<Table> <Tr> <Td> ← 1979 </Td> <Td> World Series </Td> <Td> 1981 → </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> ← 1979 </Td> <Td> World Series </Td> <Td> 1981 → </Td> </Tr> <P> The 1980 World Series was the 77th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series and the conclusion of the 1980 Major League Baseball season . A best - of - seven playoff, it matched the National League (NL) champion Philadelphia Phillies against the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals . The Phillies defeated the Royals four games to two to capture the club's first World Series championship in franchise history . Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt was named as the World Series MVP . The series concluded after Game 6, which ended with Tug McGraw striking out Willie Wilson at 11: 29 pm on October 21, 1980 . Wilson set a World Series record by striking out twelve times (after getting 230 hits in the regular season) in the six - game set . </P> <P> Game 6 is also significant because it stands as the "most - watched game in World Series history" with a television audience of 54.9 million viewers . </P>

Who played in the world series in 1980