The Phillies’ marquee man, a prolific power hitter who has never led his team to the World Series, steps to the plate. It is the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. The Phillies are trailing by a run with the tying run on base. This is hero time.
Two strikes. Fastball on the outside corner. The slugger starts his swing.
For Mike Schmidt, the greatest player in Phillies history, it was a moment of confounding indecision. He started his swing, checked it, and the ball caught the corner for a called third strike.