Childhood Rivals Trivino and Mayza Unite on Phillies

MILWAUKEE — Lou Trivino and Tim Mayza, once rivals on the Little League field, are now teammates on the Philadelphia Phillies. The two right-handed relievers, who have combined for over 300 major league innings, joined the Phillies bullpen this month.

Mayza, a native of Allentown, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. Trivino, from Green Lane, signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on August 4 and was promoted to the majors on August 26. Their career paths have finally crossed at a pivotal moment.

“Not a lot of guys get to play as long as we have,” Trivino said. “To be able to play as long as we have, and then end up on the same team, that’s pretty incredible.”

Both players have known each other since childhood, first facing off in Little League, then later in high school, where Mayza played for Upper Perkiomen High School and Trivino for Upper Bucks Christian. They continued to compete in college, with Mayza at Millersville and Trivino at Slippery Rock.

“Pretty much every step of the way, we knew where each other was,” Mayza said. They were both drafted in 2013, with Trivino going in the 11th round to the Oakland Athletics and Mayza in the 12th round to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The two remained in contact as their careers progressed, often facing each other in the majors. “In Little League, he was always one of the better players at Upper Perk,” Trivino recalled. “I would face him, and when he didn’t throw his fastball, I’d be able to hit his changeup-slider.”

This season, Mayza has posted a 2.61 ERA over 10⅓ innings after spending most of the year on the injured list. He made a solid debut with the Phillies on Monday. Trivino has a 4.20 ERA this year.

This marks the first time they have been on the same roster since college, where they played a summer for the Quakertown Blazers. They briefly overlapped in the New York Yankees organization last season, but never shared a team until now. Both players find it meaningful to play for their childhood favorite team amid a pennant race.

“It’s awesome. It is really cool just to be on the hometown team,” Trivino said. “And then to be on the hometown team together, it’s pretty amazing.”

In roster news, right-handed reliever Daniel Robert has been placed on the 15-day injured list after tightness in his forearm was revealed to be a strain. Max Lazar has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Robert’s spot. Lazar struggled earlier this season with a 4.78 ERA over 32 innings.

“He’s been pitching pretty well,” manager Thomson said. “One outing wasn’t great, but the other two were really good.”

In other news, Jordan Romano is working his way back from inflammation in his right middle finger, planning to throw a bullpen session Thursday. Additionally, Christian Yelich was scratched from the Brewers’ lineup with low back soreness but returned to play after experiencing a couple of injuries earlier in the week.