Phillies best individual seasons by uniform number (31

5 of 6

PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 09: Former Philadelphia Phillies great Garry Maddox is introduced during a ceremony to honor former manager Charlie Manuel who was inducted to the Phillies Wall of Fame 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) /

The list of great Phillies wearing 31-40 is dominated by great pitching

Halfway through the top Phillies individual seasons by uniform number, we’ve seen several Hall of Famers and a couple of players who were in Philadelphia for a single season.

In the fourth part of the series, we will see three more Hall of Famers and another “too close to call”, resulting in a tie.

Here’s a look at numbers 31 through 40.

31 – Garry Maddox (1977)

Maddox was best known for his defensive play in centerfield, earning eight Gold Gloves and the nickname “Secretary of Defense.” Hall of Famer and former broadcaster Ralph Kiner was said that “two-thirds of the world is covered by water, the other one third is covered by Garry Maddox”.

Coming over to the Phillies from the Giants in 1975, Maddox had some solid seasons at the plate, including a .330 average with 37 doubles, 68 RBI, and 29 stolen bases in 1976. That was good enough for fifth in the NL MVP voting. Despite the highest average and doubles total of his career, the 1977 season was the best overall season in his league.

During the season Maddox set a career-high in home runs (14) and runs scored (85). His 74 RBI was his highest in a Phillies uniform, as were his 10 triples. In addition, he hit .292 with 22 stolen bases and won his third Gold Glove Award.

Maddox was in the best offensive stretch of his career. From 1978 through 1980 Maddox averaged 12 home runs, 67 RBI, 30 doubles, and 28 stolen bases per year. He caught the final out of the 1980 NLCS against the Astros and was a key part of the Phillies first World Series title.

COOPERSTOWN, NEW YORK – JULY 21: Hall of Famer Steve Carlton is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center on July 21, 2019 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Steve Carlton and Cliff Lee are arguably two of the top five lefties in Phillies history

32 – Steve Carlton (1972)

The Phillies traded Rick Wise to the Cardinals for Carlton prior to the 1972 season, and the decision was not popular at the time among Phlllies faithful. Wise was coming off a no-hitter in 1971 and was the ace of the staff, having averaged 15 wins over the previous three seasons.

Carlton has plenty of credentials, however, as a three-time All-Star and coming off a 20-victory season. He pitched as if he had something to prove to the entire city of Philadelphia, putting together a season, and career, for the ages.

The big left-hander started quickly, winning his first three starts with two shutouts, striking out 24 while allowing only 11 base runners in 26 innings. After getting off to a 5-1 start, Carlton struggled mightily, losing his next five starts with an ERA of nearly 6.

Carlton got back on track in the biggest way, going on one of the best stretches by any pitcher in the modern era. Over the next three months, he went 15-0 with 14 complete games, five shutouts and an ERA of 1.67.

From late August until the end of the season, Carlton didn’t slow down, completing his last eight starts. All told, he finished 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA, 310 strikeouts, 30 complete games, eight shutouts, and 346 1/3 innings, all for a team that won just 59 games.

33 – Cliff Lee (2011)

Lee’s best season of his Major League career was undoubtedly the 2008 season with the Indians in which he went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA, winning the AL Cy Young Award. Lee came over to the Phillies for this first time along with Ben Francisco on July 29, 2009, in exchange for Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, and Jason Donald.

After going 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts with the Phillies, Lee was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, and J.C. Ramirez after the season. After a 12-win season combined with the Mariners and Rangers in 2010, Lee was granted free agency and returned to the Phillies.

Lee made the most of the beginning of the second tour of duty in Philadelphia in 2011, earning his third of four All-Star appearances. He finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting posting a record of17-8 with a league-high six shutouts and an ERA of 2.40. He struck out 238 and walked only 42 in 232 2/3 innings.

