Inside The Phillies

Can the Philadelphia Phillies Continue to Count on Zach Eflin in the Ninth?

While Zach Eflin has successfully closed out all three Philadelphia Phillies postseason victories so far, he's run into trouble each time out.

Leo Morgenstern

Can the Philadelphia Phillies Continue to Count on Zach Eflin in the Ninth?
Can the Philadelphia Phillies Continue to Count on Zach Eflin in the Ninth? /
In this story:

The Philadelphia Phillies have played three postseason games thus far in 2022. They have yet to lose, and Zach Eflin has been on the mound to close out each one. Imagine reading that sentence just a few months ago.

The Phillies have played better than anyone could have expected over the past few games. Eflin, too, has exceeded all expectations in his first few outings as a high leverage reliever. Yet despite all that success, perhaps the time has come for both Eflin and his team to quit while they're ahead. 

Here is how Eflin has performed over the past three games:

  • NLWCS Game 1: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
  • NLWCS Game 2: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
  • NLDS Game 1: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

These aren't the numbers you want to see from the closer on a postseason team. Even Eflin's one scoreless outing was hardly stress free. He threw 22 pitches (14 strikes) and allowed the tying run to reach base. He failed to generate single whiff from the five batters he faced. 

Eflin will almost certainly be unavailable in Game 2 on Wednesday. With the off day on Thursday, that gives manager Rob Thomson a few days to contemplate Efin's role going forward. He will still play an important role in Philadelphia's bullpen (he needs to if the Phillies want any hope of advancing), but he's just not the right choice for the highest leverage spots. 

Instead, those opportunities should be going to José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez. Alvarado has been the best reliever on the team for months, and Domínguez has the stuff and the experience to be trusted in big spots. While he struggled in September after returning from injury, he has looked like his old self thus far in the postseason. 

When Zach Eflin finished off the game against the Astros that clinched the Phillies a postseason berth, it was an incredible moment. He was the perfect choice to take the mound in that spot, and it worked out flawlessly. 

Now, however, it's time for Eflin to hand the closer's role over to someone else. Whoever it is, hopefully he too gets to have his own incredible moment. 

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

  1. Phillies Star Bryce Harper Doesn't Hold Back on Thoughts About Joe Girardi
  2. How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
  3. Could Bryce Harper's Favorite MLB Player Join the Philadelphia Phillies Next Season?
  4. Why You Should Root for the Philadelphia Phillies to Lose a Few Games
  5. Phillies Release 2023 Regular Season Schedule
  6. Have the Philadelphia Phillies Found Their Centerfielder of the Future?
  7. Could The Phillies Soon Be Playing in Wawa Park?
  8. How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
  9. How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
  10. Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!

Published
Leo Morgenstern
LEO MORGENSTERN

Leo Morgenstern is a writer and editor for Inside the Phillies. He also writes for FanGraphs and Just Baseball, and his work has appeared on Pitcher List and Baseball Prospectus. He previously covered the Phillies for SB Nation's The Good Phight. You can follow him on Twitter @morgensternmlb.

Home/Opinions