That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Phillies ten worst individual season pitching performances

By Kerry Kauffman

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 10: Pitcher Nick Pivetta #43 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts in the dugout after getting pulled from the game in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on April 10, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 10: Pitcher Nick Pivetta #43 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts in the dugout after getting pulled from the game in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on April 10, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
PHILADELPHIA – JUNE 17: Brett Myers #39 of the Philadelphia Phillies wipes his eyes during MLB interleague game against the Detroit Tigers at the Citizens Bank Park on June 17, 2004 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Phillies defeated the Tigers 6-2. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA – JUNE 17: Brett Myers #39 of the Philadelphia Phillies wipes his eyes during MLB interleague game against the Detroit Tigers at the Citizens Bank Park on June 17, 2004 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Phillies defeated the Tigers 6-2. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

The Phillies have had some bad seasons in recent years, but how about some bad pitching seasons?

The Phillies recently made a trade with the Mets for Jason Vargas in attempts to bolster a floundering starting rotation.  As poor as the pitching has been, none of the starters make the list for single-season futility on the mound.

Looking back through the statistics over the past 40 years, here are the top ten worst individual season starting pitching performances for the Phillies.

*Note that all pitchers had to have thrown at least 100 innings in the season to qualify.

10:  Brett Myers (2004)

Brett Myers had some solid seasons during his eight-years with the Phillies, including a stint as closer in 2007 and part of the rotation for the 2008 World Series Champions.  Unfortunately, his 2004 campaign makes this list for futility at number ten.

On a positive, Myers recorded 11 wins. That’s about where the positives end. He also lost 11 with an ERA of 5.52. In 176 innings, Myers allowed 196 hits and 31 home runs with a relatively mediocre strikeout-to-walk ratio of 116-to-62.

Following his time in Philadelphia, Myers pitched for the Astros, White Sox, and Indians, last pitching in the Majors in 2013. He has a career record of 97-96 with 40 saves and an ERA of 4.25.

9: Mark Leiter (1997)

Leiter pitched for eight teams over a mediocre 11-year Major League career. Two of those seasons were spent in a Phillies uniform. He tied his career-best in wins in his first year with the team, however, Leiter led the league in losses and had an overall poor season.

Part of a very poor overall Phillies squad in 1997, Leiter made 31 starts and earned 10 wins.  On the flip side, he was on the losing end of 17 decisions with a high ERA of 5.67.  In 182 2/3 innings, Leiter allowed 115 earned runs, the most in the league.  Although he had a decent 148-to-64 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Leiter gave up 25 home runs and was ineffective in the majority of his starts.

In 1998, Leiter had a good season as the closer for the Phillies, saving 23 games with seven wins and an ERA of 3.55. Leiter made just two appearances with the Mariners in 1999 and didn’t pitch in the Major Leagues of Minor Leagues in 2000. Following 20 appearances with the Brewers in 2001, Leiter retired with a record of 65-73 with a 4.57 ERA.

Home/Phillies All-Time Lists