Richie Hebner Recalls Major League Post Season Play

Eight major league baseball teams made the 2007 playoffs, but four are already eliminated. Two more will fall before the World Series begins. Those numbers reflect a sad fact of major-league post-season play - the euphoria of making the playoffs is quickly dashed for six of the eight teams.

Nobody knows that better than Richie Hebner. The former Pirates slugger and current minor league hitting coach holds the record for playing in the most playoff games, but only made it to one World Series. "I tore up more World Series than anybody," Hebner said.

Hebner earned a World Series ring in 1971 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh went to the series with four 20-game winners on the staff. "You can't even get one [20-game winner on a team] today," he said.

Hebner played a major role in the National League Championship Series that propelled the Pirates to the World Series. He smashed a game-winning home run off the Giants' Juan Marichal in the eighth inning of the third game of the series, giving the Bucs a 2-1. He added three hits - including another home run - and three RBIs in the final game of the playoffs, a 9-5 win for the Pirates.

But that would be his last World Series appearance. Hebner and the Pirates returned to the playoffs in 1972, but lost in the National League Championship series to the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati won the decisive contest on a wild pitch from Pirates' pitcher Bob Moose. "I didn't watch the World Series on TV that year," he said.

In 1974 the Pirates returned to the NLCS but failed to make the series. Still, Hebner played well; he and Willie Stargell combined for six RBIs in a 7-0 win.

Hebner joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 1977 and was with the team for two division championship in -77 and '78. The Phillies lost out in the playoffs both times, though, and failed to reach the World Series.

Hebner was later on the 1984 Chicago Cubs team that also lost a heartbreaker to miss the World Series. On the field, manager Dallas Green had brought in pitcher Rick Sutcliffe. The Cubs already had future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, and the talented team made it to the best-of-five playoffs. The Cubs won the first two games, but lost the next three.

Hebner described the the loss in game five as "one of the most miserable losses I ever went through." The Cubs seemed to have the game under control, with a 3-0 lead, when starting pitcher Rick Sutcliffe was replaced. "Sutcliffe took himself out of the game," Hebner recalled, wondering what might have happened if the ace had stayed on the mound.

He might have wondered about his own career had he not made it to the major leagues. Hebner grew up digging graves for a cemetery run by his father in Norwood, Massachusetts. After reaching the majors, he continued digging graves in the off-season. "I use to tell people, 'I'm the last to lay you down,'" Hebner said. The physical labor gave him a work-ethic that proved valuable in the major leagues.

Hebner was drafted in the first round of the 1966 draft, the 15^th pick overall. He had an 18-year career in the major leagues, playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs. The slugger compiled a lifetime batting average of .276 with 203 home runs and 890 RBIs and that one World Series ring.

After signing with the Pirates, Hebner was briefly assigned to a Carolina minor league team. Fearful of losing their new recruit to the Vietnam War, the Pirates arranged for Hebner to enter the Marine reserves, grabbing one of the last two openings available. The hitter was assigned to basic camp at Paris Island, South Carolina for boot camp. "I didn't know my first name for 16 weeks," he said.

Hebner made it to the majors for two games and one at-bat in 1968. He returned as a full-time third baseman the following year, leading all rookies by hitting .301 in 129 games. Hebner credits the talented Pirates roster with teaching him how to play in the major leagues. "I was on a team with [Roberto] Clemente, [Willie] Stargell, and [Bill] Mazeroski," he said. "I just watched how they played, and that's how I played."

Hebner played a key role in the Pirates' 1971 World Series season, but his best individual season came the following year. He finished the '73 season with a .271 average, 74 RBIs, and a career-high 25 home runs.

Hebner stayed with the Pirates through the 1976 season. As a free agent in 1976, he turned down the Pirates offer of a $70,000 contract and signed with the Phillies for $150,000. "It took me ten years to get to $70,000," he recalled. "The Pirates offered me $70-, 80-, 90-thousand for the next three years. I got $150 thousand for four years from [the Phillies]."

Hebner spent the 1979 season with the New York Mets, playing for manager Joe Torre. Although he admires Torre, Hebner described the Mets as the worst team he played for. "We couldn't beat the cooks at the hotel," he said.

The '79 Mets lost 99 games, going on a brief winning streak at the end of the year to avoid a 100-loss season. On the plane after the final game, Hebner recalled, Torre rose to address the team and said, "Great. Now you guys get hot."

Hebner was traded to the Detroit Tigers for the 1980 season, staying with the teamt until August 1982. He returned to the Pirates for the remainder of the year and the '83 season, before signing with the Cubs for '84.

He finished the season by hitting a home run in his last at-bat, a feat accomplished by only him and Ted Williams. "The difference is that Ted Williams knew he was going to retire at the end of the season, so he knew he'd homered in his last at-bat," Hebner said. "I didn't know. I got released the next spring training."

Cubs manager Dallas Green called Hebner to his office during spring training in 1985 to give him the news. Green broke the news by telling Hebner, "It's time to go home and dig graves in the summer too, not just in the winter."

After retiring as a player, Hebner worked as a coach in the major and minor leagues. He led the Myrtle Beach Blue Jays to the South Atlantic League playoffs in 1988 and was named the league's manager of the year.

Hebner spent three seasons (1989-91) in the majors as the hitting coach of the Boston Red Sox. He returned to the minor leagues for four seasons in the Pittsburgh system, then served as manager for two seasons (1995-96) for the Syracuse Chiefs in the International League. He returned to the majors as a coach for the Phillies in 2001, then joined the Durham Bulls in 2002.

Hebner joined the Birmingham Barons as hitting coach in 2007. He finds his job challenging, but admits that some players don't understand the work ethic necessary to make it to the majors. "Some of the kids don't get it," he said. "You don't just walk into WalMart and buy a big league uniform. You've gotta earn a big league uniform."

As for his own career, he is proud of his accomplishments but argues that they don't match up with the greats in the game. "I played with a lot of Hall of Famers," he said, "but if I get into Cooperstown, I'll pay to get in."