Philadelphia Phillies legendary Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt is featured in a new MLB Network documentary.
The film is titled “Michael Jack Schmidt” and is scheduled to air on Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. ET. The title is a reference to how Phillies legendary announcer Harry Kalas would refer to him.
Schmidt is the greatest player in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies franchise and in one of blest in the history of Major League Baseball.
Schmidt played his entire 18-year career with the Phillies. He hit 548 home runs with 1,595 RBI and had a .267 batting average.
During his star studded career, Schmidt was a three-time MVP, 12-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, won the Silver Slugger Award six times and was named MVP of the World Series in 1980.
Schmidt was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995 in his first year of eligibility, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest third basemen to play baseball.
From 1974 through 1987, Schmidt hit at least 31 home runs in all but one season and reached the 40-homer plateau three times.
Schmidt led the National League in home runs eight times and was one of the most feared hitters of all time. He was the definition of a true slugger.
Here is a preview of the documentary.
As a lifelong Phillies fan and huge fan of Mike Schmidt, this is a must see. I grew up watching Schmidt’s career and he was my favorite player.
I was like many young Phillies fans, who would copy his batting stance and mannerisms. I would look forward to the Sunday newspaper that would post the league leaders in statistical categories to where Schmidt would rank.
One of my childhood highlights was seeing Schmidt hit the game winning home run against the Montreal Expos in 1980 that propelled the Phillies into the playoffs.
I still remember the 1980 World Series and watching the Phillies win their first ever World Championship and Schmidt was named MVP.
Then Schmidt won the first of his three NL MVPs in 1980. He hit 48 home runs with 121 RBI and had a .286 batting average.
I was 12 years-old and just watched my favorite team win the World Series and watch my favorite player recognized as the best player.
From that time until 1987, Schmidt was widely recognized as the top player in baseball and he truly embedded himself as a superstar.
The culmination of Schmidt’s great career is when he reached the 500 home run plateau in 1987.
The documentary is a must-watch for those who followed Schmidt’s career as well as younger Phillies fans who weren’t around to witness his greatness. It is sure to bring back many childhood memories for me.
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt in 1988. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
