considerably better than anticipated, displaying the team’s SP3 and recording a 2.31 ERA and 12.34 K/9. following……
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“Wherever they need outs, I’ll get outs. I don’t care about stats. I don’t care about numbers. It’s winning, dude. I want to win. However they see me helping them win is what I want to do.”
From the jump, Matt Strahm let us know what he was about. Need a guy to put out a fire in the sixth? Strahm’s your guy. Need two solid innings in the back half of the game to give the other guys in the bullpen a rest? Strahm’s your guy. Hell, the rotation’s banged up and you need an opener you can trust one time through the lineup? Look no further than Matthew Scott Strahm.
No one could have guessed when Strahm signed last December that he’d open the season as the team’s fifth starter but there he was, filling in valiantly for a team who’d already gone through multiple backup plans by the time he landed in that spot. Strahm knew he’d be here at some point. He told the media at his opening press conference that he wanted an opportunity to start again but certainly even he didn’t think it would be so soon./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72990027/usa_today_21635193.0.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1)
The experiment didn’t last past the first week of May but Strahm was mostly effective out of the bullpen last year, even getting three of the season’s most important outs in the playoffs to vanquish a hated rival.
2023 regular season stats – 56 appearances, 87.2 IP, 9-5 record (2-3 as starter), 3.29 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 131 ERA+
2023 postseason stats – 7 appearances, 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 K
The good
In his first month as a starter since 2019, Strahm was much better than expected, posting a 2.31 ERA and a 12.34 K/9 and looking like the team’s SP3. While it was short-lived, it was an important part of keeping the team afloat while they rounded into form.
Taking just his relief appearances into account, Strahm led the Phillies’ bullpen with 1.99 BB/9, good for 15th in all of MLB among qualified relievers. His 5.42 strikeout-to-walk ratio was 5th-best by that same measure.
Strahm got the save in Game 4 of the NLDS, the biggest moment of his career, bar none. After Ranger Suarez went five innings to start, shaky outings from the bullpen’s big four arms gave way to ninth inning heroics from Strahm. Inheriting two baserunners from Gregory Soto, Cool Calm Strahm got three straight outs to send the Phillies on to the NLCS and the Braves to Cancún.
