In what will be the biggest start of his young career, Steven Matz appears completely unfazed by the pressure of tonight’s start against the Yankees. The crowd at Citi Field will be electric, and the tough Yankees’ lineup, that ranks second in the MLB in runs scored, will pose a challenging threat to the Mets’ rookie.
“I’m expecting a big crowd. Expect it to be a lot of fun. Both of us are fighting for a division, so it’s going to be a great series and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” the lefty said. “I would say, if there is one, this is the game you look forward to, outside of the playoffs.” (Kristie Ackert, NY Daily News)
Terry Collins believes that pitching in this atmosphere will be a great learning experience for him as well as the team’s other young pitchers.
“I think it’s going to be beneficial to some of our young players to understand the focus you’ve got to have to play under those circumstances. Because if we do get in the postseason we’ve got to face it again,” the Mets manager said. “I’m trying to look at the positive side, even though at times it can be a large, very large, circus. When you’re playing the Yankees it’s going to be big in this town.”
I have no doubts that Matz will be able to handle all the distractions of the Subway Series and will be able to deliver another solid start. He’s already shown a tremendous about of ability and poise in his short time that he’s been up in the major leagues this season.
Matz, who grew up as a die hard Mets’ fan, has been nothing short of impressive all year long. He absolutely dominated the Pacific Coast League in Triple-A this season before succeeding in the majors. He owns a 3-0 record with the Mets and has an excellent 1.88 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 24 innings pitched.
While he has not had his best stuff since rejoining the rotation after a stint on the disabled list, it’s only a matter of time before he figures it all out.
“My command has been off a bit. It’s like that in spring training and early in the season,” Matz said of those two starts. “It’s trying to throw the pitch where I want it when I need it.
“It’s coming.”
