When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jesus Luzardo back in December 2024, most people never anticipated he would be among the National League leaders in Strikeouts (158) and Wins (11).

When the Phillies signed Cristopher Sanchez to a four-year contract with $22.5 million guaranteed, no one expected him to become a Cy Young Candidate who is among the National League Leaders in Earned Run Average (2.45) and Wins Above Replacement (5.9).

When Ranger Suarez started the 2025 season on the Injured List with a Back Issue, I doubt anyone expected him to have the second-most games of at least seven innings pitched (8) on the team, only behind Sanchez (9).

The unfortunate news of Zack Wheeler having to undergo a thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot in his right upper extremity ended another great season for the Phillies’ number-one starting Pitcher. Wheeler has been the ultimate Ace Pitcher for Philadelphia, and now the organization will have to play without him for an indefinite period of time.

What Does The Phillies Postseason Rotation Look Like?

The question of what the Phillies will do in the postseason with their starting rotation has been swirling around the Philadelphia Sports Fan base for months.

From Luzardo’s tumultuous June and July to Aaron Nola missing most of the season with multiple injuries to now Wheeler’s absence, there are many questions to be answered about this Phillies pitching rotation.

Meanwhile, Suarez’s first five starts after the MLB All-Star Break were rough to watch. The Phillies’ soon-to-be 30-year-old pitcher compiled a 6.59 ERA while allowing 39 Hits in 28.2 Innings Pitched.

Aaron Nola’s first start since May ended disasterously after he allowed 6 earned runs versus the Nationals. It is safe to assume the once reliable Right-Handed Pitcher may not be the team’s best option in the playoffs.

Somehow, Taijuan Walker has become one of the Phillies’ more dependable starting pitchers. Once the odd-man-out for the five-man starting rotation, Walker has gone at least five innings and allowed no more than three runs in his last five starts. Overall, he has eight starts in which he has allowed three or fewer runs while pitching at least five innings.

Sanchez in just a couple of years, has elevated from being a solid starter who has wild home versus away splits to now a Cy Young Award Candidate. Aside from having the best WAR among all NL Starting Pitchers (5.9), Sanchez has the third-best ERA (2.45), the fourth-most innings pitched (150.7), and the 8th-most strikeouts (157).

Precedent for Three Left-Handed Starters for the Postseason

But can the Phillies really start three left-handers in the playoffs? We previously assumed that Ranger Suarez would go to the bullpen with a starting rotation of Wheeler, Sanchez, Luzardo, and Nola.

But with Wheeler out of commission and Nola’s struggles, the Phillies best three pitchers are Sanchez, Suarez, and Luzardo. There’s a possibly that a Game Four Starting Pitcher could be Taijuan Walker.

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Ranger Suárez (10), Cristopher Sánchez (12) and Jesús Luzardo (12) set a Phillies franchise record for most strikeouts by starting pitchers in a three-game series (34).

The last time Major League Baseball saw three Left-Handed Starting Pitchers take a prominent role in a postseason starting rotation was the 1996 Yankees. Here are the parallels:

*Andy Pettitte was a rising star in Major League Baseball in 1996, finishing the season second in American League Cy Young Award Voting. Like Sanchez, Pettitte was an unlikely ace who elevated to the top spot in the starting rotation due to a veteran all-star pitcher dealing with an unexpected health issue.

David Cone missed four months of the 1996 season after undergoing emergency surgery for an aneurysm in his throwing arm in May. While he returned in time for the postseason, Pettitte was the team’s best pitcher for the regular season. Like Sanchez, the Yankees’ stud lefty led the team in Wins Above Replacement (5.6), and Pettitte started Game One for two of the three playoff series.

*Jimmy Key was he lefty with the most postseason pitching experience for the 1996 Yankees. He had 5 games started previously and his steady presence helped New York advance to the World Series. Overall, the Yankees won three of his four postseason starts in which he pitched at least five innings in each start.

Like Key in 1996, Ranger Suarez has the most postseason starting experience of the 2025 Phillies three left-handed starting pitchers. Suarez has eight postseason starts in which Philadelphia has won 5 of those games and Ranger has allowed three runs in only one of those postseason games.

*Kenny Rogers was the new guy for the 1996 Yankees and was originally added to make the starting rotation deeper. Similar to Luzardo, he had a strong start to the season with the Yankees winning 10 of his first 14 starts.

But Rogers struggled in July and August as people questioned what his role would be for the Yankees postseason pitching staff. In the 1996 MLB Playoffs, Rogers three starts resulted in three wins for New York and he was one of only four Yankees pitchers to start playoff games that season.

Luzardo, the new guy for the 2025 Phillies pitching staff, could have a similar role as Rogers in 1996. While Rogers struggled to get through some innings during the 1996 playoffs, we know that Luzardo is has trouble getting through a lineup the third time in 2025. If he could give Philadelphia a strong 3-5 innings each postseason game, maybe the Phillies could use a Walker or Nola coming out of the bullpen for the second half of the start.

When you watch the Phillies Big Three Left-Handed Pitchers take the mound this October, here are the best places to watch Red October in South Jersey:

Places in South Jersey to Watch Phillies Playoff Game (with the Sound On)