With Ranger Suarez and Andrew Painter yet to make their 2023 MLB debut, newly acquired Matt Strahm was slated as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting rotation to begin the season. 

The Phillies signed Strahm to a 2-year, $15 million contract with hopes to bolster their bullpen ahead of the 2023 season. Rob Thomson and company then planned on utilizing Strahm as a long innings reliever this season  before injuries to Suarez and Painter thrusted him into a starting role. 

Strahm entered the league in 2016 with Kansas City, where he spent two seasons in the bullpen. He then was traded to San Diego, where he started a few more games than KC but didn’t really ramp it up until 2019, when he started 16 games in 41 appearances on the season.

Matt Strahm has just started one game in the MLB since 2019.

With his lack of experience as a starter, the Phillies were left with a major question mark in the rotation at the beginning of the season but now, over two starts, Strahm has been the most dominate member of the Phillies pitching staff (outside Jose Alvarado) over his first two starts of the season. 

Against the Yankees, Strahm pitched four innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He threw just 61 pitches and never really ran into any serious trouble during his season debut. 

Here’s what Strahm said after the Yankees game about being moved from a reliever into a starting role: 

 “For me, I’m not worried about pitch count, ups, downs, whatever. When the ball gets taken from me, that’s when I’m done. I refuse to call myself a reliever or starter; I’m just a pitcher. Whatever they need, whenever they need it, I’m gonna do it.” – Matt Strahm following 4-1 win against the New York Yankees

Last night against the Fish, Strahm tossed five scoreless, allowing four hits, zero earned runs, and a walk, while striking out six. He threw a total of 59 pitches, 42 of them were strikes. Strahm also tossed 11 first-pitch strikes while facing 20 batters last night. 

Matt Strahm has now pitched 10 innings as a starter for the Phillies in 2023. He has 10 strikeouts and has held opponents SCORELESS over two starts. 

Matt Strahm: 0.00 ERA. Starter. Just an absolute DAWG. 

To make things even better, Strahm was on the mound last night as The Fightins tagged reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara for nine runs and tallied 20 hits and 15 total runs on the night.

Alcantara lasted just four innings, allowing 10 hits, nine earned runs, and a walk. 

Read the full game recap here >>

Say hello to the new TOP DAWG in the National League. 

Strahm said from the jump that he’s a competitor and he just wants to win, and he doubled down on his statements on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, brought to you by WEEI.

Matt Strahm: Ring > Money

“To be in free agency, obviously, you want to maximize your window; you have to earn money in this game and do all that. But the utmost important thing to me is contending. Yeah, everyone will roll their eyes at me when I say I’m not playing for my bank account, but I want a ring on my hand more than I want to see how much money I get in my bank account”.

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen. #StrahmiSZN has officially arrived.