Steven Matz slowly worked up the dugout steps, with a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. pat on his back and a smile on his face.
He’d trotted onto the Citi Field grass 57 times before, but not up those steps, and not from that away team dugout.
In his first game back in Queens, Matz was greeted with a video tribute and standing ovation, and minutes later he was welcomed by a monster home run.
Matz’s Mets return started rough, but he quickly settled. As the Blue Jays approach the 2021 MLB trade deadline, Matz’s homecoming performance proved he can be more than a placeholder. While starting pitching, or “run prevention,” is still the Blue Jays clearest need on July 30th, Matz did his part in a shutout loss to New York.
"It's good to see him pitch like that," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "Because we're going to need him."
Pete Alonso turned on Matz’s eighth pitch of the evening. The sinker entered the first basemen's wheelhouse and failed to drop out of it. It was Alonso’s 77th dinger in the last two weeks (third if you take out the Home Run Derby), and it sunk Matz and the Blue Jays into a quick 2-0 hole.
Matz’s next battle against the Mets slugger showed adjustments and the importance of his location. Falling behind once again, Matz dropped a sinking changeup on the outside corner of the zone, drawing a weak swing and neutralizing Alonso’s power stroke. It was always the game plan to attack Alonso with the change, but it was also the pitch Matz was feeling best with.
After allowing a first-inning homer, Matz struck out five Mets hitters, allowed just four hits, and effectively worked around two more walks. He finished with two runs on 5.2 innings pitched, and it was Matz's second straight start proving Toronto at least five innings of work. Last season with New York, Matz allowed 14 homers in just 30.2 innings, but Friday night in Queens, he allowed only one ball hit harder than 95 MPH.
“For me, I always pitch better when I have no emotions out there," Matz said. "But definitely had some emotions, had a lot of family there. Obviously being with the organization for like 12 years there were some emotions."
Even when a pair of weak two-out hits brought Alonso up with baserunners threatening in the fifth, Matz induced more soft contact. Staring into Alejandro Kirk, Matz inhaled and looked down at the rubber before stepping home. He dropped another perfect changeup at the bottom of the zone to work to two strikes against the New York slugger, and induced a lazy popup with the same changeup a pitch later.
Matz left the field with two outs in the sixth to another standing clap from the Mets crowd. His start Friday mirrored his six-year stint in New York, filled with deep fly balls, timely strikeouts, and glimpses of high upside.
"With all the stuff going on," Montoyo said. "They played a nice tribute on the scoreboard before the first pitch, dealing with tickets, he did a nice job dealing with all that and just pitching."
The start wasn’t perfect, it couldn’t earn the scoreless Blue Jays a win and didn’t solve all of Toronto’s pitching issues, but it’s exactly what the Jays have asked for since they plucked Matz from Citi Field, and what they'll need from him moving forward.
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