Before Steven Matz takes the mound for his start in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday, he will stay in his childhood home in Long Island (Oct. 26).
“I don’t think many people can say that they can sleep in the bed that they slept in for 24 years of their life and then drive in to pitch in the World Series,” Matz, the 24-year-old rookie, said on Monday. “I think that’s pretty cool.”
Matz was born in Stony Brook and went to Ward Melville High School, where the Mets drafted him from in the second round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. His high school is just 49 miles away from Citi Field, where he will pitch the fourth game of the World Series.
“You’re working so hard and with your team and you all have the same goal,” he said. “You’re not focused on, ‘Oh, this is my dream, this is my fantasy I’m living.’ You just don’t think that way. … But it is a blessing that I’m able to do it in my home city.”
Just a few months ago, Matz was with Triple-A Las Vegas. He made his major-league debut at Citi Field in late June. Now, he’s pitching in the Fall Classic.
“In April I was in Triple-A just hoping to get my opportunity,” Matz said. “You grind it out there in the minor leagues. To be able to experience this time of year is unbelievable.”
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from Metsblog http://ift.tt/1Ngg0I6
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