When you look up pitching records in the Phillies media guide, one of the numerous categories is most consecutive batters retired. The number is 27. Four Phillies pitchers are listed. First to come to mind are Jim Bunning and Roy Halladay. Steve Carlton? Nope.
Well, the first to retire 27 in a row were a pair of close friends, left-handed pitcher Curt Simmons and right-hander Robin Roberts. But neither tossed a perfect game. We'll explain.
Back on May 16, 1953, Simmons allowed a single to Milwaukee Braves leadoff hitter Bill Bruton and then retired the next 27 hitters. Simmons struck out 10 a 3-0 win in County Stadium.
Almost exactly a year later (May 13), Roberts matched Simmons. Cincinnati's leadoff hitter, third baseman Bobby Adams, started the game by drilling a home run into the left-field seats at Connie Mack Stadium. It was the only baserunner for the Redlegs (as they were known back then) as Roberts then retired 27 in a row. He fanned eight in the Phillies' 8-1 win.
Now for Bunning and Halladay and their perfect games.
Bunning's came on Father's Day, June 21, 1964, in the first game of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader against the Mets at Shea Stadium. The Phillies won, 6-0. He struck out 10, including John Stephenson for the final out.
Halladay, making his 11th start in a Phillies uniform, made history with a perfect game in a 1-0 win over the Marlins on May 29, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium. He fanned 11. Then, in his first postseason start, Halladay no-hit the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on Oct. 6 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Only a two-out walk to Jay Bruce in the fifth inning kept Halladay from his second perfect game.
But wait. There's another club record, most consecutive batters retired, extra innings. That number is 32. The pitcher is Rick Wise, who accomplished the feat Sept. 18, 1971, against the Cubs at Veterans Stadium.
After allowing a solo home run in the second inning that put the Phillies behind, 3-0, Wise didn't allow another baserunner until Ron Santo's two-out single in the 12th inning. Thirty-two in a row was four shy of the Major League record. The Phillies rallied to win, 4-3, on a bases-loaded single to right in the 12th inning. The hitter? Wise himself.
Wise's pitching line: 12 innings, five hits, three runs (two earned) no walks and 10 strikeouts. He faced 41 batters. In addition to 10 strikeouts, there were 11 groundouts, six infield pop-ups or line drives and only five fly balls to the outfield.
Now for Carlton, who holds the modern National League record with six one-hitters. His longest streak was 17 consecutive hitters during his July 4, 1979, one-hitter against the Mets at the Vet. It took Carlton just one hour and 51 minutes to complete a 1-0 gem.