Lee pitched two more full seasons with the Phillies before an elbow injury limited him to 13 games in 2014. After being placed on the 60-day DL the following March, Lee’s attempted comeback failed, forcing him to retire with 143 wins and 1,824 strikeouts.

PHOENIX, AZ – JULY 12: National League All-Star Cole Hamels #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies and National League All-Star Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies talk during batting practice before the start of the 82nd MLB All-Star Game at Chase Field on July 12, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Two of the greatest starters in modern Phillies history

34 – Roy Halladay (2010)

Halladay had established himself as one of the top starting pitchers in the Major Leagues with six All-Star appearances and a Cy Young Award by the time the Phillies traded for him on December 16, 2009. His first season with the Phillies proved to be one for the record books.

In his first four starts in a Phillies uniform, Halladay won all four with two complete games, a shutout, and a slim ERA of 0.82. After his first loss of the season, Halladay bounced back with a three-hit shutout over the Mets on May 1.

Although he would win only three of his next eight starts, one was a perfect gem against the Marlins on May 29. Halladay retired all 27 Marlins he faced, doing so in 115 pitches with 11 strikeouts. The perfect game was the 18th in the World Series era (since 1903).

From July 18 until the end of the regular season, Halladay posted an 11-2 mark, finishing the season with a 21-10 record, nine complete games, four shutouts, 250 2/3 innings and 219 strikeouts. To top it off, he hurled a no-hitter in the postseason against the Reds.

Halladay nearly won back-to-back Cy Young Awards, finishing second in 2011 after going 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA. He struggled over the final two seasons with the Phillies and retired in 2013 with 203 wins and 2117 strikeouts.

35 – Cole Hamels (2008)

Hamels had three All-Star appearances in nearly ten seasons with the Phillies. Although he had seasons with higher win totals, lower ERA and more strikeouts than 2008, his overall contributions in the regular and postseason make that the best season in a Phillies uniform.

In just his third season, the 24-year old Hamels logged 227 1/3 innings, won 14 games, recorded two shutouts, struck out 196, and had an ERA of 3.09 Clearly very good numbers, although not spectacular, Hamels raised his game to the next level in the playoffs.

He struck out nine in eight shutout innings in the NLDS against the Brewers. Against the Dodgers in the NLCS, Hamels won both starts with a 1.93 ERA, striking out 13 in 14 innings. In the World Series, Hamels went 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA. All told, Hamels allowed just seven earned runs over 35 postseason innings, winning MVP honors in both the NLCS and World Series.

Hamels pitched with the Phillies through the majority of the 2015 season before being traded to the Rangers. He has since pitched for the Cubs and is now with the Atlanta Braves. Hamels entered 2020 with 163 and 2,558 strikeouts.

Robin Roberts, Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Photo File/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Robin Roberts continues the trend of great Phillies pitchers

36 – Robin Roberts (1953)

Roberts pitched for the Phillies from 1948 through 1961 and made seven consecutive All-Star games from 1950 through 1956. His best run was from 1952 through 1955 and arguably any one of those seasons could have made this list.

In 1952 Roberts led the league in wins (28), games started (37), complete games (30), and innings (330). The following season was his best, posting career highs in games started (41), complete games (33), innings (346 2/3) and strikeouts (198). Roberts also led the league in wins with 23.

Roberts once again paced the NL in wins, games started, complete games, and innings pitched in both 1954 and 1955. Although still a workhorse logging at least 250 innings each of the next four seasons, Roberts’ effectiveness was declining, leading the league in losses twice with mediocre ERAs.

His last season in Philadelphia was a disaster, going 1-10 with a 5.85 ERA in 1962. Roberts went on to pitch 3 1/2 seasons with the Orioles, 23 games with the Astros and 11 with the Cubs, retiring in 1966.

Roberts won 234 games with the Phillies and 286 total. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1976.

