Mike Schmidt Says He’s No Fan of Wrigley Field

CHICAGO —  A look at the numbers should convince nearly everyone that Mike Schmidt would have a pretty good love affair going with Wrigley Field in Chicago.

After all, the Philadelphia Phillies’ veteran by midseason had 75 homers against the Cubs--tops on his list of personal targets--and 47 of those were hit at Wrigley Field. Among opposing players, only Willie Mays (54) and Hank Aaron (50) hit more homers at Wrigley. And both did it during a longer period of time.

Included in Schmidt’s numbers at Wrigley Field were four on the same day on April 17, 1976. In all, he has had eight multiple home run days there.

But Schmidt says he isn’t really a lover of Wrigley Field. On many days, he’d just as soon be watching rather than battling the unpredictable winds off Lake Michigan.

Schmidt will talk of his fondness for some of the other parks across the National League but not Wrigley Field.

“I enjoy the electricity of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and the big crowds. San Diego has a nice ballpark. In our league, they are all pretty uniform and there aren’t a lot of home run ballparks anymore,” Schmidt says.

As for Chicago’s old NL park, Schmidt adds, “You can see the ball OK but it’s not a great hitter’s ballpark for average. The walls are closer but the wind blows in. There are no gaps in this park. In Olympic Stadium, there is room in the gaps. It’s much more fun to hit in Montreal.”

Despite a reputation of being strictly a pull, home run hitter, Schmidt likes to talk about his years when he hit for a high average. And, although he has hit more home runs at Wrigley than at any other enemy ballpark, the problems of Wrigley Field often outweigh the pluses.

“No, this isn’t a great park in that respect like I’ve said,” Schmidt said. “The dirt infield is also a problem. You can’t expect normal hops here because it’s dirt. Sure, physically I’d rather play on grass fielding-wise but Astroturf is better for hitters.”

The wind seems to blow in as much as it does out at Wrigley Field, yet Schmidt says you remember only the days when the wind is blowing a gale out and the scores are high.

“Without a doubt, this isn’t a forgiving ballpark,” says Schmidt, who has hit 22 home runs at Wrigley Field in the last five years, double that of the closest visiting player, Tim Wallach of the Montreal Expos. “The only advantage here is the wind. If you get jammed on a day when the wind blows out, presto. But everything else here works out against you.”

Things haven’t always been rosy for Schmidt statistically at Wrigley Field. He can recall stretches when he didn’t get a hit there, much less a home run.

“In my early days, especially when they had Ferguson Jenkins, I had trouble here,” Schmidt says. “Now, they’ve got Lee Smith and when he is throwing at 5:30 p.m. late in the day it’s murder.”

The day he hit four homers in a 10 inning game--the Phils won 18-16--was one of his more pleasant memories.

“Yes, that was favorable because the wind was blowing straight out. I didn’t have to catch all of the ball that day. In a uniform ballpark, some of those balls wouldn’t have been home runs,” Schmidt recalls.

Three years later, the Phils “edged” the Cubs 23-22. Schmidt’s homer off relief ace Bruce Sutter in the top of the 10th won that game.

“These are memories people ask me at Wrigley Field, but no one asks anywhere else I go,” Schmidt says. “Sure, a lot of memorable things have happened here. Babe Ruth pointing out the home run. I’ve been lucky to be a part of them.”

But even that 23-22 game isn’t a big thing in Schmidt’s mind.

“It’s just a fact of life that high scoring games can happen here. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not,” Schmidt says.

Windy conditions aren’t confined to Wrigley Field. Schmidt can recall some strange, if not memorable, days elsewhere.

“It’s the wind at Candlestick Park that is also something to deal with. It’s just not Wrigley Field. There are only two ballparks in the whole majors where the wind makes a difference, Chicago and San Francisco,” Schmidt says.

Because Schmidt has done so well at Wrigley Field, the inevitable question comes up “what if” he had been dealt to the Cubs sometime during his career. Would he have had even more home runs or even threatened Babe Ruth’s mark with his pulling stroke to left field?

“A lot of people ask,” Schmidt answers briskly, “and I haven’t given it any thought at all.”

Paraphrasing W.C. Fields, Schmidt would, “on the whole,” rather play in Philadelphia.

“We have a great ballpark all the way around. You have to hit it good to get a home run. We have big gaps, a good hitters ballpark,” Schmidt says.