Brash filling key role in Team Canada 'pen

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When Matt Brash walked into the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday morning, he didn’t quite know where he was supposed to go.

It was an unfamiliar feeling for the 24-year-old right-hander, who has called the facility his Spring Training home since 2020. First, it was as a member of the Padres, who selected him in the fourth round of the ‘19 MLB Draft. Now, it’s with the Mariners, who acquired him from their spring neighbors as the player to be named later in a September 2020 trade.

But on Thursday, Brash was a visitor for the first time, suiting up for Team Canada in a 5-3 exhibition loss to Seattle in preparation for the World Baseball Classic. Canada begins Pool C play on Sunday at Chase Field in Phoenix.

• Watch the World Baseball Classic live on FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes and Tubi

“I was asking a bunch of people [for help], and they were like, ‘Are you with the Mariners or Team Canada?’” he said. “And I was like, ‘Well, I’m kind of with both.’”

Brash had settled in at Canada’s team hotel in Tempe in the days since he left Mariners camp, but the night before the game, he decided to stay at his apartment in Peoria. So he pulled into the same lot and parked in the same spot that he has all spring, only adding to that sense of being between two worlds.

The only thing that would have topped off that sensation is if he pitched against his Major League teammates on Thursday.

Alas, that did not come to pass. Brash had thrown Wednesday in Canada’s first exhibition game, an 11-7 loss to the Cubs, putting him out of contention to pitch on consecutive days. He tossed a scoreless inning, sitting down Edwin Ríos, Tucker Barnhart and Nico Hoerner in order in the bottom of the fourth.

Team Canada manager Ernie Whitt, a catcher for the Blue Jays from 1977-89, considered saving Brash for Seattle, but his primary focus was on preparing his group for the Classic, during which they will compete against the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Great Britain. Whitt jokingly added that, “I don’t think the Mariners wanted to face Matt anyway.”

“How can you not like that arm?” he said. “When you’re throwing 98 [mph] with a nice slider, that’s not a bad thing to have. He’s going to be a high-leverage guy for us. He’s probably the best that we have in the bullpen at this point in time.”

The possibility of facing Seattle crossed Brash’s mind, too. As it did for some of the Mariners’ players.

“I was thinking about it a lot because a lot of the guys were joking about it,” he said. “They found out last week, and they were like, ‘Are you pitching?’ I was like, ‘I really don’t know yet.’

“I think it would have been a lot of fun. Obviously, it would have been a little weird. I don’t want to hurt anybody. Maybe I would have had to hold back a little bit.”

At this time last spring, Brash was in a battle for the No. 5 spot in Seattle’s rotation, which he won over George Kirby out of camp. But after struggling in the season’s first month, specifically with throwing strikes, Brash was sent down to Triple-A Tacoma and converted into a reliever, a role he found success in during the second half of the year.

During the offseason, Brash and the Mariners had more conversations about whether his future should be in the rotation or bullpen. The consensus was that, due to Seattle’s roster construction, he would be best served as a reliever. That decision turned out to have an unforeseen benefit.

“This Team Canada opportunity popped up, and it was kind of just a perfect fit coming in as a reliever,” Brash said. “If I was starting, I don’t know if I would be on this team, to be honest. But as a reliever, it was a good fit.”

It’s an experience the Mariners hope will be valuable for the young hurler. Seattle manager Scott Servais, who won a gold medal with the U.S. national team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics when he was 21 years old (baseball was a demonstration sport at the time), knows firsthand what international competition can mean at that age.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for young players to go experience something like the WBC,” Servais said. “Certainly, Matt will take a lot away from it. Harry Ford will take a lot from it. [For] guys like that, playing in those environments can only help in their development.

“Matt’s in a good spot. His stuff’s outstanding. If he throws enough strikes, he’s going to get whoever is in the box, doesn’t matter what team he’s playing -- he’s going to get them out. So the biggest thing with those guys is to keep them healthy and keep them going.”

Brash’s ties to Canada caused one more complication for him last fall, as the Mariners faced the Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card Series. Brash relieved starter Robbie Ray in the fourth inning of Game 2, retiring all three batters he faced. After that, he simply watched as Seattle put together one of the more improbable comebacks of the year, scoring nine runs in the final four frames to earn a 10-9 win and a berth in the AL Division Series against the Astros.

“It felt like I didn’t even throw,” Brash said. “I went back into the dugout after I did my arm care and I was just like mesmerized by the game. It was an incredible comeback. Obviously it’s heartbreaking for Blue Jays fans, but we were pretty excited about it. To finally crack the playoffs and win a series and get a home game in Seattle, that was big for us.

“I had some friends there and I was like, ‘Who are you really cheering for?’ I think they were cheering for me when I was in the game and maybe for the Jays after that. But no, it’s all love.”

Brash won’t have to worry about that during the World Baseball Classic. He’ll have all of Canada rooting for him. And the Mariners, too.