Can't read it. Is he retiring? Dude is 73. But still. He turned Cole into a stud while he was here. You can't deny this is a hue blow.
Here ya go. Spoiler Brent Strom, the architect of a pitching powerhouse that aided the Astros’ ascent from doormat to near-dynasty, will not return as the team’s major league pitching coach in 2022. Strom contemplated the decision “for a while” before informing general manager James Click over breakfast during the team’s last regular-season road trip in Anaheim. Strom told his pitching staff during the American League Championship Series in Boston, but wanted to keep the news “under wraps” to avoid any distraction. “We’ll see how I feel in a couple days,” Strom said following the Astros’ 7-0 loss in Game 6 of the World Series. “There may be another opportunity for me somewhere else, I may look at that. I may just go lie on a beach in Mexico, but I need to enjoy my life a little bit. I haven’t had a summer in a long time. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I know I won’t be back as the major league pitching coach here. I know that for a fact.” More Astros News Dusty Baker on Astros future: 'I still have unfinished business' View from Atlanta: From mediocre to majestic Strom’s contract expired after the 2021 season along with manager Dusty Baker and third-base coach Gary Pettis. The Astros exercised club options on all three men during the 2020 season. Baker and Pettis’ futures remain uncertain. Hired from the St. Louis Cardinals by former general manager Jeff Luhnow in 2014, Strom shepherded Houston’s pitching staff to unforeseen heights during an eight-year tenure. He oversaw American League Cy Young Award-winning seasons from Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander. His pitching staff set a major league strikeout record in both 2018 and 2019. “I had 99 guys come through while I was here, from ‘14 to ‘21,” Strom said, his eyes welling with tears. “All the way from guys that pitched an inning or two to Cy Young Award winners. So that’s what I enjoyed most.” Strom had stops in four other organizations before Luhnow brought him back to Houston in 2014. He worked in the Astros’ minor league system from 1989-95 before a one-year stint as the major league pitching coach in 1996. Strom’s second act arrived as the sport welcomed the advent of analytics, pitch design and pitch shape. At 73, Strom meshed well with the Astros’ cutting-edge ways, striking an adequate balance between the game’s growing technology and gut feel. Staffs under Strom became known for elevated four-seam fastballs and elite spin rates. The Astros’ pitching data — delivered and digested by Strom along with the team’s analysts — helped to transform a group of otherwise unheralded arms to amazing heights. The organization turned Charlie Morton, Ryan Pressly, Will Harris and Collin McHugh from average to extraordinary. Gerrit Cole morphed into a mega-ace after two seasons in the Astros’ organization. “I’m the point guy for this whole thing but this organization, without the analytic people and minor league people, I get all the publicity, but it should be apportioned to all these guys,” Strom said. Two of them may soon receive it. Strom’s departure clears a path for assistant pitching coaches Bill Murphy and Josh Miller to take an increased role on next season’s major league coaching staff. Murphy just finished his first season as a major league staffer. Miller served as the bullpen coach in 2019-20 before being elevated to assistant pitching coach this season. Both men have been in Houston’s system since 2016 and have worked intimately with the next wave of Houston pitching. “I’m sure had I stayed there would be teams coming after these two guys and I think this organization deserves these two young guys, Murphy and Miller, to stay,” Strom said. “How they work that out is up to them. But I just think that we coexisted this year extremely well, we worked well together, we had a good year, but if you look at all these pitchers that we have right now, most of ‘em come up through those two guys.” Strom described staff ace Lance McCullers Jr. as his only “holdover” on a pitching staff littered with youth. McCullers’ late-season forearm strain forced Framber Valdez, José Urquidy and Luis Garcia to comprise Houston’s postseason rotation. Murphy and Miller worked with all of them throughout their minor league careers. Cristian Javier, another future rotation member, is one of their proteges. “They have a great rapport with the pitchers, they’ve had the young Garcias and the young Javiers and the young Urquidys and all of these guys, they’ve had em at various levels throughout the minor leagues,” Strom said. “They are really exceptional, two exceptional pitching coaches. I don’t know how he’ll map it out, I don’t know who takes the lead, who doesn’t, but I know the organization probably should do everything they can not to lose either one of them.” Strom avoided the word “retirement” while discussing his future early Wednesday morning, but he did not sound like a man ready for the rigors of another major league season. He acknowledged how travel “gets to you” and a conversation he had with Sandy Koufax, his favorite pitcher. Strom said his decision had weighed on him “for a long time” “He said ‘Be free with your money and with your time be very careful,’” Strom said. “That kind of hit home.” “I think this is the best thing for me and for the organization. I’m very proud of what we did but it’s time to move on.”
