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PERSONAL:
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- Gary is the son of his namesake, the Sarge, who played 16 years in the Majors. His Dad is now the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Junior has been dubbed "Son of Sarge," or "Little Sarge." And he doesn't like that. He just wants to be known as Gary.
- Matthew's parents divorced when he was four and he grew up in Los Angeles. He routinely saw his Dad when his team came in to play the Dodgers or the Angels. "I am the player that I am today because of my father's influence," Gary said. "Seeing his locker -- those are things that I enjoyed more than any of the gifts and bats I got from him. I really embraced the game at an early age. The smell of his glove; hanging out and getting to know the different players. As a youngster you don't realize how big that is."
- Gary, Jr. says his Dad was his role model. "I was about four or five years old when I became old enough to understand what my father's profession was. I saw him playing baseball in the Major Leagues and that's exactly what I wanted to do. It was in my blood from an early age, and it's always been a great love of mine. I always wanted to get to the Major Leagues like my father, and I'm very proud to have made it."
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Gary says another positive figure in his life was his grandfather. "He was one of those male role models in my life. He taught me what it was all about—hard work and being a man—and how you've got to be committed to your family and your faith. He's a person I look up to."
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Gary's uncle, Henry, is a camera man at TBS, doing Braves games since the early 1980s. "Every time I came to town to play, he was there," Matthews said. "He was actually working when I hit my first Major League home run (June 20, 2000, off Bruce Chen of the Braves). My uncle was probably no more than 30 feet away from me at the time, working the camera next to the Braves dugout."
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When Matthews Jr. was a child, his father was a Giants outfielder whose teammate was Bobby Bonds. One of Bobby's sons, Barry Bonds, would baby-sit for the 10-years-younger Gary Matthews Jr.
"Barry was cool. I'd go into his room and hang out. I've known Barry since I was born. I was the little kid; he was the big kid," Gary said.
The big kid kept growing, and now he's the game's all-time home run king. Soon after Bonds struck No. 756 in San Francisco on August 7, 2007, video of the epic blast was shown on the big board above right field at Angel Stadium. Matthews stood deep in thought in center field, absorbing the wonder of it all, how surreal it felt.
"I thought not only about Barry, but also about his father," Matthews said. "I was wondering what it feels like to make history. It's different, because it's such a big record. Here he is, the all-time home run leader -- the guy who used to baby-sit me back in San Francisco.
"His Dad and my Dad played together for a few years (1972 through 1974), and they were close. I got to know Bobby very well; I really loved him. Bobby was like part of our family. I thought about how fortunate I am to have my dad with me, and it hit me that Barry's dad wasn't there to see it."
- Gary revealed, "Spiderman was my nickname when I played football in high school because I have really long arms and long legs."
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Gary says that the turning point in his career probally took place on the other side of the world, where he was playing winter ball in Brisbane, Australia. Also on the team was Kevin Jordan, now with the Braves, and he took Matthews under his wing. Mostly, Jordan helped him develop a professional frame of mind. It is said that Gary will have to become tougher and more motivated to stay in the Majors.
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Matthews studied journalism in college.
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Gary says, "If I was not playing baseball, I'd be . . . maybe in the FBI. I went to school, and I was planning on majoring in communications. My Mom wanted me to be a lawyer, but I couldn't see something like that. I sort of like law enforcement. Being an FBI agent would be fun."
- Matthews describes his perfect day thusly: "Sleep until 10:00, go to the Original House of Pancakes off Rush Street (in Chicago), play at 3:00 and throw out a four-for-four game with a couple of home runs. Then, after the game, head down to the lake."
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Gary, Jr. is a very hard worker. He'll take extra batting practice all day.
TRAGEDY GIVES HIM PERSPECTIVE
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Gary was a minor league roommate with Mike Darr, the Padres OF who was killed on his way to 2002 spring training. "Darr was a fun-loving guy and literally he'd give you the shirt off his back. We sort of grew up in this game together. We were always ribbing each other." Matthews said, "It's weird," Matthews said. "I actually watched his kids grow up. I just really feel for his family."
Gary still remembers getting the news. He will never forget. At 4:30 a.m. on February 15, 2002, Matthews was awakened with a phone call telling him that his best friend Mike Darr had died in a car accident. The two had played four years together as top prospects in the Padres minor league system and were always roommates on road trips.
"As much as I tried to put it put out of my mind and focus on the task at hand, I just couldn't ignore it," Matthews said. "I think the one mistake I made was not addressing my feelings early on as soon as it happened."
Matthews proceeded to hit .159 that spring and just before the Mets home opener, he found himself in his New York City hotel room thinking for the first time in his life that baseball was an insignificant part of his life.
But as fate would have it, Mets general manager Jim Duquette called that same evening and told Matthews that he'd been traded to the Orioles. Instead of being the 25th man on the roster, he'd now be a starter in Baltimore.
But Matthews was still so numb from Darr's passing that instead of calling his father, Gary Matthews, Sr., who is now the Cubs hitting coach, or any other family member, he simply went to sleep.
When he finally called Darr's wife while driving to Baltimore the next day, Matthews regained his enthusiasm for baseball. As their conversation was ending and Camden Yards was coming into view, she told her deceased husband's friend, "Go out and have fun. This is a new beginning for everyone."
Matthews listened. He considers that 2002 season to be his most enjoyable Big League season and credits Natalie Darr for helping him regain his love for baseball.
"Talking to her really put things in perspective," Matthews said during 2004 Spring Training. "It really took a lot of pressure off me to perform. It made me realize that this is just a game and outside of this, there's a game of life. It helped me put my career in perspective. Mike definitely inspires me to play this game like it's my first and last game," Matthews said. "I keep his baseball card in my locker and just looking at it every day keeps me hungry. It makes me feel like a rookie with everything to prove." (Mark Bowman-MLB.com-3/11/04)
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During the season, Gary lives in Owings Mills, north of Baltimore. In the off-season he lives in the San Fernando Valley. And he spends a good amount of time watching his beloved Lakers.
- Matthews is a self-described techno-geek. He is also a bachelor.
- Gary is comfortable in a Major League clubhouse and on the baseball field. Yet, in a way, he diverges from the path of most men who play in the majors today. He is humble and down to earth. He lacks the swagger and mindset of so many professional athletes that seem to say, "I am better than you are." Instead, Matthews truly seems to have a genuine interest in other people who make their living at the ballpark beyond those who wear a uniform. He is never churlish or aloof. Instead, he seems to realize how fortunate he is to make a living in Major League baseball. He has not let it go to his head.
- February 28, 2007: The Albany Times-Union reported Matthews was a customer of an Alabama pharmacy (Applied Pharmacy Services) whose owners have been indicted by a grand jury in that state. On March 1, Sports Illustrated reported that the Alabama pharmacy sent human growth hormone (Genotropin) to Matthews in 2004, according to law enforcement documents reviewed by the magazine. He got the prescription for the HGH from the 'now-defunct' south Florida anti-aging clinic Health Watch (the same clinic connected to Jose Canseco's purchases).
Baseball bans human growth hormone now but didn't then, although the substance is illegal to possess without legitimate medical supervision.
The Mitchell Report went on to add: "The substances were shipped to Matthews at an address in Mansfield, Texas. Reporters learned that the address belonged to a former minor league teammate and friend of Matthews.
"Several weeks after the report appeared, Matthews issued a statement in which he said, 'I have never taken H.G.H., during the 2004 season or any other time. Nobody has accused me of doing so, and no law enforcement agency has said I am a target of any investigation for doing so.' In his statement, Matthews did not deny that human growth hormone had been shipped to him, and he declined to answer reporters' questions about that omission.
"Chad Allen, who was Matthews' teammate, told my investigative staff that he had allowed Matthews to reside in his condominium in Dallas during the 2004 season while they were both playing for the Texas Rangers. Allen was assigned to the Rangers' class AAA affiliate during the season, but Matthews and another player continued to live at the condominium. When Allen returned to his condominium after the season, he found unused syringes in a drawer. Allen did not know who left the syringes behind, and he discarded them.
"Neither I nor any member of my investigative staff had any prior knowledge of any allegation about Matthews. Matthews met with officials from the Commissioner's Office in November 2007. On December 6, 2007, the Commissioner's Office announced that there was insufficient evidence of a violation of the joint program in effect at the time of the conduct in question to warrant discipline of Matthews."
- Gary is a big L.A. Lakers fan.
- Matthews plays the game the right way. He is first class on the field and in the clubhouse. He is a very good influence on his teammates.
TRANSACTION REPORT
- June 1993: The Padres chose Gary in the 13th round, out of Mission Jr. College in California.
- March 23, 2000: The Cubs sent P Rodney Myers to the Padres to acquire Matthews.
- August 10, 2001: The Pirates claimed Gary off waivers from the Cubs.
- December 28, 2001: The Mets paid cash to the Pirates to purchase Matthews.
- April 4, 2002: The Orioles sent P John Bale to the Mets to acquire Matthews.
- May 23, 2003: The Padres claimed Matthews off waivers from the Orioles.
- November 25, 2003: The Braves claimed Gary off waivers from the Padres.
- March 31, 2004: The Braves released him Matthews near the end of spring training. Atlanta only had to pay $200,000 of his $800,000 salary on a non-guaranteed contract.The job was Matthews' to lose -- and he lost it. He batted .154 with one home run, five RBIs and 17 strikeouts in 52 at-bats. Gary also didn't play very good defense.
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April 7, 2004: Gary signed with the Rangers organization.
