Tim Mayza’s ‘The Sheriff’ nickname an example of the ‘tight-knit’ group of Phillies relievers
The unit gained a reinforcement on Tuesday when closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) was activated off the injured list. Newcomer Chase Shugart described the bullpen as “really close."
In the Phillies’ home bullpen at Citizens Bank Park, there are a few photoshopped images hanging up depicting Tim Mayza as a police officer.
That’s because the Phillies lefty is known to his fellow relievers as “The Sheriff.”
He can’t recall who originated it, but the nickname started a few weeks ago after Mayza made what he called a “fun rule” in the bullpen. (Mayza wouldn’t get into specifics, but said the rule was related to housecleaning). The photoshopped images appeared soon after.
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“Tim’s a pro and wants everybody else to be a pro around him,” said Chase Shugart, who let the nickname slip in a postgame interview last week in Miami. “There’s a certain set of rules to follow, and he makes sure everybody does.”
The nickname is all in good fun, and Mayza, an eight-year major league veteran, is taking it in stride. It’s an example of the Phillies relievers’ tight-knit group.
The unit gained a reinforcement on Tuesday when closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) was activated off the injured list. As a corresponding move, Trevor Richards was traded to the White Sox for cash considerations.
“You pitch and you do whatever you can, and when the ball gets passed to the next guy, he’s there to pick you up,” said Mayza, who has a 3.50 ERA this season. “Some of the best bullpens I’ve been on are ones that collectively operate as a unit. And when you look up, everybody’s happy with where they are individually. So I think it’s just a small kind of sneak peek into maybe some of the dynamics of the bullpen.”
Shugart, a newcomer after being traded from the Pirates over the offseason, described the bullpen as “really close.” He already had previous connections, as Shugart coincided with Mayza early last season in Pittsburgh, and also played with Brad Keller in 2024 on the Red Sox.
But even those he didn’t already know, like lefty reliever José Alvarado, have been welcoming. Their lockers were next to each other in spring training and they spent a lot of time talking about Philadelphia and what to expect from the fan base.
“Just getting a tight-knit group of guys that are going to go out there, just pass the baton to one another,” Shugart said. “And it builds confidence, and it builds trust in one another, knowing that, like, ‘Hey, maybe I didn’t get the job done right here, but this next guy will,’ or being able to be the one to go in and pick that other guy up in the same sense, you know what I mean?”
» READ MORE: Phillies closer Jhoan Duran expected to return from injured list Tuesday
Shugart embodied that concept during the Phillies’ last homestand, when he pitched in both ends of the Phillies’ doubleheader against the Giants on April 30 and earned two wins in one day. The righty, who has a 0.84 ERA this season, finished the top of the ninth inning of the first game before the Phillies walked it off, and pitched the 10th in the second game before they walked that off, too.
Both times he went out to the mound, he had his motto on his glove and his belt: “Say when.”
It comes from the 1993 movie Tombstone, and is a reference to the iconic quote from the gunslinger Doc Holliday. Shugart watched the Western film in 2024 and it immediately resonated.
“Being a reliever is kind of like, hey, whenever the phone rings, you got to be ready then,” Shugart said. “So just like, ‘Say when.’”
Extra bases
Gage Wood and Alex Binelas were named the Phillies’ minor league pitcher and hitter of the month, respectively, for April. Wood posted a 3.45 ERA in five starts for low-A Clearwater and held opponents to a .170 batting average. Binelas, an infielder for double-A Reading, hit .268 with a 1.189 OPS. … Zack Wheeler (1-0, 2.45 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 3.96).
Hunter Pence's 368-day stint with the Phillies was a study in extremes. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2011 as the missing right-handed bat for a World Series contender, he got dealt a year later by an underachieving team. And with the Phillies in full-on crisis mode this week, Pence sits down with "Phillies Extra," the Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss how quickly a team's fortunes can change. Watch here.
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