Phillies’ Jeff Hoffman is locked in, but still chasing the feeling he had last season

The Phillies’ Jeff Hoffman has pitched in three games since the season opened Friday. He has allowed only two hits and one walk in 2⅔ innings with five strikeouts, but the right-handed reliever isn’t satisfied.

“Every night, I go home after I throw, and something is still not quite fully sharp,” Hoffman said. “I’m getting by. I’m doing what I need to do. But it’ll get better.”

This is ironic, of course, because those who’ve watched Hoffman throughout the spring and start of the season see a pitcher who is locked in. That includes his manager, Rob Thomson.

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Even through just three outings, Thomson has challenged his reliever. Against the Braves on opening day, Hoffman was called upon in the seventh inning with one out, a runner on second, and Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley due up. After walking Acuña, Hoffman got Albies to ground out to first base and struck out Riley.

On Sunday, he pitched the sixth inning, against that same pocket of the lineup — Acuña, Albies, and Riley. He retired them in order. Hoffman is happy with the results, but he’s chasing a feeling that he felt all last season, and hasn’t recaptured just yet.

On Monday against the Reds, he entered in relief of starter Cristopher Sanchez with a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, with runners on second and third with no outs. He allowed RBI singles to Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jeimer Candelario, but he struck out Elly De La Cruz to escape the inning tied at 2.

“I’m happy any chance I can to throw up a zero,” Hoffman said. “But I know how it felt last year. And that’s what I’m going to strive for from here on out, throughout my whole career. Wanting that mindless, going with the flow, type of state of mind.

“When you’re in a really good groove, you don’t think or mess with anything. It just happens. Your body is just in the right positions and you’re not really working on anything. It’s just flowing. And everything feels perfect. So, it’s just getting back to that — not really having to think about [pitching]. But early in the season, you’re always thinking or tinkering. But that’ll go away after a few outings.

“It’s more the way my body feels, moving. It’s not pitches or anything like that. When I come off the mound, I want to feel like I didn’t pitch. So that I’m ready for the next day. The best ones in the game can go out there pretty much every night, or every other night, and get the job done.”

Hoffman, 31, has experienced this before, but never consistently until last year. From the moment he arrived at triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2023, he felt that mindless feeling. He carried it into the big leagues, where he quickly earned Thomson’s trust. By the end of the season, Hoffman had become of his most reliable relievers, with a 2.41 ERA in the regular season and 2.57 in the postseason.

“He’s just been great,” Thomson said on Monday. “He comes in and throws strikes. Has an overpowering fastball and the split has been outstanding. He’s been really good. And, he’s a guy where … [Sunday] we used him in the sixth and going into the game, we were thinking, we’ll use him eighth or ninth. But the sixth inning seemed like an inning where we needed to get the top of that order out.

“He’s like a Swiss Army knife. Can come in in the middle of an inning, can give you one-plus, can come in early, can come in late, he’s a really valuable guy.”

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Fans have taken note. Some have been advocating for Hoffman, who can become a free agent after this season, to get an extension like his fellow reliever Matt Strahm got recently. Hoffman said those conversations between his camp and the Phillies have not taken place yet, but he knows where he wants to be long term.

“It would be awesome,” Hoffman, a native of upstate New York, said of staying in Philly. “Me and my family love it here. We’re close to home here. Obviously, last year was unbelievable. We were really immersed in everything that is Philadelphia. So, we’re excited to be here for however long that is. We would definitely be open to talking about it, but the conversations just haven’t happened yet.”

Reliever Orion Kerkering (right forearm strain) was scheduled to pitch on Tuesday with triple-A Lehigh Valley in Rochester, N.Y., but Rochester was expected to get snow. So, Kerkering will pitch in Clearwater, Fla., on Tuesday instead. Thomson said he’ll throw again on Friday or Saturday, and then the Phillies will reevaluate. … Right-handed starter Taijuan Walker (right shoulder soreness) is expected to throw a live bullpen session Tuesday. If the weather holds up, it will be outside; if not, he’ll throw in the batting cages.