How Connor Brogdon got his groove back, just in the nick of time for the Phillies

A crucial adjustment help the pitcher get better control over his pitches.

Phillies relief pitcher Connor Brogdon delivers in the seventh inning of World Series Game 2 against the Houston Astros.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published Oct. 31, 2022, 5:00 a.m. ET

HOUSTON — On Oct. 11, in the fifth inning in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, Connor Brogdon walked onto the mound at Atlanta’s Truist Park with the Phillies holding a six-run lead. Starter Ranger Suárez was struggling with his command, so Game 1 was going to be a bullpen game, against a tough Braves lineup.

It did not go well. Brogdon was unable to complete the inning. After retiring the first batter, he allowed a walk to Matt Olson on an eight-pitch at-bat, then back-to-back doubles, one of which scored a run, and another walk. Brad Hand was called in to get the last two outs of the inning with the Phillies’ lead down to four runs in their eventual 7-6 victory.

Brogdon could tell that something was off. Over the course of the second half of the season, he had felt his front side slipping, and it was affecting the way he was locating his pitches. So, the day after that outing in Atlanta, he approached pitching coach Caleb Cotham with an idea.

When he was in the minor leagues, Brogdon would think chin-to-shoulder. To make sure his front side was high enough, he’d turn his head toward his right arm, and make sure his chin was parallel to his shoulder. It was a simple fix, but an effective way of making sure his front side wasn’t slipping.

Cotham signed off on it, and the change has produced immediate results. Brogdon has yet to allow an earned run or a walk in his four postseason appearances since that Oct. 11 outing in Atlanta. What’s more, lifting his front side has bumped up his velocity a bit, and even made his cutter and changeup sharper.

“There was definitely a time where I was relatively unsure of where the ball was going,” Brogdon said. “I was kind of just more or less hoping for the best out there. Whereas, all my life, I’ve known exactly where the ball was going. So once we figured out what was going on, it clicked.

“I feel more power behind the ball now. I feel confident in where the ball is going to go. It’s not fastball away and man, I hope it goes away, that type of thing.”

Brogdon conceded that he might have gotten somewhat “lazy” in the second half. Because he found success before the All-Star break, posting a 1.93 ERA over 20 outings, he feels that he got a little too comfortable, and allowed his front side to drop. As a result, his second-half numbers were glaringly different: a 4.26 ERA over 27 games.

“If you were to go back and look at those outings in the second half, I think you would see a lot of fastballs that were called away that were actually leaking back inside to righties,” Brogdon said. “And that’s all just a product of a weak front side.”

Nevertheless, Cotham believes that Brogdon is now pitching as well as he has all year. The pitching coach said his stuff is as good as he has ever seen it. And because of the success from his mechanical changes, Brogdon is showing more confidence on the mound, which is something he lacked in the second half of this season.

This is all happening at the right time for the Phillies. Brogdon will have a “massive role” in the World Series, in Cotham’s words, against a Houston Astros lineup that has some tough lefties like Kyle Tucker and Yordan Álvarez. They got a preview of his role on Saturday night.

Brogdon entered Game 2 in the seventh inning. Facing the top of the Astros lineup, he allowed a single to Jose Altuve, who was erased trying to steal second, and calmly retired Jeremy Peña on a fly ball and Álvarez on a strikeout to end the inning. It was a big performance in a big moment, one that Cotham is confident the Phillies will see more of over the next few games.

“He’s pitching as free as he has all year,” Cotham said. “Obviously he’s a big weapon for us. The better he is, the better we are. We know what he is, so he’s going to get some big outs, there’s no doubt about it.”