Ron Reed and Bake McBride join the Phillies’ Wall of Fame

A few weeks ago, Ron Reed got a call from a number he didn’t recognize. His phone kept ringing, but he didn’t pick up, assuming it was a junk call. Then, a few minutes later, he got a call from his former Phillies teammate, Greg Luzinski.

“Hey Ron, congratulations on your award,” Luzinski said.

“What award are you talking about?” Reed responded.

“John Middleton didn’t call you yet?” Luzinski asked.

As it turns out, Middleton had called — multiple times — but Reed didn’t realize that it was the Phillies’ principal owner who had been trying to reach him, to let the former pitcher know he’d been elected to the team’s Wall of Fame. Reed called Middleton back, apologized about 10 times, and immediately saved Middleton’s number.

In Reed’s defense, it wasn’t a call he was expecting. Reed, a Phillies reliever from 1976-83, appeared in 21 postseason games with the organization, including one NL division series, six NL championship series, and two World Series. But he was never a big name on those teams, which featured Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, Larry Bowa, and Tug McGraw.

He said he was surprised to learn of his selection, given the other players who’ve been voted into the Phillies’ Wall of Fame. But his former backstop, Bob Boone, said he always knew Reed belonged.

“For me, catching him, when we won that whole thing [in 1980], I felt like without him we don’t win it,” Boone said. “Because he was too good. We didn’t have that closer. He had him and Tug in that period, to win the World Series. Without RR — I used to call him railroad — without him, I don’t think we win this. And we went through a lot of things together.”

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Reed brought stability to that 1980 bullpen. He was a workhorse — Reed never spent any time on the Phillies’ injured list due to shoulder or arm injuries — and was effective, too, posting a 3.06 ERA and 547 strikeouts over 458 games. He ranks first among the team’s relievers in all-time wins (54) and innings (763), second in strikeouts (519), and third in games (449). He also started nine games as a Phillie after having been primarily a starter in 10 years with Atlanta.

Reed was inducted with right fielder Bake McBride, who was unable to make the induction ceremony Saturday evening for personal reasons. McBride played for the Phillies from 1977-81, batting .292 with 106 doubles, 32 triples, and 44 home runs over 553 games. He was an integral member of the 1980 World Series-winning team, batting .304 with seven hits, including a three-run home run in Game 1. McBride also appeared in the NLCS with the Phillies in 1977, 1978, 1980 and the NLDS in 1981, hitting for a .244 average with three home runs and eight RBI in 22 career postseason games.

With Saturday’s induction, McBride and Reed are now the 43rd and 44th Phillies to be inducted into the team’s Wall of Fame.

“It’s unbelievable, I mean, look at the names that are up there,” said Reed. “Superstars, all of them. Whether I deserve it or not, I’m just happy to be there. That’s a good group to be with.”