“MEET THE MATZ”
Getting to know … New York Mets Pitcher Steven Matz by Ari HirschName: Steven Jakob Matz
Born: May 29, 1991 (age 25), Stony Brook, NY
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right, Throws: Left
Height: 6′ 2″, Weight: 200 lb.
High School: Ward Melville in East Setauket, New YorkFather: Ron Matz is a service manager for a Jeep dealership in West Islip.

Mother: Lori Matz, is an administrative employee at Comsewogue High School.

Siblings: Older brother Jonathon, 28, is working on a master’s degree
in graphic design at Syracuse University and sister Jillian, 20, is
studying environmental science at the University of Delaware.

Favorite movie?
Forrest Gump

Favorite actor?
Robert Duvall

Favorite food?
Steak, and then I like chocolate chip cookies, the only food I don’t
like is olives.

If you could pick the brain of any pitcher in history, who would it be?
Without putting too much thought into it, I would say Nolan Ryan.

Is there one person, a coach, a friend or family member, or even
another player, who you have learned the most from, or who inspired
you to chase your dream of one day becoming a major league baseball
player?
One great thing about baseball is that I have met many good people
playing this game, so there are a bunch of people that have helped me
and inspired me. My parents especially have been a great influence on
me, stressing to keep working hard and staying focused. My high school
coach Lou Petrucci has really helped me throughout high school. He’s a
guy who just truly loves the game, and spent hours upon hours indoors,
between 6am practices before school started, or weekends, anytime I
needed him he was there.

What do you like to do for fun when your not playing baseball? What is
your workout schedule like these days? Can you describe your regimen?
When I am not playing baseball I still like to be outdoors. Anything
from fishing, camping or just sitting around a fire with some buddies
from back home, and this past year I have started hunting. I like
going bass fishing with Jacob Degrom.

Do you know actor Kevin James? He went to your high school, Ward
Melville in Long Island.
Yeah, I met him this offseason. He was actually working out with Chris
Weidman, at the Professional Athletic Performance Center. It was a
real brief conversation, I was working out, and he was working out,
too.

Did he know you?
Yeah, he knew me. I knew him, ’cause he’s a big Met fan.

What is your mentality on the mound?
I just like to go out there and compete. That’s a lot of fun for me as
a pitcher, just facing the hitter in the box, being one-on-one with
that guy. It’s kind of cool.

You grew up on Long Island, were you a Mets fan? Who was
your favorite player? Is there a major league player, past or present,
that you think you are similar to in style? Or someone that you can
see yourself pitching like someday in the majors?
Yeah I was a Mets fan growing up. When Johan Santana was healthy he
was really fun to watch. My favorite ball player growing up was
Vladimir Guerrero I’ve heard that my style was similar to Andy
Pettitte, but I really am not sure. That would be pretty cool if I can
have as much success as him though.

Is there pressure pitching in your hometown?
A little bit, yeah. I mean, it’s definitely cool being here pitching
with all my friends and stuff. I have a lot of family at games, so
it’s really cool.