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June 21 (UPI) -- The New York Mets hired 82-year-old Phil Regan as the team's interim pitching coach after firing former pitching coach Dave Eiland and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez, the team announced. The Mets also introduced Ricky Bones as the interim bullpen coach Thursday. Jeremy Accardo joined the team's staff in the newly created role of pitching strategist.
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"This attempt is pretty simple. Our goal here is to try to get better as an organization," Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said.
"As we have evaluated the season so far, we have fallen short of a variety of things as a team, and we all have to look at ourselves for that shortcoming and we have to make the best decisions we can in this moment to improve our stock," he said.
"By adding all three of these gentlemen to the staff, we feel we have added a very good blend of experience, a very good blend of teachers, of people that are capable of processing information, and most importantly people who are able to work collaboratively with the existing coaching staff to put the players in the best position they can to succeed."
Regan had been serving as the Mets' minor league assistant pitching coordinator since 2016. He was an active MLB pitcher from 1960 to 1972 and spent two-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the same pitching staff as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Don Sutton.
Regan played for four major league teams, compiling a 96-81 record. He last pitched for the Chicago White Sox on July 15, 1972, and was released five days later.
Bones started the year as the pitching coach for the St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League. Previously, he was the New York Mets' bullpen coach from 2012 to 2018 and played for four National League teams from 1991 to 2001.
Eiland, 52, was in his second season as the Mets' pitching coach, and Hernandez was coaching in his first season with the club. As of Wednesday, New York had a 4.67 ERA as a team, the third-worst in the National League.
