Vince Velasquez Just Threw One of the Best Games in Phillies History

Vincent Velasquez – who came to the Phillies in the Ken Giles trade and had a 4.37 ERA in 16 appearances last season (just enough to not be considered a rookie) – just pitched one of the best games in Phillies history. It wasn’t a no-hitter or a perfect game, but Velasquez’s complete game shutout included only three hits, no walks, no earned runs, and 16 strikeouts. SIXTEEN!

Steve Carlton, Cliff Lee and Curt Schilling are the only Phillies pitchers since 1965 to notch 16 K’s in one game. But that’s nothing– Velasquez’s performance, according to Baseball Reference, is one of only 12 in modern history (since 1914) to include 16 strikeouts, no walks and no earned runs:

Something about the V’s this month.

Meanwhile, Ken Giles is 0-1 with an ERA of 12.27 and three home runs allowed in 3.2 innings so far this season. Somewhere – presumably in the GM’s box at CBP – Matt Klentak looks like a goddamn genius.