Former Wild Things pitcher called up by Pirates
For the fourth time this season, a former Washington Wild Things pitcher has been promoted to the major leagues. Righthander Isaac Mattson, who played for the Wild Things in 2022, had his contract selected Thursday by the Pittsburgh Pirates from Class AAA Indianapolis, where he was recently named the Indians’ Pitcher of the Year.
For Mattson, who played his college baseball at Pitt, it’s a return to the majors. He made his big league debut for the Baltimore Orioles in 2021. He was released by Baltimore a year later and signed with the Wild Things at midseason. For Washington, he made 12 appearances out of the bullpen and was 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA and a save in 14 1/3 innings.
With Indianapolis this year, Mattson is 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 29 games (three starts). He has three saves and struck out 76 in 60 innings.
Mattson joins James Meeker (Milwaukee), Austin Kitchen (Colorado and Miami) and Spencer Bivens (San Francisco) as former Wild Things who made their major league debuts this year.