Sportsvival recently got to sit down with Pirates relief pitcher Isaac Mattson to go over his journey on becoming a major league player.
Mattson was born on July 14, 1995 in Erie, Pennsylvania. He attended Harbor Creek High School, where he played both baseball and basketball. In 2014, during his senior season, he went 6-0 with a 0.67 ERA along with batting .531.
Mattson was not drafted out of high school and enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh where he played college baseball.
As a freshman at Pitt, Mattson appeared in 22 games, going 1-1 with a 3.82 ERA. In 2016 as a sophomore, he pitched 34 innings in relief, finishing with a 2-0 record with a 3.71 ERA.
After his sophomore season, he played in the Cape Cod League and was named an all-star. Mattson was once again stellar during his junior season at Pitt, striking out 41 hitters in 31 innings and compiling a 2.87 ERA.
Mattson was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 19th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.
After playing a couple seasons in the Angels minor league system, Mattson was dealt to Baltimore, alongside Zach Peek, Kyle Bradish, and Kyle Brnovich for starting pitcher Dylan Bundy.
Mattson got to make his major league debut as an Oriole in May of 2021. Mattson would get released from Baltimore and signed with the Washington Wild Things in August of 2022. After spending parts of 2022-2023 in the Frontier and Atlantic Leagues, Mattson signed with the Minnesota Twins. He finished the 2023 season with the Twins Double-A team Wichita.
On December 11, 2023, Mattson signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2024, Mattson put up some strong numbers between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He pitched three games for the Pirates, posting a 5.06 ERA.
This season, Mattson got called up to the Pirates on May 20 and pitched three games with a 3.00 ERA, before being sent down.
Sportsvival was able to sit down and talk with Mattson during his stay in Pittsburgh.
Sportsvival- Was baseball your only sport in high school?
Mattson- “I played a lot of sports, I golfed in my freshman year, played a little bit of football before that, then basketball and baseball and even ran track.”
Sportsvival- Was baseball your first love?
Mattson- “Yeah, I think growing up, I was always around baseball and softball fields. One of my first memories of playing any sports was sitting down at third base and just making these dirt mounds.”
Sportsvival- When did you realize you can dominate as a pitcher?
Mattson- “Probably at like 12U. I was there several years because of my age and I was really starting to throw well.”
Sportsvival- Was there a chance you could play basketball in college?
Mattson- “Yes, I had some things set up to be a two-sport athlete at Gannon University, but the chance to play Division One at Pitt could not be passed up.”
Sportsvival- How was your time at Pitt?
Mattson- “I loved it, we had a great group of guys and we played against some strong competition in the ACC.”
Sportsvival- How hard were you throwing in high school?
Mattson- “My senior year I was topping out at 91-92 mph.”
Sportsvival- We ask all the pitchers this….when did you start throwing curve balls off the mound?
Mattson- “Honestly, probably not until my sophomore or junior years in high school.”
Although Mattson was sent down this season after a brief stay in Pittsburgh, look for him to get called up later in the season.
Mattson is a star off the field as well. He lost his mother to depression and uses his platform to raise awareness about mental health. He has participated in memorial walks and donated to mental health organizations.
(photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)