Phil Regan has been an oldie but goodie as Mets pitching coach
Mets pitching coach Phil Regan returns to the dugout after visiting the mound during the ninth inning against the Pirates at Citi Field on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
At first, it had all the markings of a practical joke or a miscommunication or yet one more spectacular miscalculation by the Mets: Did they really hire an 82-year-old pitching coach? Is that the same Phil Regan who pitched for the Dodgers in the mid-1960s, who broke in under Jimmy Dykes (who, in turn, had played for Connie Mack)?
Surely, they weren’t serious with the announcement in late June that an octogenarian was the interim replacement for fired pitching coach Dave Eiland.
The funniest part about it more than a month later is that the move apparently has worked. The Mets have pitched better, especially since the All-Star break and especially out of the bullpen. Part of that might be coincidence, the law of averages or a lower caliber of opposition. Part of it can be explained by the fact that bona fide major league pitchers Luis Avilan and Justin Wilson are back healthy.
But the Mets believe Regan actually has helped. At the very least, he has had no difficulty spanning the vast communication chasm with pitchers who are more than a half-century his junior.
“He’s very knowledgeable about the game. The little tweaks he has done with people are very minimal,” said Wilson, who has allowed only one run in 10 appearances since coming off the injured list. “They are things that he sees and things that we can feel. He goes about it with a level head and has the same attitude every day, which is awesome. He wants us to have success. He knows we put in the work. He wants to see it happen for us on the field and feels for us when it doesn’t.
“Clearly the game has changed drastically for as long as Phil has been in it, but he’s very up to date with analytics and things that are more prevalent in today’s game,” Wilson said.
As a minor league coach and roving instructor in the Mets system, Regan is familiar with most of the pitchers on the staff. “He knows what makes them tick,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “They understand who he is, he understands who they are. And the guys have responded.”
Regan has seen them at their best and can offer small advice to the likes of Steven Matz, who probably not coincidentally threw his first career complete game Saturday, when he shut out the Pirates.
“He’s great to be around. His stories are unbelievable and the experience is invaluable,” Callaway said.
The bullpen’s statistical improvement was striking before Tyler Bashlor and Edwin Diaz each gave up a two-run homer in the ninth inning on Sunday. Still, the relievers’ collective earned run average since the All-Star break is 3.35, as opposed to 5.63 beforehand. Opponents’ batting average and OPS against the bullpen have dropped, respectively, from .272 to .242 and .834 to .750.
“He’s got the experience and knowledge. He has seen everything happen in this game,” said Seth Lugo, who has allowed only three hits and one walk with no runs and 16 strikeouts in his past 11 games (12 innings). “He has got a different way of looking at hitters’ approaches and hitters’ swings. It’s kind of old-school. Plus, we’ve got Jeremy [Accardo, pitching strategist] who’s kind of new school. So, it’s a good combination of both. Between their experiences, it kind of covers the whole grasp of pitching.”
Whether the Mets can keep this up for a long stretch, against better hitting teams, is an open question. But at least, the players and manager say, the approach is not just an old joke.
