Vince Velasquez needed just two starts with the Phillies to put himself in elite company.
The 23-year-old right-hander dominated the San Diego Padres on Thursday, striking out 16 and allowing three singles in Philadelphia’s 3-0 win. Only Chris Short (18) and Art Mahaffey (17) ever struck out more batters in a game for the Phillies. Short needed 15 innings to do it in 1965.
Steve Carlton, Curt Schilling and Cliff Lee also had 16 strikeouts in a game with the Phillies. Hall of Famers Robin Roberts and Jim Bunning never did. Neither did Roy Halladay or Cole Hamels.
Velasquez didn’t walk a batter, fanned five of the last six outs and was still throwing 97 mph in the ninth. He joined Max Scherzer, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens (twice), Kerry Wood and Dwight Gooden as the only pitchers in the modern era to have thrown a nine-inning, complete-game shutout with at least 16 strikeouts and no walk.
Still, Velasquez barely had the best pitching line of the day.