'Phenomenal person, phenomenal story': Bucs' Mattson earns first MLB win for childhood team

PITTSBURGH -- It may be quicker to list all the teams in Western Pennsylvania that Isaac Mattson has not picked up a win for.

An Erie, Pa., native, Mattson first made a name for himself at the University of Pittsburgh. After a brief stint with the Orioles in 2021, he started his road back to the Majors in 2022 with the nearby Washington Wild Things of the independent Frontier League. When he joined the Pirates last season, he picked up a couple of wins for the Double-A Altoona Curve.

On Saturday, he finally got the big one, his first Major League win, and at the crown jewel of the area’s ballparks, PNC Park. The 29-year-old right-hander stranded an inherited runner on third in the seventh inning, setting up Henry Davis for a go-ahead home run in the home half of the frame as the Pirates came back to beat the Phillies, 2-1.

“It's a really cool accomplishment knowing how many games we came to as a family,” Mattson said. “Being able to be on the other side of it and help the team win, it's pretty cool."

Starter Andrew Heaney was rolling through six innings, but was removed after he started to experience left calf muscle cramping in the seventh. Mattson entered with a runner on third, no outs and a 2-0 count, but got Nick Castellanos to strike out, J.T. Realmuto to pop out to shallow right and pinch-hitter Bryson Stott to fy out to escape the jam.

"Henry did a great job of guiding me through the inning,” Mattson said. “When I got here today, he was just like, 'Strength of attack,' so that was the focus going into the outing. When they pinch-hit the third guy I ended up facing, having to face the lefty, he came out and did a great job of just running me through the attack plan. Credit to him for keeping me in the moment and just being able to focus pitch by pitch."

That inning wasn’t the only thing Mattson had to navigate Saturday. He also had to get to Pittsburgh. Endy Rodríguez was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, so the Pirates selected the contract of catcher Brett Sullivan pregame. They needed to open a spot, so reliever Joey Wentz was designated for assignment, and Mattson was called back up after an earlier cameo with the team last month.

Mattson woke up Saturday in Memphis, Tenn., with Triple-A Indianapolis, but arrived at the ballpark around 1:30 p.m., well into when the workday normally starts for pitchers. He has been here before and knew the routine, which helped guide him through the day. It turns out having that experience at the big Western Pennsylvania ballparks is advantageous.

“I get chills thinking about that,” manager Don Kelly said. “That's storybook right there. For him to have that moment -- talk about the crowd, the energy today was fantastic.”

Even without the local angle, Mattson is an easy person to root for. In May, he donated $50 per strikeout to Mental Health of America, a cause that hit home after his mother took her life after a battle with depression in 2021. He’s worked to try to help awareness in recent years, and it’s part of his journey back to the Majors after a three-year gap before being recalled last September.

“Phenomenal person, phenomenal story,” Davis said. “Indy ball to the big leagues, coming in in a moment like that and just trusting your stuff and getting us through a big moment was huge.”

Talking with reporters postgame, Heaney downplayed the severity of his calf injury. How often do you hear a starting pitcher get removed mid-quality start, see someone else get the win and call it “a fun win?”

That’s pretty indicative of the impact Mattson’s performance had.

"If you're going to get one, get one like that,” Heaney said. “That's an amazing way to get it. He was here before, he came in and pitched well, pitched with emotion. And so I think he's the right guy in that moment to come in and get three big outs for us right there. Just happy for him. He deserves it. He's worked hard for it."