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Highs and Lows of a Strikeout Record

    by Bob Vetrone Jr.
    Published 

At least strikeout-wise, the Phillies' pitching staff had the best first month of the season in major league history. (Let that roll around in your NFL Draft-cluttered brain for a little while.)

Although that honor was earned on the mound, you need to know that their 10.193 K/9IP is also a product of the game itself: The top nine MLB teams on the list were all from 2013-16 (see list below).

And before you start asking Villanova to return the Championship Parade buses to CBP, note that among all-time Phillies teams, the 1961 club had the 14th-best K/9IP in team history. And that club went on to record an MLB-record 23 consecutive losses.

 BEST K/9IP RATIOS FOR MARCH/APRIL IN MLB HISTORY
 TOP 5 MLB   Year    IP  K  K/9IP  W-L  ERA
 Phillies  2016  216.1    245    10.193    14-10    3.79  
 Red Sox  2013  231.0  255    9.935  18-  8  3.58
 Indians  2015  184.1  202    9.863    7-14  4.54
 Tigers  2013  231.2  252    9.790  15-10  3.57
 Red Sox  2016  217.0  236    9.788  14-10  4.15
 TOP MLB TEAM BEFORE 2000
 Indians (10th all-time)  1966  103.0  106    9.262  10-  1  1.66
 NEXT-BEST PHILLIES TEAM
 Phillies  2011  235.0  213    8.157  18-  8  3.18
 BEST PHILLIES TEAMS BEFORE 2000
 Phillies  1998  223.0  196    7.910  12-13  4.72
 Phillies  1993  205.0  165    7.244  17-  5  3.25
 BEST PHILLIES TEAM BEFORE 1993
 Phillies  1961  136.1  106    6.998    6-  9  3.43
    BV
    Bob Vetrone Jr.
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