New Red Sox pitching coach turning his staff around
Coincidence or not, the Boston Red Sox pitching staff has taken a turn for the better after a rough start to the season. Before the hiring of Carl Willis on May 9, the Sox staff had an ERA of 5.04. Since then? An ERA of 3.14 of 71 2/3 innings. Even though he's helped the staff find some success, he's not looking for any credit. Here's what he told Ian Browne of MLB.com:
"My philosophy is that the game is about the players. I told them that I'm not here to share success with them, but I'm here to help them hopefully attain that success and help them get through the hard times. I'm not coming in try to be any kind of guru or anything other than a guy they can trust, and it's going to take time for me to build that trust. But once I do, they can be comfortable and confident in their own ability, and they'll go out and make it happen."
Sox pitcher Joe Kelly sounds like he's on board with Willis' coaching philosophy:
"He's trying to learn all of us pitchers and what our tendencies are and mechanics-wise, how to get us on track. And when guys are going good or bad, to see what their go-to pitches are. It's been good. He's awesome. He's just trying to learn mechanics, how they throw, how they pitch and what they like to do. So far, we've gotten some tips here or there, but he lets you pitch your own game."
The early results are promising, but the toughest task will be maintaining this early success throughout the rest of the season.
(h/t MLB.com)
