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Eflin shows resilience after rough Phillies debut

Zach Eflin reached for his phone last month as the Phillies bus departed Rogers Center and rolled toward Toronto's airport.

Zach Eflin reached for his phone last month as the Phillies bus departed Rogers Center and rolled toward Toronto's airport.

He had just allowed nine runs in less than three innings. It seemed as if the afternoon - Eflin's major-league debut - could not have gone any worse. But as he sat on the bus, Eflin tweeted that it "was an incredible day." He thanked his family and friends, writing that "words cannot describe the emotions I felt on the mound."

And that is how Eflin moved on so quickly from a day that could have sent the rookie spiraling down. The 22-year-old has since thrown two complete games and has a 2.08 ERA in his seven starts since that day in Toronto.

"It was the best nine runs I've ever given up in my life," Eflin said. "It was my dream to play in the major leagues, and I finally got the opportunity to do it. I have a very easy mind-set. I don't take anything for granted. I looked at the game and said, 'You know, it's going to happen to everyone at some point in their career.' "

Eflin, scheduled to pitch Wednesday in Miami, walked just five batters in his last 472/3 innings. The righthander needed only 100 pitches Friday to pitch a shutout in Pittsburgh, becoming the youngest Phillies pitcher to throw a shutout since 1983. It was Eflin's second complete game in 12 days.

Manager Pete Mackanin sought out Eflin the day after the Phillies returned from Toronto. He wanted to know how his young pitcher was handling his debut.

"It was a matter of fact 'I'm not worried. I know what I have to do.' That made an impression on me," Mackanin said. "You just look at a guy and you can just tell. He was all business. You could tell that he had great makeup. He wasn't daunted by the fact that he pitched so poorly."

Eflin's success has been steeped in his ability to command his pitches, which he lacked in his debut as nearly 60 percent of his throws were up in the strike zone and waiting to be crushed by the Blue Jays. Eflin had dominated this season in triple A thanks to excellent command of his fastball and an improved slider. For whatever reason, he did not have either in Toronto.

On Friday, the pitcher's adjustments were clear. He commanded his pitches low and inside, throwing just 32 of his 100 pitches for balls. He threw 77 of his pitches on the lower part of the zone and kept an aggressive Pittsburgh lineup unsettled with a balanced mixture of his four-seam fastball, sinker, and slider.

Eflin's style, catcher Cameron Rupp said, results in weak contact and early swings. A hitter is less inclined, Rupp said, to wait out an at-bat when a pitcher is throwing strikes with precision.

"You dream about making your debut in the big leagues and for it to get kind of ruined like that, it's tough," Rupp said. "But he brushed it right off and didn't care. It's one start. He doesn't know how many he's going to get, but he knows he's going to pitch the next one like his last. That's what he's done. He brushes it off and moves on to the next one."

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen