1971 Philadelphia Phillies season
The 1971 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 89th season for the franchise in Philadelphia. The Phillies finished in sixth place in the National League East, with a record of 67–95. Regular season. On April 10, the Phillies officially opened Veterans Stadium, their new home park, with a 4–1 victory over the Montreal Expos. Harry Kalas was hired by the Phillies in 1971 to succeed Bill Campbell, and was the master of ceremonies at the 1971 opening of Veterans Stadium. The Phillies played an exhibition game against the Reading Phillies on June 17, 1971, in Reading. The  Phillies had signed second-round draft pick Mike Schmidt on June 11. Schmidt made his professional debut in the exhibition game in Reading. Schmidt played the whole game at shortstop for the Phillies and hit a game-winning home run against Reading. He was subsequently assigned to the Reading club, where he played the balance of the season. On June 25, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Willie Stargell hit what wound up being the longest home run in Veterans Stadium history off of pitcher Jim Bunning in a 14–4 Pirates win over the Phillies. The spot where the ball landed was marked  with a yellow star with a black "S" inside a white circle until Stargell's 2001 death, when the white circle was painted black. The star remained until the stadium's 2004 demolition. Player stats. Batting. Starters by position. "Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Other batters. "Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in" Pitching. Starting pitchers. "Note: G =  Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Other pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts" Relief pitchers. "Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts"