This post was originally published in February 2022.
At the height of his powers, Cliff Lee was one of the most dominant pitchers to ever wear a Phillies uniform.
Lee helped pitch the Phillies to a second consecutive World Series appearance in 2009. Two years later, he returned to Philadelphia on a five-year/$120 million deal after splitting the 2010 season with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. All Lee did in 2011, was put together arguably the greatest month in franchise history in June, en route to finishing third in National League Cy Young Award voting behind Clayton Kershaw and his teammate, Roy Halladay.
In total, Lee posted two top-10 finishes in NL Cy Young Award voting during parts of five seasons with the Phillies, while also making two All-Star Game appearances in red pinstripes. There would be some who would argue that Lee has a chance to one day be elected onto the Phillies’ Wall of Fame.
With that said, Lee “only” won 48 regular season games for Philadelphia, so he falls well short of cracking the list of the pitchers with the most wins in Phillies franchise history:
No. 1: Steve Carlton – 241 wins
Carlton led the National League in wins four times as a Phillie, including when he went 27-10 in his historically-dominant 1972 season. The four-time NL Cy Young Award winner is considered to be the greatest pitcher in Phillies history.
No. 2: Robin Roberts – 234 wins
Roberts spent the first 14 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Phillies, making seven consecutive All-Star teams between 1950 and 1956. Roberts won 28 games in 1952, kicking off a stretch of four straight seasons where he led the National League in wins.
No. 3: Grover Cleveland Alexander – 190 wins
One of the greatest right-handed pitchers in MLB history, Alexander spent the first right seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Phillies. “Old Pete” led the National League in wins five times (1911, 1914, 1915, 1916 & 1917) as a Phillie. Alexander’s 373 career wins are third in MLB history.
No. 4: Chris Short – 132 wins
Short pitched for the Phillies for the first 14 seasons of a 15-year career. A two-time All-Star, Short won 17 or more games in four separate seasons, including going 20-10 in 1966.
No. 5: Curt Simmons – 115 wins
Simmons — a native of Egypt, Pennsylvania and graduate of Whitehall High School — spent his first 13 seasons with the Phillies. Simmons won a career-high 17 games in 1950, before missing the 1951 season as he served in the United States Military.
No. 6: Cole Hamels – 114 wins
Hamels was a three-time All-Star during his nine-and-a-half seasons with the Phillies. He won the 2008 NLCS and World Series MVPs, which recently helped him to appear in my countdown of the nine greatest Phillies ever. Hamels finished sixth or better in NL Cy Young voting on three occasions as a Phillie. Fittingly, Hamels tossed a no-hitter in his final start with the Phillies in July of 2015.
No. 7: Aaron Nola – 104 wins
One of the best homegrown pitchers in team history, Nola will continue climbing this list until the end of his lengthy contract. He racked up a career-high 17 wins in 2018 and at least 10 wins in each of the last three seasons from 2022 to 2024.
No. 8: Curt Schilling – 101 wins
After early-career stints with the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros, Schilling became a star during the eight-and-a-half seasons he spent with the Phillies. The absolute peak of his career may have come during his three-and-a-half seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the 101 games Schilling won as a Phillie are by far the largest chunk of his 216 career wins.
No. 9: Al Orth – 100 wins
Orth broke into the league in 1895, and spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Phillies. “Smiling Al” won 100 games between 1895 and 1901, seventh among all pitchers in baseball over the period.
No. 10: Charlie Ferguson – 99 wins
Ferguson is actually one of the greatest pitchers in Phillies history. In just four years with the team, Ferguson won 99 games, averaging just 24.75 wins between 1884 and 1887. Unfortunately, Ferguson passed away when he was just 25 years old from typhoid fever, a tragic ending to such a promising life.