When Garcia was facing Soler in that 3rd inning, I could just feel that it was about to get real ugly. Garcia just couldn’t get that 3rd strike by him as soler fouled off several pitches. You could tell that Luis was gassed and you could tell that Soler had him figured out. I told my wife that Garcia absolutely had to get him out or this would be ballgame. Walking him woulda loaded the bases for Freeman, so Luis had to get him. The whole game was decided when the heart of our lineup floundered in the first inning and in that Soler at bat in the 3rd. The Braves executed when they needed to and the Astros did not. The bottom of the 1st and the top of the 3rd was basically a microcosm of the entire series. One team with tight buttholes and self doubt vs a team that was loose and believed in themselves.
To be fair to garcia, soler hit the homer on strike 5. He was able to get strike 3 and strike 4, but you can’t control the umpires. It is what it is, super unfortunate to not get a fair shot
Great run in these last 5 years. Still proud of the Stros! Obviously this is a big offseason ahead. No idea how itll turn out but hopefully the stros can somehow manage to be back in the mix next year.
Correa is a great player. He is a great leader. Im gonna miss most things about that guy. His public arrogance over his contract though is not one of them. His no show in the WS is also not one of them. With everything added up though, he is without question the best SS the Astros have ever had, offensively and defensively. So I really am sad to see him go.
well one of his strikes was low. I dont blame the umpire there. Luis couldn’t get that final strike over and finally threw a meatball. He threw 2 meatballs earlier in the count too. One that Soler fouled off and one that he flat missed somehow.
I still think when the count went 3-1, and it was obvious after he fouled off 2 straight pitches super hard, Garcia and Maldy should have agreed on a non-intentional intentional walk. Throw him something he'd need to chase....if he doesn't chase, and you walk him, at least you move on to a batter who isn't nearly as hot as Soler. Challenging him for a 6th straight pitch was just asking for trouble, and we basically ****ed around and found out.
So true. Some people might say Braves had two tries for one win which is true, but even that last game in atlanta they played lose. Astros tied it and they came back to score again until the Astros went in on them. I felt the same thing watching those pitches. It was like Soler was in rhythym as he nodded his head through his Garcia's entire windup like he was jammin to a beat
Umpires miss close calls all the time and errors happen. A pitcher can't fall apart when something bad happens early in the game and give up grand slams or three run homers everytime it happens. Garcia, Urquidy, and Framber all have great stuff and a lot of potential to have very good careers. I hope they don't let these issues define them and are able to find consistency and uses these as opportunities to learn to respond better to adversity. Framber / Garcia in the ALCS and Urquidy in multiple WS have shown they have the ability to bounce back.
Not sure the Astros ever hit the ball hard once in game 7. Game 3 too. In both games combined I’m not sure we ever hit the ball hard.
The Astros scored in 13 of the 54 innings played in the series. Thats obviously not very good but whats really bad is that 9 of those 13 innings it was just 1 run. shut out twice and held to 2 twice. 2 home runs the entire series and they were both by Altuve. The braves have good pitchers, sure. Not THAT good though.
ya to some degree that's true, but he got screwed one TWO consecutive pitches. Considering it only takes 4 to walk a guy, 2 is a lot. Who knows if we win the game with an unbiased strike zone but it would be nice to have the same shot as the braves, and not have to overcome this and overcome that
