Phillies Best Individual Seasons By Uniform Number (41 – 50)
The Phillies have had great pitchers wearing #41-50 in their history
As we begin part four of this series, there have been some surprise players with just a single season in Philadelphia, Hall-of-Famers, the highly obscure and fan favorites. The oldest of them all, a World Series hero, and a reliever turned broadcaster headline numbers 41-50 for Phillies best individual seasons by uniform number.
41 – Jim Lonborg (1974)
Jim Lonborg was an eight-year veteran with an All-Star appearance and Cy Young Award to his resume when the Phillies acquired him via trade from the Brewers on October 31, 1972. He won 13 games but dropped 16 with a 4.88 ERA in 1973, making the Phillies wonder if Lonborg’s best years were behind him.
The following season was Lonborg’s best overall season with the Phillies, proving he had plenty left in the tank. He set career highs in complete games (16), innings pitched (283), and shutouts (3), while winning 17 and posting an ERA of 3.21.
After an 8-6 mark in 1975, Lonborg again had a stellar season in 1976, going 18-10 with eight complete games, 222 innings and a 3.08 ERA. He was still quite productive in 1977, winning 11 games before tailing off to an 8-10 record with a 5.23 ERA in just 22 games in 1978.
Lonborg was released by the Phillies on June 16, 1979, after posting an ERA of 11.45 in four games. He won 75 of his 157 Major League games in a Phillies uniform and retired with a 3.86 ERA and 1475 strikeouts.
42 – Ron Reed (1976)
A tremendous two-sport athlete, Ron Reed played two seasons in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons from 1965-1967, averaging eight points and 6.4 rebounds per game. On the mound, he pitched for the Atlanta Braves, primarily as a starter through 1975, winning 10 or more games five times.
After playing the second half of 1975 with the Cardinals after a trade from the Braves, the Phillies acquired Reed in a trade for Mike Anderson on December 9, 1975. The Phillies clearly got the better end of the trade starting immediately in 1976.
Reed moved primarily to the bullpen, making only four starts in 59 appearances. He won eight and saved 14, logging 128 innings with a slim 2.46 ERA. Reed allowed a mere 88 hits, eight home runs, with 32 walks and 96 strikeouts.
A mainstay in the Phillies bullpen for the next several years, Reed had four straight 100-plus inning seasons, winning 13 games in 1979. In nine seasons with the Phillies through 1983, Reed won 57 and saved 90 with an ERA of 3.06. He finished his career with the White Sox in 1984, saving 12 with an ERA of 3.08 in 51 games.
43 – J.A. Happ (2009)
J.A. Happ was drafted by the Phillies in the third round of the 2004 MLB Draft out of Northwestern University. He made his Major League debut on June 30, 2007, allowing five earned runs on seven hits in four innings. It would be the only appearance with the Phillies all season.
The following season, Happ appeared in eight games, starting four for the World Series champions. Although a small sample size, Happ showed promise, going 1-0 with a 3.69 ERA, striking out 26 in 31 2/3 innings.
Happ made his mark in 2009 as a rookie for the National League champions. Appearing in 35 games with 23 starts, Happ posted a record of 12-4 with two shutouts and an ERA of 2.93 in 166 innings. His efforts were good enough for second place votes for NL Rookie of the Year.
On July 29, 2010, Happ was traded to the Astros along with Anthony Gose and Johnathan Villar for Roy Oswalt. After two seasons with the Astros, Happ was on the move again, this time to Toronto, where he was a 20-game winner in 2016.
Happ made his first All-Star appearance in 2018 and is currently pitching for the Yankees. He entered the 2020 season with 121 wins and 1497 strikeouts.
44 – Vicente Padilla (2002)
The Phillies acquired Vicente Padilla on July 26, 2000, along with Omar Daal, Nelson Figueroa, and Travis Lee in exchange for Curt Schilling. Padilla went an unimpressive 2-6 with a 5.35 ERA in 28 games out of the bullpen the remainder of the season.
