That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Phillies Franchise History: Greatest Player to Wear Each Number

By George Stockburger

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 09: Former Philadelphia Phillies greats, Jim Bunning, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt were among many on hand to honor former manager Charlie Manuel who was to be inducted to the Phillies Wall of Fame during a ceremony before the start of a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on August 9, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 09: Former Philadelphia Phillies greats, Jim Bunning, Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt were among many on hand to honor former manager Charlie Manuel who was to be inducted to the Phillies Wall of Fame during a ceremony before the start of a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on August 9, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 25: A view of the field from the first base side of the stadium in the fifth inning during a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 7-3. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 25: A view of the field from the first base side of the stadium in the fifth inning during a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 7-3. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

28. team. 6. . . . Curt Simmons

A more modern-day answer to “who is the greatest Phillie to wear 28” would be Jayson Werth. There’s certainly an argument despite him only playing four seasons, but hitting .95 home runs and winning a World Series nix the the lack of longevity.

However, it’s hard to bypass recognizing one of the great Phillies pitchers of the 1950’s who set franchise records along the way.

Philadelphia found Simmons by coincidence after arranging for the BIG LEAGUE TEAM to face high school All-Stars from the Lehigh Valley area in 1947. A student at Whitehall High School, Simmons struck out 11 Phillies batters, and was signed to a $65,000 signing bonus, equivalent to $761,878.60 today.

Simmons threw a complete game in his first start that season, and in his first 101 games, mixed between the rotation and bullpen, he had a 4.13 ERA. He won 17 of 25 games in the 1950 pennant season, but he was called to serve in the Korean War, missing the Whiz Kid’s postseason appearance and all of the 1951 campaign.

After returning from Korea, Simmons won 86 games over seven seasons with five double-digit win years. In 1952 he made his first All-Star game and finished the year 14-8 with a 2.82 ERA, and led baseball with six shutouts.

Simmons is now fifth on the Phillies all-time win list with 115, 10th in pitchers WAR, fifth in innings pitched, eighth in strikeouts, and sixth in both starts and shutouts.

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