Matthew Aurel Brash (born May 12, 1998) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.

Matt Brash
Seattle Mariners – No. 47
Pitcher
Born: (1998-05-12) May 12, 1998 (age 26)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 12, 2022, for the Seattle Mariners
MLB statistics
(through 2023 season)
Win–loss record13–8
Earned run average3.63
Strikeouts169
Teams

Amateur career

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Brash attended Bayridge Secondary School in Kingston, Ontario,[1] where he led the baseball team to two championships.[2] He also played for Ontario in the 2015 Canada Cup.[3] He was not drafted out of high school and attended Niagara University in Lewiston, New York to play college baseball for the Purple Eagles.[4] In three seasons at Niagara, he was 12–7 with a 2.97 ERA in 38 games, 27 of them starts.[5] He was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2017, after his freshman season.[2]

Professional career

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San Diego Padres

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Brash was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[6][7] He had pitched for the Padres at Petco Park prior to the draft.[1] He received a $512,400 signing bonus when he signed with the Padres.[8]

Brash made his professional debut in 2019 pitching one game for the Arizona League Padres, then moving up to the Class-A Fort Wayne TinCaps for four more games before ending his season on July 7, traveling back to the Padres' Arizona facility and resting his pitching arm.[9] He had a combined 1.69 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 5+13 innings.[10] Brash did not play in 2020 because the Minor League Baseball was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Seattle Mariners

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On September 17, 2020, Brash was traded to the Seattle Mariners as the player to be named later for in a previous trade sending reliever Taylor Williams to the Padres.[11] Brash began the 2021 season with the High-A Everett AquaSox and was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in July.[12] On September 2, Brash threw six perfect innings to start a combined no-hitter, finished by relievers Nate Fisher and Dayeison Arias.[13] That capped a stretch of three straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts.[14] For the season, Brash went a combined 6–4 with a 2.31 ERA and 142 strikeouts over 97+13 innings in 19 starts and 1 relief appearance.[15][5] On September 28, Seattle selected Brash's contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time, although he did not make an appearance.[16][17]

On April 2, 2022, the Mariners announced that Brash would be the team's fifth starter in its Opening Day rotation.[18] He made his MLB debut on April 12, striking out six in 5+13 innings but allowing the only run in a 1–0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.[19] After five starts with a 7.65 ERA and 17 walks in 20 innings,[20] the Mariners optioned Brash down to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. In the minors, Brash converted to a reliever and lowered his walk rate moderately, pitching in 26 games and earning 3 saves.[5] The Mariners recalled him on July 9 and he became a setup man for the team, earning 9 holds and a 3–1 record in the final three months of the season. Brash was the winning pitcher on September when the Mariners clinched their first postseason appearance since 2001, throwing a scoreless inning against the Oakland Athletics[21] before Cal Raleigh's pinch-hit game-winning home run.[22][23] Brash pitched three times in the 2022 postseason, getting 4 strikeouts in 3+13 perfect innings.[24]

Brash started 2023 slowly, blowing 3 saves and picking up two losses in his first 11 games. His performance improved, with only 2 blown saves and two losses the rest of the season. He earned his first MLB save on April 30, pitching a scoreless 10th inning against the Blue Jays.[25] He led the American League by pitching in 78 games in 2023. He had a 9—4 record with 4 saves and a 3.06 ERA, getting 107 strikeouts in 70+23 innings.[26]

Brash did not pitch for the Mariners in 2024. He began the season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation[27] and underwent Tommy John surgery on May 8, ending his season and likely delaying the start of his 2025 season.[28]

International career

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Brash is on the roster for the Canadian national baseball team.[29] He pitched once in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, striking out all three Great Britain batters he faced to finish an 18–8 win.[30][31]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Matt Brash could be 1st MLB player born in eastern Ontario city". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 8, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Matthew Brash - 2019 - Baseball". Niagara University Athletics. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "2015 Baseball Canada Cup Team". baseball.ca. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Meiler, Mike (June 2, 2019). "NU's Brash ready to hear name called at MLB draft". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Matt Brash College & Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Niagara pitcher Matthew Brash chosen in fourth round by San Diego Padres". The Buffalo News. June 4, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "NU's Brash picked by Padres". Niagara Gazette. June 4, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Matt Brash - Stats - Pitching". FanGraphs Baseball. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  9. ^ a b MacAlpine, Ian (June 26, 2020). "Kingston's Matt Brash staying in shape at neighbourhood diamond". The Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Matt Brash 2019 College & Minor Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Stecker, Brent (September 17, 2020). "Mariners get RHP Matt Brash to complete Taylor Williams trade". 710 ESPN Seattle. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  12. ^ Gordanier, Tim (July 23, 2021). "Brash follows promotion with two solid starts". The Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Three Traveler Pitchers No-Hit Wichita". MiLB.com. September 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Matt Brash 2021 College & Minor Leagues Game Logs & Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  15. ^ MacAlpine, Ian (March 26, 2021). "Brash's fastball enters elite zone". The Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  16. ^ "Mariners To Select Matt Brash's Contract". MLB Trade Rumors. September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  17. ^ Kramer, Daniel. "Brash appears poised to help Mariners' push". MLB.com. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  18. ^ Divish, Ryan (April 2, 2022). "Mariners announce Matt Brash as the fifth starter in the rotation as the roster starts to take shape". Seattle Times.
  19. ^ Gustafson, Brandon (April 11, 2022). "The Breakdown: Matt Brash's meteoric rise to Mariners rotation". Seattle Sports.
  20. ^ "Matt Brash 2022 Pitching Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  21. ^ "Jordan Diaz strikes out swinging". MLB.com. September 30, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cal Raleigh clinches for Mariners with walk-off HR | 09/30/2022". MLB.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "Mariners' 21-year playoff wait ends on Raleigh's walk-off HR". USA TODAY. Associated Press. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "Matt Brash 2023 Postseason Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "Matt Brash 2023 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  26. ^ "Matt Brash Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  27. ^ "Mariners' Matt Brash: Heads to IL". cbssports.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  28. ^ McDonald, Darragh (May 10, 2024). "Matt Brash Undergoes Tommy John Surgery". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  29. ^ "Baseball Canada | Men's National Team". baseball.ca. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  30. ^ "Matt Brash strikes out D'Shawn Knowles swinging". MLB.com. March 12, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  31. ^ "World Baseball Classic Stats: Pitching Canada". MLB.com. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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