Un-Covering the Past.(Brief Article)

Former shortstop highlighted in Baseball Digest 25 years ago

DURING THE 1976 SEASON, THE PHILADELPHIA Phillies were making a run at their first National League division title. Those hopes rested on the pitching of Steve Carlton, the hitting of Mike Schmidt and fielding prowess of Larry Bowa who appeared on the September 1976 cover of Baseball Digest.

The Phils finished the '76 campaign with a 101-61 won-lost record to win the East Division title, thanks in part to Schmidt's league-leading 38 homers, Carlton's 20 wins and Bowa's fiery leadership and defensive excellence.

Bowa was one of the best defensive infielders of his era, winning two Gold Glove awards and six National League fielding titles including a career high .991 percentage in 1979 when he committed only six errors in 683 total chances. Bowa ranks second, behind Omar Vizquel, with a .980 fielding percentage among shortstops who played 1,000 or more games.

"You know everybody says I have good hands and everything," Bowa said in 1978. "But the thing that makes a good shortstop is the footwork involved. If you have good footwork, if you can get to the ball, you can set up and get your body out of the way so you can make the throw. I think that's the most important thing."

During his 16 years as a player in the major leagues, Bowa performed for ...