Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup of the all-time greats

Last but not least, the Philadelphia Phillies send to the plate SP Steve Carlton.

There are a couple of places you could go with your all-time great Phillies pitcher. Robin Roberts is certainly deserving. What about Pete Alexander? Let’s also not forget Matt Beech. Or maybe let’s.

Ron Bennington of the old radio program Ron & Fez, who grew up a Phillies fan, put it best: when a guy’s nickname is Lefty, and you know exactly who people are talking about when they say it, he’s the best there ever was.

Carlton won four Cy Youngs, made seven All-Star appearances, and even took home a Gold Glove. These accomplishments don’t even include what he did with other teams. Before joining the Phillies in 1972, he was already one of the best pitchers but with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lefty would go on to finish his Phillies career with a 241-161 record, 3.09 ERA, and 3,031 strikeouts. Carlton was one of the greatest ever at sending batters back to the dugout in shame. He is fourth all-time with 4,136 strikeouts. If we just include his Phillies numbers, he’d still be in the top 20.

As wonderful of a case as I’m sure you could make for some other classic Phillies pitchers, there’s no debate in my mind. Carlton is the guy I want on the mound.

With Rollins and Schmidt protecting the left side of the infield, I think we can survive without Tim McCarver behind the plate.