Talking with Mets pitcher Steven Matz
Mets pitcher Steven Matz in the Mets clubhouse with Kidsday reporters Charlie Gorenstein, left, Joaquin Gaspar Doppelt, Ajay Jain and Riley Wilk, of Lakeville Elementary School, Great Neck. Credit: Newsday/Pat Mullooly
We interviewed pitcher Steven Matz at Citi Field. He is a star player for the Mets and one of our favorites. Let’s go, Mets!
Steven Matz is originally from Long Island, where the winters can be cold and force people indoors. Because of that, we asked him if he felt players from warmer areas of the country had an advantage when it came to playing baseball. Steven responded that it was hard sometimes to compete with people from areas where it is always warm. Here we have to enjoy the nice weather when we can while some people from other areas can play outside year-round.
When asked what was his favorite park to pitch in and his favorite pitch to throw, Steven told us that besides Citi Field, he likes pitching in San Francisco, where he has pitched some of his best games. His favorite pitch is definitely the fastball, because nothing is better than standing on the mound and having the batter swing and miss at the fastball you throw right by him.
Steven’s first time pitching at Citi Field was against the Cincinnati Reds in 2015. He remembered that he was so nervous that he threw his first pitch over the catcher's head and into the backstop! Steven says he always gets pretty nervous on the mound, but the catcher always reassures him, and all the nerves go away as the game continues.
Throughout his life, Steven, who just turned 28, has remained true to baseball. He told us he has had many friends who switched to lacrosse, but he never thought of switching sports. “I love baseball,” he said.
What rules would he want to change in the Major League Baseball? He replied that he's never wanted any changes. He prefers to keep it the way it is.
Steven says he has played baseball since he can remember. When he was little, he was always following his older brother around when he played baseball. "He was my inspiration," he recounted.
As many people know, Steven has suffered some injuries playing the game. Steven explains that one of the biggest challenges when overcoming an injury is having the patience to recover, because you just want to get back on the field as quickly as you can, but you can’t because then you’ll injure yourself again.
Being a major leaguer means a lot of fame. Fame can mean a wonderful life with fans cheering for you at all times, or it could mean no privacy at all. Steven said the upside of being famous is that people know who you are. The downside is that you are constantly being mobbed by fans when you just want to be left alone.
Steven also explained that he wore No. 23 in high school and when he came here, No. 23 was taken, so the Mets just decided to flip it around because it was an available number. Steven said, “So I guess you could say that No. 32 picked me.”
When we asked how Steven would like to improve in his pitching skills, he told us: “I would really like to improve my curveball. It is hard to learn and you can really always improve it, so I’d like to improve mine.”
We really enjoyed going to Citi Field and our interview with Steven Matz. As you can see, with hard work and determination, a kid from Long Island can make it in the big leagues!
