Apart from his fielding achievements, Bowa was a switch-hitter, batting .280 or better four times (.305 in 1975); he also had nine seasons with 20 or more stolen bases. From his 1970 rookie season through 1981, Bowa provided solid reliability in the Phillies' infield, along with third baseman Mike Schmidt; from 1976 to 1981, the Phillies reached the postseason five times, ending a drought dating back a quarter of a century. In 1978, Bowa had one of his most productive seasons, hitting .294 and leading NL shortstops with a .986 fielding percentage while finishing third in NL MVP voting. He batted .333 in a losing cause in the 1978 NLCS, but played an even greater role in 1980, hitting .316 in the NLCS and .375 in the World Series, as the Phillies captured the first title in franchise history. In 1979, Bowa set a Major League record for shortstops with a .991 fielding average; Tony Fernández broke the record with a .992 mark in , and Rey Ordóñez broke the NL record with a .994 average in . Bowa tied Ozzie Smith for the most post-1930 seasons with at least 400 at-bats and no home runs, with six.