1983 National League Championship Series

The 1983 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five matchup between the West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers and the East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies beat the Dodgers three games to one and would go on lose the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles.

Background
During the regular season, the Dodgers had beaten the Phillies in eleven of the twelve games they played.

Game 1
Tuesday, October 4, 1983 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California

Mike Schmidt clubbed a two-out homer off Jerry Reuss in the first, and the Phillies made it hold up as Steve Carlton and Al Holland combined to scatter seven Dodger hits. The Dodgers' only threats came in the sixth, when Steve Sax singled, Bill Russell sacrificed Sax to second, and Sax went to third on a Carlton wild pitch. Carlton retired the last two hitters, however. Another threat came in the eighth when singles by Sax and Dusty Baker and a walk to Pedro Guerrero loaded the bases, chasing Carlton. Holland came in and retired Mike Marshall for the third out and finished the game.

Game 2
Wednesday, October 5, 1983 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California

The Dodgers drew first blood with a Ken Landreaux RBI single in the first. Gary Matthews tied it for the Phils in the second with a home run off Fernando Valenzuela. Valenzuela and Cy Young Award winner John Denny would continue dueling until the Dodger half of the fifth. Valenzuela led off and reached third when Garry Maddox misplayed a fly-ball. However, with one out, Valenzuela was thrown out at the plate on a Greg Brock ground ball (Brock reached first). Seemingly out of the inning, Denny walked Dusty Baker and then gave up a tie-breaking two-run triple to Pedro Guerrero.

The Dodgers' final run came in the seventh on an RBI single by catcher Jack Fimple. Valenzuela and Tom Niedenfuer would combine to scatter seven hits for the win.

Game 3
Friday, October 7, 1983 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

With the series shifting to Philadelphia, rookie Charles Hudson turned in a pitching gem, going the distance and allowing only four hits. A fourth-inning two-run homer by Mike Marshall was Hudson's lone mistake. Gary Matthews provided the bulk of the offense with three hits and four RBIs, including his second homer of the series.

Game 4
Saturday, October 8, 1983 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Series MVP Gary Matthews belted a three-run homer in the first off Jerry Reuss and the Phillies never looked back as they moved to their second World Series in four seasons. Sixto Lezcano added a two-run homer in the sixth as Steve Carlton pitched his second win, scattering 10 hits with relief help from Ron Reed and Al Holland.

Out of the fourteen postseason series that Pete Rose played in, this was the only one in which he did not record an RBI. He did hit well in the series, compiling six hits and one walk in seventeen plate appearances. Oddly enough, in the thirteen series in which Rose had an RBI, he never drove in more than two runs in any of them.

Composite box
1983 NLCS (3–1): Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers