From Pitt, to Washington, PA, and back to Pittsburgh after various stops in between, it’s been a long journey back to the big leagues for the newest Pirates pitcher.
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled former Pitt pitcher and right-handed reliever Isaac Mattson to the bigs on Thursday before the final game of a four-game series in St. Louis. To make room on the 40-man roster and active squad, righty Jake Woodford was designated for assignment.
Mattson made his Major League debut on May 7, 2021, as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed three runs in four games spanning 4.1 innings during four separate stints of the season. He went back to Triple-A in 2022. Mattson’s been looking for an opportunity since.
An Erie native, Mattson’s journey took him a little over 30 minutes south of Pittsburgh to the Washington Wild Things, an independent ball club now a part of the MLB Partner League. Mattson is the fourth former Wild Thing to reach the Majors this season and earned a 2.51 ERA and 23 in 11 appearances during the 2022 campaign.
It’s a return to The Show for Isaac Mattson (2022). @IG_Mattson has been called up to the bigs with the @Pirates.
That’s four former Wild Things that have gotten the call in 2024. Congrats, Isaac, we’ll be watching!
: https://t.co/pNd7sgm9N2#BigLeagueThings pic.twitter.com/A6CU2JxToU
— Washington Wild Things (@WashWildThings) September 19, 2024
The Pirates signed Mattson as a minor league free agent in December. He’s pitched well between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indy. In 37 appearances (three starts), Mattson owns a 3.17 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 72 innings as a multi-frame reliever.
Mattson has a chance to make an impression on the Pirates before the offseason and earned an opportunity to return to MLB. The road gets significantly harder for the Pirates against a decent Reds team in a similar position in the standings, but the NL Central championship Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees before the 2024 season comes to it’s official close.