There have been some great strikeout pitchers in Phillies history: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Robin Roberts, Jim Bunning, Steve Carlton, Curt Schilling and Cole Hamels.

But the honor of having the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game in franchise history belongs to Art Mahaffey, who spent six seasons with the Phillies from 1960-65. The right-hander from Cincinnati struck out 17 Chicago Cubs in the second game of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader at Connie Mack Stadium 60 years ago, on April 23, 1961. Nine went down swinging.

Mahaffey, 23, threw 146 pitches that afternoon, of which only 48 were called balls.

He fanned Don Zimmer, Ron Santo, Ernie Banks and Frank Thomas three times each in matching the Major League record for most strikeouts in a day game, set by Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals against the Cubs on July 30, 1933.

“I remember everything about it,” said Mahaffey. “Matter of fact, I was at a golf tournament with Frank Thomas one time and he was telling me I didn’t strike him out that day. He was wrong. He was 3-for-3, three Ks. Early in the game Pancho [Herrera] dropped a foul pop-up hit by Thomas. I struck Frank out on the next pitch.”

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During those days, the Phillies and Blue Cross had a Pitchometer built by Dr. I.M. Levitt of the Franklin Institute. The Pitchometer was used throughout the city to test the throwing speed of young athletes. Mahaffey remembered hitting 100 mph on the machine one time.

“Against the Cubs that day, I had an unbelievable fastball and curveball,” he recalled. “I threw mostly fastballs, particularly in the late innings. Earlier, I got maybe five or six strikeouts with my curve.” Mahaffey had 15 strikeouts through seven innings. He struck out only one in each of the last two innings. “I had two strikes on the last four hitters but only got one strikeout. I came so close to having more than 17.”

One batter who didn’t fan that day was ex-Phil Richie Ashburn. He pinch-hit in the eighth inning. “Whitey was tough to strike out. I remember he hit a line drive out to [Johnny] Callison in right field,” said Mahaffey, an All-Star in both 1961 and 1962. “It is amazing how many fans remember this game. There’s a photo of Connie Mack Stadium from that day and I’ve signed many an autograph, always including 4/23/61.”

Prior to Mahaffey’s big day, the Phillies record for strikeouts in a game was 13, shared by three pitchers: Ray Benge, June 16, 1929; Roberts, May 2, 1957 and Jack Sanford, June 7, 1957. Oddly, the opponent in each case was the Cubs.

One other note about Mahaffey's day, Frank Sullivan, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, blanked the Cubs, 1-0, in the first game of the doubleheader. It's the last time the Phillies have had two shutouts in a doubleheader.

Three Phillies pitchers came close to Mahaffey’s record, each falling one short: Carlton, June 9, 1982 vs. the Cubs; Schilling, Sept. 9, 1997 vs. the New York Yankees and Cliff Lee, May 6, 2011 vs. the Atlanta Braves.

Chris Short fanned 18 Mets batters on Oct. 2, 1965 in New York, but that game went 18 innings. Short pitched 15 innings.