'Right after you:' Mattson isn't holding anything back
David Bednar, Dennis Santana, Caleb Ferguson and even Chase Shugart have all been reliable bullpen arms for the Pirates. Isaac Mattson, a 29-year-old journeyman with Major League Baseball's longest hitless streak, can now be added to that list.
In seven appearances this season, Mattson has thrown 9 2/3 innings and produced a 0.93 ERA and 0.31 WHIP. Over his last 8 2/3 innings, he hasn't allowed a hit or an earned run while facing 30 batters, which is the longest streak in Major League Baseball. He's also struck out seven while walking two. He's thrown two innings in two of his appearances and covered more than one in four.
"He just comes in and goes right after you, which is exactly what you want," Mitch Keller said after Mattson threw two scoreless innings on Sunday against the Cubs. "He comes in and goes right after you. His fastball is electric. Guys have a really hard time pulling the trigger, especially when he throws it down."
For Mattson, 29, he's being aggressive with every opportunity he gets, as this opportunity has been years in the making.
After playing three seasons at Pitt, he was drafted by the Angels in 2017 but didn't make his major-league debut until 2021 with the Orioles. He was released in 2022, prompting him to play Independent ball with the Washington Wild Things for a year. He then signed minor-league contracts with the Twins in 2022 and the Pirates in 2023.
The right-hander pitched in three games last year, producing a 5.06 ERA, but has been outstanding in two different stints this season. During his first outing against Milwaukee on May 22, he left a changeup over the middle of the plate against Christian Yelich, who sent it 415 feet into the right-centerfield seats. It's the only run he's allowed. Mattson recovered to strike out the next two batters and hasn't allowed a run or a hit since.
"It's just been a matter of executing at a little bit of a higher level," Mattson said in Chicago. "Still felt like I did a good job the first time up with executing in-zone. So, just carrying that through and being able to improve a few things in terms of that execution has kind of yielded better results."
The right-hander was sent back down to Class AAA Indianapolis on May 26 when Braxton Ashcraft was recalled. He was brought back up on June 7 when Endy Rodriguez was placed on the injured list.
Mattson said he learned a lot from his first stint, specifically not to throw "changeups middle-middle to Christian Yelich," he said with a laugh. He added that he needed to improve his changeup accuracy, so it could work off his fastball and keep hitters off balance. He's thrown it 20 times and has limited hitters to a .125 batting average while producing a 27.3% whiff rate. But he's thrown his fastball 67.5% and recorded a 37.5% strikeout percentage.
Mattson earned his first major-league win on June 7 against the Phillies when he took over for Andrew Heaney with a runner on third and no outs. He struck out Nick Castellanos and then induced two flyouts. He credited Henry Davis that night for keeping him prepared and said the Pirates' catchers have been a big part of his success.
"They've all done a really good job of preparing," Mattson said. "So when we go out there, just being able to trust what they're calling and have conviction behind each pitch. I think it's definitely helped with confidence."
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
9:45 pm - 06.16.2025DOWNTOWN'Right after you:' Mattson isn't holding anything back
David Bednar, Dennis Santana, Caleb Ferguson and even Chase Shugart have all been reliable bullpen arms for the Pirates. Isaac Mattson, a 29-year-old journeyman with Major League Baseball's longest hitless streak, can now be added to that list.
In seven appearances this season, Mattson has thrown 9 2/3 innings and produced a 0.93 ERA and 0.31 WHIP. Over his last 8 2/3 innings, he hasn't allowed a hit or an earned run while facing 30 batters, which is the longest streak in Major League Baseball. He's also struck out seven while walking two. He's thrown two innings in two of his appearances and covered more than one in four.
"He just comes in and goes right after you, which is exactly what you want," Mitch Keller said after Mattson threw two scoreless innings on Sunday against the Cubs. "He comes in and goes right after you. His fastball is electric. Guys have a really hard time pulling the trigger, especially when he throws it down."
For Mattson, 29, he's being aggressive with every opportunity he gets, as this opportunity has been years in the making.
After playing three seasons at Pitt, he was drafted by the Angels in 2017 but didn't make his major-league debut until 2021 with the Orioles. He was released in 2022, prompting him to play Independent ball with the Washington Wild Things for a year. He then signed minor-league contracts with the Twins in 2022 and the Pirates in 2023.
The right-hander pitched in three games last year, producing a 5.06 ERA, but has been outstanding in two different stints this season. During his first outing against Milwaukee on May 22, he left a changeup over the middle of the plate against Christian Yelich, who sent it 415 feet into the right-centerfield seats. It's the only run he's allowed. Mattson recovered to strike out the next two batters and hasn't allowed a run or a hit since.
"It's just been a matter of executing at a little bit of a higher level," Mattson said in Chicago. "Still felt like I did a good job the first time up with executing in-zone. So, just carrying that through and being able to improve a few things in terms of that execution has kind of yielded better results."
The right-hander was sent back down to Class AAA Indianapolis on May 26 when Braxton Ashcraft was recalled. He was brought back up on June 7 when Endy Rodriguez was placed on the injured list.
Mattson said he learned a lot from his first stint, specifically not to throw "changeups middle-middle to Christian Yelich," he said with a laugh. He added that he needed to improve his changeup accuracy, so it could work off his fastball and keep hitters off balance. He's thrown it 20 times and has limited hitters to a .125 batting average while producing a 27.3% whiff rate. But he's thrown his fastball 67.5% and recorded a 37.5% strikeout percentage.
Mattson earned his first major-league win on June 7 against the Phillies when he took over for Andrew Heaney with a runner on third and no outs. He struck out Nick Castellanos and then induced two flyouts. He credited Henry Davis that night for keeping him prepared and said the Pirates' catchers have been a big part of his success.
"They've all done a really good job of preparing," Mattson said. "So when we go out there, just being able to trust what they're calling and have conviction behind each pitch. I think it's definitely helped with confidence."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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