Diamondbacks' pitching coach draws NFL comparisons after team's World Series loss at home: "Starting to feel like the Buffalo Bills"
The Arizona Diamondbacks' spirited postseason run came to an end on Wednesday in World Series Game 5 at Chase Field. The Dbacks lost the game 5-0 against the Texas Rangers, and their World Series aspirations took a hit. The Rangers won their first World Series title in their franchise history, while Dbacks will salvage all the positives they can from this postseason.
Pitching coach Brent Strom has been on the losing end of three World Series after winning it in 2017. In a post-game interaction with Jesse Rogers of ESPN, Strom revealed that he has started to feel like the Buffalo Bills of the NFL, who also find themselves on the receiving end in the biggest of the games.
“This is the third time I’ve been on the losing end of a World Series on my own turf," Strom said. "That’s becoming a pain in the ass. I did it with the Nats, the Braves and now the Rangers. Im starting to feel like the Buffalo Bills a little bit.”
The Bills have the distinction of being the only NFL team to advance to four consecutive Super Bowls between 1990 and 1993, but they also have the unfortunate distinction of losing all four of them.
Before being hired by the Diamondbacks in 2022, Strom was part of the Houston Astros as their pitching coach. He was on the receiving end of World Series victories by the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves at Minute Maid Park.
Diamondbacks' pitching coach's MLB Career
Brent Strom was drafted third overall by the New York Mets in the 1970 draft. After doing well in minor league affiliated teams of the Mets, he was promoted to majors in 1972.
On July 31, he made his major league debut, pitching well against the Montreal Expos. In his first game, he pitched 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out seven.
As a player, he served time with New York Mets (1972), Cleveland Indians (1973) and San Diego Padres (1975–1977). Overall, he had a win-loss record of 22-39 with an ERA of 3.95, including 278 strikeouts in his MLB career.
Post retiring, Strom worked as a pitching coach for the Houston Astros (1996, 2014–2021), Kansas City Royals (2000–2001) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2022–present). He won the World Series with the Astros in 2017.