agency after that year. General manager Paul Owens said that he would trade McBride if they could not negotiate a contract extension. He was nearly dealt along with Tug McGraw and Larry Christenson to the Texas Rangers for Sparky Lyle and Johnny Grubb at the 1979 Winter Meetings in Toronto, but the proposed transaction was nixed by Phillies owner Ruly Carpenter over a deferred payments clause in Lyle's contract. McBride re-signed with the Phillies. In July 1980, Bill Lyon of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that many fans unfairly stereotyped McBride as a lazy player because of his bad knees and his low-key personality. McBride ran with a lopsided gait, which fans interpreted as a lack of effort. Lyon wrote that because McBride did not talk about his injuries a lot to the public, most people did not realize that his knee joint had significantly eroded and that he was "essentially, a one-legged player." Lyon said that McBride's Afro hairstyle and his isolated nature furthered the stereotypes that many fans held. McBride said that he had never been a man who showed much emotion, and he thought it would be hypocritical if he tried to look more intense just to appease the fans. Despite the pain in his feet and knees, McBride was characterized by manager Dallas Green as the most consistent player on the team in 1980. The Phillies went to the 1980 World Series, and in the first game, McBride's three-run home run put the Phillies ahead of the Kansas City Royals. The Phillies won the game and won the World Series in six games. McBride hit .304 (7 hits in 23 at bats) in his only career World Series. During the strike-shortened 1981 season, McBride missed most of May because of knee problems. He underwent arthroscopy on his left knee just before the strike. He had surgery on his right knee in November. Later career On February 16, 1982, McBride was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Sid Monge. McBride said that he would have to become accustomed to pitchers in the American League, but he thought that the grass field in Cleveland would provide a more favorable playing surface for his surgically repaired knees than the artificial turf in Philadelphia. The trade to Cleveland made McBride an unwitting participant in controversy. Because Monge had refused a smaller contract offer from the Phillies when he was a free