Michael Scott Matheny (born September 22, 1970) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 13 seasons as a catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants. Matheny later spent seven seasons as the manager of the Cardinals. One of the most accomplished defensive players of his era, he won four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. As manager, Matheny's teams won one National League (NL) pennant and three NL Central division titles.
From Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Matheny was selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 1991 MLB draft from the University of Michigan (UM). He made his MLB debut as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers on April 7, 1994. Matheny established major league records among catchers for consecutive games played without committing an error (252), and consecutive chances fielded without an error (1,565). He is one of three catchers in major league history with an errorless season of at least 100 games, and in 2005, set a Giants single-season team record for catcher's fielding percentage at .999. Matheny has made two World Series appearances—both with the Cardinals—one as a player (2004), and one as a manager (2013). He retired from playing in 2006 due to persisting symptoms of concussion, and has since become an advocate for its prevention and for improved catcher safety.
After his playing career, Matheny coached Little League Baseball. The Cardinals hired him to manage after the 2011 season although he had no professional coaching or managerial experience. In 2012, the Cardinals were wild card winners, and from 2013–15, claimed three consecutive NL Central titles, including winning a career-best 100 games for Matheny in 2015. He became the first manager in MLB history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, and the fifth to a League Championship Series appearance in each of his first three. In 2018, he became the fourth Cardinals manager to manage the club in 1,000 games.
Early life and amateur career
Matheny grew up in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. He graduated from Reynoldsburg High School, where he captained the baseball and football teams. He received little attention from nearby Ohio State University, but accepted a scholarship offered by University of Michigan coach Bud Middaugh. At Michigan, Matheny co-captained the Wolverines baseball team.
Matheny's defensive and throwing skills had drawn the notice of major league scouts, and the Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the 31st round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft. They waited two days until after the draft ended to tell him of his selection, and initially refused to disclose which round they had selected him in. Two days before he was due to attend his first class at Michigan, Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick appeared at Matheny's home to convince him to sign. Gillick was ready to offer a deal normally reserved for second-round picks. At the time, teams held the right to negotiate with their draft picks until the moment they entered their first classroom in the following academic year. The Blue Jays called Matheny frequently until the morning of his first class, hoping he would sign. However, Matheny was convinced that he would not be a very good professional player at that point, so he chose to attend college instead. Before proceeding to his first class, he called the Blue Jays from his dormitory room to inform them of his decision.
Matheny was a member of the 1989 Connie Mack championship team. In 1990, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star.
Playing career (1991–2006)
Minor leagues, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays (1991–99) The Milwaukee Brewers selected Matheny in the eighth round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft, and he spent three years climbing the minor league system. He made his major league debut with the Brewers on April 7, 1994, at the age of 23; he became their starting catcher early in the next season.
During a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 26, 1998, Matheny was batting in the bottom of the ninth when he took a pitch from Rich Loiselle off his face. Remaining upright, Matheny placed his hand on his hip as Pirates catcher Jason Kendall and home plate umpire Jerry Crawford motioned wildly for the Brewers trainers. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he walked off the field. At the end of that season, he became eligible for salary arbitration and the Brewers granted him free agency a few months later.