Spending a good part of the 2001 season in the minor leagues, Padilla made 23 appearances in relief for the Phillies with significantly better results. He posted an ERA of 4.24, allowing just a single home run with 29 strikeouts in 34 innings.
Padilla made a quick ascent as a 24-year old in 2002. Entrenched in the starting rotation, Padilla made his first and only All-Star appearance. For the season, Padilla won 14 games in 32 starts with one shutout and an ERA of 3.28. In 206 innings, he allowed 198 hits and 53 walks, while striking out 128.
After another 14-win season in 2003, Padilla went just 16-19 in 47 starts in 2004 and 2005 combined. He was traded to the Rangers during the 2005 offseason. Padilla won 15 games in 2006 and 14 games in 2008, but had little other success the rest of his career with the Rangers, Dodgers and Red Sox. He retired in 2012 with a record of 108-91
45 – Tug McGraw (1980)
Tug McGraw appeared in 37 games with the Mets as a rookie, posting an ERA of 3.32 in 97 1/3 innings. After a 4-19 start over the first three seasons, McGraw spent the 1968 season in Triple-A.
McGraw went 9-3 with 12 saves in 42 appearances with an ERA of 2.24 for the 1969 Mets World Series title team. McGraw was one of the best relievers in baseball in 1971 and 1972, posting identical 1.70 ERA, logging 217 innings with only 144 hits allowed.
The Phillies acquired McGraw along with Don Hahn, and Dave Schneck for Del Unser, John Stearns, and Mac Scarce. McGraw immediately paid dividends in 1975, earning an All-Star berth and went 9-6 with 14 saves and a 2.98 ERA.
McGraw was a mainstay in the Phillies bullpen, posting solid numbers through most of the late 1970s. His best season out of the bullpen was in 1980, finishing fifth in the NL Cy Young voting after saving 20 with a thin 1.46 ERA in 92 1/3 innings. He was even more impressive in the World Series, striking out 10 in 7 2/3 innings with an ERA of 1.17.
He will forever be remembered in Philadelphia for striking out Willie Wilson to end the 1980 World Series.
46 – Kevin Gross (1985)
Kevin Gross was drafted by the Phillies 11th overall in 1981 and made his Major League debut on June 25, 1983, earning a win against the Mets. He displayed poise and promise during 17 games that season, posting a 4-6 record with a 3.56 ERA in 96 innings.
He appeared in 44 games in 1984, earning a record of 8-5 with a 4.12 ERA with one complete game and one save. Gross came into his own in 1985 and put together the best overall season of his career. In 38 games, 31 as a starter, he posted a 15-13 record with a 3.41 ERA. Gross logged 205 2/3 innings and struck out 151.
Gross went 33-42 over three more seasons with the Phillies, including an All-Star appearance in 1988. He was traded on December 6, 1988, to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Floyd Youmans and Jeff Parrett.
After two seasons with the Expos, Gross was off to Los Angeles, pitching four seasons with the Dodgers, winning 13 in 1993. Gross closed out a 15-year career with two seasons with the Rangers and one with the Angels, retiring with 142 wins and a 4.11 ERA.
47 – Larry Andersen (1993)
Larry Andersen started his Major League career in 1975 with the Cleveland Indians, appearing in three games as a 22-year old. He spent most of the next four seasons in the minor leagues, making only 19 appearances with the Indians.
After two seasons in Seattle, Andersen began his first tour of duty with the Phillies at the end of July of 1983. He appeared in 17 games the rest of the way with a 2.39 ERA. In 148 games through May 1986, Andersen had a solid ERA of 3.15.
From the middle of 1986 through 1992, Andersen pitched for the Red Sox, Astros and Padres, twice posting season ERA under two. In his first year back for the 1993 NL Championship team, Andersen baffled hitters as a 40-year old. In 64 games, he pitched to a 2.92 ERA, striking out 67 in 61 1/3 innings pitched.
Andersen played one more season, appearing in 29 games in 1994. He retired with a 3.15 ERA and 49 saves in 699 career games.
