June 18, 1989: The New York Mets trade center fielder Lenny Dykstra and relief pitcher Roger McDowell to the Philadelphia Phillies for 2nd baseman Juan Samuel. The Phillies definitely got the better half of this trade.
Samuel reached the major leagues in 1983, just in time to be a part of the Phillies' postseason roster as they won the National League Pennant. In 1984, he finished 2nd to Dwight Gooden of the Mets as NL Rookie of the Year. He made 2 All-Star Games with the Phils. In 5 full seasons with them, he averaged a .263 batting average, 171 hits, 35 doubles, 14 triples (leading the NL in 1984 and 1987), 16 home runs and 78 RBIs -- not bad for a leadoff hitter. But he was a terrible fielder, and he struck out too much, so they sought to trade him.
Dykstra was the center fielder on two great "bad boy" baseball teams: The 1986 World Champion New York Mets and the 1993 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, a.k.a. "Macho Row." He wasn't just along for the ride, either: He was the leadoff man and sparkplug of both teams. The Mets won Game 3 of the 1986 NL Championship Series on his walkoff homer.
But he was trouble: He had a drinking problem and a bad attitude, which they were fine with when they were winning. But, not having won a 2nd Pennant in that "dynasty that never was," they got tired of him. And so, a "my headache for your headache" trade was made.
In 1990, Dykstra nearly won the NL batting title. In the Pennant year of 1993, he set a major league record with 779 plate appearances, and led the NL in hits, walks and runs scored, and finished 2nd in the NL Most Valuable Player voting to Barry Bonds. (Ironicially, considering Bonds' later steroid use, it's Dykstra who has been accused of using them that season). Dykstra and Curt Schilling practically kept the Phils in the World Series by themselves before they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays.
But the man known as Nails in New York, and Dude (which is what he called everybody) in Philly, continued to show that he had a million-dollar bat and a five-cent head. He missed time in the 1991 season due to a drunk-driving crash. He was injured in 1996, missed the rest of that season and all of 1997, and retired, having played his last major league game at age 33.
Since his retirement, his drinking and bad business deals have led to massive debts, including the auctioning off of his World Series ring. He served 6 months in prison for bankruptcy fraud. Among the athletes he defrauded were hockey icon Wayne Gretzky and New Jersey Devils defenseman-turned-broadcaster Ken Daneyko.
Speaking of hockey: Three of his uncles played in the NHL, including Tony Leswick, whose overtime Game 7 goal won the 1954 Stanley Cup for the Detroit Red Wings. His sons Cutter and Luke both played in the minor leagues without reaching the majors. Cutter is married to The Sopranos actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
McDowell was basically a throw-in: Although a key reliever on the late-1980s Mets, he was never the same after the trade, and is now best remembered for his appearance on Seinfeld, in which he was shown in a flashback sequence to have spat on Kramer and Newman, an act that had previously been blamed on Keith Hernandez.
Samuel played in 89 games for the Mets in 1989, batting just .228. After the season, the Mets traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He recovered his hitting stroke, made another All-Star Game, and lasted in the major leagues until 1998. He then went into coaching, and briefly managed the Baltimore Orioles in 2010. In 2003, when the Phils closed Veterans Stadium, a fan ballot named him the 2nd baseman on the All-Vet Team. In 2008, he was elected to the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park.
Despite his key roles with both teams, neither the Mets nor the Phillies have elected Dykstra to their team halls of fame.
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June 18, 1989 was a Sunday. The NBA season ended 5 days earlier, when the Detroit Pistons completed a 4-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. The NHL season ended on May 25, when the Calgary Flames beat the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup. Football was out of season.
These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The teams involved in the trade played each other. The Phillies beat the Mets, 6-5 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Phils led 5-1 after 2 innings, but the Mets tied the game in the 8th. Von Hayes, himself involved in a famous (or infamous) trade, led off the bottom of the 9th with a home run off Randy Myers. Ken Howell started for the Phils, Ron Darling for the Mets, who lasted only 2 innings.
* The New York Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers, 5-2 at Yankee Stadium. Charlie Hough outpitched Dave LaPoint. Ken Phelps hit a home run for the Yankees. Don Mattingly went 2-for-4. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-4.
* The Chicago Cubs beat the Montreal Expos, 5-4 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Cal Ripken went 0-for-3.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-2 at the newly-opened SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. Ken Griffey Jr. went 1-for-4 with a walk.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-1 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The Royals' only run came on a home run by Bo Jackson. George Brett went 0-for-4.
* The California Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White sox, 7-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
* The Minnesota Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. Robin Yount went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Paul Molitor, against his hometown team, went 4-for-5 with an RBI.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 12-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with 2 walks.
* The Houston Astros beat the San Diego Padres, 5-2 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 3-for-3 with a walk.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Eddie Murray went 0-for-2 with 2 walks for the Dodgers.
* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
