could not handle. Ruiz stole home, accounting for the only run of the game. Then and later, Ruiz's decision was viewed as a bad one, considering that Robinson—Cincinnati's best hitter—was up. Sabermetric analysis, however, shows that it was not a bad percentage play. At the start of that game, the Phillies had a -game hold on first place with 12 games to play. The Phillies then lost ten straight games to finish tied for second place. Phillies third baseman Dick Allen is quoted in Crash, The Life and Times of Dick Allen by Tim Whitaker as saying that the play "broke our humps". Chico Ruiz's steal of home has evolved into a popular culture legend. Some Philadelphia sports fans still refer to the "Curse of Chico Ruiz" as the reason for many of the misfortunes of the team over time. A novel by Gregory T. Glading entitled 64 Intruder centers on what might have happened had Ruiz been called out on the play. "Bench me or trade me" With Pete Rose at second, Deron Johnson at third and Leo Cárdenas at short, Ruiz was squeezed out of a very solid infield, and saw very little playing time over the next two seasons. He took it in stride, bringing a cushion to sit on the bench, a pair of special soft, comfortable alligator spiked shoes and a battery-driven fan the people in St. Louis gave him at their games to keep himself cool and comfortable on the bench. His chance finally arrived in when Cárdenas broke his finger. He performed admirably in Cárdenas' absence, batting .283 with five runs scored and four runs batted in while providing solid defense at short. This was followed with a two-week stint at second while second baseman Tommy Helms shifted over to short. During the hot summer stretch, Ruiz said playing every day was killing him and jokingly demanded to Reds manager Dave Bristol, "Bench me or trade me." Regardless of his "demand", Ruiz remained with the Reds for two more seasons. Following the season, he and outfielder Alex Johnson were traded to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbón, Jim McGlothlin and Vern Geishert. Angels and Alex Johnson Despite Johnson having a reputation as a malcontent, he and Ruiz were good friends. In fact, Ruiz was the godfather of Johnson's adopted daughter. Johnson won the American League batting crown in , their first season