Pat Combs looked like a future star for the Philadelphia Phillies. However, after making his Major League debut at 22 years old, he had washed out of the game only six years later.
Sometimes, in looking through the list of players born on a specific date, there are names that catch the eye. Most of the time, these players are Hall of Famers, or former greats who made a tremendous impact upon the game. Then, there are those players who streaked across the sky like a comet. Former Philadelphia Phillies phenom Pat Combs, who turns 50 years old today, was one of those comets.
From the middle of the 1980’s and into the beginning part of the 1990’s, the Phillies were an afterthought. The glory years from the early part of the decade, where the team won its first World Series, were far behind. The Phillies run in 1993 was just a dream, something the fans hoped for while the Phillies continued to struggle.
However, during the 1989 season, the Phillies appeared to have a bright spot. With the 11th selection in the MLB Amateur Draft that year, they selected lefty pitcher Pat Combs. Starting his career in the Florida State League, Combs quickly proved to be far too much for A-ball, leading to a promotion to the Reading Phillies of the Eastern League after six games.
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Although Combs was not nearly as dominant at AA, he was brought up to AAA. In three starts, Combs was 3-0 with a 0.37 ERA and a 0.904 WHiP. The Phillies, with nothing to lose, gave Combs a chance at the Major League level to see what he could do. He rewarded their faith by posting a 4-0 record with a 2.09 ERA and a 1.086 WHiP, striking out 30 batters with only six walks in 38.2 innings. It looked like the Phillies had a star.
That would prove to be the high point of Combs career. He spent the entire 1991 season with the Phillies, posting a 10-10 record with a 4.07 ERA. While that ERA was just about league average, command issues began to set in, as Combs walked 4.2 batters per nine innings. He would never regain that control, walking 55 batters in 83 Major League innings in 1992 and 1993.
In a twisted bit of irony, that 1993 season, when he posted a 7.71 ERA and a 1.714 WHiP, would be his last in the Majors. Although the Phillies were heading to the World Series that year, it was not their former phenom who was leading them. Instead, he was forced back to the minors, never to resurface in the Major Leagues.
Combs hung on for two more years, staying in AAA. He continued to fight his command, walking 113 batters in 208.2 innings. His once promising future was over, and at 28 years old, only six years after being the talk of baseball, Combs’ career was over.
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It is easy to be excited about the latest prospects. After all, with youth comes the promise of a better tomorrow. That tomorrow came for the Philadelphia Phillies, only their expected ace in Pat Combs was not the one to lead the charge.