Matz sharp in NY return, but bats quiet

NEW YORK -- There was no question that Friday night wouldn’t be just another start for Steven Matz. The Blue Jays left-hander and New York native was drafted by the Mets out of high school in 2009. He made his Major League debut at Citi Field on a June afternoon in 2015. And he spent the first six years of his big league career donning the Mets’ orange and blue uniforms.

So when Matz took the mound in the Blue Jays’ 3-0 series-opening loss, it was a familiar feeling. He was returning to his old stomping grounds to face his former team for the first time since it traded him to Toronto in January.

“Yeah it’s special for him, of course; he’s gonna be pitching at home,” said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo before the game. “… When you have family in town and you’ve been here in the past, it’s always gonna be different. So I expect him to do well tonight.”

Despite the added pressure of having family in the stands, the hassle of securing tickets, and of course, having to game plan for his old teammates who know his repertoire, there was a welcome atmosphere surrounding Citi Field at the beginning of Matz’s outing. The 28,126 fans in attendance greeted the 30-year-old, who spent 12 seasons with the organization, with a standing ovation before his first pitch. That came right after the Mets played a moving video tribute on the scoreboard in center field, highlighting some of the top moments from his career.

But the fanfare ended quickly from there, as eight pitches into his outing, Matz gave up a two-run homer to Mets slugger Pete Alonso that stood as the difference.

“That one pitch I was trying to go in, left it right over the plate. Just can’t make mistakes to a guy like that,” Matz said. “He’s the power hitter in their lineup -- you make mistakes, he’s gonna make you pay. So it’s just about paying more attention to that. Gotta be a little bit more fine with guys like him and those types of hitters in the first at-bat.”

That was all the damage Matz incurred on the night, however, tossing 5 2/3 innings with five strikeouts. He did enough to give his new team a chance to win. But he was outdueled by Mets rookie Tylor Megill, who held the high-octane Blue Jays to just two hits over six shutout innings.

“We have been facing pretty good pitching, and the guy today was really good actually,” Montoyo said. “I don’t care what kind of offense you’ve got -- pitching’s the name of the game, we always talk about that -- and their guy was really tough today, for sure.

“When your offense is quiet, you gotta make big pitches every time. And our pitchers did a good job, our defense was good -- made some big plays and Matz made one mistake. After that, he was really good.”

That mistake to Alonso might have been costly, but it also came as a result of the familiarity between the two players, who were on the same club for two years and competed against each other plenty of times in past Spring Trainings. So while Alonso bested Matz, he spilled over with praise for his former colleague.

“I can't speak highly enough of how he is as a human being and a competitor,” Alonso said. “He's a grinder. He's so focused. He prepares. He's an unbelievable talent and a great human being. But if he's wearing a different colored jersey, he's competition.

“I know he's had a ton of success over there this year. I want nothing but continued success for him. It's just when I go against people, I want to be able to come out on top."

Despite Friday’s loss, Matz has gone 8-5 with a 4.34 ERA with Toronto this season. In six years with the Mets, he went 31-41 with a 4.35 ERA.

When he was acquired by the Blue Jays as the calendar flipped to 2021, Montoyo admitted that they weren’t quite sure what they were receiving in the southpaw, who had just posted a career-worst 9.68 ERA in his winless (0-5) pandemic-shortened ‘20 season.

But Matz has exceeded all of their expectations and become an important piece of their rotation.

“Nobody knew what we were gonna get,” Montoyo said. “What we knew was that he had good stuff, and if he gets it together, he could pitch good. And that’s what he’s done, for the most part. He’s pitched very well.

“With all the stuff going on … he did a nice job dealing with [it] and just pitching. He didn’t look nervous; he did a nice job. And it’s good to see him pitch like that, because we’re gonna need him.”