37 – Rheal Cormier (2003)

One of the most obscure names on the list for the average baseball fan, Cormier pitched for the Expos, Cardinals, and Red Sox over nine seasons before the Phillies signed him as a free agent during the 2000 offseason. Extremely mediocre in a left-handed specialist role in 2001 and 2002, Cormier found something that clicked during 2003.

Entering 2003, Cormier never had an ERA below 3.00, in fact his previous career-low was 3.68. The season started off poorly for Cormier, allowing five runs in two innings in his first appearance. He then went on a streak of 16 straight appearances without allowing an earned run and 47 out of his next 50 games. All told, Cormier compiled an 8-0 record with a 1.70 ERA in 65 games, giving up only 54 hits and four long balls in 84 2/3 innings.

Nearly impossible to duplicate the success in 2003, Cormier was still solid in 2004, posting a 3.54 ERA in 81 innings. He was ineffective in 2005, barely posting an ERA under six. After a good first half in 2006, Cormier was dealt to the Reds. He would appear in only 27 games with the Reds through part of 2007 and retired with an ERA of 4.03 with 71 wins in 683 appearances.

26 Apr 1998: Curt Schilling #38 of the Philadelphia Phillies in action during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Cardinals 9-3. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /

Former Phillies starter Curt Schilling is pushing for a HOF nod in 2021

38 – Curt Schilling (1997)

Schilling arrived in Philadelphia as a 25-year old in 1992 after spending the first few years in the Majors Leagues in relief for the Orioles and Astros. He quickly became one of the top starters on the staff, winning 14 in 1992 and 16 for the NL Champions in 1993.

Schilling struggled in 1994 before the strike, finishing with a 2-8 record and 4.48 ERA. After going a combined 16-15 in 43 starts over the next two seasons, Schilling put together the two best seasons of his Phillies’ career.

In 1997, Schilling led the league in starts with 35 and in strikeouts with 319, while walking only 58 in 254 1/3 innings. In addition he won 17 games and completed seven with two shutouts. His efforts earned him an All-Star appearance and fourth-place votes for NL Cy Young Award.

After another 300-strikeout season and All-Star berth in 1998, Schilling went on to his third-consecutive All-Star appearance in 1999 before the Phillies traded him to the Diamondbacks in 2000.

Schilling went on to pitch three seasons in Arizona and four seasons with the Red Sox, surpassing the 20-win total three times in the process. He retired in 2007 at the age of 40 with 215 wins and 3,116 strikeouts.

39 – Mike Krukow (1982)

Krukow was a five-year Major League veteran when the Phillies traded Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles and Dan Larson for him on December 8, 1981. Krukow had previously spent his entire career with the Cubs, posting a record of 45-50 with a 4.17 ERA in 150 games.

Although he spent only one season in Philadelphia, Krukow’s efforts were solid and good enough to land him on this list. Krukow logged 208 innings, the highest single-season total of his career. In addition, he won 13 games, allowed only eight home runs and posted an ERA of 3.12. Krukow provided a steady number two many behind Steve Carlton.

As quickly as Krukow came, that’s how fast he was gone. The Phillies traded him on December 14, 1982 to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Joe Morgan and Al Holland, who would be key contributors to the 1983 NL Champions.

Krukow spent seven seasons with the Giants, including a 20-win, All-Star season in 1986. He retired in 1989 with 124 wins.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – CIRCA 1988: Steve Bedrosian #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during a Major League Baseball game circa 1988 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bedrosian played for the Phillies from 1986-89. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Not many people remember that the Phillies had a reliever win the Cy Young

40 – John Denny (1983), Steve Bedrosian (1987)

Denny was a key part of the 1983 NL Championship team, putting together the best season of his career at the age of 30. A youngster compared to many on the “Wheeze Kids”, Denny was a workhorse, logging 242 2/3 innings in 36 starts, completing seven games. His 19 wins led the National League. Denny allowed only nine home runs and posted a nifty 2.37 ERA. All told, his efforts for the season earned him a Cy Young Award.