PHILADELPHIA — Former Kentucky standout right-handed pitcher Joe Blanton has been named to the Philadelphia Phillies roster for the 2010 MLB Playoffs, marking the third consecutive year a former UK baseball player has advanced to the postseason.

Blanton, a native of Franklin, Ky., has now helped lead the Phillies to the MLB Playoffs for three consecutive seasons. In 2008, Blanton and the Phillies helped claim the World Series, besting the Tampa Bay Rays. Last year, Blanton started in Game Four of the World Series against the New York Yankees.

Phillies’ ace right-hander Roy Halladay hurled the first no-hitter in MLB Playoffs history since 1956, in a 4-0 blanking of the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, getting the Phillies off to a 1-0 start in the National League Divisional Series. The series will resume on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.

A UK letterwinner from 2000-2002, Blanton pitched in 55 career games for UK and head coach Keith Madison. During his junior campaign, he posted a 5-7 record and a 4.59 ERA in 14 starts, fanning 133 in 100 innings. After the 2002 year, Blanton went in the first round to the Oakland Athletics, going 24th overall. In 2008, Blanton was traded from the Athletics to the Phillies, as Philadelphia bolstered its pitching staff for its postseason run.

In 2010, Blanton made 28 starts and pitched in 29 games, posting a 9-6 record and a 4.82 ERA. In 175.2 innings pitched, Blanton allowed 206 hits and walked only 43, striking out 134. In his career, Blanton has pitched in 195 games with 190 starts, posting a 72-60 record and a 4.30 ERA.