Brent Strom watched from the dugout as the Houston Astros lost to the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series, four years after the septuagenarian pitching coach led the Astros to the franchise's first championship. He seemed set to retire, at least until the Arizona Diamondbacks came calling with a job that allowed him to work near his home in Tucson. Strom spent three seasons as the Diamondbacks' pitching coach, overseeing their surprise run to the 2023 World Series.
When he was fired after the 2024 season, retirement rumors persisted again. After Strom spent the 2025 season as an assistant pitching coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his contract went unrenewed. He was 77 years old when the 2026 season began.
For the first time in 13 years, Strom was without a job on a major league coaching staff. That will change this weekend, when Strom will rejoin the Astros as a pitching consultant. According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Strom will work from the Astros' dugout in uniform as the team looks to clinch a playoff berth.
Strom's return to Houston comes days after owner Jim Crane fired general manager Dana Brown, and appointed himself the interim leader of the team's baseball operations department. More news: Fate of Astros Manager Lies With Hands-On Owner Jim Crane Strom's reputation is less old-school that his age suggests. The Astros were at the forefront of quantifying pitch attributes — among other data-driven advancements — during their run of eight consecutive postseason appearances from 2017-24.
Hinch and Dusty Baker, Strom became skilled at relaying the story the numbers were telling to pitchers whose level of fluency with advanced data varied. The Astros are finishing up a critical series against the New York Yankees on Thursday, Aug. 27 in New York. If all goes well, Strom's return to the Astros will last at least for the final month of the regular season plus the postseason.
Houston began the day with a 66-67 record, a half-game ahead of the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports
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