Jon Matlack

Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 205 lb.
• High School West Chester Henderson High School
• Debut July 11, 1971
• Final Game September 15, 1983
• Born January 19, 1950 in West Chester, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jon Matlack was part of the great New York Mets pitching staff of the early 1970s. After winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1972, Matlack turned in a good major league career but never lived up to lofty expectations. He set a single-season record for Mets left-handed pitchers in 1973 with 205 strikeouts. Matlack pitched a two-hit shutout over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 2 of the 1973 NLCS, then was the winning pitcher in Game 4 of the 1973 World Series.

Traded to the Texas Rangers before the 1978 season, and had a great first year with Texas, going 15-13 with an ERA of 2.27, second in the American League behind Ron Guidry. Matlack was used out of the bullpen by the end of his career in 1983. He never won more than 17 games and actually had a losing lifetime record of 125-126, mostly due to a lack of run support as he had a solid 3.18 career ERA.

In 1989, he played for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He went 10-2 in 15 starts for the club. Matlack was featured in Peter Golenbock's book on the lone SPBA season, The Forever Boys.

Matlack was pitching coach of the AZL Padres in 1988, Riverside Red Wave in 1989, Wichita Wranglers in 1990, Las Vegas Stars in 1991-1992, Sarasota White Sox in 1993, Prince William Cannons in 1994, and Detroit Tigers in 1996. In 2011 Matlack was the minor league pitching coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, serving in the same role with the Houston Astros in 2012.

Notable Achievements

• 1972 NL Rookie of the Year Award
• 1972 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• 3-time NL All-Star (1974-1976)
• 1975 All-Star Game MVP
• 2-time NL Leader in Shutouts (1974 & 1976)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 4 (1972, 1975, 1976 & 1978)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 7 (1972-1976, 1978 & 1980)
• 200 Strikeout Seasons: 1 (1973)

NL Rookie of the Year
1971	1972	1973
Earl Williams	Jon Matlack	Gary Matthews

Related Sites

• Jon Matlack at the SABR Bio Project