SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler Matzek sat on the dugout bench at Oracle Park – the one in the home dugout. He usually would be on the other side, but not this time. Out on the field, his former teammates took batting practice.
Matzek wore black and orange instead of blue and red. He has so many fond memories with the guys on the other side, but they are the enemy now. The Braves and Giants are playing a four-game series that could be important in the National League wild-card race as both teams chase postseason berths.
On July 29, the Braves traded Matzek and minor-league infielder Sabin Ceballos to the Giants for Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson.
Before the deal, Matzek had been with the Braves since 2019, when they signed him out of independent baseball. He was part of four National League East-champion clubs. He was a crucial member of the 2021 World Series run – who can forget striking out three consecutive Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series?
Now, he’s entering a new chapter.
Matzek will not face his former team. He’s still on the injured list, but was scheduled to make a rehab appearance Tuesday. He hopes to pitch again this season.
On Monday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution caught up with Matzek at Oracle Park. The conversation below is lightly edited for length and clarity.
Q: I guess where I would start is, what was that night of the trade like? Were you surprised?
A: Yeah, I was surprised, for sure. (Braves president of baseball operations and general manager) Alex (Anthopoulos) gave me a call late Monday night. When the GM is calling you late at night, that only means one thing around the trade deadline: It means you’re probably traded. So, I knew what was up. Yeah, it kind of caught me off-guard, just wasn’t expecting to be traded. I was working my way back, didn’t (seem) like there was a lot of value in being able to trade me for anything. But Alex found a way to get rid of me I guess, and he got Luke and Soler back, so yeah.
(Matzek chuckled when saying Anthopoulos found a way to get rid of him. He said it jokingly.)
Q: What was that conversation like with Alex? Did you ask for any answers and what was he able to tell you about why you were even in the deal?
A: Actually what I said was, ‘Oh, OK, where am I going?’ He said, ‘To San Francisco.’ I said, ‘Oh cool, OK. Can you tell me who I got traded for?’ He’s like, ‘Ah I can’t, I gotta let the parties on the other side get through there and tell their people who got traded.’ I was like, ‘Well, can I at least call Luke and let him know I’m coming over there?’ And he goes, ‘Uhhh, yeahhh, you should probably just hold off altogether.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, so you traded me for Luke, didn’t you? Unbelievable.’ So I mean, I got the answer there without him telling me. But yeah. Let’s be honest: I got traded for Jorge Soler, not for Luke Jackson.
(As he told this story, Matzek was smiling about it. He clearly wasn’t bitter.)
Q: The Braves were your career for the last half-decade. How did you process the emotions, what were the emotions and how long did that take for everything to set in?
A: The Braves have been like a family to me, ever since I came over there. I got picked up out of indy ball in 2019 and Alex, he kind of had the cojones to give me a shot in 2020. And he said, ‘All right kid, I think you can go out there and do it again. I’ll give you a shot. Rosters expanded. Let’s do it.’ I’m forever grateful for him doing that and making that decision. I wouldn’t be in baseball or Major League Baseball if it wasn’t for him going ahead and believing in me. Yeah, I’m forever grateful for that. And yeah, it’s been the family over there, it’s been like my family over there.
Q: A lot of people remember 2021 and that one inning in the postseason specifically. How much will it mean to you going forward that you’re still a fan-favorite and you’re a part of the Braves’ legacy?
A: I mean, yeah. It’s a special moment, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s awesome. I think that I like to look at my whole time as a Brave, going and winning a lot of divisions, playing in a lot of Division Series, and then capping it off with that (inning in Game 6 of the NLCS). I mean, I don’t know. I don’t look at myself as anything special or something like that. I was just a reliever going out there and doing my job, and it just happened to be in a very important game. But I try to bring that intensity to every game – if it’s in the middle of June and July, in the middle of the summer, or if it’s late in October and we’re trying to win a World Series.
Q: I think a lot of fans who talk about your Tommy John surgery in 2022 see it as you kind of leaving your arm out on the line in the postseason in 2021, going so much and pushing so hard. Is there credence to that? Do you feel that you just pressed the gas pedal and you let it all out in that 2021 postseason?
A: No, I don’t think it was so much that my – I mean, I did. I was physically beat up afterward. I don’t know that my elbow was specifically beat up. I think just my whole entire body. My back was not in a good spot, which led to my shoulder not being in a good spot, which then led to my elbow finally going ahead and breaking. It just kind of worked its way through the kinetic chain, and the elbow was the weakest part that kind of snapped.
So it was a long process of that just being bad. And I think that the back issue kind of started in that October (2021) and then I tried to battle through it through the offseason and kind of get ready in a very short period of time for spring training – which kind of just, it all spiraled out of control. And then middle of the (2022) season I think is when the elbow really went. Because before that, I was still throwing decent, it was feeling OK. But then it got really bad toward the end
Q: When you got traded over here to San Francisco, what was your conversation like with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and manager Bob Melvin, and what struck you most about the organization?
A: They want to win. They’re hungry, and they want to win. It’s a fantastic group. They welcomed me in with open arms. They just want to win baseball games here. And I can respect that, I love it. The leadership in the clubhouse with (third baseman Matt Chapman) and (outfielder Michael) Conforto and a bunch of guys, I think that over here, they have a great mix of what’s needed to win and go far in the playoffs.
