'It's freakin' awesome': Eflin's resilience paying off in postseason

PHILADELPHIA -- Zach Eflin came into the 2022 season with one simple goal: Pitch in the postseason for a Phillies team with which he had spent his entire seven-year big league career.

But first, he had to get back on the mound -- and find a way to stay there.

Given what Eflin's been through, that part wasn't quite as simple.

When Eflin underwent season-ending knee surgery in September 2021, he was told he could be sidelined until anywhere from March to May this season. So, when he walked into the visiting clubhouse at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium to make his Spring Training debut on March 26 in Lakeland, Fla., this season, he understandably had to choke back some tears.

"It's been a long road and I really wanted to make sure if this is my last year with the Phillies, I wanted to make every single start with these guys," Eflin, who is in the last year of his contract, said after throwing two scoreless innings against the Tigers that day. "I want to be pitching in the playoffs, I want to go as far as we're gonna go."

Fast forward seven months and Eflin -- who tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in the Phillies' Game 1 win over the Astros on Friday -- is preparing to take the mound at Citizens Bank Park this week in the World Series.

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"That was the goal the whole time," said Eflin. "It's really special for me."

But it wasn't just about battling back from one surgery.

Knee troubles initially cut short Eflin's debut season in 2016. He underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee on Aug. 19, 2016, then had the same surgery on his left knee exactly six weeks later.

Eflin missed the final month and a half of 2017 with a right shoulder strain. He missed a start in '18 with a blister and another in '19 with back tightness. Then, in '21, the knee issues returned.

After being scratched from a July start last season due to what was initially called tendinitis in his right knee, the initial hope was Eflin would miss only one turn through the rotation. Instead, his knee made little improvement and, after some PRP injections proved to be only a temporary fix, he underwent season-ending surgery to once again repair the patellar tendon in his right knee. He also had a small anchor inserted into the kneecap in his right knee.

As if that wasn't enough, his wife, Lauren, was seven months pregnant at the time.

"She packed up our whole house and packed up our car eight months pregnant," Eflin said. "I felt helpless because I couldn't move anything. I think the first time I walked after surgery was when my daughter was born. I was like, 'Screw the crutches, I'm going to walk over and hold my baby.'"

Eflin used it all as motivation to crack the Phillies’ 2022 Opening Day roster. He started the third game of the regular season, tossing four scoreless innings against the A’s in a season debut that seemed improbable just a few months earlier. But two months later, the right knee pain came back.

Eflin returned to the IL on June 26, with no timetable for a return. He had no idea if he'd pitch again this season -- or ever again in a Phillies uniform.

Yet, as the Phils battled for a National League Wild Card spot, Eflin worked tirelessly to get back on the mound. Once the calendar flipped to September and it was obvious he wouldn't have enough time to build back up as a starter, Eflin set his sights on returning to a relief role.

"I'm really proud of him, because that knee thing was an issue and it's been an issue for a while," said manager Rob Thomson. "He battled through it and he kept fighting it until he couldn't fight it anymore. And how hard he worked to be able to get back to pitch again and pitch out of our bullpen -- and pitch effectively out of our bullpen -- hats off to him."

Eflin has become one of the Phillies' go-to relievers in October. He's tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings over three appearances in the NL Championship Series and World Series. He will likely be called upon for key outs at some point this week in front of what figures to be an electric Philadelphia crowd.

And, oh yeah, he and his wife are expecting twins in April.

"This was the goal the whole time -- and to find out you're having twin girls as all of this is happening is just so special," Eflin said. "This could be my last year here -- I don't know what the future holds -- but it's something that I've wanted to do for seven seasons now: Get to the playoffs and play in front of these fans in October. And we're doing that right now. It’s freakin’ awesome.”