On this date in 1980, it was a few weeks before spring training, and the Phillies had high aspirations about getting back to the postseason.

The 1979 season ended with Dallas Green taking over for Danny Ozark, and the team finishing with an overall 84-78-1 and a fourth-place finish in the National League East. Ozark was 65-67 at time he was fired on Aug. 31, and Green finished with a 19-11 record.

Maybe the most prominent moment of the 1979 season was the Phils’ 23-22 slugfest victory at Wrigley Field on May 17. Unfortunately, the Phils season was marred by injuries and a lack of pitching depth.

Fortunately for them, 1980 arguably was their most momentous in club history.

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column, I’ll look back at some of the key moments of the Phillies’ ride to their first World Championship in 1980.

Spring Showers ... The Phillies’ ride through the 1980 season certainly was a battle-tested one. There were plenty of peaks and valleys along the way.

They began the season slowly, ending April with an overall 6-9 record through the opening month. Mets’ immortal right-hander Mark Bomback, who had a 74-game career in the majors, tossed a two-hit shutout at Shea Stadium in front of less than 5,000 fans in a nifty time of 1:56.

When May arrived, the Phils found themselves in fourth place behind first-place Pittsburgh.

But the Fightins’ rallied to win 16 of their 25 games in the month to close within a game of Pittsburgh. Steve Carlton went 6-1 during the span, two of them shutouts. He recorded 70 strikeouts and posted a slim 1.67 ERA. It was Carlton’s best month of the season en route to his 24-9 season.

On May 23, Carlton won a duel with Nolan Ryan, scattering four hits and striking out eight in going the distance. Ryan was knocked out after 3.2 innings, as Mike Schmidt smacked a three-run homer (his 11th).

June Swoon ... Unfortunately for the Phils, their May burst yielded a June slide. They had a 14-14 slate for the month and couldn’t find any consistency. During the month, they had a six-game winning streak, and also a four-game losing streak.

However, they did manage to end the month on a high note when they outlasted the Expos, 7-5, at Olympic Stadium.

Keith Moreland launched a pair of homers, and Pete Rose popped a two-run shot.

Dickie Noles picked up the victory over 5.2 innings, and Ron Reed notched his fourth save, allowing a run and two hits over three innings.

Seeing and Hearing Green ... The Phils began August with an overall 53-46 record in third place and two games off the pace.

They would travel Aug. 8 for a four-game set with Pittsburgh, four games behind and in third place.

Things, however, initially didn’t go well.

They dropped the opener 6-5 as Pittsburgh’s John “The Candy Man” Candelaria worked his way through an eight-hitter over seven innings before he gave way to Kent Tekulve, who pitched two hitless innings.

The Phils concluded the series with a doubleheader on Sunday, a twin bill that created one of the true highlights of the season.

After they lost the opener, 7-1, Green went on a tirade, and his voluminous voice may still be heard echoing through the Allegheny Mountains.

Here’s an excerpt from it with the appropriate replacement words:

“This bleeping game isn’t easy,” erupted Green. “It’s tough, especially when you have injuries. But you guys (have) got your bleeping heads down.

“You’ve gotta stop being so bleeping cool. Get that through your bleeping heads. If you don’t, you’ll get so bleeping buried, it ain’t gonna be funny.

“Get the bleep off your (expletive),” he added. “Just be the way you can be because you’re a good bleeping baseball team. But you’re not now, and you can’t look in the bleeping mirror and tell me you are.”

It didn’t have the initial preferred effect, as the Phils lost the nightcap, 4-1, and they slipped to 55-52 and six games out of the top spot.

However, Green’s outburst had a delayed effect. The Phils finished the month winning 14 of their next 22 and were in first place on Sept. 1.

The Final Countdown ... Like the pattern that engulfed them throughout the season, the Phils’ stay in first place quickly ended on Sept. 6 when the Dodgers’ Don Sutton outdueled Carlton in a 1-0 victory at Dodger Stadium and fell into a first-place tie.

Sutton allowed three hits, and Carlton issued six, falling victim to Ron Cey’s solo homer in the second.

The following day, the Dodgers’ Bob Welch twirled a seven-hitter in a 7-3 victory that officially knocked the Phils into second place.

From there, the Phils bandied back and forth between first and second place before they finally secured the top spot on Oct. 2 in a 4-2 win over the Cubs at the Vet.

Rookie Bob Walk sprinkled seven hits and one run over 7.1 innings for his 11th win, and Tug McGraw picked up his 19th save.

By The Numbers ... Schmidt had an MVP season with 48 homers, 121 RBIs and a .286 average. He also had a 1.004 OPS, a .624 slugging percentage, and a WAR of 8.9. Schmidt also slammed 25 doubles.

Carlton took home the Cy Young with his 24-9, 2.34 ERA and 13 complete games in 38 starts. McGraw had a 1.46 ERA and 20 saves.

The team did hit .270 in spite of having regulars Bob Boone, Greg Luzinski — injured in spurts — and Garry Maddox hit below .260. Maddox did win a Gold Glove and stole 25 bases.

Rookie Lonnie Smith made an impact with his 33 steals and his .339 average.

Ozark’s Last Stand ... Ironically, Ozark eventually emerged as a base coach with the Dodgers and was part of their World Championship a year later in 1981.

He had another brief stint as a manager with the Giants, replacing Frank Robinson for the final 56 games of the 1984 season. Ozark went 24-32 overall with San Francisco.

Who Were These Guys ... On the final day of the season Oct. 5 and with the division clinched, the Phils fielded a lineup that featured Rose (1B), Jay Loviglio (2B), Luis Aguayo (SS), John Vukovich (3B), George Vukovich (LF), Bob Dernier (CF), Orlando Isales (RF), and Ozzie Virgil (C).

Mark Davis was the starter and hurled five innings before he gave way to Randy Lerch and Warren Brusstar in the 8-7 loss.

You probably recognize most of them, except possibly Loviglio and Isales, both of whom were considered top prospects.

Loviglio appeared in 16 games during 1980, and was shipped to the White Sox for reliever Mike Proly, where he played three seasons. Isales played in three games in 1980, but that was the extent of his major league career.

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