PHOENIX — On the spectrum of relief pitcher availability, Jeff Hoffman tends toward the side that says unless otherwise notified, he’s ready to go. After working in Games 1, 3 and 4 of the National League Championship Series, though, Hoffman thought it was a good idea to reiterate that fact to Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham and bullpen coach David Lundquist.
“After you throw a back-to-back,” Hoffman said, “it needs to be said sometimes.”
Hoffman was ready again Saturday, when a battered bullpen needed a reliable source of outs. As he has often this postseason, he provided them with little consternation in the eighth inning of Game 5, helping bridge from a brilliant Zack Wheeler start to the 27th out by Matt Strahm in a 6-1 win over Arizona.
“This is what postseason baseball is about,” Hoffman said. “I want to be ready for the team every single time I can. I take pride in the recovery and all that.”
The Phillies entered in a bullpen pickle. They had used eight relievers in Friday’s 6-5 loss to even up the NLCS at two games apiece. Four of those relievers had worked in Game 3, too.
Manager Rob Thomson tries desperately to avoid using guys three times in four days, which he had already done with Hoffman and rookie Orion Kerkering. Four outings in five days is fleetingly rare for Thomson.
But the righty handled it without aplomb Saturday, through the heart of the Diamondbacks order. With a 6-1 lead, he gave up a single to Ketel Marte to lead off the eighth. But he struck out Gabriel Moreno, got Christian Walker – who broke a cold snap with a double in the sixth – to pop out to second and induced a grounder to second from Pavin Smith.
It took Hoffman 12 pitches and used up none of the Phillies’ five-run cushion.
“Hoffy’s been huge for us,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “You would’ve never known he’s thrown four of the last five. His stuff was as sharp tonight as it’s been all year long. The ability for him to throw three different pitches in the strike zone at any time is what makes him really, really good as a reliever.”
Hoffman was perfect for the spot, given the mission of the moment. The Phillies had stretched the lead from 4-1 to 6-1 on Realmuto’s eighth-inning home run. With that lead, whoever was summoned from the bullpen would need to go after hitters and make them put the ball in play. Hoffman, who walked 19 batters in 52.1 innings, was ideal.
It helped that the pieces fit together. Wheeler shrunk the bullpen’s duties to six outs with five runs to play with by going seven innings. He was untouched until Alek Thomas’ lead-off home run in the seventh, the only run allowed in lowering his ERA to 2.08 in four playoff starts.
That gave Hoffman the eighth and the combination of Seranthony Dominguez and Strahm, both of whom worked in Game 4 but not Game 3, the ninth.
Seeing Wheeler get the job done offered an emotional boost to guys in the bullpen, too.
“We all want to be there and be that guy with the ball in our hand and be that one that does the cool stuff,” Hoffman said. “Wheels is getting to that point where we’re coming to expect it from him. It’s unbelievable the outings that he’s been putting together. “
Hoffman’s tally for the week was impressive. He has recorded 13 outs in this series on 46 pitches. He’s allowed two hits, no walks and no runs (though one inherited runner scored) and struck out seven. It included five outs in Game 4 in which he used 25 pitches, though he said that workload wasn’t so strenuous as to rule him out for Saturday. (His other outings were nine and 10 pitches.)
All this from a guy who struggled in Triple-A and only got his chance with the big club after impressing Bryce Harper and the big league staff in a live batting practice session for the recovering superstar.
Saturday’s task was made easier by the adrenaline Hoffman carried in from the bullpen, before a third straight sellout crowd at Chase Field that had been subdued by Realmuto’s homer.
“A night like tonight, the adrenaline kind of helps carry you through,” Hoffman said. “You might not have your strongest legs or whatever it is, the timing might be off a little bit. But that adrenaline gives you the energy to correct for it.”
Hoffman bounced around as a starter and was set to opt out of his minor league deal with the Phillies to play in Japan this spring. Instead, he’s found a home in Philadelphia, with an uncanny knack for escaping innings when he inherits runners and a slider verging on elite.
That veteran savvy and his appreciation for the moment helps inspire his durability, mentally and in the hard physical work he puts in to be ready to answer the call.
“It’s always a tough task,” he said. “It’s no joke at all. You’ve got to make sure your tempo is right, you’ve got to make sure your legs are under you. And tonight, I was lucky to have a little bit of a lead so I could really just focus on the center of the plate and throwing strikes.”
Source: Berkshire mont