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Jon Matlack
Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack (born January 19, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1971 through 1983 for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.
The three-time All-Star was named the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year and was a member of the 1973 National League pennant-winning New York Mets team. Matlack led the National League in shutouts in 1974 and 1975 and, ranks in the top 10 among Mets pitchers in wins, complete games, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts and innings pitched. In 2020, Matlack was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.
Matlack was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was 17 years old when the Mets drafted him as the fourth overall pick in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft out of Henderson High School in the West Chester Area School District of Pennsylvania. His baseball career was delayed by his American Legion Baseball team's tournament. Once he was able to begin his professional baseball career, he was a disappointing 0–1 with a 14.40 earned run average for the Williamsport Mets, but improved to 3–2 with an even 2.00 earned run average later in the 1967 season for the Florida Instructional League Mets.
His rise to stardom began in 1968 with the Raleigh-Durham Mets. Matlack went 13–6 with a 2.76 earned run average and 188 strikeouts in 173 innings pitched. Along with fellow southpaw starters Charlie Hudson and Jerry Bark, he led the Mets to an 83–56 record, and first place in the Carolina League Eastern Division. His rise up the ranks continued in 1969, when he went 14-7 to lead the Triple-A Tidewater Tides to the International League championship.
A rhomboid muscle injury to Jerry Koosman opened a spot for a left hander in the Mets' starting rotation during the 1971 season. Matlack made his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a July 11 doubleheader, and was on the line for the victory when he departed after seven innings. However, the Mets bullpen (including a blown save by Tom Seaver) was unable to secure the victory, and Matlack got a no decision in his major league debut.
Matlack was also in line for a victory in his second career start against the St. Louis Cardinals until the wheels came off in the seventh. After retiring the first two batters, Matlack walked the next two. Jim Beauchamp followed with a double to tie the score, and knock Matlack out of the game. A single by Ted Simmons (selected 6 spots after Matlack in the 1967 draft) scored Beauchamp with the go ahead run, charging Matlack with the loss in his second career start. For the season, Matlack went 0–3 with a 4.14 ERA in seven appearances (six starts). His finest pitching performance was his last, when he gave up just one run in eight innings of work against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Matlack made the team out of spring training in 1972, and got off to a 6–0 start with a 1.95 earned run average in the first two months of the season. He ended the season at 15–10 with a 2.32 ERA to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. On September 30, Matlack gave up Roberto Clemente's 3000th, and final, career hit.
On May 8, 1973, a vicious line drive off the bat of Marty Perez of the Atlanta Braves struck Matlack's head so hard that the ball rebounded into the dugout. He suffered a hairline fracture of his skull, but recovered quickly enough to return and pitch six shutout innings at Pittsburgh on May 19. He ended up winning fourteen games for the National League champion Mets.
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Jon Matlack
Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack (born January 19, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1971 through 1983 for the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers.
The three-time All-Star was named the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year and was a member of the 1973 National League pennant-winning New York Mets team. Matlack led the National League in shutouts in 1974 and 1975 and, ranks in the top 10 among Mets pitchers in wins, complete games, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts and innings pitched. In 2020, Matlack was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.
Matlack was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was 17 years old when the Mets drafted him as the fourth overall pick in the 1967 Major League Baseball draft out of Henderson High School in the West Chester Area School District of Pennsylvania. His baseball career was delayed by his American Legion Baseball team's tournament. Once he was able to begin his professional baseball career, he was a disappointing 0–1 with a 14.40 earned run average for the Williamsport Mets, but improved to 3–2 with an even 2.00 earned run average later in the 1967 season for the Florida Instructional League Mets.
His rise to stardom began in 1968 with the Raleigh-Durham Mets. Matlack went 13–6 with a 2.76 earned run average and 188 strikeouts in 173 innings pitched. Along with fellow southpaw starters Charlie Hudson and Jerry Bark, he led the Mets to an 83–56 record, and first place in the Carolina League Eastern Division. His rise up the ranks continued in 1969, when he went 14-7 to lead the Triple-A Tidewater Tides to the International League championship.
A rhomboid muscle injury to Jerry Koosman opened a spot for a left hander in the Mets' starting rotation during the 1971 season. Matlack made his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of a July 11 doubleheader, and was on the line for the victory when he departed after seven innings. However, the Mets bullpen (including a blown save by Tom Seaver) was unable to secure the victory, and Matlack got a no decision in his major league debut.
Matlack was also in line for a victory in his second career start against the St. Louis Cardinals until the wheels came off in the seventh. After retiring the first two batters, Matlack walked the next two. Jim Beauchamp followed with a double to tie the score, and knock Matlack out of the game. A single by Ted Simmons (selected 6 spots after Matlack in the 1967 draft) scored Beauchamp with the go ahead run, charging Matlack with the loss in his second career start. For the season, Matlack went 0–3 with a 4.14 ERA in seven appearances (six starts). His finest pitching performance was his last, when he gave up just one run in eight innings of work against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Matlack made the team out of spring training in 1972, and got off to a 6–0 start with a 1.95 earned run average in the first two months of the season. He ended the season at 15–10 with a 2.32 ERA to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. On September 30, Matlack gave up Roberto Clemente's 3000th, and final, career hit.
On May 8, 1973, a vicious line drive off the bat of Marty Perez of the Atlanta Braves struck Matlack's head so hard that the ball rebounded into the dugout. He suffered a hairline fracture of his skull, but recovered quickly enough to return and pitch six shutout innings at Pittsburgh on May 19. He ended up winning fourteen games for the National League champion Mets.