Quick.
What place did the Phillies finish in 1982?
Had you guess second place, congratulations! Those years in between World Series appearances seem to have been glossed over a bit. 1981 was split in half by the player’s strike, the creation of a divisional round of the playoffs meaning the reigning champions sort of sleepwalked through the second half of the season and never regained their championship form. 1982 is one of those years that sort of gets forgotten about, the team finishing three games behind eventual world champion St. Louis. But if you look at that version of the Phillies, there is one thing that becomes pretty clear when you review the numbers.