In the 1970’s, baseball jerseys changed dramatically. The White Sox wore shorts, the Astros wore the infamous “Tequila Sunrise” jerseys, and Charlie Finley did Charlie Finley things. For one game in 1979, the Philadelphia Phillies outdid them all, donning their monochrome maroon “Saturday Night Special” uniform set. The response to these jerseys was so overwhelmingly negative that they did not live to see another Saturday night, making this one of the rarest game worn jersey styles in the hobby.

     This particular jersey was worn by two-time All-Star pitcher Dick Ruthven, who appeared in the May 19th, 1979 game as a pinch runner from Greg Luzinski in the sixth inning. The Phillies lost this game, a home matchup against the Montreal Expos 10-5, giving an ignominious uniform the sendoff many thought it deserved.

     This jersey is maroon, with a zipper front and a white tackle twill “P” logo sewn on the left breast. Ruthven’s number “44” is sewn on the right chest and the back in white tackle twill. “RUTHVEN” is sewn across the back shoulders in white tackle twill over a maroon nameplate. The sleeves and sides are accented with a white stripe. A Rawlings tag with an attached “Set 1 1979” flag is sew on the front right tail next to a “44 79 1” tag. This jersey, which shows light wear consistent with use in one game, comes with a LOA from noted game used jersey expert Dave Miedema.

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