OK, Phillies fans, it's time to get to know Clay Buchholz
On Tuesday, the Phillies acquired pitcher Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox. At 32 years old, Buchholz will be the veteran in a rotation that includes 30-year-old Jeremy Hellickson and a selection from a plethora of pitchers age 26 and younger: Jerad Eickhoff, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin and more.
Pitching depth is always a good thing, but Buchholz, a two-time All-Star, brings more than just "depth" to the Phillies. Let's take a look at what Phillies fans need to know about their newest pitcher.
He has a baseball for a face
Fine, that's not actually his face. But he does have an impressively intimidating pitch face:
He threw a no-hitter in his second Major League start
On Sept. 1, 2007, a 23-year-old Buchholz became just the third pitcher in history to throw a no-hitter in one of his first two Major League starts, joining the White Sox's Wilson Alvarez (1991, 2nd MLB start) and the St. Louis Browns' Bobo Holloman (1953, MLB debut).
He might need a new uniform number?
Although #11 isn't retired in Philadelphia, it hasn't been worn by any player since franchise hit leader and Philly legend Jimmy Rollins was traded after the 2014 season. It's not often that the Phillies retire uniform numbers -- the only team-specific retired numbers belong to Hall of Famers Richie Ashburn (#1), Jim Bunning (#14), Mike Schmidt (#20), Steve Carlton (#32) and Robin Roberts (#36) -- but Rollins could be under consideration for a uniform retirement someday. Buchholz has been wearing #11 since the 2010 season, but it may be time for him to consider a change.
Buchholz earrings are a thing that exist
I don't really have an explanation here, but Red Sox superfan Lynne Smith showed up to a 2013 postseason game dressed in her Red Sox finest ... all the way down to her Buchholz earrings:
Buchholz is a World Series champ
With the departure of Ryan Howard, the Phillies are about to embark on their first post-2008 season without a member of the '08 World Championship squad. A starting pitcher for the 2013 World Series champion Red Sox, Buchholz is now in position to fill the clubhouse void as the only player on the 40-man roster with a World Series ring.