The Phillies' Postseason Stars

It can be easy to take this talented group of Phillies for granted, even with one World Series title and another possibly on the way. That's because they're the deepest team in Phillies history; when several players are off, several others step up.

How else to explain the fact that six--six!--Phillies are having postseasons that so far rank among the best in team history. (On a previous blog entry, I looked at the best single-series NLCS postseasons in team history.)

For argument's sake, I'm considering only those players in team history who played at least two postseason series in one year, meaning players from 1915, 1950, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, and 2007 are disqualified. Jay Johnstone went 7-for-9 in 1976, but it's not fair to say he had the best-hitting postseason in team history. That means players from 1980, 1983, 1993, 2008, and 2009 merit consideration.

This year's top performers include NLCS MVP Ryan Howard--on pace for the best postseason in Phillies history--two-game winner Cliff Lee, earned-run-free Brad Lidge, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth. Surprisingly, neither Jimmy Rollins nor Chase Utley has enjoyed a noteworthy postseason either in 2008 or 2009.

Including those six, whose final numbers depend on the 2009 World Series, here are the top postseasons in Phillies history, including the 10 best by everyday players and the seven best by pitchers.


Player Year G H BA R HR RBI OBP Slg % OPS

• Ryan Howard 2009 9 11 .354 8 2 14 .461 .741 1.202
• Lenny Dykstra 1993 12 15 .312 14 6 10 .450 .729 1.179
• Shane Victorino 2009 9 13 .361 8 3 7 .439 .722 1.161
• Gary Matthews 1983 9 10 .333 5 4 9 .411 .733 1.144
• Jayson Werth 2009 9 9 .281 10 5 10 .394 .812 1.206
• John Kruk 1993 12 14 .298 8 1 9 .431 .468 .899
• Carlos Ruiz 2009 9 9 .345 4 1 7 .500 .500 1.000
• Pete Rose 1980 11 14 .325 5 0 3 .431 .348 .779
• Pete Rose 1983 9 11 .343 4 0 1 .388 .375 .763
• Larry Bowa 1980 11 15 .348 5 0 2 .391 .372 .763

Pitcher Year Rec. IP H ER BB K ERA Saves

• Cliff Lee 2009 2-0 24.1 14 2 3 20 0.74
• Cole Hamels 2008 4-0 35 23 7 9 30 1.80
• Brad Lidge 2008 0-0 9.1 6 1 3 13 0.97 7
• Brad Lidge 2009 1-0 4.0 6 0 3 4 0.00 3
• Steve Carlton 1983 2-1 20.1 18 3 8 20 1.50
• Curt Schilling 1993 1-1 31.1 24 9 7 28 2.61
• Steve Carlton 1980 3-0 27.1 25 7 17 23 2.32