Jeff Hoffman
Reliever Jeff Hoffman had an excellent regular season from the end of March through July. He was not used often in the closer’s role as he went 9-for-12 in save situations entering August. Following the Phillies’ acquisition of closer Carlos Estévez at the trade deadline, the Latham, New York native received only one save opportunity for the remainder of the season.
After making the All-Star Game, Hoffman had a difficult August. He finished with a 5.56 ERA and allowed seven earned runs in 13 games. During his nine appearances in September, the right-hander finished with a 4.00 ERA and four earned runs allowed.
The Phillies bullpen underperformed as a whole in the Division Series. Hoffman was no exception. He allowed six earned runs over 1 1/3 innings pitched in three of the four contests versus the Mets. He received the Game 1 loss and a blown save due to New York’s rally in Game 1.
In Game 2 of the series, he pitched a brief 1/3 of an inning and received the win. Hoffman ran into trouble again in Game 4. Initially, he held the Mets off the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. The reliever held runners allowed earlier in the inning by starter Ranger Suárez.
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