Steven Matz Bio
Steven Jakob Matz is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born and raised on Long Island, Matz first gained national attention as a high school ace at Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, New York, where he starred alongside future major leaguers such as Marcus Stroman. The New York Mets selected him in the second round of the 2009 MLB draft with the 72nd overall pick, and after a delayed start caused by Tommy John surgery, he debuted in the major leagues in 2015.
Over the course of his career, Steven Jakob Matz has pitched for the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays. Known for his smooth left-handed delivery and a strong curveball, Matz has built a reputation as a reliable innings-eater whose work ethic has helped him overcome multiple arm injuries. Off the field, he is widely recognized for his charitable work, including the Tru 32 initiative that supports first responders and the families of fallen heroes.
Early Life and Background
Steven Jakob Matz was born on May 29, 1991, in Stony Brook, New York, the second child of Ron and Lori Matz. He grew up alongside an older brother, Jonathan, and a younger sister, Jillian. His father, Ron, coached a local travel baseball team and worked as a service manager at a Jeep dealership in West Islip, while his mother, Lori, was an administrative employee at Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station. Multiple generations of the Matz family, including his grandparents, were devoted fans of the New York Mets.
Steven Jakob Matz first picked up baseball in the Three Village Little League at age 8, and by age 10 he began taking pitching lessons from Neal Heaton, a former MLB left-hander who also grew up on Long Island. The young southpaw attended Nassakeag Elementary School before moving on to Ward Melville High School, where he both pitched and played first base for the Patriots. His fastball already sat around 90 miles per hour by his freshman year, and he played varsity throughout his high school career.
During his high school years, Steven Jakob Matz developed a memorable rivalry with Marcus Stroman of nearby Patchogue-Medford High School. The two future teammates played for the same elite travel team, the Paveco Storm, and squared off several times in their high school careers, including a celebrated 1–0 duel on April 16, 2009, that drew more than 50 MLB scouts. Matz struck out 12 in that game, while Stroman punched out 14, and both pitchers hurled complete games in a contest widely regarded as one of the best in Long Island high school baseball history.
Path to Professional Baseball
Steven Jakob Matz capped his senior season at Ward Melville with a 6–1 record, 0.47 ERA, 74 strikeouts in 54 innings, and a .408 batting average, leading the Patriots to their first league title in 34 years. He was named Newsday’s Long Island Player of the Year and won the prestigious Yastrzemski Award as the top high school ballplayer in Suffolk County. More than 40 NCAA Division I programs tried to recruit him, and he was verbally committed to Coastal Carolina University before the 2009 MLB draft intervened.
The New York Mets selected Steven Jakob Matz in the second round of the 2009 MLB draft with the 72nd overall pick, making him the first player ever drafted directly out of Ward Melville High School. Because the Mets did not hold a first-round pick that year, several scouts believed he slipped to them largely because of his Northeast roots. Originally seeking a $1.1 million signing bonus, Matz agreed to terms with the Mets for $895,000 just minutes before the August 15 deadline, narrowly beating a scheduled flight to his college orientation at Coastal Carolina.
Steven Matz Career
Early Career (2009–2014)
Steven Jakob Matz’s professional career got off to a difficult start when he tore 80 percent of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow during an instructional league in 2010. He underwent Tommy John surgery on May 18, 2010, and spent roughly two years rehabbing alongside fellow Mets prospect Jacob deGrom, with the two pitchers eventually sharing housing in Port St. Lucie, Florida, during spring trainings. Matz finally made his professional debut in 2012 with the Kingsport Mets of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, posting a 2–1 record and 1.55 ERA in 29 innings despite lingering elbow pain.
Steven Jakob Matz climbed the minor-league ladder with the Savannah Sand Gnats in 2013 and the St. Lucie and Binghamton Mets in 2014. He helped Savannah win the South Atlantic League championship in 2013 and helped pitch Binghamton to the Eastern League title in 2014, striking out 11 and allowing no hits through seven innings in the clinching victory. He was named the Mets’ Organizational Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and was added to the team’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
New York Mets (2015–2020)
Steven Jakob Matz made his MLB debut with the New York Mets on June 28, 2015, against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Although his first pitch went wild, he recovered to earn the win, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six over 7⅔ innings. Using a bat gifted to him by Triple-A teammate Matt Reynolds, Matz also delivered three hits and four RBI as a batter, becoming the first pitcher in MLB history to record that many hits and runs batted in during a debut. He finished his rookie regular season with a 4–0 record and 2.27 ERA before appearing in three postseason games, including Game 4 of the 2015 World Series against the Kansas City Royals.
In 2016, Steven Jakob Matz opened the year with seven consecutive winning decisions and earned National League Rookie of the Month honors in May. He finished the season 9–8 with a 3.40 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 22 starts, but a bone spur in his throwing elbow required offseason surgery. Injuries continued to dog him through 2017, when he made just 13 starts and underwent season-ending surgery to address ulnar nerve irritation. After finally pitching a full 30-start season in 2018, going 5–11 with a 3.97 ERA, he rebounded in 2019 to post an 11–10 record and a 4.21 ERA, including a 99-pitch complete-game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 27. A difficult 2020 shortened by injury and a 9.68 ERA led to his trade to Toronto the following January.
