Steven Matz dominates Reds during debut … at the plate
The New York Mets called up Steven Matz to help their pitching staff, but they probably didn’t expect him to slot in as a middle-of-the-order hitter.
That’s exactly what happened during Matz’s major-league debut. The 24-year-old did not disappoint on the mound, even though his start was delayed for quite some time.
The Mets and Cincinnati Reds had to continue Saturday’s game prior to Matz’s start, and that game wound up going 13 innings.
The wait seemed to impact Matz as first, as he gave up a solo home run against Brandon Phillips to lead off the game. The nerves then seemed to slip away.
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Matz was effective on the mound over the rest of the contest, giving up one more run during the start. He allowed two runs on five hits over 7 2/3 innings during his debut. He walked three and struck out six.
While his performance on the mound was impressive, Matz production at the plate may have been the bigger story. Matz’s rotation mates must have warned him about the team’s weak offense this season, because the rookie came prepared at the plate.
In his first at-bat, Matz delivered a two-run double, giving himself a 2-1 lead. Apparently, that was enough. Matz singled in the fifth inning, reaching base for the second time. In his third, and final, at-bat, Matz drove in two more runs with another single. He finished 3 for 3, with four RBI at the plate.
Turns out, Matz’s performance at the plate was pretty special.
Matz managed all of this with his family in attendance. Matz’s grandpa, in particular, seemed to enjoy the game, especially after his grandson picked up that final hit.
All together, it was a pretty amazing debut. Matz lived up to expectations on the mound, and delivered a historic performance at the plate.
[On this week’s StewPod: Looking back at a fun week in baseball with Jeff Passan]
If there’s any issue here, it’s that Matz may have raised expectations to unsustainable levels for his second start. Looks like he’s going to have to toss eight innings of shutout ball and pick up four hits next time out. Anything else would be a disappointment after this debut.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
