Arizona Diamondbacks officially hire Brent Strom as new pitching coach
Nov 18, 2021, 2:51 PM
Houston Astros Pitching Coach Brent Storm (56) keeps a close watch on the mound during the regular season MLB game between the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays on July 08, 2017 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Chevrier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff Chevrier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks have hired Brent Strom, the Houston Astros’ pitching coach for the last eight years, to the same position, the team announced Thursday.
Strom, 73, has been a pitching coach in baseball since 1992, spending his first stint with Houston in 1996 before two years with the Kansas City Royals from 2000-01.
The longtime coach has been credited with playing a part in the Astros’ pitching success since he joined them for the second time in 2014.
After Houston ranked 25th in ERA that first year, its following placements leaguewide were sixth, 11th, 11th, first, third, 13th and seventh this past season in the Astros’ third World Series appearance with Strom on the staff.
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That consistency would be a welcome change for the D-backs.
While Strom kept the Astros in the top half of the league for team ERA for seven straight years, Arizona was in a similar run of great pitching, placing third two years in a row and then 12th from 2017-19.
But two years ago, the D-backs were 20th and then dipped to 29th last season.
Strom replaces Matt Herges, who was Arizona’s pitching coach for the last two seasons.
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