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Phillies history: Franchise’s top five rotations since the 1970s

By Kerry Kauffman

Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA – OCTOBER 11: Curt Schilling #38 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during Game five of the 1993 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on October 11, 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Phillies defeated the Braves 4-3 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jim Gund/Getty Images) /

The Phillies have had issues with the starting rotation this season, but that hasn’t always been the case. Here are the top five Phillies rotations.

The Phillies have struggled to find consistency in the starting rotation beyond Aaron Nola, contributing significantly to their inability to make a serious playoff run so far this season.

Starting pitching hasn’t always been an issue for the franchise. We take a look back at the top five starting rotations.

Note that this list goes back to the late 1970s and is based solely on performance, not on expectations.

No. 5: 1993 (Curt Schilling, Danny Jackson, Tommy Greene, Terry Mulholland, Ben Rivera)

Predicted to finish last by many major baseball publications following a dismal 1992 season, the Phillies stunned the baseball world by winning the NL Championship and taking the Blue Jays to six games before falling in the World Series.

The offense was a significant part of the success, but the starting pitching was consistent and deserved recognition. The starters threw a league-high 24 complete games, and the pitching staff as a whole led the league in strikeouts.

A big part of that was Curt Schilling. Despite a relatively mediocre ERA of 4.02, Schilling led the staff in games started, complete games, innings, strikeouts and tied for the club lead with 16 wins. A ten-year veteran when arriving in Philadelphia in 1993, Danny Jackson was second in the rotation. The lefty won 12, logged 210 1/3 innings, and posted a solid 3.77 ERA.

Tommy Greene won 16 against just four losses. Although third in the rotation, he arguably had the best season of the starters. Greene posted an ERA of 3.42, threw 200 innings and was second in strikeouts with 167. The top three in the rotation were remarkably consistent, each completing seven games and shutting out two.

Terry Mulholland was steady with 12 wins and a 3.25 ERA in the number four spot, earning his only All-Star selection. Ben Rivera had a high ERA of 5.02 but added 13 wins as the number five starter.

As a unit, the starting five posted a 69-40 record with 23 complete games and eight shutouts.

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