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September 13, 2006: Matthews hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats. And he did it in order: single in the first, doubled in the second inning, hit a triple in the fourth and led off the sixth with a 418-foot homer to left center. Gary became the third player in Texas Rangers history to hit for the cycle, joining Mark Teixeira, who did it on Aug. 17, 2004, against the Cleveland Indians and Oddibe McDowell on July 23, 1985, also against Cleveland.
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November 22, 2006: Gary signed a 5-year, $50 million contract with the Angels. The pact includes a $2-million signing bonus, salaries of $6 million in 2007, $9 million in 2008, $10 million in 2009, $11 million in 2010 and $12 million in 2011, a full no-trade clause from 2007 to 2009 and $500,000 if he is traded thereafter.
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January 22, 2010: The Mets sent RHP Brian Stokes to the Angels, acquiring Matthews. Gary was in line to make $11 million in 2010 and $12 million in 2011, but the Angels will be paying "the vast portion of that money, $21 million of it, over the two seasons.
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June 4, 2010: The Mets let Matthews go.
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June 22, 2010: Gary signed with the Reds.
But,as per their contract agreement, Matthews opted out of his contract, becoming a free agent on July 24, 2010.
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BATTING:
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- Matthews' career had been characterized by low averages and high strikeout numbers because he was easy prey for breaking pitches. But he figured things out in 2006.
Gary is close to a five-tools player, but doesn't hit for a lot of power. He hits to all fields and can play little ball. He also can drive the ball.
- Though he has a nice swing, Gary tends to sweep his bat at times and it can drag a bit. He has learned to start his bat quicker and turn on more balls.
- Matthews has the potential to be a decent hitter in the Majors, hitting line drives from both sides of the plate.
- Gary's Dad made a STRONG suggestion that Junior be a switch hitter. "I did not want to do it," Gary Jr. said. "When I was younger, he'd call from wherever he was playing and ask, 'You working on it?' I said, 'Yeah.' But I wasn't. I didn't really start trying it until my senior year (at Granada Hills High in the San Fernando Valley)."
SHORTER STROKE, MORE LEG HITS
- Until 2006, his bat is what had kept Gary from establishing himself in the Majors.
- In 2000 and 2001, the Cubs, and then the Pirates, worked on shortening his swing and making better contact.
- Gary's ability to handle breaking pitches will determine the length of his Major League career. Starting in 2006, he now recognizes breaking pitches and is doing a better job of staying back on them, particularly from the right side of the plate.
- Gary is like a lot of hitters in that his swing tends to get long when he doesn't play. He needs to maintain a short stroke to be successful and he can only get that from playing a lot.
- Matthews worked on improving his hitting from the left side of the plate in winter ball before 2002 Spring Training. (If his lefthanded swing doesn't improve, he may be forced to drop switch-hitting and bat only righthanded.)
But it wasn't until the Orioles acquired Gary from the Mets that he turned his bat around. Baltimore hitting coach Terry Crowley told Matthews to forget about hitting home runs and just concentrated on making good solid contact. "I thought he had too many strikeouts for somebody who switch-hits," Crowley said. "I thought his batting average could be higher for a guy who runs as well as he does. And he had been on enough teams to indicate things hadn't worked out."
Former Baltimore Manager Mike Hargrove was pleased with the results of Matthews' learning to swing down on the ball, as Crowley instructed. "We knew he had tremendous skills. The light is on with Gary and hopefully it stays on. Sometimes it just takes time for certain guys."
- Gary was one of the few pleasant surprises on the 2002 Orioles. He hit .275 and became a sparkplug for the offense with his aggressive, National League-style play. Hargrove batted him in the number three position most of that season. Matthews only hit .239 vs. lefthanded pitching, but hit .292 off righthanders.
BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES
- In 2002, this switch-hitter batted .292 off righthanded pitchers; .239 off lefties.
In 2003, Matthews hit better off lefthanders (.287) than righthanders (.233).
In 2004, Gary hit just .244 with 4 home runs in 90 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitching, but .289 with 7 homers in 190 at-bats against righthanders.
In 2005, Matthews only hit .241 with 9 home runs in 133 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, and .260 with 8 home runs in 342 at-bats off righthanders.
In 2006, Gary hit a superb .314 with 7 home runs in 137 at-bats against lefthanders, and .313 with 12 homers in 483 at-bats vs. righthanded pitchers.
In 2007, Matthews only hit .175 with 3 home runs in 120 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitching, but .275 with 15 home runs in 396 at-bats against righthanders.
In 2008, Gary hit .285 with four home runs in 130 at-bats vs. lefties, and .222 with 4 home runs in 296 at-bats vs. righthanded pitching.
In 2009, Matthews only hit .221 with 2 homers in 86 at-bats off lefthanded pitchers, and .261 with 2 home runs in 230 at-bats off righthanders.
- Entering the 2010 season, Matthews had a lifetime batting average of .258 with 108 home runs and 483 RBI in 4,045 at-bats.
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