It was April 18, 1987. Pittsburgh. Three Rivers Stadium was half-empty, but the air felt heavy. If you were a Philadelphia Phillies fan in the late eighties, you knew the script by heart. The team was struggling, sitting at a miserable 1-8 start. Mike Schmidt, the greatest third baseman to ever lace up cleats, was sitting on 499 career long balls. The pressure wasn’t just a "sports thing"—it was suffocating. Everyone was waiting for the mike schmidt 500 home run moment, and honestly, the man himself looked like he just wanted it to be over.
He had been 0-for-3 that day. He walked once. He popped out. The Pirates were leading 6-5 in the top of the ninth inning. Two outs. Two runners on. The season felt like it was slipping away before it even really started. Then, Don Robinson, a guy who usually had Schmidt's number, fell behind in the count.
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The 3-0 Pitch That Defied Baseball Logic
Most managers will scream at you for swinging on 3-0. You take the pitch. You look for the walk. You pass the baton. But Mike Schmidt wasn't most players, and John Felske, the Phillies manager, knew it. He gave Schmidt the green light.
Robinson threw a center-cut fastball. It wasn't a trick. It wasn't a slider in the dirt. It was a "here it is, hit it" kind of pitch. Schmidt didn't just hit it; he demolished it. The ball soared into the left-field seats, a three-run blast that flipped the game on its head.
"Swing and a long drive! There it is! Number 500! The career 500th home run for Michael Jack Schmidt!" — Harry Kalas
That call by Harry Kalas is basically burned into the DNA of every person who grew up in the Delaware Valley. It wasn't just a milestone; it was a rescue mission. The Phillies won 8-6. Schmidt didn't just hit a round-number home run; he won the game in the most dramatic way possible.
Why This Milestone Was Different
Back in 1987, the 500-home run club was a tiny, exclusive neighborhood. Only 13 players had ever done it before Mike Schmidt. Nowadays, the list is longer, but back then, you were joining names like Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays. Schmidt was only the second full-time third baseman to ever reach that peak, following Eddie Mathews.
It's kinda wild to think about how much the game has changed. Today, we obsess over exit velocity and launch angles. In '87, we just cared about the sound of the lumber and whether or not the Phils could claw back into the NL East race.
The Weird Details Nobody Mentions
Everyone remembers the swing. Hardly anyone remembers that Schmidt actually finished that game at shortstop. Yeah, you read that right. Because of some late-game maneuvering and a short bench, the greatest third baseman in history shifted over to short for the bottom of the ninth.
Another thing? The reaction. Schmidt was usually a "business-as-usual" kind of guy. He wasn't big on showboating. But after that ball cleared the fence, he was jumping. He was pumping his fists. He looked like a kid who just hit his first tball homer. He later admitted he was "fighting the adrenaline" and the terrifying thought of "choking" on those final few home runs needed to hit the mark.
- The Date: April 18, 1987
- The Pitcher: Don Robinson (Pirates)
- The Count: 3-0 (The ultimate "green light" moment)
- The Result: A 3-run shot that led to an 8-6 Phillies victory
The Legacy of Michael Jack Schmidt
When you look at the stats, it’s easy to get lost in the numbers. 548 career home runs. Three NL MVPs. Ten Gold Gloves. But the mike schmidt 500 home run represents the peak of his relationship with the city of Philadelphia. It wasn't always easy. The fans were tough on him, and he was often private and perfectionistic.
But for those few minutes at Three Rivers Stadium, none of that mattered. Even the Pirates fans gave him a standing ovation. You don't see that often in the modern era—a rival crowd recognizing they just witnessed immortality.
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If you're looking to dive deeper into Schmidt's career or want to relive the 1980 World Series glory, your best bet is to look up the archival footage of Harry Kalas's calls. There’s a specific cadence to those old broadcasts that modern TV just can't replicate. You should also check out Schmidt’s Hall of Fame induction speech from 1995; it offers a lot of perspective on the mental toll that chasing 500 actually took on him.
Start by watching the original 1987 broadcast clip on YouTube. Pay attention to his feet when he rounds second base—he basically skips. It's the most human moment of a career defined by robotic excellence.