When Mike Schmidt announced his surprise retirement in May 1989, with the Philadelphia Phillies in the middle of a California road trip, the news came as a shock. The Philadelphia Daily News devoted 10 pages of its May 30 newspaper to the story. Five years later, Schmidt was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
To a generation who never lived through Schmidt's major league career, or is too young to appreciate it, a refresher is order. Schmidt will be the subject of the latest "MLB Network Presents" documentary, Newsweek Sports has learned.
"Michael Jack Schmidt" debuts Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. ET, to cap off MLB Network's 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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More than that, Schmidt's cultural impact in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 1980s is a complicated story worth retelling.
Julius Erving, the Philadelphia 76ers forward and a contemporary of Schmidt's, is among the luminaries interviewed for the film. So are 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 fell short both times.
With Schmidt in a starring role, the Phillies won their first championship ever in 1980. Yet his perceived arrogance often rubbed the team's passionate fan base the wrong way.
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As noted by the Los Angeles Times upon Schmidt's Cooperstown induction 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 considered Schmidt an arrogant pretender who, after all, hadn't taken the Phillies to a World Series since going 1 for 20 when they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in '83.
The fraught relationship with fans made Schmidt's path to glory something less than a straight line. The documentary explores the topic at length.
MLB Network has featured George Brett, Dennis Eckersley, Johnny Bench, Tony Gwynn, Dave Parker, Don Mattingly and Greg Maddux since debuting the "MLB Network Presents" series in 2015.
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