Toronto Blue Jays (2021)
The New York Mets traded Steven Jakob Matz to the Toronto Blue Jays on January 27, 2021, in exchange for pitchers Sean Reid-Foley, Yennsy Díaz, and Josh Winckowski. Facing his former team for the first time on July 24, 2021, at Citi Field, he received a warm reception and pitched 5⅔ innings in a tough-luck loss. He went on to record 14 wins with a 3.82 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 150⅔ innings over 29 starts, with his win total tying for second in the American League that season.
St. Louis Cardinals (2022–2025)
Steven Jakob Matz signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on November 29, 2021, after a robust free-agent market chased his services. Injuries limited him to 15 appearances in 2022 and forced him to the injured list in May 2024 with a lower back strain. He bounced back into the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2025, recording his first career save on March 30 and pitching to a 5–2 record with a 3.44 ERA in 32 appearances before being traded midseason.
Boston Red Sox (2025)
On July 31, 2025, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Steven Jakob Matz to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Blaze Jordan. Pitching primarily in relief, Matz made 21 appearances for Boston and posted a 2.08 ERA with 12 strikeouts and one save in 21⅔ innings. His late-season work in the Boston bullpen helped him re-establish himself as a versatile left-handed option heading into free agency.
Tampa Bay Rays (2025–Present)
Steven Jakob Matz signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on December 16, 2025, returning to a starting role. He opened the 2026 season in the Rays rotation, but on June 6, 2026, the team announced that he would be moving to the bullpen after recording a 5.48 ERA across his first 10 starts. The transition to relief work was designed to maximize his left-handed depth while keeping him healthy for the rest of the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Steven Jakob Matz’s pitching style is built around a 92–94 mile per hour fastball, a sharp curveball in the high 70s, and a changeup in the low 80s. Baseball Prospectus has praised his smooth mechanics and minimal wasted movement, with strong front-side extension and consistent delivery. He developed his curveball in the minors on the advice of Frank Viola and Ron Romanick, and his sinker-changeup combination has been particularly effective at generating ground balls and limiting hard contact.
Notable Events and Milestones
Steven Jakob Matz’s MLB debut in 2015 produced one of the most remarkable offensive performances ever by a pitcher, and he helped the Mets reach the 2015 World Series. He also hit two home runs in consecutive starts in September 2018, becoming only the third Mets pitcher to homer in back-to-back appearances. In 2019, he tossed a 99-pitch complete-game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and in 2021 he surrendered Miguel Cabrera’s 500th career home run while pitching for Toronto.
Steven Matz Career Wins
Steven Jakob Matz has accumulated steady wins throughout his major-league career, with his single-season high of 14 victories coming in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has been a reliable starting pitcher and left-handed reliever across multiple organizations, with his win totals reflecting both his durability and his ability to navigate difficult lineups in the National and American Leagues.
MLB Highlights
Steven Jakob Matz’s most productive stretch came in 2021, when he won 14 games and posted a 3.82 ERA over 29 starts for the Toronto Blue Jays. He also reached double-digit wins with the Mets in 2016 (9) and 2019 (11), demonstrating his ability to deliver quality innings when healthy. His move to relief work in 2025 with the Cardinals and Red Sox resulted in his first career save on March 30, 2025, a new milestone in his career.
Other Wins & Performances
Steven Jakob Matz has also tasted team success in the minor leagues, helping the Savannah Sand Gnats win the 2013 South Atlantic League championship and the Binghamton Mets claim the 2014 Eastern League title. In both league-clinching games, he delivered standout performances, including 11 strikeouts and no hits through seven innings in the 2014 clincher against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.
Steven Matz Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Steven Jakob Matz comes from a close-knit Long Island family with deep baseball roots. His father, Ron Matz, coached a local travel baseball team, and his mother, Lori Matz, worked in school administration. He shares a particularly close bond with Mets teammate Jacob deGrom, with whom he lived during spring training and rehabbed after Tommy John surgery.
Personal Life
Steven Jakob Matz is married to Taylor Cain, a Christian music singer and guitarist who performs in the band CAIN with her siblings Madison and Logan Cain. The couple was introduced by Mets teammate T. J. Rivera and his wife, Ashton, and became engaged on November 12, 2016. They were married on December 9, 2017, in Nauvoo, Alabama, with Jacob deGrom and Brandon Nimmo serving in the wedding party. Matz and Cain have two children, a daughter born in August 2022 and a son born prematurely in October 2024, and the family makes its offseason home in Nashville, Tennessee.
2025 Season Performance
Steven Jakob Matz began the 2025 season in the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen and immediately recorded his first career save on March 30. He went on to appear in 32 games out of the bullpen for St. Louis, pitching to a 5–2 record and 3.44 ERA with 47 strikeouts across 55 innings before being traded. The trade gave him a fresh opportunity with a contender down the stretch.
Following his midseason move to the Boston Red Sox, Steven Jakob Matz transitioned into a high-leverage relief role, making 21 appearances and posting a 2.08 ERA with 12 strikeouts and one save in 21⅔ innings. His late-season success in Boston helped restore his value on the free-agent market, and on December 16, 2025, he signed a two-year, $15 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays planned to deploy him as a starting pitcher, providing an opportunity to extend his career back in a starting role.
