From college to the NLCS, Thompson makes presence felt
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PHOENIX -- Down the stretch, as they prepared to make a push for their first postseason berth since 2017, the D-backs needed someone to assert himself as a reliable arm in the bullpen.
That’s when Ryan Thompson entered the frame.
In Thompson's D-backs debut on Aug. 27, manager Torey Lovullo wanted to see how the right-hander handled a high-leverage situation. Just 11 days earlier, Thompson, who uses a submarine-style delivery inspired by Byung-Hyun Kim, had been released by the Rays. That’s when Arizona picked him up.
On that August day, the D-backs watched as Thompson retired the side in the ninth inning, securing his first save with his new club.
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“This year, I think especially the first half of the year, there were a lot of times where I got punched in the face a little bit,” said Thompson, who posted a 6.11 ERA over 18 appearances with the Rays before his release. “That helped me get better. Coming over here, something that I thought was really special about this team was how many different coaches that we have.”
Since joining the D-backs, Thompson has been an integral part of the team’s improved bullpen. The right-hander ranked second among Arizona relievers with 12 innings in September, allowing one run on six hits and striking out eight.
“Our bullpen really took off when he got here,” closer Paul Sewald said. “I started to feel a little more comfortable, and we really started to roll with that group. I think that is really when everyone settled into the roles and really started to pitch their best.”
In October, Thompson’s role became even more important. He was used in key situations in both games of the National League Wild Card Series against Milwaukee and retired the top of the Dodgers’ order in Game 2 of the NL Division Series.
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Lovullo once again turned to him when the D-backs returned to Arizona trailing 2-0 in the NL Championship Series against the Phillies. Thompson delivered, pitching three innings and allowing one run combined between Games 3 and 4.
“He may not strike a ton of people out,” D-backs pitching coach Brent Strom said. “But he puts the ball in play, he doesn't walk people and he has the weapons to get both-side hitters out. He's particularly effective against righties, but that doesn’t mean he can't get lefties out either. I think Torey used him quite well in that sixth-, seventh-inning role.”
The D-backs certainly changed the trajectory of Thompson’s season, but before he was pitching in crucial postseason games, the Turner, Ore., native developed his skills at Campbell University, a small private school in Buies Creek, N.C.
“Campbell changed my life,” Thompson said this past week while wearing a shirt featuring the school’s mascot, the Fighting Camel. “It helped me grow up as a human being. I found my faith in the Lord there. My baseball career just took off. I had no idea how to pitch. I was just throwing good stuff over the plate. I was taught how to pitch.”
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He came in as an unknown junior college transfer, but Greg Goff, Campbell’s head coach at the time, said that his presence was felt the moment he arrived.
Thompson had been looking for the opportunity to play Division I baseball, and with only two years of eligibility left, he knew his window to impress Major League teams was limited. He came in with a winning mentality and earned the trust of his coaches and teammates.
Asked how that mentality manifested, Goff shared how Thompson, who was too sick to travel with the team for a big road weekend series against Radford University in Virginia, ended up making the 201-mile drive himself to pitch in the series finale. He then delivered 5 1/3 innings of relief and struck out a career-high seven.
In Thompson’s two years at Campbell, the team went 90-31 and won the Big South championship in 2014. As much as he credits Campbell with changing his life, Goff said Thompson changed the program forever.
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“This guy has such an impact on my life as a coach,” said Goff, who is now the head coach at Purdue. “I never had a player that was such a great player but also just a tremendous teammate and person. He had a great vision of what he wanted to do. And he knew he could do it. And he did.”
That same determination will be key for Thompson in Philadelphia, where he could be called upon to handle another high-pressure situation on Monday night in Game 6.
“We have a really deep bullpen of guys that do a lot of different things,” Thompson said. “We're really connected. We have a lot of strong conversations and strong relationships down there in that bullpen. We all want the ball.”