There was one more season left in Andersen’s arm, appearing in 29 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season. He retired with 40 wins, 49 saves, and an ERA of 3.15 ERA in 699 games.
48 – Shane Rawley (1985)
Shane Rawley was a seven-year Major League veteran when the Phillies acquired him from the Yankees in exchange for Marty Bystrom and Keith Hughes on June 30, 1984. He contributed right away, posting a record of 10-6 in 18 starts the rest of the season with an ERA of 3.81.
In 1985, Rawley was a top of the line starter particularly with Steve Carlton showing age and battling injury problems. Rawley won 13 against 8 losses with an ERA of 3.18, completing six games in 36 starts with 198 2/3 innings. After a strong start in 1986, Rawley made his first and only All-Star team. He finished the season with a record of 11-7 with an ERA of 3.54 over 23 starts.
Rawley set a career-high in wins with 17 in 1987, logged 229 2/3 innings, but had a pedestrian ERA of 4.39. A sharp decline in production saw Rawley win only 8 of 24 decisions in 1988, despite throwing nearly 200 innings.
In five seasons with the Phillies, Rawley went 59-48 with 24 complete games and an ERA of 3.88.
49 – Tommy Greene (1993), Jose Mesa (2001)
After nine games with the Braves in 1989 and part of 1990, Tommy Greene was traded to the Phillies on August 9, 1990. Greene appeared in 10 games for the rest of the season, going 2-3 with a 4.15 ERA. He made headlines in 1991 after hurling no-hitter against the Expos on May 23, 1991, striking out 10. Greene finished the year 13-7 with an ERA of 3.38.
Injuries plagued Greene in 1992, limiting him to 13 games and a 5.32 ERA. He bounced back in 1993 to have the best season of his career for the NL Championship team. Greene posted a 16-4 record with 167 strikeouts and a 3.42 ERA in 200 innings. Unfortunately, more injuries prematurely ended Greene’s career at the age of 30 with a record of 38-25.
Jose Mesa had a few seasons as a dominant closer for the Indians from 1995 through 1997. In his first season with the Phillies in 2001, Mesa regained that form, saving 42 in 71 appearances with an ERA of 2.34. He actually saved more in 2002, raising his total to 45, in 74 games with an ERA a shade under 3 at 2.97.
Clearly struggling in 2003 which ended up with a 6.52 ERA despite 24 saves, Mesa was out of Philadelphia. He went on to save 70 over the next two seasons with the Pirates, then pitched a season in Colorado and part of a season in Detroit before returning to the Phillies. Mesa went 1-2 with a 5.54 ERA in 40 games with the Phillies before retiring.
50 – Jamie Moyer (2008)
Jamie Moyer started his career as a 23-year old with the Cubs in 1986., but struggled to a 32-54 record over his first five Major League seasons with the Cubs, Rangers, and Cardinals. Moyer appeared to be finished at the age of 29 after being released by the Tigers. That was, until the Orioles stepped into the picture in 1993.
Philadelphia Phillies
Having new life in Baltimore, Moyer was a 12-game winner with an ERA of 3.43. After a short stint in Boston, Moyer enjoyed the best years of his career with the Mariners, winning 20 games twice and an All-Star in 2003 at 40 years of age.
The Phillies acquired Moyer for Andy Baldwin and Andrew Barb on August 19, 2006. He won five the rest of the season but despite 14 wins in 2007, showed his age and got hit around to a 5.01 ERA.
Again, Moyer bounced back and had a stellar season in 2008 at the age of 45, playing a key part in the Phillies winning the World Series. He won 16 games with a solid ERA of 3.71, pitching 196 1/3 innings.
Moyer won 22 games with the Phillies over the next two seasons before injury appeared to end his career in 2011. Not to be denied, Moyer had one last hurrah with the Rockies in 2012, earning a victory at the age of 49, becoming the oldest to do so. Moyer retired with 269 wins and 2441 strikeouts.