Beloved former Astros pitching coach fired after failing to regain magic in new home

The Houston Astros have undergone a lot of changes on the coaching side in recent years. While the biggest change came at manager when Dusty Baker retired before the 2024 season, one sneaky important change came when former pitching coach Brent Strom decided to "retire" after the 2021 World Series.

Strom was/is highly respected around the league as a coach, and the move was seen as a massive blow given his importance in building and nurturing Houston's pitchers during the peak of their dominance. Things then took a weird turn, as after Strom left and commented that he looked forward to having some downtime, he ended up getting hired by the Diamondbacks to be their pitching coach just two weeks later.

Strom had his reasons for making the switch. He thought he wanted to retire, but the opportunity to coach for a new team that was very close to his home was an opportunity he didn't want to pass up. Alright.

Unfortunately, his tenure in Arizona was cut short, as Strom was fired by the Diamondbacks this week, along with several other members of their coaching staff.

Diamondbacks fire legendary former Astros pitching coach Brent Strom

It does suck that Strom is being set up as a scapegoat for Arizona's struggles this season, as it probably isn't his fault that Jordan Montgomery forgot how to pitch. However, Arizona's pitching staff ranked just 27th in all of baseball in team ERA at 4.63, and some of the Diamondbacks' key guys, like Brandon Pfaadt, took steps back this season. Missing the playoffs altogether after making it to the World Series last year always meant that some heads were going to roll and, unfortunately, Strom was an easy target.

At 75 years old now, there is a very good chance that Strom truly hangs it up this time. The biggest reason why he took the Arizona job was the team's proximity to his Tucson home, and with that option off the table, it feels more likely that he just enjoys a well-earned retirement going forward.

Would it be nice that Strom came back, perhaps in an advisory capacity, with the Astros? Absolutely. Again, he is one of the better pitching coaches from the last couple decades, and that experience and knowledge of how to spin a baseball has a lot of value. However, Houston seems to be in a very good spot pitching-wise without him, and there is no reason to think he has reconsidered his decision to leave the Astros in the first place.

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