"If you hit a home run against me, you’re good enough" - Matt Strahm shares why he collects baseball cards of stars who 'take him deep'

Philadelphia Phillies bullpen pitcher Matt Strahm has a passion for collecting baseball cards of the best hitters. With so many hitters available to take his pick from, he has a way to filter them.

Strahm likes to collect Topps baseball cards of those hitters who take him deep in a game. During a conversation with Topps, Strahm revealed why he does so and also mentioned what he does if hitters take him deep twice or three times:

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"Anyone who takes me deep, I try to do a rookie card auto[graph] and then Freddie Freeman took me deep and it was very expensive, so I was like, 'I just need to have cool cards of whoever takes me deep,'" Strahm said.

On being taken deep twice, Strahm added:

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"If you take me twice, I have to have an auto. But otherwise, if you take me deep, I want your rookie card or an auto."

When asked about what happens if he is taken deep three times, Strahm said:

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"That's a bridge I'm hoping not to cross."

How many home runs has Matt Strahm allowed in his career?

Matt Strahm made his big league debut with the Kansas City Royals in July 2016. He was selected in the 21st round of the 2012 MLB draft.

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Since then, he has pitched 437.1 innings as a reliever and has allowed 56 home runs to 51 different players. During his nine seasons in MLB, there have been five hitters who have hit multiple homers against him. This includes Trevor Story, Eduardo Escobar, Anthony Santander, Evan Longoria and Freddie Freeman.

In the current season, he has allowed three home runs in 45.0 innings pitched. Santander, Oneil Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are the names who have taken him deep this season.

Strahm has been a journeyman, having started his career with the Royals (2016–17) and then going on to play for the San Diego Padres (2018–2021) and Boston Red Sox (2022) before finally settling with the Phillies in 2023.

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