set the MLB record for the most consecutive errorless fielding chances at second base with 479. His error on the 480th fielding chance came on a high-chopped ground ball over the pitcher’s head that bounced awkwardly off the turf and hit Trillo’s elbow instead of glove. It took the official scorer quite some time to make the decision, but ultimately it was ruled an error.

After that play, Trillo received a standing ovation from the Philly faithful, which Trillo says is one of the most special moments of his playing career. Once again, he would win the Gold Glove Award and even start at second base in the All-Star game.

After the 1982 season, the Phillies were in the business of making moves. One of those moves included the departure of the beloved Trillo, who was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with four other players in return for top-prospect, Von Hayes.

Trillo would go on to play seven more seasons in the majors, but have no impact as big as he had in Philadelphia. In 2021, Trillo was honored with his plaque on the Phillies Wall of Fame and became the newest player to receive the honor. It may have been a short-lived stint with the Phillies, but he brought Gold Glove-caliber defense, Silver Slugger-level hitting, several All-Star appearances, and a World Series to Philadelphia. 

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