Q: When you pitched in early May, to think that was maybe your last inning as a Brave, did you think back on that after the trade, just that you maybe never expected that to be your last one?
A: No. I mean, I never would’ve thought that that was it. Especially at that point, I thought, ‘This is just some elbow swelling, inflammation, flare-up kind of thing from (Tommy John surgery).’ I didn’t realize that the flexor had a little tiny tear in there that needed to be fully recovered. At the time, I was not thinking that at all. I was thinking like, ‘How do I get the inflammation out of here, how do I get this fixed so I can be back out on the field?’
So looking back right now, I haven’t really thought of it until right now. Yeah, I mean, it’s a little disappointing, but it is what it is. It’s just part of the game. I’ll take that any day for all the positive, good memories that I’ve had in a Braves uniform.
Q: Your story is so inspiring to a lot of people, and maybe a lot of pitchers who come after you. How much does it mean to you to be one of those guys that exemplifies that a career doesn’t have to be over?
A: Yeah. I mean, I think that as long as you are willing to work and you want it and you can endure the pain and suffering that’s necessary to do it, you can do it. I think as long as you’re willing to do that and not give up, you always have a chance to do it. And yeah, it takes a little bit of luck, it takes somebody believing in you – like the Braves did for me. And taking the opportunities when you get them, and holding on to them, and either succeeding with aggression or failing with aggression, but either way, you’re taking those opportunities and you’re giving it everything you got.
Q: Now that you guys in San Francisco are making a push, you and the Braves might be battling it out for the third wild-card spot. How strange is that to cross sides amid this wild-card race?
A: I mean, for sure. We’re definitely competitors right now in that third spot for the wild-card race. Again, this team over here is hungry to win, and they want to do it. They always hear about the Dodgers crap and all this stuff. Man, they want to go out there and win. And I think that we have the talent to go ahead and do that. We have a bunch of young, athletic position players, three Cy Young candidates on the mound to start our rotation, and a really good bullpen. So I think that the pieces are definitely there, and I think the boys are just gonna get rolling, and we’re gonna be in a very good spot here soon.
Q: When you were with the Braves before the trade, what was your view of why they couldn’t get momentum going?
A: I think it’s a little bit just baseball. Everybody’s not gonna have a career year every single year, and when you bank on that, that’s gonna be tough to do. But it’s also very rare to see a lot of guys struggling all at the same time as well. And I think that the struggling is kind of a little bit contagious, maybe. I think the pitching has been – they were fantastic over there, they were kind of holding it down.
The Braves are still the Braves. They’re still a very dangerous team, and they are still a team full of a bunch of All-Star players. It might not be going their way right now, but our goal as the San Francisco Giants is to keep it that way. We don’t want to let them get hot, we don’t want to let them win. I know that might be hurting some feelings, but that’s just the way the game is, man. When you’re on the other side, you gotta flip really quick and kind of become a savage for the colors you’re wearing.
Q: What’s your favorite memory as a Brave? Give me something that sticks out as an underrated memory that really means a lot to you nowadays.
A: My favorite memory, man, of being in a Braves jersey was, after the parade, walking onto the field, out onto that stage that we had set up, and realizing what we had just done for the City of Atlanta – a city that was so hungry in wanting a championship, had been so close so many times. To finally go ahead and get that for the fan base, I think that is the memory that sticks with me more than anything. Because when we go out there every day, we’re trying to go out there and we’re trying to win for ourselves, one, but we’re trying to win for those fans, too. And we’ve had so many good, loyal fans from the time I was there, from Day One all the way – and they continue to be great Braves fans. But that’s a memory that will stick with me forever.
Q: How much were you guys aware during the run or after you won it of the impact you had on a generation of fans?
A: I think it’s like, when you look back on it, you realize it. And a lot of fans come up and they say, ‘Oh man, I’m so grateful because of this, that and that.’ Then you start realizing, ‘Wow, this actually meant more to these fans – or as much, at least, to these fans – as it does to us players.’ When you feel that love and you feel that connection that you have with the fans that show up every single day, it’s a huge motivating factor, and it’s a huge positive thing for players, honestly.
Q: People will look at your contract situation and see that you could be a free agent after the season, and then wonder if the Braves would need a lefty for next season. Even after getting traded, how open would you be to returning if the Braves were interested?
A: Yeah, for sure. I’d be more than willing to play for any team that’s more willing to go out and spend the money, and do the things they need to do in order to go win a World Series, and the Braves are definitely on that shortlist. The Giants here are on that shortlist as well. These guys, they’re hungry for a World Series, just like a handful of other teams that really wanna go do it. Yeah, so I’m definitely open to going over there. They’re on the shortlist, for sure.
Q: What’s the difference between Atlanta and San Francisco?
A: It’s not nearly as hot, that’s one. Being a big, fat, sweaty guy, it’s been nice not being in the 100-degree humidity all day, every day. That’s the No. 1 thing. Just like Atlanta is a baseball city, San Francisco is a baseball city. So it’s just a different color. We go from blue and red to orange and black. But other than that, man, you feel the love from the fans here.
Q: If you had a parting message for Braves fans, what would that be?
A: Man, I loved my time in Atlanta. Who knows what the future holds? And thank you very much.
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