J.A. Happ, 2009 Phillies Rotation Enter History Books

J.A. Happ helped himself and fellow 2009 Phillies lefty starters to this feat.

Other than Cole Hamels who has yet to officially retire, only one active player remains from the 2008 and 2009 Philadelphia Phillies rosters — left-handed starting pitcher J.A. Happ.

Now 38, Happ last pitched in a Phillies uniform in 2010, before he was traded to the Houston Astros with two other prospects for right-hander Roy Oswalt.

Happ went 14-5 with a 3.11 ERA in red pinstripes. Since, he has collected 113 wins across more than 290 games. His most recent start on Sunday effectively provided both him and the rest of his fellow 2009 National League champion southpaw starting pitchers with an impressive feat.

The Minnesota Twins pitcher’s victory against the Cleveland Indians secured him his 127th all-time win. According to Twitter user @drewdavis71, he is now among the top-100 all-time winningest left-handers.

Three other 2009 Phillies starting pitchers are on the same list — Jamie Moyer (163 wins), Cole Hamels (163), and Cliff Lee (143). For the 2009 Phillies staff to have four top-100 all-time left-handers is remarkable, and one of the many reasons why the team was nearly able to repeat as World Series champions.

2009 Phillies Starting Pitcher Statistics*

• Cliff Lee: 7-4, 3.39 ERA, 12 starts, 74 strikeouts, 10 walks
• J.A. Happ: 12-4, 2.93 ERA, 35 appearances (23 starts), 119 strikeouts, 56 walks
• Jamie Moyer: 12-10, 4.94 ERA, 30 appearances (25 starts), 94 strikeouts, 43 walks
• Joe Blanton: 12-8, 4.05 ERA, 31 starts, 163 strikeouts, 59 walks
• Cole Hamels: 10-11, 4.32 ERA, 32 starts, 168 strikeouts, 43 walks

(*Brett Myers, Pedro Martinez, Chan Ho Park, Rodrigo Lopez, Antonio Bastardo, Kyle Kendrick, and Drew Carpenter also appeared as starting pitchers)

What is also notable about Happ’s Sunday performance is that exactly 12 years prior, on June 27, 2009, he tossed his first of three career shutouts.

Happ is signed through the 2021 season on a $8 million pact with the Twins. This year, he is 4-3 with a 5.83 ERA across 14 starts. His best career season to date was back in 2016 with the Toronto Blue Jays, going 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA spanning 32 starts. He finished sixth in the Cy Young Award race.