With the MLB postseason lurking, and less than two months away (they’re scheduled to start on October 4th), I’ve decided to revisit a team that, despite a mix of aging players and inexperienced players, just made it to the World Series the year prior, but was less than average the next year.

Pitching

After closer Mitch Williams gave up the infamous game-winning home run to Toronto’s Joe Carter in the ’93 World Series, it was the end of the Mitch Williams’ experiment. They acquired him a few seasons prior, and yet during his tenure here, he had 22 blown saves in 124 opportunities. In addition to that, including the blown save in game six of the ’93 World Series, he also blew four saves during postseason games. Finally, after the meltdown vs. Carter, the following off-season, the Phillies made the right choice and cut him loose. In his next season, in 25 games with Houston, he had a 7.65 ERA, and allowed 10.8 walks per nine. Including the ’94 season, the last three seasons of his career, he had a whopping 7.96 ERA in 52 games. The trade, which led to acquiring future closer Doug Jones, clearly was the right move. That season, Jones had 27 saves and a 2.17 ERA.

As far as the starting pitching was concerned, after winning the National League NLCS MVP award the prior year, ace Curt Schilling had an injury-plagued season. Due to a nagging elbow injury a couple months into the season, Schilling was sidelined for a short while, and — probably due to said injury — had a horrible year. In 13 starts, he went 2-8, with a 4.48 ERA and 9.5 hits allowed per nine. Had he been completely healthy, he would’ve been a major contributor towards the rotation. In his second year with the team, starter Danny Jackson had a solid season, going 14-6, making the NL All-Star team, and he finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting.

The rest of the rotation was well below average, averaging a combined 4.10 ERA. A year prior, minus Schilling and Jackson, the rotation was more consistent and stable. Not only did they lose Schilling for a good amount of starts, but number three pitcher Tommy Greene suffered a shoulder injury a month and a half in. In 1993, Greene was vital to the team’s success, winning 16 games and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. That February, fairly successful starter Terry Mulholland was traded to the Yankees, in return for young shortstop Desi Relaford. The trade was a train wreck for both sides, as Mulholland had a 6.49 ERA, while Relaford’s career was well below average.

(more…)

Tags: 1994, Baseball, Curt Schilling, John Kruk, Kyle Lutz, Lenny Dykstra, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Talk Sports Philly, TalkSportsPhilly