Brian Matusz obit

Brian Matusz, lefty who had Big Papi's number, dies at 37

 

He was not on the list.

Brian Matusz, a left-handed pitcher who spent nearly all of his eight-year MLB career with the Orioles, died on Tuesday. He was 37.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, Matusz pitched in 279 games (68 starts) for Baltimore from 2009-16. He made only one big league appearance for a team other than the O’s -- a three-inning start for the Cubs on July 31, 2016, in their most recent championship season.

“A staple in our clubhouse from 2009-16, Brian was beloved throughout Birdland, and his passion for baseball and our community was unmatched,” the Orioles said in a statement. “He dedicated his time to connecting with any fan he could, was a cherished teammate and always had a smile on his face.”

Brian Robert Matusz was born on Feb. 11, 1987, in Grand Junction, Colo., and grew up as part of an athletic family. His father, Michael, participated in track and field at Purdue University. His brother, Chris, played baseball at Iowa Wesleyan University.

Brian’s baseball career took off during his time at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix. As a junior in 2004, he went 8-2 with a 0.95 ERA and was named first-team All-State for Arizona. During his ’05 senior campaign, Matusz went 8-1 with a 0.50 ERA and was selected as the Arizona Player of the Year.

After being drafted by the Angels in the fourth round of the 2005 MLB Draft, Matusz opted to instead head to the University of San Diego. He went on to have a standout three-year career for the Toreros, capped by winning West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year in ’08.

Matusz, a two-time finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, led the NCAA with 141 strikeouts during his 2008 junior season at San Diego. He recorded 12 wins to go with a 1.71 ERA, the fourth-best single-season mark in the school’s history at the time.

Matusz finished his collegiate career as the school’s all-time leader in strikeouts (396).

When Matusz joined the Orioles, the organization was loading up on young pitchers. Baltimore took right-hander Matt Hobgood in the first round in 2009, while starters such as Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, Zack Britton and Chris Tillman were expected to develop into key members of the club’s rotation for years to come.

Matusz reached the big leagues in 2009, posting a 4.63 ERA over eight starts. He built on those results in ’10, recording a 4.30 ERA over 32 starts and finishing fifth in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting. However, that ended up being the southpaw’s best MLB season as a starter. He then pitched to a 10.69 ERA in 12 starts in ’11 and a 5.42 ERA in 16 starts in ’12.

But Matusz reinvented himself as a reliever and stuck in the Majors because of it. He had a 1.35 ERA in 18 relief outings in 2012, helping the Orioles end a 15-year postseason drought. He pitched a scoreless one-third of an inning in the AL Wild Card Game win over the Rangers, then posted a 2.08 ERA while pitching in all five games of the AL Division Series vs. the Yankees.

Matusz attended St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, Arizona, graduating in 2005. He enrolled at the University of San Diego, where he played college baseball for the San Diego Toreros as a starting pitcher. Matusz, Josh Romanski, and Matt Couch anchored the Toreros rotation.

In 2008, Matusz was named to the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and finalist for the Roger Clemens Award.

The Baltimore Orioles selected Matusz in the first round, with the fourth overall selection, in the 2008 MLB draft. Matusz signed a contract with the Orioles on August 15, 2008, the deadline to sign draft picks. He played ffirst fo the Surprise Rafters.

In spring 2009, he was invited to the Orioles spring training. In June 2009, he was promoted from high Single-A (Frederick Keys) to a starting pitcher for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. He struck out 10 batters in his first start for Bowie on June 17. Matusz was named Baseball America's ninth best overall prospect mid-season in 2009. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America named him the fifth best prospect in all of baseball.

Matusz made his MLB debut on August 4, 2009, against the Detroit Tigers. On his MLB debut Matusz went five innings, allowing six hits, one earned run and striking out five. He earned a win in his effort. On September 14, the O's decided to shut Matusz down for the remainder of the season, wary of overextending the rookie in his first big league season. He was named a starting pitcher on Baseball America's 2010 All-Rookie Team.

Matusz missed the first two months of the 2011 season with an injury. He returned and got six starts and finished with a 1–4 record with an ERA above 7.00 before being demoted to Triple-A Norfolk Tides on June 30 to work on his velocity. He was later recalled and continued to struggle, posting a 1–7 record and 9.84 ERA before his removal from the starting rotation in September.