Who are the greatest starting pitchers in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history?
In the long and storied history of the Philadelphia Phillies, there have been many legendary players.
Since MLB is currently in lockout and teams can’t sign anyone new, we’re looking back at the most legendary players to ever wear a Phillies uniform, starting with the starting pitchers.
Ranking starting pitchers is perhaps the most difficult endeavor because it’s arguably the role in baseball that has changed the most over the years, as evidenced by the different stats that made each of these Phillies pitchers great. For example, in 2021, Zack Wheeler led MLB in complete games, by pitching three of them; the legendary Grover Cleveland Alexander threw 219 complete games over his eight seasons with the Phillies, with a grand total of 436 in his 20-year career.
That said, here are the five greatest Phillies starting pitchers of all time…
5. George McQuillan, Phillies 1907-10, 1915-16
Starting off on an obscure note, George McQuillan was 22 years old when he debuted with the Phillies in 1907. Over his first stint with the Phillies, he compiled a 1.69 ERA over 119 games, including 92 starts and 22 games closed. Among those appearances were 66 complete games, 17 shutouts, and five saves.
McQuillan returned to the Phillies in 1915, adding another 30 games to his Philadelphia resumé over his final season and a half with the club.
To this day, his 1.79 ERA and 146 ERA+ are the best in franchise history, as are his 1.020 WHIP and 6.927 H9. His 2.42 FIP is second, 0.107 HR/9 is fourth, and he’s tied for eighth in shutouts.